Freedom's Run Marathon--Part 4

I've already said this in the last five days, but I will say it again. I never would have guessed that the Freedom's Run Marathon would have led me to write so much. The last two parts that I am envisioning go back to my idea of "bib number and Bible verses" that later expanded to include "race times and Bible verses." My bib number was 96. I could have looked at that as the sixth verse of a ninth chapter or the ninth verse of a sixth chapter or he 96th chapter. There are not too many books of the Bible with 96 chapters. In fact, only one comes to mind--Psalms. So, I turned to Psalm 96 and found inspiration.

As always, I draw on the Bible at the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops webpage.

1 "Sing to the LORD a new song; 

sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; 

proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Tell his glory among the nations; 

among all peoples, his marvelous deeds.
4 For great is the LORD and highly to be praised, 

to be feared above all gods.
5 For the gods of the nations are idols, 

but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and power go before him; 

power and grandeur are in his holy place.
7 Give to the LORD, you families of nations, 

give to the LORD glory and might;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
8 Bring gifts and enter his courts; 

bow down to the LORD, splendid in holiness.
9 Tremble before him, all the earth; 

declare among the nations: The LORD is king.
10 The world will surely stand fast, never to be shaken.

He rules the peoples with fairness.
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; 

let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.
12 Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice 

before the LORD who comes,
who comes to govern the earth,
13 To govern the world with justice 

and the peoples with faithfulness."

What does this mean, and how does it relate to the marathon.  Well, this marathon was one of the most beautiful courses I ever ran on.  (Probably the most and at the time of year when the leaves were just beginning to change."  That certainly makes things like "Let the heavens be glad..." that makes me think of song lyrics we have sung for years "Let heaven rejoice and earth be glad, let all creation sing."  It is joy.  And while there were moments during the race when neither Lauren nor I would necessarily have thought of "joy" as the first word to come to mind, the overall course made me think of joy.  And there were many trees lining the course so that fits wit verse 12 as well.  The first three verses are also just plain joyful verses that make me think of the joy that came with this marathon.  Training to run it with someone.  Realizing that goal--for at least 19 of the 26.2 miles.  And enjoying a course that shows the wonder and beauty of the world that God created.

The rest of the Psalm talks a bit about God being fair and just and the fact that the Gods of other nations are idols.  It is the last part that I focus on the most.  (Although I don't ignore the fair and just part and choose to see that above the parts about fear and trembling.)  

In any case, I try not to make running my idol but to use running to experience God.  I recognize the friends that I am blessed to have in my life.  I recognize the beauty of the land over which I am lucky enough to run.  I realize the wonderful neighborhoods that I can see and the people in them.  I realize the health that I am blessed to have and keep (including the ability to train hard but not crazy and run a 3:34).  I realize the way in which this has affected my life.  And I see it in the context of my faith in God.  And the joy that I can share with others.  Not always evangelizing like the street corner preacher's back in my Penn State days, but quietly being willing to speak of my faith and share the joy it brings me.  

Freedom's Run Marathon--Part 3

The Freedom's Run marathon is so named because of the fact that it runs through some areas critical to Civil War history.  John Brown.  Harper's Ferry.  Antietam.  As I mentioned in part one of the story of this marathon, the race was preceded by a person singing some of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  The war ended with freedom for the slaves.  Part of the discussion around the war was states rights--freedom in a different way.  So there are lots of freedoms right there.

But I can think of other freedoms that went along with this race.

First, the freedom just to be the runner I want to be.  I run at crazy times.  I run a ton of miles.  I enjoy running with friends.  As we were chatting with someone along the river, I mentioned the people I train with.  He commented quickly that I don't train with any guys.  I think the last time I ran with a guy was one weekend last summer.  And occasionally there will be larger groups that include guys.  But I have the freedom to do what I want to--with two constraints.  I have to minimize the interference with my family life and I have to make sure I don't fall behind at work.  And I do both of those.

Second, the freedom to dream.  My last dream was getting below 3:10 in Philly.  This year had begun with no plan to run a marathon.  The marathon plan came in May.  And it feeds into my next dream.  An ultra marathon in South Africa.

