A New Day

I have not posted on this blog for well more than a year. And that is fine. I am sort of surprised to find that it is still here. I do no have any interest in it being a public venue. My purpose this afternoon is simple: just to mark the new beginning of my renewed Vegetarian focus. I have been leaning that way of late any way; following an out of control "meat" binge a couple of weeks ago (a weird way to handle a bout of maxed up stress) I have been turned off even thinking of eating meat at all - though I broke this focus last night in "celebration" of a family event. With this posting, however, I begin Day 1 of an as yet undetermined "streak" without consuming the flesh of another fellow critter.

My First Half Marathon!

After due thought and consideration, this afternoon I registered to run my first half-marathon ever! I chose one of the Rock & Roll series to take place in Las Vegas: December 2, 2012 gives me enough time to comfortably prepare for it, and the course ought to be comfortably flat, as well as dry and warm that time of year. So, let the training begin. I have been a little lost and undirected in my running and fitness this year. But now I have tangible incentive to train regularly and eat properly. This should be fun and satisfying. My goal, of course, is just to finish the race. I have never been a speed demon under the best of circumstances even in my long ago youth; but I kind of get into distances and fun destination runs. 

As March Nears Its End

I just sat down at my office desk upon returning from a mid-day 3.33 mile run in the sun. This is one of those little outings that causes you to feel strong,  really strong. And happy. I actually am eager to get out there again. Vitamin D Sunshine and I have always been buddies. It also seems clear that my longer 10+ miler last Saturday acted to strengthen me, as well as my determined new friendship with the upward side of hills. Did I mention that this makes me happy?

I also noticed something interesting as I looked back on my DailyMile stats, comparing those of this uncompleted month with March 2011. At this moment, my total mileage for the two months, one year apart, are tied. I have realized that for the last few days, and found the fact relatively pleasing. What I only JUST realized is that there is actually a gaping distance between the two periods because last year in March I included lots of walking miles. I think I was walking to and from work at the time. But this year, I have hardly recorded any walking miles. The net effect is that I will have run 20 miles or so more this March than last. That happened without any planning or thought. Nice. I have a hunch, now that I am feeling good again - without foot pain - that this trend will actually accelerate.

Another bit of a milestone: last night I was talking with a smoker/sedentary friend of Sandra's and mine who is really suffering from pains in her knees, neck, and elsewhere. She complained, seriously, about the ill effects of growing old. It was with a start that I realized she is about 20 years younger than me, and really does have the body and health of a person 20 years older than me in some ways. Chalk part of it up to her chain smoking, and chalk another part of it up to me running. Hurray Running!

Blue River Trails

This past Saturday afternoon borrowed beagle, Sam, and I went together for a dandy run along one of the Blue River Trails in south Kansas City, Missouri. It was a sunny, completely cloudless, day. Not many others were on the trail by the time we did our mid - late afternoon exercise. It was a healthy and joyous activity on a perfect day with my best running buddy. We explored some new trails we had not ventured upon in earlier running ventures and the season of spring was just moments away from its explosive annual outpouring. Sam sniffed around with her super-beagle nose, and through the trees and past the cliffs I glimpsed the silent canoes drifting below on the Blue River. This running venue has been one of my favorites lately.

Sometimes as I run and explore here though, I find my thoughts focused on an important and dreadful Alig family event that occurred along this river, very close to this particular trail, more than 80 years ago - eons before I was born. But, I realize for the first time ever that it happened less than 24 years before I was born. Not so very long after all. On October 18, 1929, also a beautiful time of year - but perhaps one with less hope for what lay ahead, my Dad's father lost his life by drowning in that same river.And my father at age 6 lost his Daddy. And my grandmother at 29 years of age lost her husband of less than 10 years.

As I ran this spring weekend, I thought about how deeply isolated and wild this stretch of river land, hills, and forest, would have been in 1929 when handsome Otto Alig was 35 years old. It was apparently a crisp and sunny day, much like this one. Back then I think there would have been no adjoining golf course, nearby neighborhoods, or the surrounding network of well traveled and paved roads. Just a young man out on a pretty day, away from his work responsibilities. Of course, that was actually very odd for the young banker with the reputation for taking care of business at his place of employment all the way back at ____________ Bank in downtown Kansas City.

On this day in 2012 I thought about the beauty of this place, and wondered why he was drawn to it. How well did he know it? Did he wander trails here or put a canoe into the water? Had he ever brought his little boy to the Blue River valley? Was he an out-of-doors kind of guy who just wanted to be close to nature that day? Did he thrive on the same kind of vistas that enthralled me with Samantha Beagle? Was he lonely or lost?

