Hazardous Run Results in Car Collision

You've probably all heard the stories of runners at night/early morning wearing dark clothes and getting hit out of nowhere. You may have even seen some of these apparitions as you've driven. I remember driving with my folks and having near-incidents (my father also used to play the verbal game of "how many points for hitting the runner" with variances depending upon the method of contact). But until you on either end of the experience you really can't comprehend just how life-flashing an incident it really can be.

Today was my day and I actually collided with a car. Just prior to this I had a prompting to watch carefully and approach with caution. Now I now why. Here are the details.

• around 5:45AM and raining (had rained all night)
• 4+ miles into a 7 mile run
  
• I was wearing all black with reflective material built into the jacket, shoes and running tights.
• soaking wet
  
• was crossing a driveway in front of a neighborhood Wal-Mart
• Left turning vehicle from across the street appears to have seen me as they came to a complete stop and waited for my passing
• On-coming vehicle in the driveway approached me
• I waved to them as I slowed down, approached the intersection vector

Here's where it gets fun. As I came to their left front bumper, the Pontiac Grand Prix (also black) started to accelerate. I could see how it could possibly play out in my mind's eye and in slow motion as the event happened in real time: a Duke's of Hazard style roll across the front hood of the vehicle, a crunch into the windshield/trip to the e-room, or getting squashed under the car and an immediate game over. Blessed by the Lord's name that none of these visions came to fruition. Instead, I slammed my hand hard against the hood of the car. From the acceleration of his moving vehicle and my plant of my hand against the hood, my body elevated causing both feet to come off the ground. Within a split second my gait returned and I found myself planted back on the wet drive, turning to motion to the driver that he just got lucky with my hands outstretched, my mouth dropped in exasperation and a scowl of a look.

I didn't look back after that but a few moments later the same vehicle came cruising past with his window down, desperately apologizing for the collision to which I wished him a good day and kept running. Talk about an adrenaline rush. My heart raced for a bit as I reviewed in my mind and soul what had just transpired and how blessed I was to have avoided a devastating experience.

Lessons learned:

• consider attire with more reflectors/lighter clothing during pitch black runs
• let cars that are coming at a perpendicular angle have the right of way
• any car coming out of a Wal-Mart parking lot that early in the morning is either pre-caffeinated and not alert or just finished a grave shift and not alert: DON'T TRUST THEM!
• Running is still fun and makes for interesting stories!
  

'Meep' Student Rebellion Caused by Facebook?

A blogger caught wind of a humorous story regarding H.S. students in Salem, MA banning together to use the word "meep" in school. Administration banned the word which the blogger points out is likely exactly what the students' objective was: get under the skin of the administration.

"Meep?" Here's an example...enjoy!

What is blogger points out in the post is that the administration cries foul of the evil Facebook for spreading "meep" in a viral way. Maybe the administration should figure how to use FB rather than tear it down and reach the students through communication they understand. Huh, if a 30-somethin' developer without a background in child psych can figure that out, shouldn't it be obvious to PhD's?  Good luck Salem!

Tricks -n- Treats: Family Fun for Halloween 2009

While much of the American culture gets caught up in the gory haunts of Halloween, our family takes a tame approach and enjoys dressing up in tame costumes and enjoyable activities. As you can see from the slide show below, we enjoy a "trunk-or-treat" followed up by "trick-or-treating" in the neighborhood. The kids carve their pumpkins and mostly enjoy spending time together. Nothing really to celebrate, just enjoy the time together.

Enjoy the slides:

Thriller - Happy All Hallows Eve

Just in time for Halloween, here's a video of the teachers from our local elementary school performing "Thriller."

Marathon Fever? Maybe It's Just Me

A few months ago a group of friends challenged my wife and me to a half marathon in November. They suggested we just pick a race and at least 3 couples would ban together and run it. Fun weekend. Great training. Good times.

After my wife began her training and her stress fractures/shin splints agonized her mornings, days and nights, the end was nearer to the beginning and the hope of a fun weekend was dying. At the same time my workouts were ramping up feverishly and I could feel my goal for a strong 1/2 marathon was well within my capacity of achievement.