Third, the freedom to share that dream.  In sharing that dream, I have the chance to inspire others.  And when I inspire others they share my dream.  And then they can help me with my dream.  My kids think I'm a little crazy but share the excitement of my dream.  My fellow runners all think it is an exciting dream to share.

Fourth, the freedom to run where I want and when I want.  That is also completely key.  I have enjoyed running around the city.  Through many areas.  From Belvedere Square to Patterson Park.  Canton and Federal Hill.  At crazy hours.  And when the freedom was limited, I was mad this spring.  I have learned not to take the freedom for granted.

Fifth, the freedom to run far.  And that freedom was showing on my face when I was running a sub-8 minute mile late in the race.

Sixth, the freedom to enjoy my success and the freedom to enjoy the success of others.  Running is a great sport as it is great to share the runs.  And that brings people close together.  And then on race day, it can be just as exciting (and sometimes more) to see and share the success of another as to succeed oneself.

Seventh, the freedom to recognize when the ties that bind become ties that constrain.  In preparing for the race, I had hoped just for once to run an entire race with a friend.  I'd never done that before.  When we reached mile 17 or 18, Lauren started to tell me I could go ahead.  I waited.  I even mentioned that if we were running the Marine Corps marathon rather than Freedom's Run that I'd feel compelled to stay--after all the idea of leaving no "soldier" behind (or runner behind in this case) is deeply ingrained in the US military.  But Lauren recognized the sixth freedom I mentioned.  She wanted me to succeed as much as she wanted to succeed.  And when she recognized the struggle she was having she wished only one thing--that I would succeed.  At that point, if I had not gone ahead, the ties that bound us as friends would have become the ties that constrained--unnecessarily.  Lauren ultimately could take care of herself.  I had no doubt of that.  And I was set free to run.  To be everything that I could be.  To prepare for the next dream.

Those are the many freedoms I have.  I sometimes take them for granted.  I live them all to the fullest.  

More About the Marathon...

I did not anticipate that the marathon I ran on Saturday was going to be a super moving event in my running life.  However, as with so many things, it took me by surprise.  Tonight, let me mention a few tidbits that I did not put in my first blog entry.

(1) The temperature for the race was awesome.  When we got to the starting area it was the right temperature for a sweatshirt or windbreaker and shorts.  I parted with my sweatshirt before Lauren parted with her windbreaker.  She was "slow to commit" to being just in a singlet.  But less than a mile or two in it was plenty warm enough.  And the temp never went above mid-60's so it was a day where after the race was not shorts and t-shirt weather.  That is about perfect for a marathon.  Maybe 5-10 degrees colder to start.  But I'd take that set of temps just about any day.

(2) We really did spend a lot of time watching people.  Running can be a lot of fun in terms of people watching.  Other runners.  Some ahead of us.  Some we caught.  Some passed again later.  But it was all good.  And people watching gives runners something to talk about.  A way to pass the time on a 3+ hour adventure.

(3) Lauren did say that while she was able to keep up, having me to run with made her faster.  I wasn't too far ahead, although in the picture below it looks like I'm a step or two ahead already.  The bridge was just not made for two across plus walkers, who were there as it is a public trail.

(4) Coming back to watching, one thing that was interesting to watch was people going around some of the puddles on the trail near the river.  There was one big puddle at which everyone in a group of four before us went left.  I went right.  I wasn't sure whether we would split at the puddle or not.  But we both went right.  Decided that people just tend to go with whatever the leader in the group does.  Human nature.

(5) It is fun to think of the series of runs we have shared.  The picture below shows a team trophy with the award that came with this race.  The trophy has a picture from the Father's Day 2015 race behind it.  Lots of miles as a team.  That's what friendship is built on.

So far, I haven't run again yet.  I expect to sit tight for one more day and then run on Wednesday.  Life is good.  

Marathon Adventure

Sometimes marathons are much more than just running events.  They teach life lessons.   They bring people together.  They add to interesting life experiences.  Yesterday's Freedom's Run marathon did all of that.

