DrumRunMarathon: Running in to the Pain

When I ran my first marathon a decade ago, I rode to the start line with an elite athlete. I asked her for any advice she could offer. She said, after 20 miles, we all hurt. It doesn’t matter how accomplished or novice you are at running, everyone hurts after 20 miles. The challenge is to keep going despite the pain.

I went in to yesterday’s DrumRunMarathon knowing it would hurt long before 20 miles. For the last two months I have been limping on a strained tendon in my left foot. In the last week, I pulled my groin twice. The weather forecast was for a sunny, 90 degree day. This was not going to be an easy run. And yet I chose to run in to the pain anyway.

The DrumRunMarathon is my riding on the coattails of Greg “The Governor” Pearson who is a fitness professional and the drummer in the Church for All People’s praise band. For years, Gov has developed an annual tradition of drumming in front of the Statehouse for 24 hours, sharing a poem called “The Gift of Love” that speaks of how God first loved us, and using this as a fundraiser for the church. This year, I jumped in to his parade and ran as he drummed.

I ran in to my pain inspired by Gov who had been drumming in front of the Statehouse for eight hours before I showed up and still had 16 hours to go.

I ran in to the pain as I watched peaceful people get escorted away from “the people’s house” because of the color of their skin.

I ran in to the pain as my foot swelled. My sports medicine doc cleared me to run, and I ran a solid pace that I was really happy with for the first 18 miles. But with no thanks to Phidippides a marathon is 26.2 miles and I began to wonder if my sports medicine doc is too permission giving.

I ran in to the pain as the temperature reached 90 degrees. In the morning, there was not a cloud in the sky and by a dozen miles in I was soaked with sweat. But I did a better job of staying hydrated and taking S Caps than I had in previous races. Also, some afternoon clouds and breezes went a long way.

I ran in to the pain and finished 26.2 miles.

In the moment, pain can feel all encompassing. But two lessons of running are that it doesn’t always get worse and that pain is temporary. My 26th mile was one of the strongest and fastest miles that I ran all day. And, on this side of the finish line, we built new relationships and raised over $2,500 for the work of the United Methodist Church for All People who is seeking to building diverse relationships of mutuality with all people. You can always support this work at: https://www.4allpeople.org/give

Hilltop U.S.A. 5K Race Report

The last few months have left us all with the question, what do you do when times are difficult?

What do you do when you can’t do the things that give you life?

What do you do when people are suffering?

Often, we can retreat and turn inward, or we can choose to walk in to the discomfort, embrace the pain, and overcome.

In a small way, that is what over 500 runners are doing this weekend around Columbus, Ohio. It is one hot weekend, but we are virtually running the Hilltop USA 5K, to benefit veteran’s organizations on the west side of Columbus. Although this race couldn’t happen in person, the support of the community was so great that it sold out and more spots were opened up.

Today I ran with Lisa Qualkenbush Dillahunt, who ran her own virtual race at the same time, leg 2 of the Columbus Running Company Grand Prix. We ran at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, one of my favorite places, but the heat and humidity were not fun. I decided to wear my race shirt for the 5K, which was a soaked cotton mess by the end. Nonetheless, the miles clicked off quickly. Despite having a gimpy foot, and it being a hot day, we ran a solid run, faster than our goals. Nothing close to a PR of any kind, but we ran in to the heat and discomfort and overcame.

More importantly, this race has already raised over $3,000 to help veterans organizations. This will assist those heroes who walked in to truly difficult situations and overcame.

Rise above!

 

 

Music of the Year (so far)

2020 has been a crap year by many measures–just ask the 9,859,738 families of people with confirmed cases of coronavirus or the 400 year echo of black voices crying out, I can’t breathe.

But from all this pain has come great art.

