Wednesday Ramblings...

Good morning.  Hope that you are doing well this week.  I'm doing pretty well.  Myles and I went to visit Sarah last weekend in Atlanta (she's completing an away rotation at Emory University).  We miss her VERY much and it was so good to see her.  When I last wrote I mentioned that my mind and my body were tired.  Therefore, I took some easy days on Friday through Monday.  I ran 5 miles Friday, was off on Saturday, ran seven miles on Sunday, and then was off on Monday.  Yesterday and today I ran 12 miles each day and ran very well.  Legs felt fresh.  Mind felt fresh.  The rest period had the desired impact.  Again, sometimes you have to actually slow down to speed up. 

Watching Georgia v. S. Carolina.  Isn't Sarah adorable?

I'm excited for Saturday as I'm running a 10K up at Butler University.  This will be another chance to test my legs.  I've not raced much since moving to Indiana a few years ago (In fact, I've run 8 races in three years compared to 30 races in the 3 years prior to that).  I'm not sure it matters much how much I run since I'm enjoying it.  All in all, running is going well.

It's been such a crazy week, month, year, decade in this world.  A couple days ago we marked 10 years since 9/11/01.  That day is one I'll not forget and it forever changed the way we travel, the way we think about safety, and the way we protect ourselves.  There have been a lot of posts about 9/11 and what people recall about that day.  For me, I recall being a lobby with students at UGA in my first year as a professional.  I recall comforting them, talking with them, listening to them, and just watching with disbelief as the day unfolded.  I don't think I'll ever forget the day or the week after 9/11 when this country seemed more united--across race, sexual identity, class, etc.--than at any other point.  For just a few weeks no one cared about what you looked liked, who you loved, how much money you had or didn't have, etc.  It just mattered that you lived in this country and were impacted by 9/11, and we needed to bond together to be there for each other.  My hope at the time was that all Americans could remember the bond they felt with other Americans that day and then use 9/11 as a point from which we all treated each other a little bit better.  Unfortunately, I don't believe we took that away after a few months.  We still fight and struggle internally over resources while our fellow Americans go hungry, are homeless, go uneducated, and have their basic rights denied.  We watch our political leaders continue to fight to stay elected rather than to fight for what's going to help the average person.  Bottom line, if we don't start caring about the fortune and the rights of our friends, neighbors, or just the average person trying to make it, then we will see a decline like we've never seen before.  And...it won't be a wound made by terrorists, but rather a self-inflicted wound of our own making.   So...my hope is that the 10 year mark of 9/11 will once again remind us that if we work together to help everyone move forward, then we can help America reach it's next pinnacle rather than decline down the mountain.  Just my two cents.

Have a great day.  Happy running to you...