So, I'd like to tell the whole story.  I've met a lot of interesting and fun people through my involvement with Back on My Feet.  One of those people's name is Lauren.  I know I met her some time in mid-2011 or earlier.  Probably as early as April, although about all I had at first was that there was another people--who was relatively fast--named Lauren on another team.  Late in 2011 a group of us started running at the Dunbar track in East Baltimore.  At some point she joined that group.  Over time, I ran with Back on My Feet less, while she has stayed more heavily involved in the organization.  But things come up in life.  Still, we found our schedules and running interests compatible and eventually became two of the "for sures" when we are in town for what is still a usual Tuesday morning run (even if not on the now inaccessible Dunbar track) and an occasional long run on the weekend.  

Running plays a different role in Lauren's life than in mine.  She didn't have the long gap of not running after high school.  Her mother is also a runner.  And she has gotten to know a lot more people well through Back on My Feet.  

I've followed her marathon running (through training with her) since at least the Houston Marathon that she ran in 2013.  To date, that stands as her personal best.  After her run in Kentucky in the spring of 2015, one morning at the end of a run she commented that she should bring me along to some marathon to help her get a new PR as she always seemed to be comfortable running a slightly quicker pace with me.  She also has a goal of running one marathon in every state.  So, we looked for a state that she had not run in yet for which we could run a race that wouldn't be too much of a trip to get to.  We found West Virginia.  Great to get her another state--after yesterday's marathon she is up to 11--and great for my first time of having a marathon experience with a friend with whom I traveled and spent the majority of the race.  Not such a good choice for a personal best.

If you want to know why it might not have been such a good choice for a personal best, you can just look at the elevation chart

  

The chart pretty much says it all.  And the chart doesn't even capture the final hill about a half mile from the finish.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

We had run the same race multiple times before.  Several Father's Day races.  Other local 5K's.  And the NCR Marathon relay has year.  

The race began with nerves the day before.  I had no doubt of running a 3:30 if Lauren was ready for it.  But I have a hard enough time making sure that I have everything I am supposed to bring when I go to a race.  In this case, I needed to make sure I had my own stuff plus meet a friend around 4 AM to travel to the race.  That's a lot to think about.

On Friday evening I baked--chocolate chip/pecan scones.  Most for my family.  Four to take on race day.

Race morning, I was up before 3:10.  It took just a little longer than expected to get all my stuff together.  But I ended up forgetting nothing (other than sun screen which wasn't really necessary) and got to Lauren's to meet up between 4:10 and 4:15.  

We got ready to go and were off for the drive.  The trip out got us to Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV, right around 6.  Got got our stuff out of the car and were on the second group of buses headed to Harper's Ferry.  So far, so good.

Arriving in Harper's Ferry, we found packet pickup and got our numbers (96 for me) and respective shirts.  The color for my medium was called (by the race director) eggplant pink.  I think it is kind of cool.  Probably not for everyone.  They didn't give out any sort of bag (trying to minimize environmental impact), but I had extra space in my bag so Lauren threw her shirt and her windbreaker in my bag.  

Last minute trip to rest room or porta-potty.  Runners (fairly small group) called to the start about 5-10 minutes early.  Lots of announcements from the race director.  Young woman sang one verse and one chorus from the Battle Hymn of the Republic--pretty moving.  And at 7:30 we were off.

First mile was very easy (as most first miles are) at 8:04.  Right on target.  That was despite the effort of trying to sort out getting around people at the start.  

Second mile: 8:00.  Still felt very easy.  I think that was the mile that took us out to a farm area where we did a turn around.

Third mile: 7:43.  A little down hill.

Fourth mile: 7:56.  Just hanging around.  Some of our fellow runners took to the trail on the far side of the guard rail.  It was softer.  But if that is not what one is used to running one it is not necessarily the better choice.

During mile 5 we crossed a bridge that was directly next to train tracks.  There were also train tracks some distance over.  Not a minute after we got off the bridge a train went by--on the far tracks.  I could not have imagined a train going by while we were on the bridge.  And the end of the bridge was a spiral staircase down--with wet steps.  A bit crazy.  Glad to be past that (which we had been told about at the start) within the first five miles.  Mile 5 time: 8:33.

Next, we had many miles along the rivers.  8:05, 8:24 (a chatty mile with a gentleman from San Antonio), 8:12, 8:16, 8:21.  It was clear at that point it was not going to be a 3:30 day.  But I had a secondary goal.  I wanted to run better than a 3:40 to make sure that I would be no further back than starting group 3 for the Comrades "Marathon" (actually 56 miles) in May next year.