It seems very complicated.Could he have been depressed or scared? There were rumors of suicide by drowning. And also -- at least in later years -- suspicions of murder. As an adult I believe my close mouthed father, who rarely discussed this painful childhood history, leaned toward the likelihood of wrongful death at the hand of another. (He even believed he had come up with the name of a likely culprit.) No proof was apparently presented for either speculation. But, Otto seems to have gone to this place in an ominous and solitary frame of mind. When his body was found the next day in the shallows of the river, his hands were still wrapped in his rosary. How does a person manage to take his own life in that way with prayer beads still neatly encircling his folded hands? That does not seem physically likely. Of course, that same evidence clearly rules out the possibility of an accidental death.

Somehow, his oldest son grew up through economic depression and world war and became an admired and successful business man in the same community. But, the loss in incalculable and to me - unimaginable. Young Charles would celebrate his own 89th birthday tomorrow - March 13. Without the example of a father through his own life, he became a terrific one and a model to both my sister and me in his own right.

But now, almost 84 years later, I am determined to redeem this place and this sad death for Otto and his  family, generations later, by running freely and happily with Sam. Not forgetting the past, but keeping a tie to this place as his grandchild in a way that perhaps he might appreciate. 

(To be continued, still in draft form)

2012 Book List

January 2012.
1.  The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life. By Amby Burfoot.
2. Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War. By Tony Horwitz.
3. The Mark of the Horse Lord. By Rosemary Sutcliffe.
4. Destiny of a Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and Murder of a President. By Candice Millard.

February 2012.
1. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey. By Candice Millard.
2. Lonely Planet Costa Rica.

March 2012.
1. Hunger Games.

A New Year

2012 is happening. As I write these words, I have one daughter vacationing in Hawaii and one living in Costa Rica. I have so far been invited to Costa Rica, Connecticut, New York, and Switzerland during this new year. Maybe this time I will not just live vicariously through all my friends and family; but .... as always finances will tell the story.

This blog's reason for existence is to think out loud about my running. But, it maybe will expand to the bigger, more encompassing, metaphorical journey along with running. Today is 5th day of the new year, and I have not logged a single mile running or walking on road or trail. First, a very painful foot injury of some kind made it difficult to shuffle along, let alone run. And then, more recently a tenacious and debilitating seasonal cold kept me indoors and inactive. But, I think the bruising of my foot is mostly healed now, and the cold is on its way out. So, I will let the running begin again this weekend. It is fun to anticipate the first miles of the year, and high time.

Post-60

Not long ago I decided on a whim to do some physical activity sufficient so that I could legitimately make an entry on my Daily Mile log every day, consecutively, for 60 days. And then I actually accomplished it. I also decided to exceed 100 miles for the month of June on DM, and exceeded that comfortably.

When both of those self induced challenges were complete, I found myself ratcheting down and taking some time off from the focus. Not entirely...I have still gone out and done some satisfying runs and walks since then. But, not daily.

Now, the bug is burrowing inside me again. I feel an urgency to pick back up where I left off. Only this time with a modified - as yet undefined - new grander goal and objective. The new plan will definitely involve running and cycling. It will also involve a lot more yoga and shoulder/arm focus since that is where old age decrepitude seems to be creeping up more obviously.

I know about myself that one of the joys of running is exploration. It is an amazing way to see the world with a fresh eye and perspective. So, over the next two to three months I will do more travel-running. And, it is a good way to explore inward as well. I love to get away, with no agenda, in new places to think & plan & pray while I run. I nearly always find new perspectives of beauty and gratefulness and freedom in the stars, or blue skies and powerful clouds, on long roads, with wilder creatures about, and the normal restraints on me lifted by conditioning, reflection, flight.

I can not wait to get started again.

Miles Accumulation

One of my posts to this blog in March of this year was bemoaning the fact that it was my lowest mileage month since I began keeping track of such things on the Daily Mile social site last year. I resolved to change that puny pattern. And so I have. Each month since then has been higher than the one before it, and as I recall at least a couple of them have sequentially registered as the highest ever recorded by me. There is still a third of this month remaining, and I have already recorded the highest number of miles yet in any month. That is hugely helped along by the fact that I added back in cycling and the miles that come along with that. But I am pleased. And I am only about 15 miles away from my June goal of 100 total miles, biking, walking, and running. Yay!

