Tuesday, August 26

Today I am in Chicago. I am watching the Democratic National Convention and pondering how Mark Warner could have possibly wasted his keynote opportunity any more than he did. The Governor of Montana is currently on, and let me tell you - they should have given this guy the keynote (except that he keeps referring to Obama as "Barack OHHH-bama"). Speaking of politics I got the following e-card from my mother today:



Hillary Clinton. Wow. I have so much respect for her....that can't have been an easy speech to give, but she executed it flawlessly and, as Rachel Maddo of MSNBC said, will "move those who are movable." Perfect speech, perfect message, perfect execution. Bravo, Hillary!

Thursday, August 14

Today I am in Chicago. My marathon training has definitely improved....I've done two, 13-mile runs in the past two weekends (including the Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon this past Sunday) and am feeling better about my marathon readiness. There was a point about midway through the CDC where I was a little tired but still running well, and I knew that I would definitely finish the race. That may sound strange considering it was my 8th half marathon, but there are usually these moments of doubt that cross my mind and I didn't really have any of those in this race. That was a positive sign to me. I feel better knowing that I'm following my training plan and that with each week, I am gaining confidence and putting more miles behind me.

My 20th high school reunion is this weekend. Yikes!

Here's a photo of Dewey on the new couch.

Sunday, July 20

Today I am in Chicago. I ran 13 miles in the last two days, which is more than I ran in the previous 7 days combined. My legs are SORE! I did 7 miles yesterday as part of my marathon training and then did a 10K this morning. I feel like I'm somewhat getting back into my groove with running, though it's still a struggle to convince myself to get up for it every day. Even writing about it is boring me.

Sunday, July 13

Today I am in Chicago. I am really struggling with training for the marathon. It's all about running certain distances, certain times, and checking a box in my training schedule - no fun. I was doing pretty well and then my work schedule got so crazy and I came down with a stomach bug, neither of which helped my mindset about this. I need to get back on track (the race is 3 months from yesterday!) but at the same time I feel I need to step back and just run to run for a little while, without thinking about times, distance, or checking that box. Sigh.

Sunday, June 22

Today I am in London. I flew here Friday night on my way to Budapest. Wayne and I had a great day yesterday - we met up in the early afternoon and went shopping in the West End where I found a store that carries nothing but little dresses with empire waist sashes and cap sleeves. It was Betsy Elizabeth dress heaven. We wandered back towards Leicester Square for a couple of drinks, and then went to Le Beaujolais for a lovely bottle of Lirac and a snack of yummy, super stinky cheese. Then it was off to see Cabaret, and the night took a bit of an embarassing turn when I fell asleep midway through the first act. I woke up with a start during intermission and Wayne later told me he had to shake me three times to wake me up! Aye yi yi - guess I can't get two hours of sleep on a plane and drink half a bottle of wine and expect to remain conscious. We watched the end of the show and then went out for a post-show dinner of mussels and frites. Twelve hours of sleep later I am writing this from the Hilton London Bridge in my new happie loves it black polka dot dress and leggings and I am happy. Still sleepy, but happy. Off to Budapest tonight!

Sunday, June 8

Today I am in Chicago. I picked up my marathon training program information today, and it made me feel SO much better about it. I ran 10 miles as recently as 2 weeks ago, and on this plan we don't do 10 miles until week 5! Plus, there are 2 rest days built in to the schedule, and the longest weekday run is 8 miles. I just have to manage my time really well and I should be okay. Whatever happens, I am committed to following the training program to the letter - I remember how hard my first half-marathon was after not training properly (and how much easier the ones have been when I did train properly).

I am really gonna do this!

Wednesday, May 14

Today I am in Chicago.

Okay, more about the SB race. I got to Solvang around 6:20am and saw crowds of people lining the sidewalk. It turned out these were all people waiting to be transported to the start line! The last bus was supposed to leave at 6:30 and there was NO WAY all of these people were getting on that bus. We waited, and waited, and finally at about 7:10 the last buses left to take us to the start line in Santa Ynez (never mind that the race started 10 minutes ago...). We got to the start line at 7:20 and with very little fanfare I started off on the course. It was definitely a weird way to start, weaving in through the walkers and spectators. The lengthy wait for transport left me brimming with energy, and I was mindful not to go out too fast - it was hard to read pace, though, because a) I was passing a lot of people who I would have been in front of had I started on time and b) there were no mile markers. I reached the second water stop and heard we were at 3.7 miles- I looked at my watch and I was around 40 minutes....this didn't seem right but I figured it was better to be too slow at this point anyway.

