Sunday, May 31, 2009

Moving on ... while running.

We moved out of our house on Thursday. We gave the keys to the new owners on Thursday night. The whole thing was kind of surreal. I can't live in a place for eight years and not have some nostalgia about leaving it even though I am looking forward to where we are going and am actually very relieved that the house is no longer ours.

On Thursday morning I ran six miles. I ran two of my three mile loops. The last one I ran was a route I call ‘sidewalk’. It is the first run I ever ran after we moved into 709 Center Way. I have run full circle in a figurative way and it is kind of symbolic that it is time to leave.

We are living with Andrea’s parents for the next couple of weeks before we get on an airplane bound for Singapore. We are taking space in their camper and a couple of spare bedrooms. This morning Jakeb and I ran four miles on a route I call ‘yaupon’ that used to start at our house and run past Andrea’s parent’s place at mile two. Today we started here and ran past our old house at mile 2. It was strange.

The changes in our life have helped us realize that this Singapore thing is emanate. We knew it was coming but has never been more real. In all of the craziness of the last couple of weeks running has kept me grounded as usual.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Happy B'day to me ...

Today is my birthday. Happy birthday to me.

People have asked me what I want and I have a hard time with the question. I want to be able to run so I would like a pair of running shoes but when I need a pair I go buy them. Maybe that is not so good of a present.

I want to read a book but I am picky about what I read. I like to hold a book in my hand and read a bit of it and smell it. If I like it I put the copy I just picked up back on the shelf and take the third or fourth one back. I want a clean and fresh book no one but the stock person has touched with a smooth cover and no wrinkled pages. No one can buy me a book. I have to do it for myself.

My family gives me what I want from them the most – them. If they could give me more of them that would be a weird birthday present. “Happy birthday – have some more of me.”

I really do not need anything. In fact Bono says it best:

Walk out into the street
Sing your heart out
The people we meet
Will not be drowned out
There’s nothing you have that I need
I can breathe

Friday, May 15, 2009

Jacob's Ladder and a Lack of Variety

On the way home from work I stop at a parking lot on Highway 6 and run four miles in Terry Hershey Park. I run the same four mile route almost every time I run there. Jakeb gives me a hard time about running the same thing over and over. After driving for over an hour to and from work I have little time for variety. And besides, the park is scenic and I have not gotten tired of it yet.

Tuesday I was finishing up and I looked towards the reservoir on the edge of George Bush Park. On some concrete stairs that ascend the levee there were probably 25 or 30 people climbing to the top. Once they reached the top they would turn and climb down and once at the bottom they would start over again. The long line of people looked like a bicycle chain going around sprockets at either end of the stairs. I guess they were some kind of training group but it looked a little strange.

It reminded me of the story in the Bible where Jacob lays his head on a rock for a pillow in a place called Bethel and has a dream of angels ascending and descending stairs (a ladder) to and from heaven. Except as far as I could tell these people were not angels and they were definitely not making it to heaven.

It won’t be too long until all of mine and Jakeb’s running routes are new and different. I can handle the same four miles and Jacob’s ladder for another month. June 17th we fly out of Dallas on our way to Singapore where at least for a while every step we run will be on ground we’ve never run before.

Monday, May 04, 2009

The Maze 2009

Jakeb and I packed up and drove to Jason's house in Columbia Lakes yesterday at 1 pm. We got in Jason's car and drove to Austin. We picked up our packets at Rugue Equipment for The Maze. Then after a stop at Runtex we ate at Chuy's(I ate the 911 Hot Plate), got some Starbucks and checked into the hotel. After the Celtics beat the Bulls (okay I dozed before the game was over) we crashed to get some rest for the race this morning.

The Maze is one of mine and Jakeb's favorite races. It is a 10k and 30k at Walnut Creek park put on by Rogue. It has a couple of creek crossings where you do not have any other choice but to have wet feet.

We ran the 10k. Jakeb finished in 51:23. Jason finished in 51:29. And I finished in 56:21. I took off too fast. The hills were a killer. But I had a blast.

We were back home by a little after 1pm. It was a really fun 24 hours.