From the title of this blog, it sounds like this blog is going to be juicy, but nope, not even close. After talking with my mentor and close friend this afternoon, he made the comment that I need to decide what my passion is and find a way to pursue it.
Teaching is not my "passion," per se, but I love educating people. God has given me a gift of verbal and spoken communication and I really love creating, planning, and giving presentations. I love getting up in front of people and talking. My other two passions, other than God and family, are writing and running. If I can figure out how to parlay that into a career, then I'd go for it.
I realize it's time to move on. As much as I think I'd make a good administrator at school, I don't fancy doing this in a profession that is buckling under the weight of bureaucracy. I just need to find my passion and go get it.
I tell my careers kids that you need to choose a job because you love it, not for the money. I need to follow my own advice. There's a balance that must be struck between doing what I love and remembering I have a mortgage, student loans, and car payments. Somewhere between the two is my destiny. Even though I believe my destiny was to be a child of God and serve him no matter the cost, I do know my life is still a journey and somewhere along the way, I hit the speed bump.
So, it's time to get moving. I've got six months to start living my life all over again. Tomorrow is a great start toward achieving that. Time to move as I say...ever forward.
That's my confession. What's yours?
Go Cowboys! Great game, but too many mistakes!!!
God bless you with great days.
TFR
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
If I Can Make It Til December
With regards to Merle Haggard, I think teachers came up with that saying. Here we are, right on the edge of December and Christmas break seems a long way off.
As I walked back into school this morning still reeling from having to leave the warmth and safety of the home I took refuge in during Thanksgiving break, it was freezing. It seems someone forgot that, oh...we were back in school again today! Instead of leaving the heat on low during the holiday the district shut it all off, then didn't get it fired up in time for us to return. It was a lovely 55 degrees in my classroom when I hit the door, suitable for hanging dressed meats and/or dead body storage.
All this did was make me want to run back to my truck and get the hell out of Dodge. I didn't miss work one iota while on sabbatical and this reinforced my feelings. I've got a couple of friends that got out of teaching last year and the other day I asked them if they missed it. Both of them gave me an emphatic "NO!" One told me you'd think after being in the classroom for 20 years you would miss something about it, but he doesn't at all. The other said she's happy tutoring from time to time but doesn't miss all the crap that was being dog-piled on her by an increasingly apathetic system that cares more about test scores than real classroom performance.
I'm hanging in with the hopes I can become an administrator after last summer's demoralizing 0-for-7 interview debacle, losing out to some people who we should just say should never be running a school. But I'm not bitter. God just had other plans for me at the time. I'm hoping he's ready for me to move into administration. I want to make a difference, not only in the lives of students, but in teachers' and staff members' as well. I am not a yes man, so that probably doesn't get me any brownie points. I believe in being firm and doing my job and letting that stand as my barometer of worthiness for promotion.
This spring semester will be my swan song. I have no plans to return to teaching for another year. I will place all my eggs in the administrative basket and if that doesn't work out, it's time for me to go. My neighbor at school has heard me say this over and over again, but I think she knows I'm finally at the end of my rope and it's do or die time.
After 6 years, and what I hope has been a fruitful experience for my kids, and a total of 15 years working in the system, I will walk away in June if I'm unable to promote. I don't have the patience to stick around and try year after year, like some have done. There has to be something else out there for me to do. I just have to let God light the path. I pray I'll get a crack at being an assistant principal next year, but I also wouldn't mind a fresh start in a brand new arena doing something totally opposite what I've done for so long.
So, if I can make 'til December, I'll have a chance to rest and gather my thoughts and get the energy to face what looks to be my final semester as a teacher. Right now I'm fighting respiratory crud and a return visit from H-pylori (a bacterial infection in the stomach caused by stress) that almost put me in the hospital last year. So, I can barely think about going to work right now as my head, chest, and stomach are wearing me out.
For now, I have to stay focused on the task at hand and that is teaching for another 18 and 1/2 days. I'll do my best to hang in there. My colleagues are all worn out and tired and need some rest. Too many of us are dealing with health issues which no doubt is brought on by the stress of our jobs, but at least we're not in Iraq, or working a job where we face our own mortality every day, so when you put it into the proper perspective, it's not that bad. But as a friend once said, "Misery is relative." So it is...and so it goes.
That's my lengthy confession. What's yours?
TFR
As I walked back into school this morning still reeling from having to leave the warmth and safety of the home I took refuge in during Thanksgiving break, it was freezing. It seems someone forgot that, oh...we were back in school again today! Instead of leaving the heat on low during the holiday the district shut it all off, then didn't get it fired up in time for us to return. It was a lovely 55 degrees in my classroom when I hit the door, suitable for hanging dressed meats and/or dead body storage.
