An Extra Interesting Detail About the Marathon

So, when running this morning (yes, I was out for the fourth day in a row including my PR marathon on day two of the four), I enjoyed very much running with 2 people with whom I’d spent a good bit of time in training for the Philadelphia marathon. I ran 4.75 miles—a combination of a half-mile warm-up, 3 one mile intervals that we did in 7:10 or better each time, ¼ mile between each, and ¾ mile to finish.  During some of the faster intervals we chatted.  During almost all the warm-up, cool down, and rest intervals we chatted.  What I found out was pretty cool.  They had seen me at the half-way point in the race—although I had not seen them.  Then, when they saw me at mile 22 they thought I still looked strong.  (I suppose even a 7:36 is pretty good for most people.)  But I was definitely hurting compared with earlier in the race.  They told me that Jackie went by two “groups” after me.  (Runners tend to cluster.)  They told her to go catch up with me.  She told them she’d been keeping an eye on me.  Then, not long after she caught up with me and the rest of the race I described yesterday.

That put the “team” effort of this marathon into a slightly more complex light.  Not only had I had the benefit of an amazing coach to develop a plan for me.  Not only had I enjoyed training with five different people consistently during the preparation.  Not only had I had the good fortune to be cheered on by people I knew during the race.  Not only had I had the good fortune to be accompanied to the finish line by a great friend.  But I had friends working together to get me to the goal I’d set. 

So, this makes me think even more of what I will remember most about Sunday.  It could be the time.  For example, today I can tell you my exact best time in the 1600 meter run in high school.  4:41 at the Delaware County Track Championships in 1987.  I ran a better race in the qualifying heat for the finals than in the finals.  Will I be able to recite the time I ran 27½  years from now when I am 72.  Probably.  That’ll be part of my glory days story when I’m getting ready to retire from working for pay.  I will probably be able to tell people that I improved by 4:36 over my previous personal best.  I will probably be able to recite my half splits: 1:33:51 and 1:35:48.  But will all those time be all I remember about Sunday?  No.  Will that even be the most important thing I remember about Sunday?  I think not.

What else won’t be the most important?  2000 miles.  Yes, Sunday was the day I went over 2000 miles.  And, yes, since January 1, that has been my goal for the year and a critical part of my virtual pilgrimage.  But at this point, it is almost a secondary after thought.  Having run the most miles ever before this year in 2013 but still being under 1900, I thought I’d be challenged to run 2000 in 2014.  In the end, it wasn’t really challenging at all—other than avoiding injury.  Yes, the symbolism of the city (Truth or Consequences) and the symbolism of the church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) I reached are both strong.  But that was not the most important thing.

The completion of a goal was important.  I set the goal and reached it.  It might be the most important thing if I had done all the planning myself and made the goal happen myself.  However, while I set the goal, I had a coach who developed a plan and friends who helped me get through.

If not the goal setting and reaching, perhaps I could remember the effort. The major and amazing push at the end.  Important, but still not the main memory.

The friendship that was showed by Jackie that I described yesterday was important.  While I’ve crossed the finish lines with my sons before, that was because I chose to run with them.  I have not run a race with a friend where either I or they chose to stay together the whole time or to make sure to cross the finish line together.  This was unique.  But still not the single most important thing. 

The most important thing I will remember is that the help I received was a gift.  An amazing gift.  A gift I’d like to pass on.  The gift of others caring about me enough to communicate about me and to make my success their goal.  I wish everyone could feel what it means to be given a gift like that.  Why was I lucky enough to have this experience?  Because I have been lucky enough to find a fitness activity that I enjoy and through which I have built many and deep friendships.  Deep friendships are what leads to people wanting to help each other.  And I was lucky enough to have people who wanted to help me.  And that was the most important part of Sunday for me. 

My Blogging Version of #tbt

I have posted very few pictures for throw back Thursday.

In general, I use words rather than pictures. More accurately, I try to paint a scene with my words.

Today, I have no new words. Instead, I received a gift in the mail from a former student, running mentor, and dear friend.   Today's answer to #WhatMakesYouSoar. To put the gift in context, I draw on a post from August 1, 2010--where my blogging began.

