Thoughts From The Duck

So I've been debating on how to tell the race day story.  So I decided to tell the story in context of some of my playlist.  Because, it's all about the playlist.  Pre-story: Tuesday before the race, I was in a car accident.  Someone got their pedals confused, and slammed into the side of my car.  My back was not happy for a few days, so I didn't train at all last week.  The week I cut my hand, I didn't train at all, because I didn't want to screw up the stitches.   Race Day: At 4:30 am, I woke up with extreme race anxiety, to the point where I wanted to pack up and go home.  Dana had a moment where she had to convince me to stay.  So I ate some breakfast, we packed up, and got there early.  We had our moment with the paparazzi (otherwise known as Dana's parents).  We got to the corral and then tried to stay warm. While standing there I received many compliments on the shirt .  I love the shirt.  My apologies to Charm...

Laura said these words to me after my left hand was stitched up after I sliced it with a box cutter. I have 7 stitches on the back of my left hand.  I will spare the gory details, but I will say this.....Safety First using box cutters and trying to open Lenten Banks. I cut myself on the top of the hand in the meaty part between my thumb and index finger.  I have been wearing this brace that the doctor gave me to immobilize my thumb, so I don't split the sutures.   So, I really can't use my left hand.  So this week, I have to be really careful on the whole running thing. I might try to bike this week at the gym....at least get my heart rate going...

So it's been a month since I last posted.  And so much has happened in that past month. So, running.  About that.  I took a break.  I needed to do that.  Allergies, some rain, and some slight ankle/knee pain necessitated a break. I registered for the Philadelphia Race for the Cure on May 9.  I'll be running with Dana....Well, she will run ahead of me because she is faster than me.  In fact, my race shirt is already in my t-shirt drawer, and my race number and race chip are attached to the back of my front door.  (Shameless Plug: I'm only $200 away from my fundraising goal!  Wanna donate?  Click here .)  I refuse to wear the shirt until the day after the race.  As my coach Juda said, (and taking a page from the movie PCU ) "Do not wear the shirt of the race that you are running in." Juda added "I will pretend that I don't know you."   I can't wear the shirt until after the race is over.  It's similar to my "I can't...

I didn't get to run in the race.   I got stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the race, and because I don't know that part of the city well, I didn't know what I could do to get out of the traffic jam.  The race had long started by the time I got to the starting line.  I cut through and went to the finish line to find the aforementioned coach Juda.  I hugged her, and the rest of the folks from the group that I could find, and then I went home.   All day today, I've been upset with myself.  I worked so hard, and missed the race because of a traffic jam.  I let myself down, and I feel like I let my friends down too.  All of you have been cheering me on, and I didn't run.  (I've had cheerleaders from many states and Germany and Korea!)  I realize that I'm not a failure, but I feel like I failed on this one.  I was reading some of the comments from you guys saying, "you will do this," yada yada yada, and, I didn't. However, if I d...

I just realized that it's been weeks since I posted anything!   Due to Snowmageddon II and III, I lost a week of February.  The sidewalk to the gym wasn't plowed, and I'm pretty sure it was closed for all of Snowmageddon.  I did some cross training, and I shoveled my car out twice, so I was being active, but not running.   It's getting warmer in Baltimore, so I don't have to bundle up to run, which has been wonderful.  There were some nights where I was wearing my mask that I bought for ice fishing.  For awhile, the wind was pretty bad.   I'm doing really well with the training group from Charm City Run .  Juda, the trainer, is a saint beyond all words. She is incredibly patient with me.  I am always the last one to finish, and she's always waiting for me in the parking lot, cheering me on.  I've never felt like a burden, even though I probably am.   Today, if my math is right, I did a mile at 18:35, which for me is a...

So, I had my first training group meetings this week.  I am by far the slowest and the least in shape person of the group.  I had a feeling that was going to be the case.  I don't like the attention that this fact creates.  Folks in the group keep thinking that I'm injured or something like that.  I finish last, and as I'm finishing, every person in the group asks me if I'm okay or cheers really loud for me.  I'm fine, I'm just slow!  I'm doing a little better on not pushing myself too hard. On a different note, I did 1.6 miles in 31:50 which for me is pretty awesome!