In my unprofessional opinion, here are my 100 favorite albums from the first half of 2020 and my 100 favorite running songs from the first half of the year. There has been so much good music this year, I still have a couple of dozens albums I am waiting to find time to listen to. There was been more good music than what would fit on this list. I don’t pretend to be an expert in any of this, but if you are looking for something good to listen to, this a good place to start:

RUNNING SONGS OF THE YEAR (2020)

Listen to this playlist at: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/2020-running-songs/pl.u-14Lmt8ZlaER

1. Routine Pain, Spanish Love Songs
2. might bang, might not, Little Simz
3. pink diamond, Charli XCX
4. Savage Remix (feat. Beyoncé), Megan Thee Stallion
5. Deal Wiv It, Mura Masa & slowthai
6. Blue World, Mac Miller
7. Darkseid, Grimes & 潘PAN
8. State of the Union (STFU), Public Enemy
9. Yah Yah (feat. Royce da 5’9″, Black Thought, Q-Tip & Denaun), Eminem
10. Pig Feet (feat. Kamasi Washington, G Perico & Daylyt), Terrace Martin & Denzel Curry
11. Serafina, BAMBARA
12. American Crisis, Bob Mould
13. Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down, Anti-Flag
14. OUT FOR YOU, Le Butcherettes
15. Kawasaki Backflip, Dogleg
16. Blinding Lights, The Weeknd
17. Life Is Good (feat. Drake), Future
18. Sweet, Porridge Radio
19. Boys on Stage, Soakie
20. Broken Boy (feat. Iggy Pop), Cage the Elephant
21. The Difference (feat. Toro y Moi), Flume
22. Angel on the Road, X
23. Alert Level (Quarantined Mix), Ministry
24. You should be sad, Halsey
25. Light Of Love, Florence + the Machine
26. walking in the snow, Run The Jewels
27. Gospel For a New Century, Yves Tumor
28. AS Tearless (feat. Lalita), Amnesia Scanner
29. Television Sets, Alien Nosejob
30. Shock Collar (feat. Dave Gahan), Humanist
31. En la Oscuridad, Xibalba
32. Consider, Gouge Away
33. Jolly F****r, Sleaford Mods
34. Hope Hell High, The Flaming Lips, Deap Lips & Deap Vally
35. NO MAÑANA, Black Eyed Peas & El Alfa
36. Speed Kills, Chubby and The Gang
37. Oh Yeah!, Green Day
38. Nice to Meet Ya, Niall Horan
39. BB (BODYBAG), slowthai
40. ONLY, ZHU & Tinashe
41. Never Slow, Bishop Nehru
42. I’m Not Getting Excited, The Beths
43. ATM, Too Free
44. Something Wicked, Trash Talk & Kenny Beats
45. Quick Escape, Pearl Jam
46. This Is War, Five Finger Death Punch
47. In the Doghouse, The Bombpops
48. G-Flat Gumbo, Songdog
49. All Lies, Sarah Mary Chadwick
50. Armageddon’s Back in Town, Drive-By Truckers
51. Here They Come, Hamilton Leithauser
52. Morrow, 070 Shake
53. Spark, Alice Bag
54. Oh No, The Revivalists
55. Guide for the Perplexed, Thomas Feiner
56. Good to Be Alive, Brendan Benson
57. On the Floor, Perfume Genius
58. Isolation Blues (Blame It On The Pathogen), J.S. Ondara
59. Last Sniff (feat. MF DOOM), Wilma Archer
60. Funny Thing, Thundercat
61. I’m Not Your Dog, Baxter Dury
62. How Could You (feat. Joseph Talbot), Jehnny Beth
63. Baby’s First Word, 2nd Grade
64. Sour Candy, Lady Gaga & BLACKPINK
65. Unspoken, Infant Island
66. Never Ending Teeth, Afterbirth
67. Twisted, Johanna Warren
68. Chemical, Es
69. Country Song, Fossil Arm
70. I’m a Wreck, AWOLNATION
71. Sandcastles, Cable Ties
72. Exhale, Jónsi
73. they told us it was hard, but they were wrong., Ela Minus
74. No Time For Love Like Now, Michael Stipe & Big Red Machine
75. Parallel Space (Conforce Remix), Forest Drive West
76. Unwanted, Folian
77. Runaway Dog, Retirement Party
78. Four Seasons Medley: Four Seasons / Dark Ocean Waltz, Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn
79. Amidinin Tad Adouniya, Tamikrest
80. The Brothers Williams Said, The Innocence Mission
81. Die without You, Dawn Richard
82. they told us it was hard, but they were wrong. (Edit), Ela Minus
83. It’s Cool, Four Year Strong
84. Simmer, Hayley Williams
85. One Good Day, Control Top
86. Lockdown, Anderson .Paak
87. KKK Tattoo, Regional Justice Center
88. People, The 1975
89. No Time To Die, Billie Eilish
90. Cold Sweat, asia
91. Cancelled, Attila
92. Worry, Songhoy Blues
93. Hands, Lithics
94. You Better Move, Lil Uzi Vert
95. Consider, Gouge Away
96. Void Walker, FACS
97. Spineless, Jools
98. ringtone (feat. Charli XCX, Rico Nasty, Kero Kero Bonito) [remix], 100 gecs
99. Beaten Down, Sharon Van Etten
100. Shut It Down 2020, Neil Young & Crazy Horse

