Tateyama Comes to Bellingham

As I mentioned last week, Tateyama runners will join us this weekend for the Bellingham Bay Marathon.

They've arrived!

Friday night, two runners, ages 27 and 59, flew into the Vancouver Airport. We had dinner with our very tired visitors at Boundary Bay Brewery that first night and then took Toshio and Yasu to the DeCann House, a beautiful bed and breakfast in town run by Barbara and Van Hudson, Tateyama enthusiasts.

Today we drove the marathon and half marathon courses, got together with several friends for a pasta potluck and then sent our guests to bed to get a good night's rest for the big day tomorrow.

For the past few weeks, I've been organizing, recruiting translators, sending out invitations and dreaming up fun Bellingham activities. But in the midst of all of my chart-making and emailing, I never forget what started my involvement in the Bellingham Sister Cities Association in the first place: The Marathon.

Tomorrow morning at 7am Bill and our one young runner, Yasu, will start that 26.2-mile journey, not knowing if the sky will pour on them or if they will turn an ankle or get a cramp half way through. They don't know if anyone will be stationed along the route to cheer for them (besides me) or if they will hit a psychological wall so hard to push through it makes them cry.

I never cease to have respect for The Marathon and for those who run it, either once or hundreds of times. Tomorrow I won't be running because I'm tapering in preparation for the Portland Marathon in a couple of weeks. This gives me the chance to plant myself somewhere on the course, clap for the runners until my hands are numb and watch their faces. Some will be elated, some anguished, others peaceful and Zen-like. I've been all of those things at some point in a race.

I'll be watching carefully for a few particular runners, this time. To Yasu and Bill in the full marathon and to Julie, Toshio and Ellen in the half marathon: GAMBATE! Do your best (in Japanese). I'll see you at the finish line, and we'll share a beer to celebrate your elation, your anguish, your Zen mind, or whatever came up during the race.

Ready, set. GO!

PS: If you're so inclined, take a look at the marathon course and come out to cheer the runners along!

A Round of Inspiration

What a weekend I had. Today I took my run just to try and ground myself in my present life. Why, you ask? Because I spent Friday and Saturday evenings celebrating my 25th High School Reunion. (See the above for a pic of me playing a murder suspect in a school production.)

I’m really a big fan of reunions. Seeing people I grew up with is centering to me. I’m one of those (perhaps few) who felt that high school was the happiest, best place in my world as a teenager. So when I, a formerly chubby kid, hear my classmates telling me that my running has inspired them, I’m first shocked and then happily catapulted back to senior year and winning student of the month for being a good citizen or being named “friendliest” and “sunniest smile” by my cohort. Thanks friends!

To tell the truth, I was inspired by many of the 1985 Mountlake Terrace Hawks who showed up to our reunion. As I’m in the process of writing a workshop called “Catching your own Second Wind,” I’ve been in the mode of observing how people in my life have re-invented themselves, found meaning as they hit major life transitions (like an empty nest or a divorce) or re-affirmed commitments they’ve kept over the years. And I’ve found myself in awe of how my former classmates were catching their second or third winds nowadays, sometimes in the shadow of adversity or life’s hard knocks.

For example, two of our classmates recently re-found each other and got married. Cheers to Michelle and Mike! One classmate who has been driving truck for a living told me about how he’d finally taken bass guitar lessons and has been finding his identity and passion as a musician. More than I can count have been through divorces and have landed on their feet. Then there were those who were either beginning or continuing athletic pursuits as they hit their midlife stride. Kim, Carrie, Jeff and others are running, doing triathlons and practicing martial arts! I’m so proud of and inspired by all of you, too. What a love fest, eh?

Then, at the end of Friday evening’s festivities (that is to say before I left at 11pm – the bar was open till 2am, and I’m given to understand that some of us closed the place down), I bumped into an old friend who has gotten a little out of shape (it’s easy to do, no criticism here). My pal, who shall remain nameless, but whose initials are JE and who was my fellow winner of “friendliest” senior in 1985, showed me an APP he’d downloaded called “Couch to 5K.” He also told me he hadn’t started the program yet, but he hoped it would eventually be worth the $3.99 he paid for it.

So in the spirit of inspiration, I’m inspired to throw down a challenge to my old friend, JE, and to anyone else who is interested in joining in. How about you get ready and join me for the Seattle Jingle Bell 5K Run/Walk? It happens on Dec. 12. You can start with running for one minute and walking for one minute until you get up to one mile. Start this week! If you do this for a couple of weeks, you’ll be ready to work up to 2 miles by the end of October. If you can’t run a whole minute, run for 30 seconds and walk for a minute. I’ll come down and do the race with you. I’ll have done a marathon the week before, so I’ll be at my slowest (and as my readers know, I’m never very fast).

JE – will you accept the challenge? I told you you would be sorry for showing me that APP. But actually, I think we could have a lot of fun together! Anyone else want to join us? What if we say that anyone who was on the track team has to stand on the sidelines and cheer us non-athletic kids on? Come on. Anyone? Anyone?

This Week

Whew! It's been a crazy week for me.

Last Saturday I ran the Fairhaven 15 K with my friend Julie, and we had a blast. My plantar fasciitis was in check, the weather was gorgeous and it seemed the Universe was smiling on me. Then the week began, and I was in full-blown crazy mode planning the visit from the two runners coming to Bellingham from Tateyama, Japan, keeping up with emails from the planning committee for my 25th High School Reunion and taking care of personal tasks that seemed to be screaming at me they needed to be done NOW.

Today, I spent 2 hours getting my hair foiled and cut and afterwards, I finally said to myself, "You have to get out for a run if you want to collect your thoughts." It was warm and dry, so I suited up, clipped on my Shuffle and planned a 12-mile route on the trails.