...with herself.  Patience with others?  I'm pretty patient with others.  With myself?  not so much. Shin Splints.  Shin Splints.  Shin Splints.  I hate them.  I loathe them. So, last night, I joined a training group at Charm City Run .  I'm excited about it.  I'm excited about not being in isolation when I'm running.  The trainer, Juda, has an extreme amount of faith in all of us.  She seems to think that all of us will finish in about 45 minutes.  The plan that she is putting us on is very similar to the plan that I was already on, which is nice.  It's good to know that I was and am on the right track. I've had marked improvement.  When I first started, I was doing 1.25ish miles in about 30ish minutes.  I'm up to 1.3ish in 30ish minutes.  That seems small, but hey, that's improvement.  I'll take improvement any day! I've been realizing something as I've been going through this whole proce...

So Running.  Yeah, about that. I'm still working on getting into a routine.  Last weekend was complete craziness (in a really good way), so I didn't get any treadmill time in.  This week, I pushed myself a smidge too hard and had some killer shin splints.  Also, I realize that I need to change my eating habits, which has been a lot of prep work.  The flip side is that I've had some good brain storming sessions while running, which is awesome!  When I've made it to the gym, I have done at least a mile, usually 1.25 miles. So this week, I'm working on continuing to change my eating habits, and learning how to stretch to keep the shin splints at bay. A 5K has been chosen....the Shamrock 5K in Baltimore in March!  I really hope that I haven't picked one that is happening too soon, but we shall see.  I think I can do it.

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story."  Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother I have been saying for a couple years that I wanted to start running, and actually run a 5K.  Because of what has been going on, now seems like a good time to start training for it.  So, guess what...2010 is the year!  Training for a 5K doesn't allow me to keep some of the really bad habits I've picked up since arriving in Baltimore.  It gets me up and moving.  So, what does this mean for you dear reader...I need you to keep me honest.  I'm going to need words of support when I don't want to keep going.  Many of you are runners as well, and know more than I do, so I will need questions answered when they arise.  And in general, I need you to be awesome.  Because, well, you are.  Honestly, I need me to be awesome, too.   The last time I saw the inside of a gym was while I was still in Minnesota!  So, the plan I ...

Greetings Dear Reader! So, Baltimore has not been what I expected it to be (is it ever?).  What has surprised me is what I have learned through this whole experience. 1. I can actually cook, if it involves a crock pot.  I need to perfect chicken and dumplings (not Tara's recipe, even though THAT recipe is delicious).  This week, I've made chicken and dumplings, mac & cheese, and chili.   2. I really want to run a 5K.  As in really, really.  So, who's with me?  3. Jack misses dog parks.  There is one "legal" dog park in Baltimore County.  The "not legal" parks aren't fenced.  Blind Dog + No Fence = Bad Idea. 4. Postcard Day may in fact be the greatest day I've ever invented...and yes I have invented other days (cf. Kermie day).  5. I really am smart and talented and gifted.  I just may not believe that all the time.  6. FACT:  I have the greatest friends.  Period.  My friends may not be geog...

Yesterday, one of my heroes passed away. Mary Travers died at the age of 72, due to complications of chemotherapy when she had Leukemia. I grew up having the privilege of seeing Peter, Paul and Mary ever summer in concert at Wolf Trap, since I was 10 years old. The only summers we did not see them were summers they canceled, one summer I was at camp, and one summer my mom forgot to get tickets, and they were sold out by the time my mom tried to get them. This past summer, less than a month ago, I got to see Peter, Paul sans Mary. The concert was billed as “A Tribute to Mary Travers.” I was sitting in the second row. Peter and Paul waved and smiled at me. Both of them were crying through most of the concert, knowing that their friend was much sicker than they were letting on. Before the concert that night, there was the largest rainbow that I have ever seen. I kid you not, the rainbow went over the Filene center….The WHOLE thing. I still hold that the rainbow was Mary’s rainbow (and m...