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR (2020)

1. Spanish Love Songs, Brave Faces Everyone
2. Run the Jewels, RTJ4
3. Sarah Mary Chadwick, Please Daddy
4. Mac Miller, Circles
5. Amnesia Scanner, Tearless
6. Perfume Genius, Set my heart on fire immediately
7. Moses Sumney, grae
8. BAMBARA, Stray
9. Jehnny Beth, To Love is to Love
10. Floral Tattoo, You can never have a long enough head start
11. Jeff Rosenstock, No Dream
12. Halsey, Manic
13. Porridge Radio, Every Bad
14. Dogleg, Melee
15. Humanist, Humanist
16. The Innocence Mission, See You Tomorrow
17. Le Butcherettes, Don’t Bleed
18. Code Orange, Underneath
19. Ian William Craig, Red Sun Through Smoke
20. ChangesNowBowie, David Bowie
21. Liveandwell.com, David Bowie
22. 2nd Grade, Hit to Hit
23. Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud
24. Soakie, Soakie
25. Diet Cig, Do you wonder about me?
26. Chubby and the Gang, Speed Kills
27. Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn, Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn
28. Black Eyed Peas, Translation
29. Same, Plastic Western
30. Hamilton Leithauser, The Loves of your life
31. Mozzy, Beyond bulletproof
32. Permanent Residue, S/T Tape
33. Fossil Arm, In Bad Decline
34. Alien Nosejob, Suddenly Everything is Twice as Loud
35. X, Alphabetland
36. Coriky, Coriky
37. Wednesday, I was trying to describe you to someone
38. Brigid Dawson and the Mother Network, Battle of Apes
39. Lucinda Williams, Good souls better angels
40. Songdog, A Happy Endin
41. Infant Island, Sepulcher
42. Fra Fra, Funeral Songs
43. Midewife, Forever
44. THICK, 5 Years Behind
45. Thundercat, It is what it is
46. Eminem, Music to be Murdered By
47. Body Count, Carnivore
48. Pearl Jam, Gigaton
49. Yaeji, What We Drew
50. Sleaford Mods, All That Glue
51. Eighth Blackbird, Singing in the Dead of Night
52. Childish Gambino, 3.15.20
53. The Cravats, Hooraland
54. Little Simz, Drop 6
55. Anti-Flag, 20/20 Vision
56. TORRES, Silver Tongue
57. Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts V
58. Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts VI
59. Rita Sawayama, Sawayama
60. Dead lips, dead lips
61. Green Day, Father of all
62. Brendan Benson, Dear Life
63. KA, Descendents of Cain
64. Jay Electronica, A Written Testimony
65. Wilma Archer, A Western Circular
66. The Weekend, After Hours
67. Charli XCX, how I’m feeling now
68. Grimes, Miss Anthropocene
69. Fossil Island, In Bad Decline
70. The Chats, High Risk Behavior
71. Nils Frahm, Empty
72. Yuja Wang, John Adams: Must the devil have all the good tunes?
73. Es, Less of Everything
74. Haley Williams, Petals for Armor
75. Car Seat Headrest, Making a door less open
76. FACS, Void Moments
77. JFDR, New Dreams
78. Same, Plastic Western
79. Lithics, Tower of age
80. Melenas, Dias Raros
81. Behemouth, A Forest
82. Mutant Love, Revolution Redacted Pt. 1
83. Lady Gaga, Chromatica
84. Hilary Woods, Birthmarks
85. Hook, Crashed My Car
86. The Bombpops, Death in Venice Beach
87. Soccer mommy, color theory
88. Cable Ties, Fair Enough
89. Alice Bag, Sister Dynamite
90. The Soft Pink Truth, Shall we go on sinning that grace May increase?
91. Four Year Strong, Brain Pain
92. Lil Uzi Vert, Eternal Atake
93. Ratboys, Printer’s Devil
94. J. S. Ondara, Folk n Roll Vol 1, Tales of Isolation
95. Hanerkop, remote
96. Drive-by truckers, the unraveling
97. Five Finger Death Punch, F8
98. Megan thee Stallion, Suga
99. The 1975, Notes on a Conditional Form
100. Fiona Apple, Fetch the bolt cutters

