Olympic Running

Like others, Shannan and I counted the days to the Opening Ceremonies of this year’s Olympics. We enjoyed the spirit of competition and the power of the human spirit. Our fervor for the worldwide event began when Atlanta made an official bid for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. We counted the days until the lighting of the torch in July of 1996 and since that time we've remained interested. I was very fortunate to carry the Olympic Torch on the Beach Volleyball venue two days before the Games began in 1996. Later I ran the Atlanta Marathon which covered the course of the Olympic Marathon.

While running past Olympic signage in Sydney, Australia, I realize a happy accident. Unintentionally, I have been running in many Olympic host cities. The highlight among them was when I ran in the Olympic Stadium and along a small portion of the Olympic Marathon course Athens, Greece. Otherwise, I also trotted in Montreal, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Rome, Barcelona and this year's home of the 2012 Summer Games, London.

There is much to appreciate about the Olympics, especially the individual athletes, their dedication and ability. Equally, I find the games, Winter and Summer to be a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the world community, camaraderie, and exhibition of sportsmanship at its best.

Run in Olympic Cities.

Tom

Make it a Magic Day!

Sunday I had a standard morning run. Noting spectacular stood out of the norm. I jogged in Kennesaw, GA, where I have had the opportunity to run previously. What took this run from good to great was, not so much the location as internal factors. Though I thoroughly enjoyed running on and round Kennesaw State University sporting facilities and a linking pathway. TI also enjoyed the weather. The morning was crisp and clear. All the sounds of nature rang out in melodic fashion. I didn't run too slow or too quickly. I kept a strong steady pace. During this outing I prayed, this too, is not an uncommon activity for me while running.

 

This particular morning I worked to be very intentional. I thought of all the things, great and small I appreciate in life. I thought of important people who made simple comments, which in turn had a profound impact on my life. This internal source of happiness coupled with the endorphins of the physical activity had me happy on the verge of mania by the fourth and final mile. 

 

I wrote writing this blog entry Sunday evening. As it turns out that great feeling worked its magic all day. Think positive thoughts and run. They combination makes for a marvelous day.

 

Tom

Shouldering the Pain

Much too long ago I injured my right shoulder during the last phase of completing P90X 2. I took a week off from resistance training to let the joints and muscle tissue heal. Unfortunately, I manage to repeatedly aggravate the injury. The situation progressed so much that I went out of fashion and consulted a physician. She suggested cortisone. I passed on the medication. Since I was being novel, I went to see a chiropractor. After three visits of adjustments and deep tissue massage, he, too, recommended cortisone.

I read articles from the Mayo Clinic about the use of cortisone. From what I read the procedure and possible side effects held no appeal. So, rather than having a painful shot with short term benefits, I'll rely on the trusty standard of Rest, Ice and Compress. My plan is to do a few weeks of cardio only to let the body do what it does so well, take care of itself.

Listen to your body.

Tom

Bucket List

Call me superstitious, but I don't have a bucket list. Make no mistake, there are many things I want to do in this life. However, I find it an eerie concept to list them and even worse to check them off the list. Oddly, I am a daily list maker who loves to cross off completed items, but a list for life feels quite uncomfortable to me. All that said, as of this summer Shannan and I have only Antarctica to visit so we would’ve stepped foot on all seven continents.

Previously we talked of waiting until retirement age to make the voyage to the bottom of the world. Now that the penguin filled continent is all that remains we are thinking differently, perhaps impatiently is more truthful. I can't imagine how delightful it will be to run on the ice covered land mass. That's a big item on my To-Do list, not to be confused with a bucket list.

Make Lists? Run!

Tom

Black Ice

Slippery streets create great difficulty for people and vehicles. Black ice proves worse. Invisible patches of ice are a terror for runners (walkers, bikers, skaters, you name it). Our last frosty morning in Queenstown, New Zealand the roads were damp and dangerous. We were ticketed on an early morning flight. After a very brief walk outside, I decided the weather conditions called for indoor exercise. I really wanted to preserve The Streak prior to travel, a standard practice of mine and a silly superstition.

Problems abounded. The hotel didn’t have a fitness center and our room was on the second floor (for the less considerate generation- that means guests below us were undoubtedly sleeping at 4:00 am). Furthermore, the room was very small. I took an inventory of the factors and quickly put together a workout that included cardio and resistance and didn’t require much space or any plyometrics. I had packed resistance bands pack for an emergency like this one. The haphazard little routine took 38 minutes to complete a total of 24 exercises. It “worked out” just fine. By the end I was sweaty and felt well exercised and full of energy for the day.

Adapt. Adjust. Exercise.

Tom

Ethnocentrism and Uneducated

Bula!  It didn’t take long after stepping out of the jet way in Fiji to learn bula was Figian for hello/welcome. This was the first of many wonderful lessons I garnered from the Pacific Island. I recall darkness and a tropical rainstorm preempted a 4:00am run in Sigatoka. Luckily the resort had a large and well equipped fitness center. I opted to jog a few miles on a treadmill.