The first few miles were rolling hills that wound through residential Santa Ynez. I kept thinking that you really have to make a choice when you live in an area like that - convenience or beautiful surroundings - because although it was very pretty, there was NOTHING around for miles except for a biker bar and a general store. Around Mile 6 we started up what was billed as "the short hill climb." This was a hill to rival the mountain stages of the Tour de France (and, as I learned the following day, Solvang was a Tour training site for Lance Armstrong and team for several years). I chugged my way up - it was a real struggle but I kept telling myself I wasn't going to walk and to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I finally made it to the top and fortunately there was a water stop so I could catch my breath before heading to the glorious downhill.

Here is a link to some photos:

http://www.fotojack.com/photo/index.htm?race=1020&val=1654

Will write more in next post.....

Saturday, May 10

Today I am in Santa Barbara. I ran the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon earlier today and finished in 2:14:01!!! That's over EIGHT MINUTES better than my previous PR. I'm still in a state of disbelief that I finished so far ahead of my time in Cabo. Was it the fact I ran Valpo 3 weeks ago? The mostly downhill 2nd half of the course? The result of a good night's sleep? I really can't explain why or how I improved so much from Valpo (10 minutes improvement....) but I do recall being at the halfway point and knowing I was going to PR. There is a stunning contrast between feeling like crap almost from the start of Valpo, and this race where I felt great the whole way. And...about halfway through the course today I ran BY FAR the biggest hill of my life (a BFH, as we say in the biz).

The course was really beautiful - I would definitely do this race again. It wasn't well-organized (we waited in Solvang for about 45 minutes for the buses to pick us up so I didn't even cross the start line until more than 20 minutes after the official start) and there weren't any mile markers, but that wound up being a good thing because it was nice not to know how far I had to go (especially when I heard someone at the final water stop say were we at Mile 11 but it was really much closer to Mile 12.

Wow - what a day - I can't even express how proud I am. I really surprised myself today. Another great day to be alive, to be a runner, to mark yet another milestone in this amazing journey I've had in becoming an athlete. I am so thankful for this day to discover another dimension of my strength, my determination, my ability to achieve what I set out to do. I am over the moon!

Tomorrow it's off to Santa Ynez wine country, the home of Sideways!

Saturday, May 3

Today I am in Chicago. I wasn't intending to watch the Kentucky Derby today but I happened to turn on the television just as the horses were being led to the starting line. The race was exciting, but afterwards the runner-up fell to the track and it was soon learned that she broke both front ankles and was euthanized within minutes. This made me very sad.

I don't know why I've always felt a connection to horses - maybe it's my memories of being on the McKeever's farm, as it was just up the road from our house in Michigan. Maybe it's their big, brown eyes. But I remember very clearly what happened to Barbaro and how I, like countless others, marveled at his will to live and was so saddened when he finally succumbed to his injuries. Maybe my connection to horses is borne of the relationship that my family has always had with animals, whether it's treating our dogs like relatives or having so much respect for my sister's work at the Humane Society of the United States. Whatever that love is, and wherever it comes from, I felt so sad today watching that gorgeous girl and her tough race for second, only to be laid to rest on the very same track.

Saturday, April 26

Today I am in Chicago, and technically it is Sunday but to me the day doesn't change until I have gone to sleep.

I was out with friends tonight and at some point the conversation turned to running. I was struck, not at all for the first time, that when this particular topic is raised my brain and body go into some sort of overdrive: I sit up straighter, I pay more attention to others' comments, I have many opportunities to give meaningful input. What I find even more interesting is that when I talk about running, people pay attention to what I'm saying. I don't mean that in a woe-is-me kind of way at all, but it strikes me that I have important things to say about running and that I am a pretty damn decent source of information on the subject. What strikes me even more is why on earth I don't just get off my ass (irony intended) and make this a bigger part of my life, i.e. take the plunge on opening a running store? I am utterly fascinated that I haven't done anything about this yet. I mean, how many people can say they know EXACTLY what they want to do, have the means to do it, and yet, somehow, don't do it? I must admit - the stronghold I've built around the idea that I won't succeed at this is quite impressive.