All this did was make me want to run back to my truck and get the hell out of Dodge. I didn't miss work one iota while on sabbatical and this reinforced my feelings. I've got a couple of friends that got out of teaching last year and the other day I asked them if they missed it. Both of them gave me an emphatic "NO!" One told me you'd think after being in the classroom for 20 years you would miss something about it, but he doesn't at all. The other said she's happy tutoring from time to time but doesn't miss all the crap that was being dog-piled on her by an increasingly apathetic system that cares more about test scores than real classroom performance.
I'm hanging in with the hopes I can become an administrator after last summer's demoralizing 0-for-7 interview debacle, losing out to some people who we should just say should never be running a school. But I'm not bitter. God just had other plans for me at the time. I'm hoping he's ready for me to move into administration. I want to make a difference, not only in the lives of students, but in teachers' and staff members' as well. I am not a yes man, so that probably doesn't get me any brownie points. I believe in being firm and doing my job and letting that stand as my barometer of worthiness for promotion.
This spring semester will be my swan song. I have no plans to return to teaching for another year. I will place all my eggs in the administrative basket and if that doesn't work out, it's time for me to go. My neighbor at school has heard me say this over and over again, but I think she knows I'm finally at the end of my rope and it's do or die time.
After 6 years, and what I hope has been a fruitful experience for my kids, and a total of 15 years working in the system, I will walk away in June if I'm unable to promote. I don't have the patience to stick around and try year after year, like some have done. There has to be something else out there for me to do. I just have to let God light the path. I pray I'll get a crack at being an assistant principal next year, but I also wouldn't mind a fresh start in a brand new arena doing something totally opposite what I've done for so long.
So, if I can make 'til December, I'll have a chance to rest and gather my thoughts and get the energy to face what looks to be my final semester as a teacher. Right now I'm fighting respiratory crud and a return visit from H-pylori (a bacterial infection in the stomach caused by stress) that almost put me in the hospital last year. So, I can barely think about going to work right now as my head, chest, and stomach are wearing me out.
For now, I have to stay focused on the task at hand and that is teaching for another 18 and 1/2 days. I'll do my best to hang in there. My colleagues are all worn out and tired and need some rest. Too many of us are dealing with health issues which no doubt is brought on by the stress of our jobs, but at least we're not in Iraq, or working a job where we face our own mortality every day, so when you put it into the proper perspective, it's not that bad. But as a friend once said, "Misery is relative." So it is...and so it goes.
That's my lengthy confession. What's yours?
TFR
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Bama's "9-11" and Other Picture Postcards
I've got to comment on perhaps one of THE dumbest things ever to come out of a head coach's mouth. If you're a big football fan, like I am, you follow teams, players, and coaches. Alabama's head loser, Nick Saban, has done it again. He's proven he has zero loyalty to any team he coaches, but now he's demonstrated just how intelligent he really is. By comparing his team's latest loss to 9-11 and Pearl Harbor, Saban has shown the world what a scholarly man truly looks like. Come on, it's only a game. Two towers didn't fall on your team and nobody died. Give me a break. I love how the Bama athletic department has begun to spin his comments to make Saban look less stupid, but the damage is done. Yes, Alabama, you hired him and you deserve him. Good luck.
Now, on to bigger, more important things. Thankgiving is finally here. For the first time in my life, I really don't want turkey. Last year, it made me sick and now I'm just to the point where I don't even want to look at it. So, I guess tomorrow, while watching the Boys, I'll be eating ham.
Page three: Christmas shopping. As Steven Rigney so eloquently observed in his comment to my seasonal Wal-Mart rant, Christmas has become a "season" rather than a holiday. I don't understand the whole "Black Friday" thing and don't care to, either. It befuddles me when I think of housewives fighting over that last Transforming-Roboto-Gigacrap that their kid just has to have only find it buried deep in the quagmire that is the toy-box a couple of months later. By the way, these same shoppers willing to commit assault and battery in the name of Mattel are the same people manning the tables at local church bazaars. The name of Mattel vs. the name of the Lord. Hmmm.
And finally, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Think of things you are thankful for. In the span of two years, my wife had a stroke, daughter survived a coma, both kids were involved in serious car accidents, and a myriad health issues have bombarded my entire family. I've had to settle down and really look at what God is trying to tell me. Through all these crises, we are all still alive. We have a few dings, but essentially we are intact.