About this time, one of the friends that suggested the half initially reviewed my training and suggested I should just push on past the half and train for a full. As the plans for the half were crumbling, I took her suggestion to heart and set my sights on the Cowtown Marathon here in Fort Worth, TX, Feb 27, 2010. "I've always talked about running a marathon and while it's a life dream, why not do it now," I thought.

So off I've journeyed, training for a full, enjoying the short 5 to 6 mile weekday runs while longer for, planning and at times lamenting the long runs (up to 14 miles currently). But what a journey. And it's only beginning.

The more I train, the more "marathon fever" I see around me. From stories of deaths in the Detroit Marathon to personal triumphs over paralysis in the Denver Marathon, the fever to overcome personal battles is everywhere. My friend recently finished the St. George Marathon in Utah with a knee injury sustained prior to her race. Successes in marathon competition are all around me and it's all the more fueling my fever to compete. I've even been recruited to compete in Nike's "The Human Race 10K" this coming Saturday morning.

Notwithstanding the personal triumphs of others, the key to each success was overcoming impediments and working towards a goal. this week I'm taking my run training off as I've sustained an agitating foot injury (likely a stressed ligament). Nagging is more like it. The mere thought of relaxing during a training period is a major buzz killer. I realize, though, that the temporary dip in my regiment to allow my body to heal is a part of the training and I'll overcome this just as I've overcome major reconstructive surgery on my left knee.

Through all of this, there is one thing that is at the heart of my ability to run, train and compete. The Lord has given me this extraordinary gift and I'll use it for whatever good I can.

What is fueling your fever?

Son's Dress Rehearsal

We've had 3 kids go through elementary (one is in the last year and our youngest is in Kindergarten this year). Funny that this performance sounds much like a previously scripted and performed song.



Gotta enjoy this pic as well. Notice the girl behind my son. Eeeewww!

KickFire to the Rescue

OK, pretty cheesy but fun in making. Nice job Troy on the "special effects".

Fall Season in Full Swing? Only if the Weather Plays Nice

Texas soccer is a funny thing: weather is too hot and we take water breaks. Weather is too cold and some complain and request cancellations. Lightning in the area? Yep, delay or call the game. But rain?

I'm from the Seattle, WA area originally and growing up rain was like taking a breath; it happened and most people didn't notice. A sun event was something to talk about; one that could create a frenzy as powerful as hyenas on a fresh carcass. Practice in the rain? Yep. Games in the rain? Of course. I remember slide tackling practices that now would be considered akin to slip-n-slide activities where a puddle 6 inches deep was the end goal, not the ball you struck somewhere in the tackle.

In a state where rain is frequently ushered in with thunder storms, most of them severe, it boggles the mind to have games canceled where no lightning is in the area and only rain has soaked a field. A tenet of the game is safety and while I can understand how soggy fields have a potential for creating hazardous playing conditions (too soft and knees can buckle and ankles can twist), most fields are fairly firm and sustain the pounding of TX rain. So what could be the real story behind games canceled from just rain?

Many associations in the NMCSL area do not own theirfields but either lease or are gifted use of the fields from their respective cities. Could it be that the cities, who invest in the development of their park space and consider it an investment, make the call as to playing conditions irrespective of safe play? Some fields, such as those in Keller, are pristine and may warrant the city's restrictive stance on excessive wear to the fields.

On a personal level I find the irony of managing field maintenance and field usage in an ironic conflict which in the case of Fall 2009 (current season) the conflict is brooding and impassioned. We're now 4 weeks into the season, I have one team (of 4) that has yet to play a game, 2 that have played just one and the final team that have played 2; all because of lightning-less rainouts. My players are eager to play and the disappointment is evident when a notification gets sent out the night before that yet again the game has been called off. While I understand the rules of safety and the economics of good field presence and condition, the irony lies in the inability to complete a season for the sake of preserving these principles. At some point the finite schedule will implode and something must give.

My vote: the giving point should be on the fields and obviously not on the safety of the players. Let the games go on and let's get this season moving!