Sunday, April 20

Today I am in Boston and marathon fever is everywhere! My final time in Valpo was 2:24:31, which makes it my 2nd fastest half marathon by about a minute. My split had me doing 10:40 pace, and I slowed to 11:02 pace in the 2nd half. Nice faaaaade.....

Saturday, April 19

Today I am in Chicago, and earlier I was in Valparaiso, IN where I ran the Valpo Mini Marathon (half marathon). I'm not sure yet of my final time but I think it was somewhere around 2:25, so it should be my second best finish. This was a tough one. I guess it's not supposed to be easy, but compared to how I felt in Cabo my last two races have been really challenging and somewhat frustrating. I only got about 3 hours of sleep the night before (and 5 the night before that) so I was pretty depleted of energy going into the race. Excuses, excuses. The frustrating thing about this one is that I totally had a chance for a PR but I was just worn out. I was at 1:50 right around 10 miles, so if I had been able to keep up a 10:00/min pace to the end I easily would have PR'd. Oh well - I'm glad I did it (my 6th half!) because I badly needed this race in advance of Santa Barbara on May 10.

A few things come to mind that I need to focus on in the days before SB:

1) Drink at least 64oz. of water every day in the week before a race.
2) I have to make sleep a priority - I can't go into another race on 3 hours sleep.
3) Pay more attention to my stress level, alcohol consumption, and what I'm eating. I wasn't particularly stressed going into this race because I had been in Palm Springs most of the week, but I wasn't sleeping for some reason (other than because I was having too much fun in PS to sleep!), and I definitely drank and ate more than usual in the Springs.

Tomorrow I go to Boston to cheer Sue on in the marathon, and then it's off to Dallas. Yee haw!

Thursday, April 17

Today I am in Los Angeles, at LAX to be exact, awaiting my delayed flight back to Chicago. Since I have some time I thought I would take this opportunity to voice my opinion on last night's Democratic Hit Job, er, Debate.

In a word? It sucked.

Charlie Gibson and George Snufalupagus should be ashamed of themselves. First of all, it wasn't a debate. The first 45 minutes were pure Sunday morning talk show, and a bad one at that (and GS should have shined here - it's his day job, for crying out loud - instead he sounded like a dimwitted Ross Perot). They had to give equal time to Hillary Clinton so for every question about Obama's past she would simply say that it was despicable, intolerable, regrettable, disrespectful, or some such bullshit. You all no I am no longer any kind of HRC fan but she had no chance in the first half to demonstrate any knowledge of the issues, which is her strong suit. My favorite moment of the debate was this exchange (apologies for the long paste):

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to give Senator Clinton a chance to respond, but first a follow-up on this issue, the general theme of patriotism in your relationships. A gentleman named William Ayers, he was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol and other buildings. He's never apologized for that. And in fact, on 9/11 he was quoted in The New York Times saying, "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough."

An early organizing meeting for your state senate campaign was held at his house, and your campaign has said you are friendly. Can you explain that relationship for the voters, and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem?

SEN. OBAMA: George, but this is an example of what I'm talking about.

This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn't make much sense, George.

The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions.

Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn's statements? Because I certainly don't agree with those either....

....SEN. CLINTON: Well, I think that is a fair general statement, but I also believe that Senator Obama served on a board with Mr. Ayers for a period of time, the Woods Foundation, which was a paid directorship position.

And if I'm not mistaken, that relationship with Mr. Ayers on this board continued after 9/11 and after his reported comments, which were deeply hurtful to people in New York, and I would hope to every American, because they were published on 9/11 and he said that he was just sorry they hadn't done more. And what they did was set bombs and in some instances people died. So it is -- you know, I think it is, again, an issue that people will be asking about. And I have no doubt -- I know Senator Obama's a good man and I respect him greatly but I think that this is an issue that certainly the Republicans will be raising....