We did run an 8:11 the next mile as we picked off another runner.  During the many miles of trail without much to see other than the river to our left and the beautiful trees surrounding us, it is easy to get "lost" in thinking about things.  Having people to try to pass is nice.

Mile 12 was 8:22 (still right on for the 3:40), mile 13 was 8:14 (came through the half solidly under 1:38), then an 8;18, and for mile 15 an 8:26.  That reflected the sharp turn and steep hill down as we finally turned away from the rivers.  But that was also the point at which things got a little crazy.   That is where the course becomes hilly and we were out of the shade.  Mile 16 was the first of several miles with steep uphills: 9:08.

The next couple of miles involved a LOT of hills.  Not really rolling hills either.  8:35, 8:57, and 9:23.  At that point we had to make a decision.  Lauren did not want me to miss the 3:40 goal I had.  I really did not want to leave behind someone I'd planned to run the whole race with.  But for her it was clear she was not going to get the 3:40.  So, I went ahead.

Mile 20 was 7:57.  I was passing people left and right.  We had met up with the slowest of the half marathon participants.  And I ended up passing a number of marathon runners we had seen quite often early in the race.  I said, "Good job" or "Great job" or "Looking good" to almost every runner I passed.  Many returned the greeting.  Many made comments indicating their surprise at the speed I had.  They had not idea of why I was where I was.  

The remaining miles were run at 7:39, 7:39, 8:05, 8:03, 8:31, and a 7:21 (not a full mile).  I don't know how my watch was so short, but it is what it is.  The course is certified and a Boston Qualifier.  

I got my goal time with a 3:34:11.  Not to shabby.

I drank all the water in my water belt that I had not drunk so far.  And then tried to make my way back onto the course.  I was able to get as far as the last main road heading to the Bavarian Inn before I really couldn't get any back without getting in athletes' ways or being in traffic.  So, I waited.

I saw many of the runners Lauren and I had passed.  And finally I saw Lauren.  Ran with her most of the way to the finish although bailed before I would have had to cross the finish line again.

She finished about 15 minuted behind me.  The hills had just taken it out of her.  I'm not sure what we together or she specifically really could have done to be fully prepared for what we encountered.

After the race, there was not the usual handout of bottled water (again a sign of being environmentally conscious) but that made the line to get a water bottle and water or Gatorade quite long.  We didn't want to wait.  I grabbed one piece of pizza.  She grabbed an apple.  We began what seemed like a long walk back to the car.  We noted that while there were great signs to get us to the parking on the way in, the signs from the finish line back to parking were not nearly as clear.

The race had an agreement with the college campus on which we finished and the locker rooms were available.  I just changed.  Lauren showered.  And we were ready to head back.

She commented on how few times she'd seen me in anything other than running gear.  On the drive back when we found a convenience store, we stopped to get something to drink.  She ate two of the scones I'd brought while we drove.  I drove because I dropper her off at the DC metro stop so that she could go to meet up with her mother and another friend for another running event today.

After dropping her off, I took her car back to Baltimore, parked it in her neighborhood, and went home.  

I achieved the goal of getting a good qualifying time for Comrades.

I had a great experience of a day trip with someone with whom I've begun good friends over time and it was all about just a relaxing conversation--especially on the way back.  

I learned to be careful about setting expectations.  

And I shared some words of wisdom with Lauren in the form of two haiku linked together after the race:

Dream big.  Play for keeps.

Work hard and lean on others,

So you can soar high.

Learn from your mistakes.

Savor wins with dignity.

In turn, help others.

We made some mistakes.  I had a win.  Each of us helped others with words of encouragement.  I'm sure each of us will continue to help others.  Yesterday was not a day for soaring when it comes to running.  Yesterday was a day to work hard and lean on others.  I expect we will both keep dreaming big.

So, that is the story of a tough marathon in West Virginia.  I suppose that any marathon in the Appalachians would not be for the faint of heart.

I should add--I couldn't do any of this without a supportive family.  And yesterday was a crazy day on which Sherry had to nurse Daniel's swollen eye (from a bee sting).  My family has had one heck of a week when it comes to health issues.  I am blessed to be and remain healthy.  I'm hoping it stays that way and the rest of my family is soon all back to normal.