August 1, 2010--A Spiritual View of a Marathon

The marathon this fall has a lot of meaning and a lot of meanings for me. The meanings have evolved over time: getting in shape; proving I could do something I did more than 20 years ago; a promise to myself; a promise to others; overcoming an injury; running for charity. Today as I ran 15 miles and attended a memorial service, my outlook on the marathon took a spiritual turn.

I’ve never run 15 miles continuously before. Today felt good. Despite having an opportunity to train with others, today’s run needed to be done early so I did it myself. During the run, I focused on thinking about Gerry, the fellow parent at my kids’ school who recently lost his battle with cancer—in whose memory I will be running and for whom the memorial service was today.

Later, at the memorial service, I realized just how blessed Gerry’s life was. He could find the good in just about everyone and every experience.

During the service, someone shared an incredible story. While the story-teller’s faith and Gerry’s faith were different they shared a bond through faith. And when she took her family to Israel for her son’s bar mitzvah, she asked Gerry what he would like her to bring back. Gerry asked for five smooth round stones. Remember that David had five stones when he went to face Goliath although he needed only one. The five stones were at the memorial service today.

I don’t necessarily plan to carry five physical stones 26.2 miles while I run in October, but I could have five “figurative” stones in my pocket representing love, strength, perseverance, ambition, and focus. Each could help me achieve my goal in the way that any of the stones could have helped David. But, as David needed only one, I really need only one; the others are just backup. The one I need—love. Love for my friends, colleagues, and family members who have been touched by cancer. Love for my children as I show an example of setting and achieving a goal. Love for my wife who has endured the extra time I’ve spent training this year. Love of and thankfulness to God who has given me so many gifts. Love will guide my way, and everything else will just fall into place. I should not even need the other “stones”—even if having them does provide reassurance. 

In addition, I post a picture of the stones I carried with me during the marathon in 2010.

And below is a picture of what I received today.  The words my student shared with me led to my first reaction of "what a gift to know how much my journey has had an impact on someone else's journey."

Today, there are no more words to say. 

The Three Mile Gift

Since the last time I wrote, I have run 23 miles.  That included 7 on the track on Tuesday (9x400 trying to keep it just below 1:30).  3 on the road on Wednesday.  7 progression on Thursday (8/7:45/7:15/7:00/6:45/6:15/8 again) on the treadmill and that felt a lot easy than the week before.  And finally, a very easy 6 yesterday morning that during which I crossed paths with a colleague who referred to me as "Dr. Frick" out on the road at 6 AM.  Sometimes I wish I could just be "Kevin" at least when I run.

In any case, today is another beautiful morning.  I am not running today as I have work responsibilities and then parenting this afternoon.  It is good.

So, by now I have made my way through Greensburg and Hartsville and over to Columbus, Indiana on Indiana Route 46 or West 3rd Avenue.  South of Indianapolis.  The closest I will get to that city.

I want to write just a brief comment this morning about the gift of three miles on Wednesday.  My shortest run of the week.  My shortest run for a while.  

Why was it a gift?

Because it is part of a training plan.  

Because I felt "compelled" to do it.

Because otherwise, I could just as easily have sat the day out.

But I got up, went out, did three very easy miles, and felt great.  

The legs had to do some work, but it was almost effortless.

The lungs had to do some work but I was not struggling.

It gave me the freedom to move without requiring me to move too much.

It was just the right way to balance the middle day of the week.

And I will look forward to "rest running" days in the future. 

40 Days to Better: Day 35

After ten days of running, I took this morning off.  My dog was happy as she got to go for a half-hour walk at 6 AM.  The skies look gray today.  Can't be sunny all the time, I suppose.  And while my stomach is now feeling better, the skies look how my attitude was yesterday as I slogged through ten miles at a relatively high temperature for October and my stomach was in knots for reasons that remain a mystery to me.  

Most of my reading recently has been for stuff directly related to work.  Yesterday, I had a chance to finish a book my 17 year old had picked up for me for Father's Day.  It was a book about Steve Prefontaine.  He was an amazing American runner in the early 1970's who died a tragic death in 1975.  The last chapter of the book began with a quote from him, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift."