....SENATOR OBAMA: I'm going to have to respond to this just really quickly, but by Senator Clinton's own vetting standards, I don't think she would make it, since President Clinton pardoned or commuted the sentences of two members of the Weather Underground, which I think is a slightly more significant act than me --than me serving on a board with somebody for actions that he did 40 years ago.

Zing! That'll teach her to agree with Snufalupagus. So, we've sunk to new lows in campaigns, in attack ads, in blog posts, and now, as was, I suppose, inevitable, in political debates.

Wednesday, April 16

Today I am in Glendale, CA. I had four wonderful days in Palm Springs. The weather was spectacular and I had a much better time at the corporate events this year knowing what to expect in terms of not knowing anyone. As it happened, I wound up running into a man I had met over 4 years ago at a training class - we got to be fast friends that week, and at the time we were both married and he was living in Brazil. Now, we're both not married and he is living in New York. So....who knows where that will go but it was lovely to reconnect with an old friend, especially because it was such a surprise to see him after all these years.

Yesterday I had the privilege to hear from Nando Parrado, one of the Uruguayan rugby players whose plane crashed in the Andes in 1972. His story was amazing, and gave new meaning to the term "problem." I was talking to Mauricio (my long lost friend from Brazil) about it after; Mauricio has seen Nando speak a few times and in one of those talks he said that they would wake up some days thinking they were dead and had gone to hell. He said that he knows hell is not fire, it is ice. Imagine waking up and seeing nothing but snow and suffering and devastation and thinking that you were dead and in hell. That really blew my mind.

Tomorrow I have a meeting here in Glendale and then I'm going home. I haven't been gone this long in a while, and I'm looking forward to being back in my own bed.

Sunday, April 13

Today I am in Palm Springs. Oh. My. God.

Saturday, April 12

Today I am in rainy Chicago.

In a speech earlier today in Muncie, IN, Obama said that he "misspoke" in characterizing Pennsylvania voters as bitter. This is sad. The man gives an extremely eloquent description of middle class frustration, and is pressured into backing off of it because of a bunch of hatchet job blog posts. The race for the nomination has hit, for the the umpteenth time, an all-time low. How is Obama saying PA voters are "bitter" any different from Hillary Clinton saying that NC voters are "getting slammed?" I can't wait for this friggin' thing to be over - it's depressing.

Friday, April 11

Today I am in Chicago and will start off this post by saying that I lied. I lied when I said that my last anti-Clinton post would be my last because I am so outraged that I can't not say something.

As was widely reported in today's Huffington Post, Barack Obama was recently asked why his candidacy hasn't connected with middle class Pennsylvanians. Here is his response:

"Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long, and they feel so betrayed by government, and when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's true that when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama (laugher), then that adds another layer of skepticism (laughter).

But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well, what is this guy going to do for me? What's the concrete thing?' What they wanna hear is -- so, we'll give you talking points about what we're proposing -- close tax loopholes, roll back, you know, the tax cuts for the top 1 percent. Obama's gonna give tax breaks to middle-class folks and we're gonna provide health care for every American. So we'll go down a series of talking points.

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're doing what you're doing."

In response to this, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have both branded Obama as an elitist who is out of touch with middle class voters. To this, Obama had the following brilliant response:

"Here's what's rich. Sen. Clinton says, I don't think people are bitter in Pennsylvania. I think Barack's being condescending. John McCain says, he's obviously out of touch with people. Out of touch? John McCain, it took him three tries to figure out the home foreclosure crisis was a problem and to come up with a plan for it, and he's saying I'm out of touch? Sen. Clinton voted for a credit card sponsored bankruptcy bill that made it harder for people to get out of debt, after taking money from the financial services companies, and she says I'm out of touch?"

"No, I'm in touch. I know exactly what's going on. I know what's going on in Pennsylvania, I know what's going in Indiana, I know what's going in Illinois. People are fed up. They're angry and they're frustrated and they're bitter, and they want to see a change in Washington, and that's why I'm running for president of the United States of America."

Okay, so does Hillary Clinton just take this as her cue to shut up? Of course not, and today her campaign issued the following statement:

"Instead of apologizing for offending small town America, Senator Obama chose to repeat and embrace the comments he made earlier this week. It's unfortunate that Senator Obama didn't say he was sorry for what he said. Americans are tired of a President who looks down on them -- they want a President who will stand up for them for a change. The Americans who live in small towns are optimistic, hardworking and resilient. They deserve a president who will respect them."