18 Miles to Start a VERY Long Day

Yesterday I woke up at 3:20 with no idea of what the day held in store.

The first thing to notice is the time. Despite being 3:20, the first thing I thought was "I'm late."  Late for what?  Late to get ready to go running to meet two people at 5 AM.  Why would waking up at 3:20 make me late?  Because I have a good idea of how long it takes my body to be ready to run and I know that my dog gets very unhappy if I don't walk her before I run.  So, I took care of what I needed to take care of including taking my dog for an easy walk around the block, recognized how late I was, gave a moment of consideration to driving part of the way to meet my training partner and her friend, decided against that but texted warning that I could be a minute or two late, and took off.

Garmin tells me that I started at 4:21.

I had to run over five miles to reach the two I was running with.  Not the pace at which I had planned to start my last longer than half marathon run before marathon number 7.

I left the house--in shorts and a tank top, water and a stinger in my fuel belt.  And started off at a pace I'm not used to starting at.  Even in my own neighborhood, I took a small shortcut to get out to the main road to try to make pace.  As I got out to York Rd, I eventually heard my phone (which was in the pocket of my fuel belt) make the noise indicating I'd received a text back.  I didn't really feel I had the time to look.  As I continued down York Rd., I saw a dead rat in Govans.  I think that was a first--just lying on the sidewalk.  Had never seen many dead rats (although I've been known to discuss the athleticism or obesity of rats along the harbor with my training partners) and certainly none that close to home.  

As I approached St. Mary's of Govans and finished my first mile I checked my pace--7:53.  Not a typical first mile on a Saturday.  Even less so when I am running on my own.  Felt good.

As I ran south through Govans I was surprised by the number of people out.  Particularly in moderate sized groups.  A few gave me strange looks.  When I passed individuals I would generally say good morning.  Many said good morning back.  I think they may just have been surprised to see someone running at that early and perhaps in those neighborhoods.  And at the pace I was going, it was clear that I was not just out for a light jog.  

Continued down York Rd and got south of Cold Spring.  Second mile timer signaled: 7:18.  I had not realized I had picked it up that much already.  It was not cold.  But it was cooler. And that pace felt comfortable.  Continuing down to just south of 34th street when the mile 3 timer signaled: 7:12.

At this point, I had to make a decision on where I was going.  I had gone west on 33rd or 29th or 28th a few times earlier in the summer.  The streets tended to be a bit dark.  I decided instead to go all the way down to 25th and then across to St. Paul.  My watch told me I'd gone 4 miles just before I turned onto St. Paul Street: 7:03.  Crazy, I thought.

Running down St. Paul, I then was approaching 5 miles as I neared Penn Station.  Was a little concerned about the time, so on the run (I pulled out my phone), saw that my training partner had agreed to start by going a little north on St. Paul to find me, texted her that I was already at Penn Station, and soon hit mile 5: 6:56.  I don't often text while running.  I don't recommend text while running.  But I didn't really lose anything. 

Then, I finished to run to St. Paul and Franklin and saw my two companions walking north.  I had arrived just before 5:03.  Just a little over two minutes late when all was said and done.  The first 5.6 miles in a 7:22 pace.  

I paused for introduction to my training partner's friend.  Training partner mentioned that her friend is the one she runs quickly with (besides me).  And we took off.  I'd apparently been running that last six-tenths of a mile even harder than the first 5 as my watch when it beeped soon after we took off down Calvert Street told me 6:53 for mile 7.

We chatted while running and found out that my training partner's friend was a second year law student whose husband was in a program at the School where I am Vice Dean.  It was amazing to carry on a conversation at the pace we ran.  We did my mile 8 in 7:21 and my mile 9 in 7:39.  My Garmin told me that my mile 10 was 8:39, but I had a hard time believing that.  Why?  Because I had left my watch running accidentally while we waited at what turned out to be a VERY long light.  Mile 11 was a little slower than how I'd started (8:00), but I think that was by design as we had dropped off my training partner's friend before we finished mile 10.  We had a long conversation and then took off again at a much easier pace completing my mile 11 (8:32) and ending up back at Christopher's place where my training partner and I met others from Back on My Feet.  There we paused again before I said by to my training partner, wished the rest of the crew a good run, they went south and I went north to head home.  Most memorable comment from hanging out at Back on My Feet was when I referred to the third runner from earlier as "Lauren's crazy fast friend," and her mother (who is also a member of Back on My Feet) said that it was good to hear me refer to someone else as crazy fast.  That is how Dee would usually describe my pace.  But, I am, after all, only human and there are plenty of others who are crazy fast compared with me.