The fitness center had several of the same models. Nothing stood out as odd, each treadmill had all the standard options and settings. I started one and began trotting. I raised the speed 6, 7, 8, and 9. As I kept increasing the speed, I noticed the belt below my feet didn't turn as fast as the bright red LCD numbers indicated. I immediately determined the machine was defective and moved to another treadmill. Again, the exact same thing happened. Before frustration turned to fury, I realized the treadmill used KPH rather than the MPH I'm accustomed to using. I was delighted no one else was in the facility at that hour, as I felt like an utter imbecile. 

I cranked up the speed (numerically) and had a nice morning exercise. I measured the distance covered by thinking about 5K and 10K races, not because I quickly converted meters to miles. It is a bit funny that the U.S. remains locked into using a system of measure even though the most of the rest of the world, industrialized or not, uses metric. Sure we teach metric units in school. Most districts give an obligatory head nod in 3rd and a few other grades at teaching weights, distance and temperature, that is far from enough. Otherwise, American will just have to learn it the hard way.

KPH or MPH, Run.

Tom

Country Ride City Run

Four hours in the rain along the only road to Milford Sound we marveled at the landscape of New Zealand’s south island. Falling water, lakes and rivers decorated the way as mountains and hills lined the route. Dairy, pig, deer, sheep, fruit and vegetable farms largely accounted for property use. I recall one gorgeous view which occupied the field of vision in every direction. This vast expanse of unused land wasn’t spoiled by impervious surfaces of retail plazas, a welcomed sight for this suburban American. Over and over I kept saying to Shannan and to myself, “I’d love to run here.”

All this stood in stark contrast to the way the rainy morning began. I went out for a run in Queenstown, New Zealand. The night before the city held its Winter Fest, replete with concerts and fireworks. Our hotel, perched directly above the town center, provided a fantastic view for the festivities. At 5:00 in the morning many revelers remained in party mood. City workers cleaned up from the previous night’s celebration. Hundreds of young folks roamed the streets crowed with pubs, shops and tourist offices. Not many of the throng of businesses were open at this hour, nevertheless the non-stop party people kept the good times going. They created an energy of sorts in the otherwise chilly and drab morning. Ah the cosmopolitan city dwellers, they are a powerful force. Thanks to these gals and guys I didn’t spend much time thinking about the inclement weather or the monotony of a retail run. Still, I’d love to run in the countryside of New Zealand.

Be a part of the story. Run.

Tom

Majestic Mount Cook

Our bodies and minds harness tremendous power individually, when working collectively amazing feats have been achieved by human beings. Sometimes the two super powers stand at odds. June 21, 2012 was one of those mornings for me. We were lodged at the base of the Tasman Glacier in the Southern Alps of New Zealand looking at a snow covered valley at the foot of Mount Cook. I had been up for hours trying to convince myself to go out into the cold for a run. By sunrise, the morning remained frigid. It's no secret I do not like the cold, Sam I am. My mind advised my body against running in the snow with subzero temperatures.

After hours of internal conversation, I geared up and trekked out onto the icy roads. Hemmed in by mountains, I lit out into one of the most beautiful and peaceful environments I have ever had the pleasure to experience. My own breathing seemed like noise pollution. Nature built an amphitheater from the looming white mountains. I intruded on the symphony of silence. Barron of everything except for natural wonder, the frozen basin swallowed sound. 

Millions of years in formation this landscape continues to change, to create itself anew. I had long forgotten my mental anguish over the cold which delayed the morning run. Make no mistake, my body was keenly aware of the bitter cold. I pressed longer wanting to see more, wanting to be out among the grandeur just a little while longer. At 40 minutes I turned around and had already marked this as a personal favorite run ever.

The return to the lodge I ran against the wind and I began to feel a slight shortness of breath due to altitude. This took nothing from the run as by now my mind and body worked in sync to make the best of short time in such a remarkable place. 

If your mind will let it your body will go. Run.

Tom

Heading Back to Hagley

I learned from exploring the area the previous day that a quaint shopping area was to the right of our hotel. According to my standard, I always go out running in opposite directions each day. I think I have made it abundantly clear in this blog site that I don’t particularly like running in retail areas. Add to that I knew the south Island of New Zealand housed the country’s largest park, Hagley and it was to the left. I could not (or didn’t want to) resist the urge. I went back to Hagley Park. To appease my superstitious nature, I ran through a different part of the spacious green space.

A lovely run in Hagely Park turned into a strider workout (the runner jargon for this is “fartlek”, I hate that word). I cruised for two minutes and then ran race pace for one minute. Watching the time proved to be troublesome before daylight. The previous day’s memory of losing my shoe in the mud remained fresh in my mind. So, I used physical markers like passing poles, trees and bushes rather than actual minutes. This led to shorter rest intervals. It was a fun way to mix up exercise and increase the impact of morning exercise.

Left. Right. Slow. Fast. Run.

Tom