Training Groups

Greetings! Over the years I have participated in several training groups for runners as a trainee and a mentor. Training groups are great in concept. Training clinics allow for making friends, learning strategies for running and recovery.  Also, such groups come with a set of incentives to complete required training for big races, like fully participating because of the money spent to join the team, and accountability and affirmation of the team encourages people to attend the regular running sessions.

I have often used my experience from the training groups as an example to discuss the concept of reference groups with my sociology classes. The training group sometimes created issues as new or returning runners ran too fast trying very hard to keep up with the pack. This often led to injury physically or psychologically. A recent study of training groups found that those who work too hard to support others hinder those individuals from reaching their full potential. The group mentality held members back in performance and overall fitness levels, particularly people trying to lose weight. Those who treated the training group like a competition excelled in performance and fitness. It’s a fine line between the start and finish line.

Train well. Run.

Tom

Wash Running

Over the years, I have enjoyed running in the “wash” in desert towns of the American Southwest.  Generally speaking, this is not a good idea. Many safety issues loom such as lighting and being away from others in case of an emergency.  More often than not, I’ve run in the washes in darkness or very little light at the break of the morning dawn. For those not familiar with the area, this left me vulnerable to critters of all shapes and sizes such as javelinas and coyotes.

In our recent trip to Tucson we experienced a first in well over ten years of visiting around this same time of year. It rained, and it rained a fair amount. The washes did their jobs and filled with water. This left me running out on the street, which is equally dangerous, especially before the sunrise. No matter, I had super and very safe runs in Tucson. Even in the industrialized area around the airport I could still feel and smell the desert.  Ah, and for me, those are grand sensations.

Run in the Desert!

Tom

2017 a Year of Epic Success

Greetings! Week one of 2017 came and went much too quickly. I trust the time proved meaningful for you and yours. I’ve set my personal goals, resolutions and intentions for 2017. I plan on a year of Epic Success, personally and professionally. Last year was very good for me, though I did miss my primary fitness goal of completing the Triple Peach race series. This year, The Streak will cross twenty (20) years. I’m still working on ideas on how to appropriately celebrate this monumental occasion.

I wish you a most productive, meaningful, happy and healthy 2017.

Resolve. Run.

Tom

No Light. No Noise.

Greetings! Running a marathon and running in Marathon, TX are two very different things. The most apparent difference is that you can run along Highway 90, the main road, in Marathon, TX and cross the city boundaries within minutes. It’s a sight short of 26.2 miles of a standard marathon, the commonly proposed distance of the ancient Greek running messenger, Pheidippides.   

I often run before day break. This posed a problem of sorts as Marathon, TX has the darkest skies in the continental United States. In fact, Marathon rates a Scale 1 on the Bortle Light Pollution Scale. For specific details on the darkness rating you can check out this web site. http://www.marathonmotel.com/index.php?astronomy=yes  

Dark skies are not the only thing interesting about a pre-dawn run in Marathon, TX. The area has very little noise pollution, particularly in the early morning. It was a bit haunting to hear every step and my own breath at what seemed like a volume synonymous with a scene from a horror film.  All in all, these things made my short run in Marathon, TX a most memorable one.  

Look. Listen. Run.  

Tom

Musical Freedom

Greetings! In the 80s MTV followed the pattern of radio stations and repeatedly played popular videos in short intervals. I became keenly aware of this one long night while I was trying to stay awake in Lawton, OK. I felt like the video music channel played a George Michael video, every hour, with I Want Your Sex being played the most. At the time, I was far from a George Michael fan. I didn't care for his solo work or for the music of Wham! As a teenager, I saw fit to remain true to the heartland rock genre, like the music of John Mellencamp.

The repetition of videos that one night, though, had an impact on me. I became a "secret" George Micheal fan. I kept that secret for decades. I listen to George Michael's music a lot while running, with Freedom! 90 being a favorite selection for speed workouts. In 2008 George Michael's Twenty-Five Live tour came to Atlanta. I felt that as an adult it was time to break free. I asked a friend to purchase tickets for us, as Shannan and I were traveling the weekend the tickets went on sale. My friend bought the tickets and much to my dismay, she revealed my secret to many of my co-workers. I came through the exposure with my soul untouched. Moreover, Shannan and I really enjoyed the concert.

Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, thank you for the music and the memories.

Enjoy Freedom. Run.

Tom

2106 Review & Reflection

In graduate school I didn’t fully understand the power of reflection. It took me much too long to get on board with the concept. For me, blogging is more reflection than reporting or sharing. Over the years I’ve posted serious reflections at unscheduled times following the death of a friend or family member, as well as more traditional times like birthdays, anniversaries and the end of the year. I’ve come to appreciate how reflections can help guide my path and steer me clear of deep holes on the journey ahead. 

Today, I took out my calendar and looked back over 2016. Once again, I had a magnificent year personally and professionally. We explored with a fair amount of domestic and international travel, highlights being visits to Ireland and two trips to the west coast. As always, we spent many weekend get-a-ways visiting cities in Georgia and around the south. We toured museums and other interesting sites near and far.

Professionally, it was a record year to be involved in academic lectures and I was honored to curate two displays in February. The first was the After Malcom Digital Exhibit: Islam and the Freedom Struggle at National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The other was the display of the only full-size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry on the North Metro Campus of Chattahoochee Technical College. Otherwise, I took on leadership roles at the College in the areas of Online Teaching and Learning Innovation and Open Educational Resources.

It was fun to run a few road races this year, including my failed attempt to complete the Triple Peach. Lastly, I posted a great deal of varied material on my website, http://publicscholar.weebly.com/

In January of this year I posted this as part of my reflection blog: “While visiting Costa Rica a fellow mentioned a popular phrase, ‘Pura Vida.’ It means pure life. In context the man said the phrase means, getting the fullest out of life. I like it. Pura Vida is my theme for 2016. In all that I do, I’ll strive for Pura Vida.”

Pura Vida absolutely describes my 2016. I am deeply grateful for that reality. I strive for greater heights in 2017.

Live Well. Live to the Fullest. Run.

Tom

Learning to Run

Greetings! I hope all is well with you and yours. As you might imagine, I post information on the Internet all the time. I have no idea who reads it or when. This week I have a tiny celebration. For the first time since October 23, I ran with no pain during or after the run. I am ecstatic.

Since the first procedure on my left foot, I ran three miles on a treadmill once in November. I felt every step of it, but pushed through because I’m not smarter. It’s funny, with a total of three procedures over 8 weeks, I completely changed my walking pattern. I noticed that a bit as I started when I tried to run again last week.  The entire episode was quite awkward. I felt like I was learning to run all over again. After about 10 minutes I worked into a normal stride. I know this celebration is a minor one in the reality of the rest of the world, but I am so happy right now. I had to share.

Thanks for listening.

It’s cold outside. Keep moving to keep warm and stay healthy. Run!

Tom