In any case, I began by trotting along Madison, up St. Paul, cut over to Charles and passed mile 12 right around Penn Station a second time.  This time my pace was a lot slower: 8:57 as my legs needed to loosen up again after tightening while talking.

What really made an impression on me was what happened on the rest of the way home.  As I crossed Charles and North, I saw people getting ready to sell shirts and other accessories once the sun rose.  I picked it up a little and mile 13 (which I finished just a bit south of the main JHU campus) was done in 8:29.

Continuing up Charles St, I decided to go over toward Greenway and run through Guilford.  There are some beautiful gardens to see after sunrise.  At the time of morning I was there yesterday (it was still not 7 AM), it was dark.  I finished mile 14 while climbing up Greenway: 8:20.  I finished mile 15 as Greenway reconnected with Charles at its north end: 8:22. 

At that point I thought about how I wanted to approach the last three miles.  And I made one fundamental decision.  All the advice I got from Coach Shannon last year encouraged me to run my long runs with a strong finish  Prior to Philly 2014, I'd had a habit of really crashing at the end.  I have not done all my training runs that way this summer and fall and I really wasn't thinking about doing it hard.  But I had hills to go and I really wanted to make sure that I'd be ready for finishing the marathon in two weeks.  

So I pushed.  Mile 16 was mostly along Charles up past Loyola and Notre Dame of Maryland.  7:55.  I then went along Homeland to Springlake Way and climbed that street and then went along Northern Parkway.  Mile 17:  7:53.  And then I just had to bring it home.  And I did in 7:48.  All three miles under the pace I intend to help my training partner hold in two weeks.  Exactly what I'd wanted.

I ended with 18 in 2:21:11 or a 7:50 overall pace.  Not bad.  It was 7:03--just a smidge after the time I'd intended to arrive home but I had not planned on chatting twice.  My legs felt great.  Twenty-four hours later just the slightest tightness.  And I showed that I could come back and finish strong.  And even more importantly come back from stand stills.  That is a new skill for me.

That was only the start of the day.  Gave the dog a second walk.  Helped my wife get ready for a service activity at my middle son's high school.  Took my youngest to the bank and the bagel shop.  Ate.  Returned home.

Then we found that something had backed up our utility sink.  Water all around the basement.  Lots of clean up. Called the plumber.  Got the sink opened again.  But there were other issues.  Got an estimate on fixing a leak that was making water show up on our main circuit breaker box.  We'll be spending some extra money there.

Before the estimate, I'd run my middle son to boy choir.  After the estimate, wife arrived home and we talked about the plumbing and then prepared to take our son to his second hockey game of the season.  That was fun. It was a 5-1 win.  I had thought I would need a nap but made it through the drive both ways without a problem.  

Then, it was time to go to dinner with my oldest and his girlfriend.  Very pleasant and easy going two hour dinner at a Turkish restaurant.  She is a warm and wonderful person, and it will be fun to get to know her better over time.  

We got home just past 10.  I lay down on the floor waiting for Sherry to be done in the bathroom.  And I was asleep by 10:15.  I did make it up to bed before midnight. The day included a great run.  And was more than I'd expected. 

I am blessed to have good health, good family, good friends, and good friends of others in my family.

I hope everyone reading this is equally blessed.   

Boston 2016--Not

Here at the skating rink. It's a Monday night.  And I'll miss several of the next few practices for driving, so I get the chance to take my son (and his two friends with whom we carpool) to the rink this evening.  The shirt recognizes that today is the first day of registration for Boston 2016.  Everyone who ever has run Boston.  Everyone who ever will run Boston.  Everyone who has come to watch and cheer others on.  And all those killed or injured in 2013.  The year I earned my shirt.  I am eligible but will not register.  Tempting as it may be, I have a longer race to run at the end of May.  It is hard not to do things.  I am someone who always likes to get things started, but sometimes has a problem finishing.  And I almost always find it difficult to say no.  But this time I am.

