12/31/11
It was pretty neat, kind of a secret for those who knew what they were watching. To fill you in, let me back up about an hour. I was playing with my phone, checking an email or something, and a friend that I know through running, Darin Brown, snuck up on me to wave his hand in my face while I wasn't paying attention. A quick hey, smile, bro-hug and we are off talking about what brought us both to the 3rd and final Boston University “Mini-Meet”.
The BU meets are held in the Month of December, and have been running a handful of years now that I know. Today’s last meet is held as usual on a Saturday. What was rather interesting is that this Saturday fell on the last day of the year. Instead of saying all the corny things about how it allowed runners to make a last ditch at a PR for the year, I will say that if you were there you could feel the energy. On the last day of the year, a collective knowledge is almost everywhere in the world but amongst all runners it was palpable.
So Darin explains that he is racing the 3k today, and before long he goes about starting his warm up. However, we got in a good chat first. He says he is in his last year of 40-44 Master’s USATF age group and that the standards are going to get easy pretty soon for All-American. He explains he is hopeful that today he will do it in his current age category and asks for hand with splits.
The time passes and we are watching the race unfold. Darin is on pace through the 15 lap race up to laps 10 or 12, 40 seconds per lap which is pretty much dead on, but then he falters. He hits a couple of slow laps and I yell he needs to pick it up and he does. The last laps are a true back and forth battle with Jen and I cheering away as he cruises by each time. It ends as Darin kicks in strong with a 9:56 high time, over three seconds under the qualifying standard. He didn’t win the race, but he did something great and only a handful of us there knew what we were seeing. We got to enjoy, and be part of, a race that no one knew was happening. Here is a little secret from me to you; one of the greatest aspects to running is being a spectator to someone's effort because it allows you to participate in their struggles and their triumphs.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Run awake
12/29/11
It’s a fine space, a little trove hidden inside us. Going there in the regular world, unless you are a professional philosopher, would be counterproductive. You need to interact with people if you are around people and that is why it is not always used during the run. Sometimes you will be talking or engaged in some music or whatnot. However, that quiet taciturn side is full of reflection and understanding. Using the run to gain that end is one of my favorite ways to go about the exercise. A sort of selfish grab at an honesty of yourself only found lost amongst the demanding “have to do this” thoughts that pre-occupy a good amount of waking time.
It’s a fine space, a little trove hidden inside us. Going there in the regular world, unless you are a professional philosopher, would be counterproductive. You need to interact with people if you are around people and that is why it is not always used during the run. Sometimes you will be talking or engaged in some music or whatnot. However, that quiet taciturn side is full of reflection and understanding. Using the run to gain that end is one of my favorite ways to go about the exercise. A sort of selfish grab at an honesty of yourself only found lost amongst the demanding “have to do this” thoughts that pre-occupy a good amount of waking time.
The issue of meaning
12/28/11
It is sad to say it, but some people run and don’t enjoy it. I am not talking about people who do it for only health reasons and have not found fulfillment in the run. I am talking about people that run / race now but earlier in life fell in love with racing, so running then began to define whole aspects of them and then got burned out emotionally. They still race and run because of pressure. Pressure for money, such as college scholarships and prize money, and pressure from people, like parents and coaches but also socially for those that are in younger years (13-23), whom are looked at in this one major way by their peers. They have lost the meaning in the run and we can only hope they find it again, like we hope that a person just exercising and hating running might get bitten by the bug.
It is sad to say it, but some people run and don’t enjoy it. I am not talking about people who do it for only health reasons and have not found fulfillment in the run. I am talking about people that run / race now but earlier in life fell in love with racing, so running then began to define whole aspects of them and then got burned out emotionally. They still race and run because of pressure. Pressure for money, such as college scholarships and prize money, and pressure from people, like parents and coaches but also socially for those that are in younger years (13-23), whom are looked at in this one major way by their peers. They have lost the meaning in the run and we can only hope they find it again, like we hope that a person just exercising and hating running might get bitten by the bug.
Everything I have seen I have seen before.
12/27/11
Interesting. An idea that sums up this feeling during the hard parts of races or workouts, a sort of De-Ja-Vu. It doesn’t happen every time, or anything like that, but there is something pervasive about the feeling. Tugging you in, it says “come be with me again.” Then it happens, a sort of waking vision that I know these steps, I know these breaths! Yes, there it is a breaking into self that has always known this kind of work. And then it is done, leaving you panting, maybe puking, and lost to the feeling already.
Interesting. An idea that sums up this feeling during the hard parts of races or workouts, a sort of De-Ja-Vu. It doesn’t happen every time, or anything like that, but there is something pervasive about the feeling. Tugging you in, it says “come be with me again.” Then it happens, a sort of waking vision that I know these steps, I know these breaths! Yes, there it is a breaking into self that has always known this kind of work. And then it is done, leaving you panting, maybe puking, and lost to the feeling already.
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
12/26/11
A being can’t decide everything! Fortune gives her issuance, “jump, kill, love, muster nothing or perhaps questing runs” so this underlying variable willfully xamines your zeal.
A being can’t decide everything! Fortune gives her issuance, “jump, kill, love, muster nothing or perhaps questing runs” so this underlying variable willfully xamines your zeal.
It’s the most wonderful…
12/25/11
As a kid, the Christmas excitement could keep me up so late. Of course I would intend to stay right up to morning time, so anxious to just see what was under the tree. However, as a young child I could not stay awake that long. Then later, after progressing into teenage years where I could actually stay up all night at will, I would fight to sleep in a bit, until I was hurried to get up in the morning by my younger siblings.
It is funny how that was about races, too. So excited to run a race, I had a hard time sleeping the previous night. I know I did that, through High School and even in college a bit but I can’t remember when it stopped. It has been a while that I cared so much about a race, actually a few years. Even though I highly doubt Christmas will be exactly like that again I feel fairly good about a racing return.
As a kid, the Christmas excitement could keep me up so late. Of course I would intend to stay right up to morning time, so anxious to just see what was under the tree. However, as a young child I could not stay awake that long. Then later, after progressing into teenage years where I could actually stay up all night at will, I would fight to sleep in a bit, until I was hurried to get up in the morning by my younger siblings.
It is funny how that was about races, too. So excited to run a race, I had a hard time sleeping the previous night. I know I did that, through High School and even in college a bit but I can’t remember when it stopped. It has been a while that I cared so much about a race, actually a few years. Even though I highly doubt Christmas will be exactly like that again I feel fairly good about a racing return.
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