The Youth Shall Lead Us

I had the pleasure of attending the Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey concert last weekend.  If you don't recognize the names, they are the Peter and Paul of the Peter, Paul and Mary folk trio.  It was nice to see that 50 years later they both still support the counter culture movement of the 1960s.  The values the movement championed are becoming more important each day in the Me Too movement and the March for Our Lives.  Bringing forward the ideals from the counter culture will truly  allow us to build a better America.  I still believe in those values of anti-materialism, environmentalism, and non-violence.  It looks to me like these are also valuable and appealing to a broad range of my fellow Americans and especially the youth of our country.

Peter and Paul both spoke passionately about the March for Our Lives and the need for us to listen to the youth leading this movement.  It made me think back to a song that Debbie Freidman wrote and recorded about children.  The first time I heard it was at my son's pre-school graduation.  It is such a beautiful song and is even more relevant today than when it was first written.  It should be the anthem for the youth movement that are fighting for much needed gun control in this country. 

Here are the lyrics:

And The Youth Shall See Visionsby Debbie Friedman

Childhood was for fantasies, for nursery rhymes and toys.
The world was much too busy to understand small girls and boys.
As I grew up, I came to learn that life was not a game,
That heroes were just people that we called another name.
And the old shall dream dreams, and the youth shall see visions,
And our hopes shall rise up to the sky.
We must live for today; we must build for tomorrow.
Give us time, give us strength, give us life.
Now I’m grown, the years have passed, I’ve come to understand:
There are choices to be made and my life’s at my command.
I cannot have a future ’til I embrace my past.
I promise to pursue the challenge, time is going fast.
And the old shall dream dreams, and the youth shall see visions,
And our hopes shall rise up to the sky.
We must live for today; we must build for tomorrow.
Give us time, give us strength, give us life.
Today’s the day I take my stand, the future’s mine to hold.
Commitments that I make today are dreams from days of old.
I have to make the way for generations come and go.
I have to teach them what I’ve learned so they will come to know.
And the old shall dream dreams, and the youth shall see visions,
And our hopes shall rise up to the sky.
We must live for today; we must build for tomorrow.
Give us time, give us strength, give us life.
Give us time, give us strength, give us life.

Debbie was right.  Our nation's youth is taking a stand against guns and gun violence.  They are protesting the fact that our country continues to basically have unchecked access to guns of all kinds.  Since our elected leaders are beholden to the gun lobby, it will take the youth to fix this problem through their rallies and keeping the pressure on the government.  Whether you want to believe it or not, something has to change and now.  I am not advocating taking away guns entirely.  But 150,000 primary or secondary school students have witnessed a shooting incident at their school since the Columbine shooting in 1999.  And they have had enough.  When I watch these incredibly passionate and well spoken youth, I am both heartbroken for and proud of them for stepping in where the adults are unwilling to go.   All they are asking for is commonsense gun safety reforms. 

As Debbie sang...they are taking the stand today to allow them to live not only for today but to build for tomorrow.  I join them in their discussions of solutions and glad to see them organizing, stepping up and demanding accountability of our spineless elected leaders.  It's time that we elect legislators that are not in the pockets of various lobbyists.  We want to be led by people who listen to what we the citizens want in this country.  If that can ever happen, I believe we will finally pass commonsense laws that will allow this country to thrive and allow our children to be able to go to school without fear of being injured or killed. 

Mar 20 – 6.30 miles (54:13, 8:36 pace) – Speed work
Mar 21 – 4.20 miles (40:00, 9:31 pace)
Mar 22 – 8.30 miles (1:14:08, 8:56 pace) – Tempo Run
Mar 23 – 4.10 miles (37:21, 9:06 pace)
Mar 24 – 10.10 miles (1:31:41, 9:05 pace)
Mar 25 – 7.50 miles (01:09:40, 9:17 pace)
Mar 26 – 4.50 miles (48:35, 10:48 pace) – Hill Repeats
Mar 27 – 6.30 miles (54:37, 8:40 pace) – Speed work
Mar 29 – 5.10 miles (42:36, 8:21 pace) – Tempo Run
Mar 30 – 8.10 miles (1:16:05, 9:23 pace)
Mar 31 – 12.40 miles (1:53:08, 9:07 pace)
Apr 1 – 5.50 miles (50:16, 9:09 pace)

Total Miles:  82.4 miles
2018 Total Miles:  382.1 miles

Running Helps You Rise to New Heights

We runners are a strange bunch.  We get up before the sunrise to get in our training runs.  When we miss a run we feel like we failed in some way.  Our entire life is tied to our running, training and work outs.  Our non-running friends just don't get it.  They question our sanity.  When they say that they don't like running or they cannot imagine running more than a  mile at any given time, we always respond that anyone can run.  Perhaps that is not true for everyone we meet.