Discussions of professionalism always happen when youth workers gather. It's an inevitability. As I was reading my blogs this morning, I came across a blog from Ian, a British youth minister. In a forum he was reading, someone posted the definition of profession. So good, I'm re-posting here. Looking at the 'roots' of such things ... from the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary, we find: Main Entry: pro·fes·sion Pronunciation: \prə-ˈfe-shən\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English professioun, from Anglo-French profession, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin profession-, professio, from Latin, public declaration, from profitēri Date: 13th century 1: the act of taking the vows of a religious community 2: an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : protestation 3: an avowed religious faith 4 a: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b: a principal calling, vocation, or employm...

For the second year in a row, I spent the day before the Oscars watching all five best picture nominees. Last year, I blogged about it, and I figured, I should blog about it again! Last year, the commonality between the five films was the fact that each movie didn't end in a perfect way. There was no real story book ending. This year, the commonality was much more concrete. All five were told in flashback form. I was surprised! I was expecting to have to think about the commonality. In the middle of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I realized that the prior 2 had used the same storytelling technique. Then, when Slumdog Millionaire started, I noticed the same thing. I expected Frost/Nixon to not use that technique...I was wrong. I was hoping/wishing for something more profound, but I really think that's it. Milk was the story of Harvey Milk, the gay rights activist, and first openly gay politician. The Reader was the story of a relationship, post WWII. (As a friend...

I did not set up this blog to rant about life. I set up this blog to blog about the things that I am passionate about. (Read my first post to see the short list .) What I am about to say is something that has been mounting for awhile. Please forgive me for ranting. I have been living in a state of transition since Summer of 2005. My life has been a series of temporary stops since the fateful day of 07/06/05. I had a job for a year, then I went to Minnesota for school, graduated in May and now I'm applying for just about anything that I think I can get. If I sat down and counted the number of interviews I have been on, I would cry. I was doing okay for a long time about my lack of job or my lack of permanence. However, the past two weeks, I haven't been doing so well with this. So, gentle reader, I have two requests. Thing #1. Join my cheerleading squad. Encourage me whenever possible. When I start to fall, when I start to get frustrated, remind me that there is possib...

Today is Blog Action Day . I wish I had known about it before I checked Mary Hess' blog this morning. I would have prepared more! The theme is poverty. I'm excited because most of the bloggers that I follow posted something regarding poverty, regardless of the subject of the blog. Most of you know my passion regarding social media. I love how social media connects us. I have friends on Facebook that live 2 miles away, and I have friends that are thousands of miles away. I also have the luxury of cracking open my laptop just about anywhere, and bam...I can chat/monitor/tweet/connect to social media. Also, I have been working with youth on the brink for 2 years, and I currently reside in North Minneapolis. Back in the 1990's Colin Powell and Bill Clinton (among others) coined the term digital divide. The term described the divide between the people who had access technology and those who didn't. This changed from computers in the schools to computers in the home....

I pondered for a long time what to call this post. I've been off the blogging radar since the beginning of May. I have gone through so much...yet at the same time, I haven't. I pondered many titles for this post, one of which was "Clinging to Hope," which I then decided was a rejected campaign slogan of Obama. I'm in a GIANT holding pattern....I'm waiting to take off at the Atlanta Airport, and there's fog....OR...I'm in a giant hallway with a million doors and as I start to walk through an open door, the door slams in my face...OR... I have lots of time to ponder metaphors to explain life right now...All of them have some form of truth to them. There are days when the frustration of where I am in life is oppressive, like yesterday and today. Then the Holy Spirit starts to work in ways that I will never completely understand. People just show up. These are people who love me unconditionally and let's be honest, I don't deser...

The internet is back! Let the rejoicing begin! And my feet hurt. That is all.

So, I am without internet again! I had all these plans for blogging! They are now thwarted! I will be posting my summer reading list very soon...once I finish the list...

A recent Dairy Queen commercial disturbs me at many levels. Thoughts?

Click to Play This is the second draft of my video for class