Seattle Marathon

We had good marathon weather today. It was probably 45 degrees or so, overcast but temperate, little wind except heading west on the I-90 bridge, and no rain except on the drive down. I ran a 3:57. I seem to have a way with Seattle of just doing enough to come under four hours each year. Not particularly fast, but four hours is sort of a benchmark I like to keep up as the years go by. This was my seventh Seattle in a row, and ninth overall. I ran a 1:56 first half and a 2:01 second half, which is about even on this course, since the second half has many more hills. The pavement is not my thing, but I keep signing up. I did fine aerobically, rarely breathing hard, but the pounding was tough on me. I miss the Ivar's clam chowder afterwards.
-
On to other adventures. I hope to stay busy this winter, maybe focus a bit more on fitness and diet, get out in the snow, and start next year better than this past year. I haven't been too happy with my running this year, even though I know I've done a lot of cool things. My favorite runs have been backcountry non-events. I'm hoping to pick an event or dream up an adventure that I can spend a few months training and looking forward to.

IRC on 60 Minutes Sunday

The International Rescue Committee is featured on 60 Minutes tomorrow, and coincidentally, I'm running the Seattle Marathon on their behalf the same day! Donations can be made here. The focus of the story is the Congo. It is absolutely horrific there right now, and the story is completely out of the news, as far as I can tell. 500,000 killed per year. Widespread rape. Emergency health conditions.

-
Dear friends,

As you know, the International Rescue Committee is a lifeline to millions of people in Congo's violence-torn villages. This past summer, CBS' 60 Minutes traveled with the IRC to remote camps in North Kivu that shelter thousands of people displaced by recent fighting. With IRC's help, correspondent Scott Pelley and his crew were able to take a close look at one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and explore the root causes of Congo's chronic violence, including the illicit trade in conflict minerals.
-
The segment is scheduled to air on CBS this Sunday, November 29. Please check local listings for broadcast times.
-

-

IRC Fact Sheet on Congo Crisis:
-
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been engulfed by conflict for over a decade and remains one of the world’s worst and most forsaken humanitarian crises. Following years of economic and political decline, the war of 1998-2002 led to extreme violence, massive population displacement, widespread rape, and the collapse of public health services. Despite the signing of a formal peace agreement in December 2002, the adoption of a new constitution in 2005, and national and local elections in 2006, conflict and eruptions of violence have persisted in the eastern provinces, causing extraordinary loss of life. Renewed violence in August 2008,
concentrated in North Kivu Province, and an escalation in LRA attacks in Orientale Province beginning in September 2008 led to wide-scale displacement. A resurgence in attacks against the civilian population occurred again during the joint military operations against the Hutu rebel force Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) throughout 2009.
-
Amongst the deadliest conflicts in the world
An estimated 5.4 million people have died as a consequence of the war and its lingering effects since 1998. In spite of the official end of the war in December 2002, approximately 500,000 Congolese have continued to die each year.
-
Civilians are the main victims
Over the past months, civilians have been carrying the burden of the UN supported Kimia II operations. Civilians have been caught in the middle of military attacks by the Congolese army and retaliation attacks by the rebels from the FDLR. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee, thousands of women and girls have been raped, and thousands of Congolese have lost their homes.
-
One of the cruelest conflict zones for women and girls
Tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped, sexually assaulted, attacked and abducted in North and South Kivu, targeted by all armed groups with unparalleled levels of brutality.
-
1/3 of the population in state of health emergency
DRC is in the bottom three nations in terms of life expectancy, education and standard of living, and these measures have declined by more than 10% over the past decade. Humanitarian agencies have identified 193 of the country’s 515 health zones as in a state of emergency; representing more than a third of the national population.
-
The educational system is failing
An international group of donor nations recently concluded that the educational system in DRC is failing and that most rural children do not attend school. Lack of access to primary education, remains a major obstacle to forward momentum in DRC.
-

-
The IRC in the Congo
-
The International Rescue Committee is one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 1996, we have been working to save lives, revive communities and strengthen local capacity for recovery. IRC is a leader in providing critical health and emergency response services to those displaced by violence. We are also one of the most experienced organizations working to address the crisis of sexual violence in Congo. Operating with 750 staff members in seven of eleven provinces, our effective programs are designed to make a long-term impact–helping Congolese reclaim their future through education, training, and community development.
-
IRC’s Emergency Response Team is helping thousands of people in need of emergency assistance in eastern Congo, providing medical equipment and drugs, emergency supplies, clean water, sanitation, educational programs, and aid for survivors of sexual violence.
-
IRC also works on more long term solutions, bringing together over 1.7 million people in 1,250 wartorn villages, to help them address local needs, design their own recovery projects and ensure that the most marginalized and vulnerable have a voice in decisions and access to services.
-
IRC works with thousands of people who have returned home after the conflict; providing medical care, drugs, re-building health centers and schools, providing educational programs, as well as aid delivery for rape survivors and vulnerable children according to the priorities of the communities.
-
IRC has helped over 40,000 survivors of sexual violence and their families providing emergency care, counseling and other support services as well as seeking prevention measures and engaging in, advocacy to improve services and prevent violence nationally and internationally.
-
IRC is working with the Ministry of Health to provide essential health care for 3.6 million people, constructing and repairing hospitals and clinics, supplying them with equipment and medicine, and training health workers.
-
IRC increases access to education and forms community-based parent groups to support and strengthen schools and keep children learning, even during emergencies.