That is a profound statement.  He made it, I presume, mostly about running.  However, it applies to so much.  I have been given many gifts.  Sometimes I feel like I have lived up to the call to give my best.  Sometimes, I know I have fallen short.  

As I look ahead, I want to focus on what the book that I have referred to many times in the forty days suggests (the book being The Answer to How is Yes).  It suggests focusing on what matters most.

If I focus on what matters most and giving my all--what more could I ask for.

What I struggle with is that a lot of things matter.  So sometimes choosing what matters most is a real challenge.

In addition, the people in my life around me don't always agree with me on what matters most.

So there will need to be tradeoffs.

There will need to be compromises.

But experience suggests that following the road to better to a place in which I am clear about what I think matters most and giving my all to what matters most will be fulfilling for me.

Then, I have to try to create an environment where each person around me can give what they feel is their all to what matters most and the world should be a happier place for all.

Of course, a final reflection for this morning is that I also have to realize that in the same way that I ask others to allow me to choose my focus and define giving my best, I have to allow that in others as well.

40 Days to Better: Day 3

As we move around the picture to the left today we are on image three (the tattoo) and the idea of something borrowed.  I felt like I was running on borrowed time this morning as I did not leave until after 6:10--a rarity for me.  On day 3, I ran just 4.1 miles at around a 7:38 pace.  Nothing major.  Just a nice way to stretch out my legs a bit on the first truly cool morning in a while.  And while I ran the first mile in the 8:20's, I was feeling good enough and relaxed enough to open up for the last three.  Goal tomorrow is a tempo out on the streets from 5-6.  We'll see.

As far as the image goes, the tattoo is not borrowed.  It is on my leg forever.  The artwork is original.  However, the idea for a modern reinterpretation of an ancient story (akin to Godspell in relationship to the Gospel) was borrowed.  My artist borrowed ideas from different books.  In each case, we changed things a bit--so it is not completely like borrowing and returning in the same condition. It is more like borrowing and making something your own before sharing it back with the world.  An interesting form of borrowing.  This makes me think of the fictional mockingjays from The Hunger Games.  They were described as mimicking a sound but then change it to make it their own.

In any case, the thing that I have borrowed a lot of this summer is other people's time.  Friends' time.  The time of friends who could help me think through a bunch of things about career, about running, about what my life is centered around, and about what my life ought to be centered around.

And, of all the things (mostly ideas) I have borrowed in the past year it is the notion of what my life ought to be centered around that is most important--marriage and family--then running and work.  I won't say what order for running and work--but neither should ever eclipse marriage and family.

And while I borrowed friends' time and ideas about marriage, marriage is not borrowing.  My wife's promise was a gift to me.  Not something to be borrowed and returned.  Not something to do with as I wish.  But something to cherish every day and value every day.  Also, of course my promise to her was also a gift freely given.  Not something that I lent her for a time and would ever take back.

Still, marriage has led to a lot of borrowing of ideas (Christmas and Easter traditions are good examples).  But that is where "borrowing" ends.  Despite the fact that the "something borrowed" continues my use of the traditional marriage expression, this summer I have learned once again that marriage involves a full commitment and a gift rather than a lending or borrowing with the expectation of getting something or giving something back.  The goal of day three of forty days to being better will be to take that message with me--unconditional giving forever--always into my future with Sherry and never to forget.

Spiritual Reflections on the First Sunday of Lent

Yesterday's run was a gift from God.  The weather--while nippy--was not really that cold.  I had not tried to find a temperature right near my house (I sometimes overlook the fact that a "Baltimore" temperature often means out in the more open area where the airport is a half hour from here).  Looking at "Yesterday's Weather" on the weather channel website with my zip code suggests if was actually 40 degrees most of the time while I ran yesterday.  That truly is perfect and with hat and an extra layer, I was probably overdressed.  The run alone gave me time just to enjoy the run for one thing only--the sake of running and how it bring me closer to the end of a three year quest--to qualify for and then run a respectable time in Boston.  At one point I said, "If I run Boston it will be my last." I'm not sure if I will stick to that assertion or not, but certainly after Boston for a while I will limit the number of very long runs I do and probably change my workouts to focus more on speeding up my track times and my 5K.

