SimpleSoleProject

IT’LL HOLD!!!!  The source of this encouragement was a race volunteer who looked eerily like an old school ship captain, but dressed in Carhart coveralls and green vest.  As I took the three foot drop to the creek bed he repeated this mantra to the runners in pursuit.  He was referring to the third, or maybe it was fourth, creek crossing at the Living History Farms Off-Road Race in Urbandale, IA.  After the wicked cold snap we had in mid November, many of the creeks were partially to completely frozen solid.  This one was half and half.  Fighting every human instinct to not cross a frozen body of water, we heeded his advice and scrabbled our way to the other side with only a slight flex of the ice and a pop or two to keep us moving.  Just another year of racing at LHF.

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I don’t what kind of karma race directors Linda Brown, Jason Bakewell, and Ben Cohoon burned to get the temps and sunshine they did last Sunday, but I will be expecting ice and tornadoes at the Leprechaun Chase in March, ’15.  After letting thoughts marinade a little bit the last seven days, I get to add my few cents to the overwhelmingly positive feedback for the 2014 Good Life Halfsy (I hear that Bulu Box may have been a sponsor).

Pink Gorilla Events is known around the region for putting on solid events.  From packet pick-up to post-race emails, they are a group of organizers and volunteers that are bringing something different to the heartland racing scene.  Unique events from the LC10k to a relay race that started in Eastern Nebraska and now includes events in Des Moines and Cincinnati.

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Family is the best.  Friends are pretty great too.  Especially if they are friends AND training partners.  I have had the privilege the last few years of getting to be associated with the guys you see above.  I would like to think I have played some small part in their (running) lives.  I know they have helped me. Most of my “serious” training is done solo, and in the dark.

My lifestyle puts certain demands on my time and this is the only chance I get to really put in the workouts I need to put in.  On those occasions where friends are along to share the effort, it does not seem like effort.  I think it is something that only runners can understand.  The communal suffering.  The bonding of shared experience.

Here’s to you my brothers.

Haven’t had the itch (really the time) for the last two months to update and contribute. That is the way it goes. Got some stuff bubbling around in my head, so hopefully the high school winter season gives me some more flexibility in writing. I have something to write about later this week, but for now here is what the simple sole has been up to.

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Even simple tasks enrich the heart. .  .

Came across that token some where.  A hymn maybe? One of those calendars or posters you come across in a mall?

There are tasks that we as humans do that are a really big deal.  Even within our own lives.  But most of our time on this planet is spent on mundane, everyday pursuits that are repeated thousands of times over.

Running is kind of like that.  A very mundane (at its essence) activity, repeated thousands of times in pursuit of. . . something. The art of running is simple.  Only made complicated by our own desire to get lost in splits, gear, social media, stickers on cars, and a myriad other distractions.  Finding meaning in the simple acts that lead you to be a better runner is a worthy pursuit by itself.  Even if you only have time for a simple four miler, or just get some work in, show some control and have fruit for a snack, or go easy and stretch instead of an extra mile.  Those tasks themselves will enrich your running soul, and maybe even your life at large.

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Can you really blame people who are fatalistic? Every day, hour, minute moving towards a point in time where you will no longer exist outside of memory. Constantly and unavoidably, the process goes on. It is scary and frustrating and overwhelming, if you let it.

The pursuit of human endurance is the pursuit of staving off this march. Delaying the inevitable. More importantly experiencing the time you have. It would be hard to convince me that there is a better way to experience, than through distance based events. The really cool thing is that there is literally infinite ways to go about this pursuit. Most commonly this is via an official race. Money paid, roads closed, social media updated, t-shirt picked-up events. 5k to 100 mile ultras, water to snow, feet to wheels or whatever the case might be. These are great. You set a goal. You do the training. You get a result. You can compare to past performances and performers. It is a controlled environment and you probably get treats when you are done. Awesome. Go Get It.

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