 

 

Life Marathon, the last un-canceled run (for now)

Life is persistent. We live so often in fear of death. But the reality is that life is a strong force that finds a way. Our bodies do amazing work in combating viruses and bacteria and so many threats. Life is found around the world in places that we would call uninhabitable: from the bottom of the ocean to the most scorching desert. Life is a persistent force.

Today marks the end of the un-canceled racing series (although rumor has it something new may be coming). This series began with a six week series in March and a second six-weeks was added in May. During each of these rounds runners completed a 5K, 8K, 10K, 15K, half marathon, marathon, and ultra marathon.

Yesterday I completed the second round and full series of un-canceled with a marathon. I had hoped to finish the marathon in under five hours and for the first half of the run i was on track to do that.

At the halfway mark i stopped at a convenience store for a bathroom and water break. That put me a couple minutes behind pace, but i went right back to chipping away at it. However, as the miles moved in to the 20s, the temperature reached in to the 80s. A rule of thumb for running is that it feels 20 degrees hotter while running and heat has always been my nemesis.

In order to be safe, I knew I needed to make a second water stop and with the cloudless heat, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to make up this time. But the goal for this was not the completion of a singular race, but the un-canceled series. I accepted that this would be how the day would end. I was able to run the next couple of miles well, but ended up run-walking miles 24 and 25, and straight out walked the last 1.2.

I did not finish the way I would’ve liked, but life persisted. I kept moving forward when it would’ve been easier to quit. Although this was one of the slowest marathon times I’ve ever run I was happy with my effort and the fact that I could finish.

Life does not give up easily. Since the start of the coronavirus I have now completed 18 virtual races. Yes, I know that is ridiculous, but it is ultimately a statement that life wins!

Perseverance 8K, yet another un-canceled run

Perseverance is the theme for this week’s Un-Canceled run.

The theme of this blog is perseverance. I am not a fast runner, I am not a gifted athlete. I have an awkward body that often feels to me like it’s been cobbled together from spare parts. But the one thing I have is perseverance. I can keep going when it gets tough. I can keep my legs moving when I journey in to the pain cave.

Today I ran the Un-canceled2 8K run. I didn’t run at record-setting pace, but considering a week ago I ran a 50K, and that this is my 17th race since the start of the coronavirus, it was solid. I ran negative splits, with each mile faster than the one before. It was a good perseverance run.

However, when I think about perseverance, real perseverance isn’t in the runner who keeps going with sore legs, it is in the people around me who keep going with difficult lives.

The single mother, raising her kids, who is tired from working multiple jobs, but keeps going to support her family, is perseverance.

The person who wakes up every day with the weight of depression and keeps going is perseverance.