In any case, glancing at today's Catholic mass readings fro Deuteronomy, Psalm 91 (which is quoted heavily in On Eagles Wings, a standard for years at Catholic contemporary masses), the letter the Romans, and then the story of Jesus in the desert for 40 days from Luke's gospel, many things caught my attention.  Today at mass, the worship band with which I play will sing a song called "40 Days".  But what caught my attention most was the reading from Romans--chapter 10 verses 8-13.

In the context of what the reading is about, it focuses on belief being realized by confessing with your mouth and believing with your heart.  In this case, confessing is not confessing as in going to the sacrament of reconciliation but confessing as it stating a belief very clearly.  I find the idea useful in situations outside of church as well as for my spiritual well being.  If you really are passionate about something then it should be something you can talk about, something you are willing to talk about, and something that you hold dear in your heart at the core of your soul.  I am lucky to be in a position where I can balance (or at least try to balance in life) multiple things that I am passionate about at this level.  I suppose am lucky to be in a position where I can do this with even one thing.  If we think about Maslow's triangle representing a hierarchy of needs, when I get to that level I am pretty sure that all the basics are taken care of and I am at self-actualization.  To be there is yet another gift from God--a gift I celebrate every day--and something that guides me in my actions to help others achieve the same.  A Facebook friend posed the question the other day what makes my heart sore.  Leaving aside obvious answers like love for wife and children, I said, "Helping others to achieve."  Outside religion, that is what I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart is one of the most critical things that I am called on to do.  

Get By with a Little Help from My Friends

In the past few weeks I have done some tempo runs with friends--tempo runs are sustained high speed.  We have run the streets of East Baltimore and both times two specific runners have been clearly ahead of me starting some time in the third mile or sooner.  The first time, I motivated myself along.  The second time, I had two friends who helped keep me going as strong as I could.  Better run the second time.

In all the 5K's I've run recently, I have never had someone to run with virtually the whole time.  Today, at the starting line, I was with three other gentlemen from Back on My Feet and knew that there would be several others from Back on My Feet out on the course cheering us on.  Two of us had visions of running about the same time.  (We had similar recent personal bests.  I call mine a recent personal best as there was a time when I was 17 that I could run a lot faster but that almost counts as "someone else".   At this point in my life after 6.5 years of being back into fitness, I should just focus on the recen times.)  In any case, we went out.  One gentleman (who admittedly had worked last night and had not kept up with his running so much recently) fell behind early.  One gentleman went out fast (after having already done a distance run this morning) and pulled away in the first mile running a sub-6 but later burned out (his words) so that at about the 1.8 mile point the other two of us passed him.

The remaining gentleman and I ran the first mile just together at 6:15 pace.  Then we hung through the second mile together.  Every once in a while one of us would pull ahead slightly and then we would regroup.  I don't recall the time that was shouted out at exactly the 2 mile marker, but I know that we were running very consistent with our first mile.  It was interesting as my GPS watch and the course matched up exactly for mile 1 and almost exactly for mile 2.  Mile 3 on the course seemed a bit long and I pulled away slightly.  Ended up ahead of the guy I ran the race with by 4 seconds.  I would hardly say I "beat" him as it wasn't about winning or losing at that point.  It was just about pushing myself to my own limits (20:00.2 for the official time but I honestly thought I had broken 20 minutes on my watch) and seeing how well teaming up to run with someone else would help me and help him.  It helped us both amazingly.  Pacing together and not wanting to let the other person get too far away and encouraging each other throughout made a huge difference.

I hope to run with someone who runs my exact pace in a future race.  Two of the other three runners I began with asked if I'd be running either the Baltimore or Philly marathon this year.  Unfortunately, no and no.  As I've discussed before to prioritize in my life, I have chosen to step away from marathon running until Boston next year.  But, next time there is a Back on My Feet 5K or any other even where I see Road Runner, Michael, or Ryan, I'll know who to team up with to try to have more than one of us set a new personal best.  Running with a little help from friends is such a gift.