We know that most people fail to find they joy of running because they find it simply too hard and painful.  This is due in part to the fact that most people start out too fast and increase their intensity too quickly.  Then when they encounter difficulties they make the rash decision that they are just not cut out for running. Once they come to this conclusion they end up with a negative attitude towards running and quit.  Nothing will convince them to come back and try again.

Training and working out is not just about changing our body.  It more about changing our minds.  Training is a way to find resources within us to meet the physical challenges in front of us.  We train our minds to harbor both hope and courage in the face of adversity.  Our training is about lifting ourselves to heights we could not have previously imagined.  We make our body rise up.   We awaken within ourselves both wonder and depth of strength we didn't know we had. 

We can never dismiss the challenge as trivial.  When we are confronted by doubt, we can rely on the training we have put in to bring power to overcome any obstacle before us.  We can gain comfort from the fact that it doesn't matter what others expect of us.  Instead, we can reach down and find a voluntary response from within us to meet what we expect of ourselves.

I remember when I started running back in 1985,  I wasn't sure that I could run more than a mile.  It seemed like each year I could run a little further.  Unbeknownst to me my mind was changing and pushing my body to new heights.  I started to seek greater challenges and distances.  As I ticked off each distance in a race, I became more confident in my ability to do anything I put my mind to.  Here I am 33 years later a committed runner who craves greater challenges.  I feel so proud when I finish a particularly hard race no matter what my finishing time.  I have truly found a deep seated strength of will I didn't know I had when I ran that first mile so long ago.

When I now tell friends that they too can find joy in running, I explain that if they take it slow their body and mind will change and grow stronger.  Anyone can become a runner.  All they need to do is take that first step.  Shortly thereafter they realize that running is like life.  There will be days when they  feel like an Olympic champion as well as workouts or runs that humble them to their core.  If they stick with it, they will get better with time and effort.

Any runner that can stay the course and not quit when they have a humbling experience will find solitude in running. I promise that every runner will ultimately find peace, energy and motivation.  If you are like me you will find that some of your best ideas and solutions to life's problems will come to you as you run.  Running frees your mind from all of the detritus that life throws at you.  Running transforms you both physically and mentally.  Just give it a chance and you too will rise up to heights you never expected to reach.

Mar 5 – 4.10 miles (44:38, 10:53 pace) – Hill Repeats
Mar 6 – 6.30 miles (54:11, 8:36 pace) – Speed work
Mar 8 – 8.20 miles (1:13:12, 8:55 pace) – Tempo Run
Mar 9 – 4.10 miles (37:55, 9:15 pace)
Mar 10 – 10.10 miles (1:32:49, 9:12 pace)
Mar 11 – 7.50 miles (1:10:40, 9:25 pace)
Mar 12 – 4.10 miles (48:08, 11:44 pace) – Hill Repeats
Mar 13 – 8.30 miles (1:13:14, 8:49 pace) – Tempo Run
Mar 15 – 6.30 miles (54:09, 8:36 pace) – Speed work
Mar 16 – 8.10 miles (1:16:05, 9:23 pace)
Mar 17 – 6.20 miles (55:42, 8:59 pace)
Mar 18 – 9.30 miles (1:34:40, 10:11 pace)

Total Miles:  82.6 miles
2018 Total Miles:  299.7 miles

I Ran a Half Marathon Without Training

I must apologize as I have been remiss is posting any musings about running.  I was extremely busy the past 2 months playing King Arthur in Desert Stages Theater's production of "Spamalot".  Because of this show my running and training was a little sporadic.  I found that I was pretty tired after rehearsals and shows that ran late into the evening.  I got in mileage and workouts when I could.  I just wanted to try and stay in shape so that when the show was over I could get right back into training mode.