Recognizing Beauty and the Capture

Recognizing beauty, whether delivered directly by the Creator's hand or inspired and achieved through learning and technology, is truly and art that requires time, patience and an open eye and heart. Everyone is capable of this recognition but few are so keenly adept enough to express it cognitively. When I see a beautiful piece of art I wonder what inspired the rendering. Was the masterpiece unfolded in one brilliant epiphany or did the scene unfold to the master's witness over time? Are truly gifted artisans quick to perfect a scene or patient enough to capture the moment over time?

On a business trip last spring I had the rare opportunity to fly in early and spend the afternoon touring through San Francisco and other Bay area cities. On a bicycle excursion across the Golden Gate Bridge I stopped just before entering the exciting traversal and recognized the capturing of beauty by a local artist. With additional renderings littered around his pinnacle viewing studio, the man in the cap looked to finishing a warm spring (was in the 90s) afternoon. The romance between the bridge and the artist was evident and capturing it's glistening and sun kissed towers and suspender ropes was not a task but an intimate act of passion. Each brush stroke represented the sublime caress of the master's hand on the subject vicariously showing affection for the subject.

In this world of self absorption and immediate gratification, it's refreshing to see a gifted and talented individual recognize beauty and capture it's essence for all to enjoy. What beauty have you recognized recently and did you capture the moment hurriedly or momentously for all to enjoy?

9/11 - Never Forget Already Forgotten?

As today is the 8th memorial of the tragedy that struck the U.S., I felt like it was important to post an anecdotal conversation had last week at a high school football game which unfortunately may be an editorial of today's comfortable society.

As my son and I were watching the Central High School Chargers get pounded by a team from Carrollton, TX (21-41 loss), a friend sitting next to my son struck up a conversation about 9/11 in which they engaged me with a question. The friend asked, "Wasn't 9/11 like back in JFK's day?" My mouth dropped as both these fine young men were roughly 5 yrs old at the time of the attack. JFK, seriously? I wasn't even born before JFK died. I responded that it was during the first term of George W. Bush to which their eyes glazed over a bit as if to say, "George who?"

My initial reaction was to feel critical towards the public school system for not educating and memorializing the attacks against the US on that fatal fall morning of 2001. Should they be teaching history and recent history as it has had a great impact on our sociality and economy? Then I realized, had I forgotten the events myself and overlooked my patriotic duty to teach my own child?

While the mantra in the wake of the attacks was that we would "we will never forget", I have the sneaky suspicion that many have forgotten 9/11 to some extent. We don't talk about it as much. The economy, while still a bit shaky, has largely rebounded and we continue to press on. Many people recognize the after effects of the attacks and passively swear support of our troops overseas fighting in distant lands but do they realize the genesis of the fight against terrorism? War, as it comes from the US, feels mostly common place and often not directly associated to the original attack against the US. In the numbing ambivalence of our reality, forgetting 9/11, which we pledged never to do, has become too easy.

So on this day, I'm taking a moment to think about my own experience on that hallowed day and the impact it has had on my life. What I recall is watching the live broadcast post first initial attack on the World Trade Center's North Tower and was shocked and horrified as the second plane struck the South Tower. I recall watching the innocent victims jump from the towers and scream from the windows prior to the collapse. My mind was numb contemplating how this could happen in such a seemingly peaceful and protected land and what the event would mean for my family. As the event unfolded and I witnessed the deaths of nearly 3000 people in locations from NY, PA and DC, my heart ached for the dying, the families of the victims and the land I love. I recall listening to President Bush from his Oval Office denounce the attacks and bolster up a depressed and shocked nation. Yet during the address I felt cheated by the nation I pledge allegiance to and wondered whether I had given enough. I wondered what my children would sacrifice for their country (and still do) in defense of our freedom and the protection of our land, liberty and religion.

While my son may have just been 5 years old at the time, and surely he has vague, even dream-like recollections of watch the events that day, I feel personally responsible to him for allowing him to be blind to the consequences of 9/11. Will I ever forget? Shame on me if I do. I can at least say that on this day I do remember and as such I'll continue to do what I can to support my country, come what may.

What memories do you have on 9/11? Where were you when the attacks happened?