The protester who is tired from being on the streets for a week and a half and goes back out again, in to the heat, to build a more just society is perseverance.

Look around you. Who are the people you see that keep going when life is hard? There are a million examples of perseverance around us that can strengthen us when we feel weak.

Run the Album: RTJ4

I listen to a ridiculous amount of music and yet it is rare that an album stops me in my tracks. This weekend that has happened with Run the Jewels new album, RTJ4.

Last week I re-recorded my sermon on Saturday because it no longer seemed relevant to the quickly evolving national response to the murder of George Floyd. Yet, somehow, Run The Jewels released an album on Friday that sounds like they recorded it today.

The album powerfully grabs the listener with the opening track, “yankee and the brave”. The video for the next song, “ooh la la”, prophetically shows streets filled with protesters, as capitalism is set on fire, filmed at a time when social distancing was closely practiced. My favorite song on the album “walking in the snow” begins with the lyric:

And every day on evening news they feed you fear for free
And you so numb you watch the cops choke out a man like me
And ’til my voice goes from a shriek to whisper, “I can’t breathe”

Recorded before the killing of George Floyd, this lyric pointed to the murder of Eric Garner. And yet, the echo of so many black people who have cried out “I can’t breathe” illustrates the power of this album. Run the Jewels pointed to the racism and oppression that was already happening before it reached the current level of collective consciousness. As a result, Run the Jewels have provided the soundtrack for this moment. The same song powerfully proclaims, “Never forget in the story of Jesus, the hero was killed by the state.”

Without pause, the next song, JU$T, somehow hits even harder. Featuring Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha, the folly of the things often seen as success are criticized as the chorus echoes, “Look at all these slave masters posing on your dollar.”

Throughout this album, Killer Mike and El-P play off each other masterfully. They complete each other’s sentences, often doing so with both a call to power and a sense of humor. The combination of these elements are reminiscent of the best of Public Enemy or Wu Tang who held together a serious message, but didn’t take themselves seriously. This return to an old school style makes the incredibly relevant messages even more accessible.

The album ends with an epic blues/jazz/spoken word style song, “a few words for the firing squad.” The most heartfelt song on the album is delivered from deep within the soul and ends with horns blazing and the lyrics:

Black child in America, the fact that I made it was magic
Black and beautiful, the world broke my momma heart, and she died an addict
God blessed me to redeem her in my thought, words and my actions
Satisfaction for The Devil, g@ddammit, he’ll never ever have it
This is for the do-gooders that the no-gooders used and then abused
For the truth tellers tied to the whippin’ post, left beaten, battered, bruised
For the ones whose body hung from a tree like a piece of strange fruit
Go hard, last words to the firing squad was, “F— you too”

Sugar Badger 50K

So much of this year in Ohio has been darkness. Not only the darkness of pandemic and racial tension, but dark skies and rain.

Today was a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. But maybe I could’ve used some.

I set out this morning to run the Sugar Badger 50K. This run was supposed to take place this past weekend in Wisconsin. It would’ve been the inaugural run. But COVID happened.

Initially, I was going to run the virtual race in my favorite place to run,  Delaware State Park. But as the theologian John Lennon said, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. So I got up early (too early) this morning and ran around the city of Columbus.

It has been a tough week for Columbus. Just as coronavirus restrictions have begun to ease, the undercurrent of racial tension has emerged. Protesters have filled the streets calling for a new and better way to live in relationships, the dismantling of broken systems, and the end to police brutality.

Early this morning, when I started, Columbus was quiet. It was a cool and beautiful morning as I ran down tree lined trails. For the first half of the run, I stayed well on track to reach my goal of finishing under six hours. In fact, I ran the first few miles faster than needed and was able to use and build that cushion.

About 15 miles in I stopped at a gas station to rehydrate. The time waiting in line evaporated my cushion and after this stop my calves began to cramp. Nonetheless, for the next seven or eight miles I still stayed right around the necessary pace to break six hours.

The final eight miles were physically difficult. It was hard to run as my calves tightened. Walking became more regular. The cloudless day took its toll on me.