While I was in "Spamalot", I was asked if I wanted to run the Mesa-Phoenix Half Marathon which is part of the marathon weekend.  Sprouts was the title sponsor for the race this year.  How could I pass up a free entry to the race and have the chance to go out and run as a representative of my company.  The thing is that I was not really training for a race at all.  In fact, after signing up, I became a little bit concerned that I wasn't going to be ready when race day came.  I knew my show would be closed by then but I would not have put in the proper effort to get ready to race this distance.

I signed up even before "Spamalot" opened.  But I figured well, "What the heck, let's do it!"  I have run 9 marathons and numerous halfs.  I figured I could cover the distance.  I definitely didn't get out as regularly for those training runs as I should have.  All  I could do was squeeze in a few gym workouts, treadmill sessions and runs each week.  Then next thing I knew, race day had arrived and I was up at 3:00 a.m. to meet my running partner Brad for this race and heading over to the start.  I had no idea how it would go.  I have to admit that it was actually a little exciting to have a challenge in front of me without knowing how I would respond.

As I stood in the bitter cold that Saturday morning, I realized a few things that I needed to be prepared for when the gun sounded.  I knew that I have a history of running so I could just go for it as long as I remained cautious with my pace.  Since I hadn't trained properly I didn't set a time goal instead I would focus on finishing the course with a smile on my face.  That's it.  And I needed to remind myself during the race that this is not the time to push myself.  The distance would punish me if I tried.

The gun went off and we headed out.  I figured that I could comfortably run between a 9:00 and 9:15 per mile pace.  This would allow me to take it easy and not cause any injury.  The first 3 miles were pretty easy.   This gave me a little mental boost.  We picked up the pace slightly so that we were closer to a 9 minute pace.  When we hit the half way point, we were still going pretty strong.  It was at this point that Brad told me that he wanted to break 2 hours.  He had trained even less than I had.  I timidly agreed thinking to myself that if I started to breakdown in the last few miles I would let that goal evaporate.  Finishing with no injury was my ultimate goal.

Miles 7-9 was where we both were starting to hurt a little bit.  Brad was having trouble with his hip and knee from prior injuries.  I was just feeling a little bit of a twinge in my right hamstring which I had injured in the 2014 Boston Marathon.  Remembering how hard it was to come back from that injury, I started to slow my pace a bit.  We took a couple of short walk breaks to allow the pain to die down and for Brad to stretch a little bit.  We kept pushing onward.  It was at this point that I became a little uncertain of whether or not we would come in under 2 hours.  Not that I truly cared.

When we past the 10 mile mark, I set a mental goal to beat my first half marathon time (2 hours and 10 minutes).  I figured this was realistic because I had put in many miles of training over the years since that time.  I had run a sub-4 hour marathon and a 1:50:48 half marathon.  I  was sure my legs would get me there.  I didn't say anything to Brad.  We just stayed on the course looking for the next mile marker.  Surprisingly, the slight pain in my hamstring went away and I actually started to feel strong.

I finally crossed the 12 mile mark and knew that I had only 1.1 miles to go.  I looked down at my watch and saw that I could break 2 hours if I could run the last 1.1 miles in under 10 minutes.  I dug down deep and picked up the pace.  I made the final turn to the finish line feeling really good.   I had run mile 12 in 8:30 and the last 1.1 miles in 7:40 allowing me to cross the finish line at 1:58:08.  This was totally beyond my wildest expectations.  I had averaged exactly a 9 minute pace and run a negative split in the race.  Even better, I was feeling really good.  Wow!

So what did I learn from this experience that I can pass on to my fellow runners.  I think the best advice I can give is the following:

• Don't attempt to run a half marathon without any training if you have never run this distance before.  I cannot stress this enough.  The reason I was able to run this race without any injury was because I had a strong base of mileage behind me.  I had run this distance numerous times in the past and knew what I was getting myself into.  Most importantly, my past training allowed me to pick a pace that I could run the entire distance without causing me mental or physical stress.  

• If you have the above covered and this is not your first race at this distance, then go for it.  However, you should have realistic expectations as to how fast you can run.  You need to choose a pace at which you run your normal easy long training runs.  And don't be afraid to walk if necessary.  The goal is to finish.  You will not be setting any PR if you have not properly trained for the race.