What do you think happened just as I took my first steps? It started to rain. Do you remember (those of you who grew up on the Northwest) those days walking home from elementary school in the Fall when it was pouring but warm, and you couldn't help stomping in puddles and letting the trickles of water running down from your hair dribble into your mouth? Today was like that for me. For more that two hours I ran with my face pointed up toward the sky and just let the water hit me in the eyes. I was in my tank top and shorts; it was warm.

Days like today are rare. I'm glad I got out there. I was reminded of childhood and expectant of Fall and happy to be running. What did you do today near the end of the week to collect your thoughts?

Your Favorite Running Movies

Well the results are in. Among my friends (or at least those who read the blog and my Facebook postings) there are 12 movies and 4 documentaries which qualify as favorites. In at least one case “running” seems to be interpreted as “running from the law,” which could/should be its own category, perhaps. But I’ve put in everyone’s suggestions – good, bad and silly.

I haven’t seen every recommendation on the first list of movies, but my favorite of those I have seen is Saint Ralph. If you haven’t watched it, you really should. It’s a sweet, inspiring, feel-good movie, if totally fantastical.

On the documentary list, I love Spirit of the Marathon because it features a number of women and back-of-the-pack runners whom I find personally encouraging. I have to give a special thumbs up, though, to the Long Green Line because that documentary is about a high school track coach named Joe Newton who happens to (still) coach at Bill’s high school (York High School) back in Elmhurst, Illinois. He’s coached his team to 25 State Titles during the course of his tenure. Coach Newton even showed up to Bill’s high school reunion in 2009! Check out the film. Check them all out. I welcome additions to the list and/or reviews. Here are the lists….

Movies:
• Running Man (1987) with Arnold Schwartzenegger
• The Miracle of Kathy Miller (1981) with Helen Hunt
• Run Fatboy Run with Hank Azaria
• Gallopoli (1981) with Mel Gibson
• Saint Ralph (2004)
• The Terry Fox Story (1983)
• Jericho Mile (1979) with Peter Strauss
• Prefontaine (1997)
• Goldengirl (1979) with Susan Anton
• Run Lola Run (1999) German film
• Forest Gump (1994) with Tom Hanks
• Without Limits (1998)

Documentaries:
• Endurance (1999)
• Running Brave (1983)
• Spirit of the Marathon (2007)
• Long Green Line (2008)

Top 11 Non-Running Movies

As promised, here are Ziegel and Grossberger's top pick's as non-running movies. Keep in mind their book was written in the 1970s, so I'm sure we could all come up with a few more recent films which, in no way, inspire running (if we really wanted to).

First the films, and then my commentary.

Z&G write: "The movies have long been a favorite of non-runners. From the earliest days of silent films, when quick-turning the handle on primitive cameras gave the illusion of running (with none of the anguish), non-runners have considered Hollywood a strong ally."

THE LIST:
1. Stalag 17 (1953)
2. Citizen Kane (1941)
3. Strangers on a Train (1951)
4. Twelve Angry Men (1957)
5. King Kong (1933)
6. Lifeboat (1944)
7. The Blob (1958)
8. L'avventura (1961)
9. Dracula's Tax Lawyer
10. The Road to Nowhere
11. Rocky Meets Godzilla

No real justification for their choice in non-running films is given. V and G seem to have made these picks for the simple reason that one must SIT to view any movie.

Now, I'll come clean and say I haven't watched all of these films, but I have seen some of them. Most definitely, Twelve Angry Men does NOT inspire running, unless it's away from the screen. (Do the words tedious and sexist mean anything to you? They do to me in reference to that movie. Not one of my faves.) But at least two of the movies on this list are absolutley running-promoting! Both King Kong and The Blob, if I remember correctly, feature running for it's original purpose: self preservation. And while I haven't seen Dracula's Tax Lawyer or Rocky Meets Godzilla, when there are monsters in a movie, there will usually be running.

Come on. We can do better than this. Let's make our own list of favorite running films. Chariots of Fire is off limits. Everyone knows that one. Just because you have to sit to watch a movie, doesn't mean it can't inspire movement. What are your favorite running films?? Send 'em to me and I'll compile a list.

To all those who do not run but read my blog anyhow...

Last week at a used book store in Cheney, Washington, I picked up an insightful little volume entitled The Non-Runner's Book: Advice and reassurance for the millions of American's who want to know "Is it all right if I don't run?".

So this book was published in 1978 by a pair of fellows who call themselves Vic Ziegel and Lewis Grossberger, apparently the pseudonyms of "a pair of rich and successful sneaker manufacturers who frankly are ashamed of the social and physical ills they have caused by conspiring to make running fashionable as a means of boosting world sneaker sales." They claim that "writing this book was their way of atoning for the damage they've done and of preventing further harm from coming to future generations."

Now is it even necessary for me to make a disclaimer before I go on to say that this book is HILARIOUS? I'll quote from it over the next week or so (It's out of print, so my copy is extremely valuable - it was a steal for $1.65!). But let me just give you the bullet points from the back cover so you can see what you're in for:

*How to avoid the Boston Marathon (even as a runner, I think I've got that one down)
*How to talk to a non-runner (I know, Deb, you hope I memorize this section)
*The Zen of sitting
*Non-running in the People's Republic
*How non-runner's cope (I can't imagine)
*Sex and the non-runner (now there's one that should remain taboo)
*Where celebrity non-runners non-run

And I'll bet you can't wait to find out what "the nine greatest non-running movies" are! Feel free to send in your faves! Stay tuned for the gripping details later this week.