Are you fucking kidding me? You mean apologize, like what you should have done, Hillary, for "misspeaking" about Bosnia and then continuing to "misspeak" even after your account had been refuted? You mean respect, like what you didn't do when you insulted the intelligence of voters everywhere by saying the Bosnia "slip" was a result of too little sleep? Perhaps your campaign should focus less on hit job e-mails and more on practicing what you preach.

Thursday, April 10

Today I am in Chicago. Since I feel I'm writing this blog mostly for myself (and it's more than a feeling - I know I'm the only person who reads it - otherwise people would leave COMMENTS - hint, hint), I want to start using this space to say things are more personally relevant to me.

Case in point, I feel finally, at the tender age of 37, that I can be more honest with myself. I am starting to realize that aging isn't so much about the external changes as the internal, and that only with time and experience and years on the clock can you really learn to appreciate all of the things that have come before. When you are in your teens you only think about graduating high school and being 21. When you are 21, you think about getting the job, impressing people, flirting, having money, achieving a certain status. Along the way you make a lot of mistakes. Then - mercifully - when you are in your 30s you start to put all of this shit together and think about how you want to lead your life in a way that matters. The mistakes of the past lose their tarnish because you look at them less as mistakes and more as lessons. You want to get to the bottom of things. Why am I the way I am? What experiences have had the most effect on me, and if they are negative experiences how am I continuing to let them inform my behavior? For some people the getting-to-the-bottom-of-things is scary. To me, it's a gift. I feel truly relaxed when I say things out loud that I have long thought but never said. It's cliched but there really is closure in acknowledging something - as though saying it or writing it makes it so and lets you move beyond.

So....where is all of this going? Well, even though this blog is mostly for me it's still in the public domain, so I will leave the genesis of this post for my private thoughts. But suffice to say that I am ready to acknowledge, accept, and put to rest those things that have in the past dragged me down, and use the remaining (and growing) strength to look once again toward the future. It's a nice sight.

Because I am a runner....

I wrote this list a while ago but I wanted to memorialize it somewhere.

Because I am a runner....

....I am physically and mentally strong
....I trust in my ability to finish what I start
....I have seen parts of Budapest, London, Melbourne, New York City, Cabo san Lucas, Tucson, and, most importantly, my home city of Chicago (just to name a few) that I otherwise wouldn't have
....I am part of a community
....a Google search of my name turns up mostly race results
....I don't worry about my weight
....I have the stamina to work long hours as needed
....I know what a fartlek is
....I could run for help, or away from someone, if I needed to
....I now know that when you are sleepy, the best thing you can do is run (yes, running actually wakes you up - who knew!)
....my overall health is better
....I have a different kind of respect for myself
....I can talk for hours about wicking fabrics, pronation, and tempo training
....I have a surefire way to de-stress and brighten my mood
....I have quad, hamstring, and calf muscles
....people are impressed with my accomplishments
....I got to know my new neighborhood
....I can help my friends who are new to running
....I have a training schedule
....I have a race schedule

Friday, April 4

Today I am in Chicago and just read something that must be shared.

Factor military duty into criticism
By Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss
April 3, 2008

In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.

In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.) The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician.

Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.

What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated.

While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father.

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.

Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?

After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America's biggest cities.

This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.

Since these comments became public we have heard criticisms, condemnations, denouncements and rejections of his comments and him.

We've seen on television, in a seemingly endless loop, sound bites of a select few of Rev. Wright's many sermons.

Some of the Wright's comments are inexcusable and inappropriate and should be condemned, but in calling him "unpatriotic," let us not forget that this is a man who gave up six of the most productive years of his life to serve his country.

How many of Wright's detractors, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly to name but a few, volunteered for service, and did so under the often tumultuous circumstances of a newly integrated armed forces and a society in the midst of a civil rights struggle? Not many.

While words do count, so do actions. Let us not forget that, for whatever Rev. Wright may have said over the last 30 years, he has demonstrated his patriotism.

Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss are, respectively, Navy and Marine Corps veterans. They work at The Center For American Progress. Korb served as assistant secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration.

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