Knowing my strengths and weaknesses, they guide my actions.  My actions reflect my faith.  My faith has been built over a lifetime.

Yesterday at mass, I had a good reminder of the link between faith and action.  I was glad to see Father Sam back in action.  First time we'd seen him at St. Pius X in a couple of months.

The response song was taken from Psalm 40--"Here am I, Lord.  I come to do your will."  That was followed by a reading from the letter of James which talked about faith without actions and how that is a problem.  See my faith through my actions.  

My faith drives my running.  My running is just an example of all the other things that I can do in my life.  Bringing things from start to finish.  Completing.  Excelling.  Focusing on others' outcomes.  Focusing on others' well-being.  Encouraging everyone as I go along.  Making many friends.  Sharing stories.  Sharing hopes.  Sharing dreams.  Sharing disappointments.  Being in the presence of others.  Being an ear to listen.  A shoulder to cry on.  Bringing joy to others.  The joy of service  The joy that comes from being others-centered.  The joy that comes with an outlook on life that says there is always good hat can be found.  

Freedom

It is 5 minutes until 7 on a Saturday morning.  I have already run 6.5 miles with a friend, walked my dog, and stopped to say the Serenity Prayer with Baltimore Back on My Feet after finishing my run and before coming home.  What a great way to start a busy day.

Yesterday was September 11.  Many friends took time to reflect on where they were when the planes hit the twin towers.  Or posted about always remembering.  Or posted about never forgetting.

Yesterday, I didn't do any of those.

But I did think about where I was.  (I had dropped my oldest off at school and the first plane struck while I was driving to work.  I arrived at the office of an anesthesiologist with whom I was to discuss collaboration and saw the second hit on a TV in his office.  I tried to work most of the rest of the day.  The sense of uncertainty and helplessness was profound.)  

I heard a story about kids who are now teens teaching even younger kids about 9/11.  I watched part of a documentary made a couple years ago about the children of 9/11.  

And I thought about my freedom.  I also thought about that in the context of another event for me yesterday.  It was not earth shattering.  It was just that the last PhD or DrPH student whom I am formally advising finished the final steps of getting her dissertation submitted yesterday.  She'd had her final defense.  Yesterday was the end of the administrative work.  And my submission of a letter saying she is done.

In the 19 years and three months that I have been at Johns Hopkins on the faculty, I oversaw 21 students completing their dissertations as their dissertation adviser.  (One was a co-advisor role.)  And there were another 5 for whom I was the adviser at some point but who finished (or are finishing with someone else).  And I have sat on many other committees for students.

But with my change in job from the School of Public Health to the Business School two and one-half years ago, I have not started advising any more students.  So, this is the end of this section of my career.  That is a choice.

Of course, a current student whom I have know for 3-4 years now and who has completed two years of medical school also visited me yesterday.  And when she told me that she had completed an ophthalmology rotation and decided that she wanted to do health services research and health economics as related to eye care--I almost cried.  Someone to carry on what I had begun.  That is incredible.  And she would do it as an MD/PhD.  That is her choice.  But the fact that it can fulfill a vision I had it what makes it so relevant to choices I had made.

Choices are great.  The freedom to make them--I cannot place a value on. 

Like the choice to run this morning starting at 5 o'clock.  I can run wherever I want and whenever I want.

Just like the choice of what religion to follow and how to follow it.

Just like the choice of where to live.  Where to send my kids to school What activities to sign them up for.

And I make a choice to carry on.  I make a choice to just keep on doing.  Or sometimes I make a choice to change.

The freedom to make the choices is what makes America a great place.  

That freedom is something I cherish.

That freedom is something I would never want to give up.

The freedom to write my story.  The freedom to rewrite my story.  The freedom to change the story when I want to.

It is all great.

And I will continue to enjoy that freedom.

That is why I note September 11. It was a day on which we were not sure how our freedoms and choices would change.  Some have been changed forever (like how we proceed through airports.)  But some are still very alive and cherished.  And will be celebrated always. 

So I end noting that four weeks from today I will run marathon number 7.  And it is called "Freedoms Run."