3rd Month in a Row 5k Race

A few minutes ago I registered for next week's Jazz in the Woods 5K race, sticking to my plan of participating in a race every month through the summer-fall. So far, this means I will have done so in April, May & June. The route is in Corporate Woods and mostly pretty flat. I came within a fraction of a second or so on my last one of getting in under 30 minutes, so the goal this time is to finally get that officially accomplished. I came very close to registering for the 10K, It is probably still premature to do that in a race situation, but it is getting closer. One thing that I like about this process is that little thrill thing in the pit of my stomach right after I have completed the registration process.

Sometimes, You Can Go Home Again

This is actually just the commencement of post. Will add more and edit later.


My wife and I recently took a break from family deaths and illness to get away without much of an agenda. Saturday morning began with a visit to beautiful and historically interesting Fort Leavenworth, an hour or so away. This Army fort, founded in the 1820's or 30's, sits commandingly high above the mighty Missouri River on the Kansas side of the river and includes fascinating museums, well preserved and used buildings from the mid-1800s, a variety of memorials, and so on. It has been a tourist friendly facility during much of my life: When my children were little, for example, we would simply drive through the important stone gates with picnic baskets, bicycles, cameras, and leisure time to walk and look and lounge. We have some prized family photos from those forays.

Then 9/11 happened. Of course, access to this impressive facility has never been the same. Our most recent visit, unfortunately, commenced with our being stopped cold at the big entrance gate and promptly guided  back out - once our identifications were checked. The gate guard at first attributed our exclusion to the "terrorists" assembled across the road from the Fort. As we gulped loudly, he softened his choice of language from "terrorists" to "protesters". His change of description, frankly, seemed a little reluctant. As we hung around the town of Leavenworth for the next couple of hours, we realized that a small group of rag-tag almost unnoticeable protesters had assembled from around the country to voice an opinion about the imprisonment of ______________ Manning, the young soldier alleged to have passed information on to Wikileaks. He had just been moved to the maximum security military prison at Fort Leavenworth from Guantonomo. I have no idea what the subject of the protests may have been. But, of course, I understood that the Army does not want to confront such activity on its on post. And for all the guard could have been able to tell, we might have been a surreptitious group of the same intending to make our way onto the facility. But, it was a disappointment.

The Loss of a Good Friend

Zippety-do-Dah was not the dog I ran with. But, man we did enjoy the growling fun of vigorous bedtime wrestling challenges. Zippy competed in many loud singing & howling duets with the worst of them - me, and deftly curved her talented hands - I mean paws - to work through problem barriers or grasp toys and wrists. She was always on alert to know when "they're here!". And how high into orbit she twisted in an effort to gulp every possible drop from forceful water hose or oscillating lawn sprinkler. She was tiny and shiny, a little bald, and jet black, invariably so gentle, and ever trusting and good natured, even in her last halting, but determined, months. She was a little friend. But, now her 16 1/2 years of life are completed; her last moments spent caressed in my arms. A little dog, so wanted by a little girl long ago, who lived up to her name - Zippy.  She was the best..  -- May 15, 2011. 1:00 pm.

The Prodigal Runner

PART I.  I am in the midst of the longest period I have gone without running in a very long time. At least 8 days. My desire, my energy, it seemed even my ability, simply disappeared. Overnight. The touchstones of this little drought were common enough: (1) unappealing weather; (2) inconvenient scheduling; (3) an achy-breaky old body and stiff joints; (4) an over-indulged appetite - my goodness, (5) general malaise, and (6) just life stuff - much of it nice and good. My response has been to be sad about that and yet powerfully unmotivated at the same time. So, now the prospect of dragging myself out onto the streets or trails is rather daunting and overwhelming - almost frightening. It feels like beginning all over again. And it almost is. But, I brought my running gear to the office today. Seems like a waste not to haul it out. And I am registered for a 5K race to happen in 10 days or so. The sun is out and the temperatures have risen a bit. The achy-ness has minimized itself. I feel the need to reassure myself and challenge myself physically. So, barring the unforeseen, Part II of this posting in an hour or so should be from "the other side".

Part II. It is good to begin moving again. Tonight's easy run along the Tomahawk Creek bicycle trail was beautiful. A jewel blue and flawless sky. Sunshine. How I have missed the warmth and happiness of sun. Full and freely flowing stream and small waterfalls. Deer. Gentle solitude. As my body gradually became used to movement again, the sense of deeply regular breathing imparted a gratifying peace and I once again felt connected to the natural world. My running pace was not amazing, but that is alright. This was an evening to be grateful again, propelled by my need for movement... to be back in the swing, to have an ability to move in ways that elude many, to be "in the moment", to be a little less slothfully self indulgent than some other times. I am already eager for tomorrow's outing along the same path. While contemplating my enthusiasm for running in nature, I came across the following quotation from the Islamic poet/philosopher Rumi, "Judge a moth by the beauty of its candle." I have not heard this quote before, but it is a powerful one. It is a reference I will keep in mind for awhile and even consider while I run, though it is probably not a good racing mantra.