Thank You Anon!

Someone donated $250 on my page to the International Rescue Committee, for next Sunday's Seattle Marathon! That's so awesome! I guess this went down about a week ago, but I was slow to pick up on it. Many thank yous to you, Anon! You are amazing!
-
Check out the link to the right. I am running the Seattle Marathon next weekend as part of Team IRC, which is a fundraising effort to benefit the International Rescue Committee in Seattle. The IRC is the perfect organization to support during this Thanksgiving season, as their mission is to help displaced refugees who've landed on our soil, after fleeing terrible situations around the world. Think Darfur, Rwanda, Burma, Somalia--bad things, really bad things. I think their work is the work of angels.
-
"From harm to home," here's a brief summary from the IRC's site:
-
"The IRC is one of the first to respond, one of the last to leave. For 75 years, the International Rescue Committee has been a leader in humanitarian relief. We mobilize quickly, bringing sustained support to regions torn apart by violence and deprivation. We provide a fresh start in the U.S. for refugees. And we advocate tirelessly on behalf of the displaced, addressing the root causes of violence and standing up for the world’s most vulnerable populations."
-
Check out Maggi's story. She's team captain for our marathon effort.
-
I'd like to rally a few more donors. The IRC is worth it. Any amount is great, and anonymous is just fine with me. Or email me and ask me about it. Donations are tax deductible, and the charity has the highest rating Charity Navigator gives. There's so much to be thankful for, really, and this is one great way to acknowledge it this time of year, while helping those who really need the help.
-
Thanks Anon! And Happy Thanksgiving, all.

The Birds Are Back In Town

I went for a run this morning and the geese and the swans were going nuts. Skagit County is phenomenal for birds, and we get a lot of migratory birds in the winter, including eagles, big geese, big swans, snow owls, and probably a lifetime of other birds to figure out. Many of the birds go to the far north in the summer, and then travel down to our somewhat warmer climes in the winter. So, when they return, it marks the change of the seasons.
-
I hesitate to say what I was seeing this morning, as I’ve come to realize that I don’t know the difference between a goose and a swan. I just went to the Skagit Audubon Society site, and I learned that we have all sorts of big white birds that come here around this time, like Snow Geese, Canadian Geese, Trumpeter Swans, and Tundra Swans.
-
As such, I will just write that I saw at least 500 large birds feeding in a Nookachamps field. They were having a convention, coming, going, just hanging out. They'd fly in threes, sevens, twelves, all sorts of formations---probably swans, with their long necks and loud honks, flying low above the fields. I ran near the Skagit River, alongside stripped corn fields. Skies were pink, sun rising, 32 degrees. Around one turn, I kicked up a heron. Around another, an owl took off and flew alone towards Clear Lake. At the top of a hill, there a were a thousand pipers, on the wires, on the fence, lifting off, coming back, as I stirred them up.
-
I got charged by two dogs, no leashes--a golden retriever and later some sort of black retriever. Friendly doges, no problems, but there was contact with the golden retriever. Then a young cow cantered or loped or ran however young cows do, from halfway across a field, and paced me alongside a fence as I turned up another road. I think it thought I was going to feed it.
-
Then---and this is sort of classic---a car full of Jehovah Witnesses pulled over, stopped me, and gave me some Watchtower literature. I was like, ok. I thought the guy who stepped out was going to ask me for directions. Not so. This is a first for me. I suppose he’s shining his light on a hill.
-
After running, I did a brief volunteer stint at the Turkey Trot. Lots of great folks running and volunteering. Then yardwork. Swept my roof. Then work work. A comfortably ordinary weekend. So far.