• Most importantly listen to what your body is telling you.  Do not push yourself.  The distance itself is hard enough.  If you feel any sharp pains anywhere like Brad and I felt,  take a second to recover and walk for a couple of minutes.  Your finish time is irrelevant.  Do not push through pain.   Remember though that you are going to have some soreness as the miles pile up.  This is normal and okay to ignore.  But that’s about it.  Never forget that pain is your body's way of telling  you  something's amiss. If you ignore that, you do so at your own peril.

By the way, don't take this as my endorsement of running any race distance without the proper preparation and training.  It is just a little bit crazy to run a race without training for it.  But if you are like me and have a strong base of mileage, have run more than one race at this distance and know your go to comfortable long runs pace, go for it.  I suspect that like me you will get through it and feel like a badass!  But seriously do yourself a favor and train properly next time!

Jan 1 – 5.30 miles (1:01:38, 11:38 pace)
Jan 2 – 6.20 miles (54:13, 8:45 pace)
Jan 7 – 5.10 miles (45:04, 8:50 pace)
Jan 8 – 4.10 miles (47:08, 11:30 pace)
Jan 15 – 4.20 miles (51:10, 12:11 pace)
Jan 16 – 6.20 miles (54:13, 8:45 pace)
Jan 18 – 7.20 miles (1:03:43, 8:51 pace)
Jan 20 – 6.20 miles (56:07, 9:05 pace)
Jan 21 – 4.20 miles (36:21, 8:39 pace)
Jan 22 – 4.10 miles (46:36, 11:23 pace)
Jan 23 – 6.20 miles (54:10, 8:44 pace)
Jan 25 – 8.20 miles (1:11:16, 8:41 pace)
Jan 27 – 7.10 miles (1:05:21, 9:12 pace)
Jan 28 – 7.20 miles (1:07:02, 9:19 pace)
Jan 29 – 4.50 miles (50:39, 11:16 pace)
Jan 30 – 6.20 miles (54:51, 8:51 pace)
Feb 1 – 8.20 miles (1:11:05, 8:40 pace)
Feb 3 – 9.00 miles (1:27:21, 9:42 pace)
Feb 6 – 6.20 miles (54:10, 8:44 pace)
Feb 8 – 8.20 miles (1:13:11, 8:55 pace)
Feb 12 – 5.10 miles (57:47, 11:20 pace)
Feb 13 – 6.20 miles (54:12, 8:45 pace)
Feb 15 – 8.20 miles (1:13:16, 8:56 pace)
Feb 16 – 5.10 miles (46:06, 9:02 pace)
Feb 17 – 9.10 miles (1:24:20, 9:16 pace)
Feb 18 – 8.30 miles (1:19:21, 9:34 pace)
Feb 19 – 4.10 miles (39:00, 9:31 pace)
Feb 20 – 3.10 miles (27:57, 9:00 pace)
Feb 22 – 3.10 miles (27:40, 8:56 pace)
Feb 23 – 2.10 miles (19:13, 9:10 pace)
Feb 24 – 13.10 miles (1:58:08, 9:99 pace) -Mesa-Phoenix Half Marathon
Feb 25 – 6.30 miles (1:00:20, 9:35 pace)
Feb 26 – 3.10 miles (36:34, 11:48 pace)
Feb 27 – 3.10 miles (46:52, 7:47 pace)
Mar 3 – 7.10 miles (1:06:21, 9:17 pace)
Mar 4 – 6.30 miles (59:51, 9:30 pace)

Total Miles:  217.1 miles
2018 Total Miles:  217.1 miles

Don't Ask Why Me

2017 was my 56th trip around the sun.  Sometimes it is truly hard to believe how old I am.  As a child I thought 30 was really old.  I couldn't imagine what being in my 50s would be like.  Yet here I am.  The surprising thing is that as long as I don't look in a mirror, I feel as young as anyone.  Sure I have a few aches and pains here and there.  Maybe it takes me a little longer to recover from a hard run or workout.  But I can still do anything I set my mind to.

What I like to do on New Year's Day is to look back at the past year.  I recall all of the good times that I had throughout the year.  I cherish the laughs and all of the new friends who entered my life.  I sadly remember those friends whom I lost this year.  I hope that they are in a better more peaceful place now.  I even look back and acknowledge those things that I set out to accomplish this year but fell short.  I vow to do better and to try and meet those goals in the coming year.