I finished in 6:11:26. I didn’t finish in the time I hoped, but still set a PR by 18 minutes. Not a bad day.

The theme for this week in the Un-cancelled series is community.

After today’s run, our church held an outdoor worship service to bless the staff and volunteers of the United Methodist Free Store, which will re-open tomorrow after being closed for the coronavirus.

For 21 years, the Free Store has brought diverse people together in a environment of acceptance and radical hospitality. In these challenging times of pandemic and systemic racism, we know that work is more important than ever before. We believe there has never been a better time to be the Church, and we remain committed to a South Side that is welcoming and supportive of ALL people.

Joy 15K, yet another un-cancelled run

This morning marked my 14th virtual race since the onslaught of the coronavirus. For a person who normally runs about a dozen races a year, I have been hitting it hard. Up until now, I have run these races at race pace. I have gone out and run at full effort, the same as if I had a bib on my chest and a finish line to cross. I am beginning to feel the toll in my legs and am planning to virtually run the Sugar Badger 50K next Monday, so I took a different approach to this run.

The theme for this week is joy. I went out to run a 15K for the pure joy of it. I didn’t worry about the pace on my watch. I listened to a random collection of my favorite songs and when the beat was fast I kicked it up, when the songs slowed, I slowed. When Gary Clark Jr wailed on his guitar on “Got to Get Up” my feet hit the ground in time with the tempo. I enjoyed the rare treat of a sunny Ohio day and laughed off the dripping sweat from the high humidity. 

I have always been attracted to people who have a deep joy. Two of my heroes are the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. When they are together they are childish in their laughter. This is not a naive joy, but one that comes from having gone through tough hardships. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile from his own country and Desmond Tutu lived through apartheid. And yet, watch this video and count how many times they laugh. Their joy is infectious and life giving.

 

 

Kindness 10K, another un-cancelled run

One of the things I love about running is its simplicity.

There is no need for expensive equipment.

There is no complicated technique, it is just left foot, right foot, left foot.

There is no need to travel to distant places, there are a million great places to run outside your door.

There is no need for shirts or medals or bling. One of the opportunities of this moment is to run for the simple joy of running.

I have been embracing that opportunity full-on. Today was my 13th virtual race since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Less than a week ago I ran my second fastest marathon ever. Today, I went out seeking to run a 10K in under an hour. That is no record setting pace, but considering the heavy toll I have put on my body it was an aggressive goal. It has also been raining enough in Ohio to make ark building seem reasonable. Today, I ran on the Mudsock Trail that lived up to its name.  My new shoes and clean socks were soaked by the time I finished in a time of 59:02, almost a minute faster than my goal.

The weather was unseasonably cold and wet, the conditions difficult, and my legs tired. But all of that just made the accomplishment sweeter.

It is this same simplicity found in running that can be lived in life. The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” In order to love one another we don’t need complicated theologies, divisive denominations, or unachievable expectations. The simple act of showing kindness to others, ourselves, and all of creation is enough.

Dreams: Un-cancelled half marathon

When I dreamed about the spring 2020 running season virtual races are not what i dreamed of. It seems very little in life the last few months has been the stuff that dreams are made of.

While the world around us is hurting and uncertain, it has been a remarkable running season. Just over a month ago I ran my strongest marathon. Less than two weeks ago I set a 50K PR by over 12 minutes. Today, in 92 percent humidity, I ran my second fastest half marathon ever. I have not done any speed training, I am not well rested, I did not train for this single event. In fact, I’ve run in a dozen virtual races in the last couple of months. Not the best recipe for success.

So how did this happen? Running after my dreams. This is the third year in a row I’ve been chasing the Run the Year goal. I haven’t hit the goal yet, but the increased miles have resulted in these strong runs.

The human body is an amazing thing. We are capable of so much more than we realize. Whatever you dream, you can achieve.

Note: here is the playlist I listened to while running, for those of you who enjoy a little gallows humor: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/covid-half/pl.u-ay04sPV37MY