The Depths of Humility & Back Again

Seems my last post was a journey into the world of deep deceptive fantasy. Ouch. I have met the loser and it is I. Thought I was a little better than it turned out. Of course, the avoidance of hills over the last 2 or 3 months was bound to show when I signed up for a race entirely set on the side of a hill - the big one on which the Liberty Memorial is set. Toward the end some of my breathing was downright alarming. At least I wore my RoadID emergency contact information plastered on my wrist. With these stats I probably am committing fraud to even call myself a "runner". Maybe a "jogger" after all... Oh man I can't go there. Speaking of stats, they will most certainly not be posted here!

So, there. Now I have wallowed in it and whined electronically and verbosely. That is that. The time has quickly arrived to fix it. I have already identified my next race, with adequate time to train and improve. I will race again on May 7 in Olathe, Kansas --- 26 days from now in the Kansas Heart & Sole Classic 5K run. (If I read the course map correctly, this one will be much less "hilly" than the one I just ran.) That gives me time to focus my training better, fix my recently disgusting diet, and participate in some of the Wednesday evening and Saturday morning group runs. I am not done yet. Yah!

1st 2011 Race!

Tomorrow morning I will run my 1st race of 2011. I am oddly eager, though I have not been out on the roads this week at all. I feel an eagerness sort of like what my dogs show at the door when they think they are going to get a walk outside. This is different: Late last year, I ran my first races since high school - and I was abysmal even way back then in the 20th century. In 2010, I was a bit scared about the first 5k - would I even be able to finish? Not being humiliated was a big deal in that first September re-entry - a deliberately chosen small event. Then the next one in October I took more seriously from a time/pacing point of view - and improved by a few seconds or a minute. The 3d and last was the big Thanksgiving Day race on the Sprint campus, and it was not chip timed which I did not realize until too late to independently keep track.

The fact is, I am not a fast runner. I am certainly not a strong or fast starter. I never thought of myself as a competent athlete, though I loved stories about real ones as a kid. (Maybe it is a little pathetic that, at this late stage of life, I think maybe I can still become one. That is fine with me. Ha.) In fact, I have mostly run and ridden bikes through life because I simply have never had the physical coordination, strength, or grace to do the team sports well. (Sadly, I tried.) So, my late 2009-2010 running restart began as a decent way to be healthy. Then it became a happy way to be out of doors in the big world I like so much, without having to do yard work. I love and thrive on the beauty, freedom, ecstacy, stretch, sweat, interesting people I have met in the process, and all of that. Ohm yeah, also the improvement in health and weight that generated the whole experiment in the first place.

But, I notice something odd just prior to this race. I want to do really well. I want to run faster than any of my prior chip times by at least 5 minutes. I actually want to win. Or place. Even if only in my advanced age group. I knew something was up on some recent road runs when I had the insane urge to race the passing automobiles! (The insanity - held in check - felt good.) I am focused in a different way this time with my "routine" tomorrow from the moment I rise to when I finish. Not just to prevent embarrassment.

Probably just an indulgent bit of baby boomer navel gazing, but I am interested in this phenomenon. I can hardly wait. (My wife mentioned this morning that I might be obsessed.) My bar for humiliation has risen I guess; but I will get over it. Meantime, let the race begin.

Reversal of Fortune

One month ago today I posted a dismal entry about February being the lowest mileage month since I joined Daily Mile.  I resolved then to reverse the stats for March. So, I am happy to report that my total miles for the windy month just ended in fact are the highest I have ever posted. And I did a much better job being a vegetarian. Now the task at hand is to turn that report into just a push off for the season.

Heartbeat!

A year and a half ago I reclaimed running in my life, with some hesitation about whether too many years had passed and also actual concern about being too old and decrepit. I hate to look un-intentially silly and out of it. I was not sure I could run from my driveway to the end of the street - probably less than a block. But, it was not as hard as I expected. And every body has to start somewhere. I am happy that I did. Tonight was yet another of the innumerable reinforcements of the rightness of the decision. The impending negative change in the weather almost stopped me from going out. But having a gap on my Daily Mile journal was, for some reason, utterly unacceptable. As I left my front door, the misty, rainy, hard sleety stuff hit me in my face. It made me smile. And the smile lasted through the precipitation and spirited wind, until ... the stars unexpectedly came out brightly. I felt loose and young and happy, as if I could go on forever. And toward the end of the 5 mile run, it occurred to me that my heartbeat was healthy and the course of my breath was strong, and my pace was in time with something terrific on my IPod.  As I wound my pace down, I checked the music, and appropriately it was "Heartbeat" by Annie; now one of my conscious favorites. As on so many happy runs, I was again grateful for the 2009 Christmas present of the IPod from my wife, and of my daughter's gift of loading it with terrific music.