In Re Running

The pictures here are of Great Falls National Park in Northern Virginia. The Park is very near downtown DC, and is also near where my folks live. The river is the Potomac River, which is one of the biggest rivers in the east. While visiting this past week, I twice ran the River Trail along the river from a neighboring park to the west. I think the fall colors make this the best time of year to be in Virginia. The River Trail is noted for its wildlife, with all sorts of birds visible along the way, as well as the occasional deer and who knows what else. The trail is pretty easy to run, except that it gets a bit rocky in an east coast old rock sort of way. There are many sections of the trail which traverse cliffs above the river gorge. One of my favorite stories about this area is how I foolishly swam across the river to Maryland a couple times when I was in high school. I say foolishly, because people frequently die in the river here. It is a favorite spot for competitive white water kayaking. Still, it was a rush, as the current just whipped me across to the other side.
-
So today I went out and ran the Ron Herzog 50k+ out by Granite Falls. DFL. I ran about as horribly as I can ever remember. My hips would not engage for the whole 6.5 hours, my feet felt swollen and my big toenails seemed to want to come off. And it rained. And rained. And rained. I'm not sure what to make of my day, except not to read too much into it, coming off the travel and all. I probably should not have watched the vampire movie the night before and ate so much popcorn and spaghetti. To some degree, I'll try to use this as motivation to get constructive this winter in my training. I want to be in better shape come February than I was last year.
-
I do know that TC and Shawn did a wonderful job in keeping this run alive, and the peeps that showed up today were awesome. In particular it was really cool to see so many friends waiting for the final finisher, namely me, and giving me the good cheer at the end. That's really cool.

Why Go Home

This last weekend I went home, or to my roots, I should say, and visited the family in Virginia. Ostensibly, the purpose of the visit was to attend a conference in DC, but really I was all about seeing the fam, and heading up to Philadelphia with my brother to see Pearl Jam play the last ever concert at the Spectrum.
-
The Philly Spectrum is a historic building, having hosted many great athletic and music events over the last forty years, like Laettner’s shot, Dr. J and Charles Barkley, Joe Frazier, Jerry Garcia, and Bobby Clarke and the Flyers. Pearl Jam was scheduled to play the final four shows in the building before it is shut down, and the buzz was large. The “Wreckin’ the Spectrum” shows. To make things even larger, it turns out the Phillies were playing the Yankees next door in the World Series at the same time. Crazy.
-
My brother Will and I went up early, parked the car, and hit the subway for Philly. It was great to spend time with him. We did a bit of "speed work", checking out the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Reading Station, all in the afternoon. Reading Station is sort of like Pike Place Market, with a crazy assortment of eating options and ethnic markets. Highly recommended. We rode the subway back, which was packed with folks in Phillies jerseys and Pearl Jam shirts.
-
Pearl Jam came on-stage to the theme song of Rocky, as 40 years of sports clips from the Spectrum played on the two big screens. Eddie Vedder in boxing gloves. First song: Why Go (home!). The crowd went absolutely nuts, everyone on their feet, bouncing, singing, yelling. It was Halloween, so lots of people were in costumes, and I’m guessing the majority of the audience were Ten Club members. The show never stopped. 3.5 hours, 41 songs, a completely over the top, amazing tribute to the Spectrum. I'm proud to be a fan of this band--they do it right.
-
Highlights included PJ coming out dressed as Devo for the first encore, and doing a full cover of Whip It, whip it real good. All the “hits” were played—Jeremy, Alive, Small Town, Black—it’s a long list. Several had extended guitar solos and even one or two drum solos. Daughter merged into Another Brick in the Wall ("Leave this builidng aone!"). Die hard fans were stoked to see the band play Bugs, with Ed on the accordion. Rats. Pilate. Sweet Lew. Out of My Mind. Many rarities. This is a big deal for the fanatics, who go to show after show hoping to check certain songs off their list.
-
And let me tell you, there were fanatics—folks who know every word to every song. I thought I knew PJ, but no way. Happy to be there, just the same. The predominantly Ten Club audience made the show so much better---the band seemed to feed off it all. Ed put the mic out and let the audience sing parts of several familiar songs--Betterman, Daughter, Small Town. The Ten Club is not just a music club--it's an advocacy group of sorts. For picking up my tickets early, I scored a free DVD of Food Inc., a food activism documentary featuring Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma).
-
The show finished with Alive, Rocking in the Free World, and then the usual coda of Yellow Ledbetter, with a Mike McCready guitar solo of the full Star Spangled Banner thrown in at the very end, balloons falling from the rafters and confetti cannons filling the Spectrum.
-
The rest of the weekend was relatively low key. I knocked off a few two hour run/hikes in Great Falls National Park, site of the Mid-Atlantic North Face 50. Right now I just seem to be maintaining sort of. I need to settle on some winter running/fitness goals, and start thinking about next year. I’ll probably throw a few photos up of the Park later—it’s pretty special in its own right.
-

Phillies in the World Series!

50 Types of Butter at Reading Terminal

Liberty Bell

Declaration of Independence and Constitution were agreed upon in this room-George Washington sat in the chair in the front

Will and I