As I start of this new year, I have decided that I want to observe more and to seek inspiration wherever it may lie.  I plan to write more on this blog than I have in the past.  Through my writing and observations, I hope to find the flaws I know I carry and to improve upon them.   I also hope that I can uncover abilities I never knew I had and to trust in these new skills.  This will ultimately lead me to achieve whatever I set out to do this year including being a better son, husband, father and runner.

The one clear discovery that came to me this year was the realization that home is any place where there are people who love me.  Arizona has become my home now because this is where I have a wife who loves me and supports me.  I am lucky enough to have a son who loves me and is living nearby.  And although my daughter lives in Florida, she is still part of my world and sends love daily.  Whenever she visits, she fills a very deep void.  So yes.  Home is where the heart is and always will be.

As I look forward to what awaits me in 2018, I am reminded of Olivia Newton John's song "Why Me".  It is a beautiful thing to contemplate as we all embark on this next trip around the sun knowing there will be setbacks and triumphs ahead.  How we respond to each will define how happy we are at the end of 2018.

Oh don't ask why me, why me, why not me
Why not me is the thing
Don't ask why, life's running by me
Live each moment that it brings
Take the time to smell the roses
Take the time to watch the stars
Take the time to see your child grow
Daddy now I know

Oh don't ask why me, why me, why not me
Yes time is going fast
I'm starting to question, what is life's intention
Guess I've been too scared to ask
But I'm letting go, to God in his wisdom
Or whoever that may be
Nobody knows who plans your future
Or decides your destiny
Oh don't say why me

Life does the strangest things
You never know
What each moment can bring
You turn around
Your life has changed
You've got to fight each round
Yes take it on the chin
No don't you ever give in

Happy New Year!

Nov 23 – 5.10 miles (46:52, 9:11 pace)
Nov 24 – 6.10 miles (54:05, 8:52 pace)
Nov 25 – 5.20 miles (45:08, 8:41 pace)
Nov 26 – 4.10 miles (37:31, 9:09 pace)
Nov 27 – 5.20 miles (59:58, 11:32 pace) - Hill Repeats
Nov 28 – 6.20 miles (54:01, 8:43 pace) - Speed Work
Nov 30 – 8.20 miles (01:13:13, 8:56 pace) - Tempo Run
Dec 2 – 9.10 miles (1:23:16, 9:09 pace)
Dec 3 – 8.30 miles (1:16:53, 9:16 pace)
Dec 4 – 4.50 miles (46:34, 11:22 pace) - Hill Repeats
Dec 9 – 8.10 miles (1:15:11, 9:17 pace)
Dec 10 – 8.50 miles (1:20:29, 9:28 pace)
Dec 11 –5.10 miles (57:32, 11:17 pace) - Hill Repeats
Dec 12 – 6.20 miles (54:42, 9:01 pace) - Speed Work
Dec 14 – 8.20 miles (1:13:15, 8:56 pace) - Tempo Run
Dec 15 – 8.20 miles (1:13:23, 8:57 pace)
Dec 17 – 7.30 miles (1:08:33, 9:24 pace)
Dec 18 – 5.20 miles (56:13, 10:49 pace) - Hill Repeats
Dec 19 – 6.20 miles (54:42, 8:49 pace) - Speed Work
Dec 21 – 8.30 miles (1:14:05, 8:56 pace) - Tempo Run
Dec 22 – 4.10 miles (36:35, 8:56 pace)
Dec 23 – 7.50 miles (1:07:40, 9:02 pace)
Dec 24 – 7.60 miles (1:11:24, 9:24 pace)
Dec 25 – 5.10 miles (56:49, 11:08 pace) - Hill Repeats
Dec 26 – 6.20 miles (54:09, 8:44 pace) - Speed Work
Dec 28 – 7.20 miles (1:03:03, 8:45 pace) - Tempo Run
Dec 30 – 9.30 miles (1:23:00, 8:55 pace)
Dec 31 – 8.20 miles (1:16:09, 9:18 pace)

Total Miles:  188.5 miles
2017 Total Miles:  1,842.9 miles