The Irregular Vegetarian

This time last year, I made the "enlightened" decision to convert to vegetarianism for reasons of health as well as  horror at my unintentional participation in the industrial slaughter system. During Lent it was an easy decision to make and stick with. And it was easy through the summer. The blog "NoMeatAthlete" by Matt Frasier and the book "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safron Foer sustained me. Between a regular schedule of running in 100+ degree summer sun and my evangelistic consumption of retro food, I scaled off about 20 pounds and generally felt healthier than thou. Then as my daughter's wedding approached, and the platters of food piled around were stronger than me, I slipped. For months I slipped. In the cycle of things a new Lent is a time for renewal, and so I am back. Only this time the logic of the whole thing moved me much closer to becoming a Lenten Vegan. And for me that is sometimes harder, if only because I have to think farther into ingredients. So it was a good thing for me at lunch today to discover Hen House grocery's "premium homestyle Quinoa Garden Vegetable Soup". I felt defiantly virtuous when I chose it over some other hearty foods and really spoiled and happy as I slurped it at my desk. This may not really be so hard after all.  That and a freshly baked French roll for a total of about $4 seems like a good discipline to observe. Now if any one actually reads this and actually knows that my accomplishment was not vegan at all....break it to me gently. But it was still tasty.

Cross Country Retirement

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were walking the Mill Creek Streamway Trail where it meets up with Shawnee Mission Park. Along the way we had the good fortune to be stopped by Karen Clark and Jerry Bowman seeking directions to Desoto, Kansas. My initial thought was that these nice people, who clearly were dressed and geared for a day out on the trail and had the healthy look of outdoors people, were actually crazy or confused. Desoto? Why that must be 10 miles away. Well, perhaps they are crazy. But in the way I want to be crazy.

Following their well planned retirement they began to implement some of their deferred dreams. We met them in the middle (quite literally) of one:  to hike the entire continental length of the USA!  In 2010 they accomplished the first half of the dream by walking from the Atlantic Coast to the Kansas-Missouri border. Then they retreated home to California for the winter holidays. We met them on the very day they picked up to complete their amazing journey by trekking from Olathe, Kansas to the California coast.

Their on-line journal of the adventure can be followed at www.journals.com/karenandjerry. They post fun photographs along the way and their journal is full of interesting observations and insights. Their journey is full of history, nature, and health. As I write this, they have already walked from Olathe to Lawrence to Baldwin City to Ottawa and on to Council Grove. I have also included a direct link to their journal under "My Blog List" with some of the blogs and sites I like to follow.

Unity With Nature

For a couple of years now, I have maintained a private journal on the combined topics of running and spirituality. Today as I was reviewing part of it, I came back across this quotation which I like:

"No longer conscious of my movement, I discovered a new unity with nature. I had found a new Source of power and beauty. A Source I never knew existed."

-- Roger Bannister. Englishman; Neurologist; 1st Human recorded to have broken the 4 minute mile.

When I have touched this dimension of running, it is the best. I want to run enough more so that I again reach that almost mystical point. The sensation is almost that of a drug (I would suppose) - even for a old and slow amateur like me.

Umph

Time to get back outside! Thanks to DM I am painfully aware that February 2011 was my lowest mileage month since beginning to keep records last summer. That needn't have been. Sure there were all kinds of scheduling crunches and, indeed, it was the shortest of all the months. But, just 1 or 2 additional short outings and I would at least not have come in last! Instead of posting any PBs I have a new PW. Plus my weight is floating upwards a bit more than I want it to thanks to my drive to keep the sugar industry profitable, and I am eating animals with abandon. Maybe it is today's nice temperature and sunshine, but this slothful pattern stops right now. At this very moment I return to being a steadfast vegetarian, and throughout the month of March I will log a minimum of 1 mile all 31 days - if only to give joy to my tiny (and slightly plump) spotted dog by walking her. And at least 3 times each week I will run 3 - 7 miles. Plus this is the month I take the next "real runner" step of implementing tempo and interval track runs. I already feel better.