I'll leave you with this thought to ponder--what if in the midst of all our accidents and tragedies and crises, we were spared even greater pain? What if, just what if, we could turn the lights on and see, like an oncoming middle linebacker, Satan's demon was nailed by an angel right as it about to bring down a crushing blow? Instead of feeling the full weight of that hit, we were merely grazed, leaving us with lesser catastrophe than the larger one that would have devastated us to our core. Maybe that's why Nick Saban's comments are so incredibly mindless to me. Count your blessings, like being a coach for a major college team and getting paid huge amounts of money and living in the lap of luxury while others starve or work two and three jobs to give their kids a Thanksgiving meal tomorrow. Be happy for the dings and scrapes because they could've been worse. Remember we live in the greatest nation in the world and have a few choices--like whether or not to watch Alabama play another game.
God bless you all on this Thanksgiving holiday. May your bellies be full, but more importantly, may your hearts be happy.
TFR
Now, on to bigger, more important things. Thankgiving is finally here. For the first time in my life, I really don't want turkey. Last year, it made me sick and now I'm just to the point where I don't even want to look at it. So, I guess tomorrow, while watching the Boys, I'll be eating ham.
Page three: Christmas shopping. As Steven Rigney so eloquently observed in his comment to my seasonal Wal-Mart rant, Christmas has become a "season" rather than a holiday. I don't understand the whole "Black Friday" thing and don't care to, either. It befuddles me when I think of housewives fighting over that last Transforming-Roboto-Gigacrap that their kid just has to have only find it buried deep in the quagmire that is the toy-box a couple of months later. By the way, these same shoppers willing to commit assault and battery in the name of Mattel are the same people manning the tables at local church bazaars. The name of Mattel vs. the name of the Lord. Hmmm.
And finally, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Think of things you are thankful for. In the span of two years, my wife had a stroke, daughter survived a coma, both kids were involved in serious car accidents, and a myriad health issues have bombarded my entire family. I've had to settle down and really look at what God is trying to tell me. Through all these crises, we are all still alive. We have a few dings, but essentially we are intact.
I'll leave you with this thought to ponder--what if in the midst of all our accidents and tragedies and crises, we were spared even greater pain? What if, just what if, we could turn the lights on and see, like an oncoming middle linebacker, Satan's demon was nailed by an angel right as it about to bring down a crushing blow? Instead of feeling the full weight of that hit, we were merely grazed, leaving us with lesser catastrophe than the larger one that would have devastated us to our core. Maybe that's why Nick Saban's comments are so incredibly mindless to me. Count your blessings, like being a coach for a major college team and getting paid huge amounts of money and living in the lap of luxury while others starve or work two and three jobs to give their kids a Thanksgiving meal tomorrow. Be happy for the dings and scrapes because they could've been worse. Remember we live in the greatest nation in the world and have a few choices--like whether or not to watch Alabama play another game.
God bless you all on this Thanksgiving holiday. May your bellies be full, but more importantly, may your hearts be happy.
TFR
Sunday, November 18, 2007
What's On Your Playlist?
I have an i-Pod. I'm not always sold on the whole Apple hype thing, but I do like my 2 gigger. It would be even better if it had an FM tuner and I'm trying to figure out why Apple refuses to add one to their i-Pods.
I've got close to 500 songs on my playlist. It's hard to listen to that many songs and I can't imagine having an MP3 with more storage space and 1,000+ song capacity. Are there that many songs in existence? I guess so.
Here's a sampling of my playlist, boring as it may be. You'll find I'm a 80's man, but I do like a lot of contemporary groups, but I can't stand rap.
Alanis Morrisette's Greatest Hits
Sheryl Crow's Greatest Hits
Eye of the Tiger--Survivor
I Love Rock n Roll--Joan Jett
Heartbreaker/Hit Me With Your Best Shot--Pat Benatar
Gonna Fly Now--Rocky soundtrack
Coming in the Air Tonight--Phil Collins
Heat of the Moment--Asia
Africa/Rosanna--Toto
I Want You to Want Me--Cheap Trick
Friends in Low Places--Garth Brooks
Who's Your Daddy?--Toby Keith
Back in Black/Thunderstruck--AC/DC
Detroit Rock City--Kiss
Clocks/Yellow--Coldplay
Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
After Midnight--Eric Clapton
It Keeps You Runnin'--Bob Seger
Ride Like the Wind--Christopher Cross
Heart of Rock n Roll/I Want a New Drug/Power of Love--Huey Lewis and the News
All Star/Walkin' on the Sun--Smashmouth
Wizards in Winter--Trans-Siberian Orchestra
and, of course...The Essential Dean Martin (30 hits)
I'm 43 and getting old, but I still like to rock. There's nothing like music to get you going on a long run on a cold day.
Let me know if you listen to music while you workout and if you do, what's on your playlist?
Take it easy and enjoy the ride!
TFR
I've got close to 500 songs on my playlist. It's hard to listen to that many songs and I can't imagine having an MP3 with more storage space and 1,000+ song capacity. Are there that many songs in existence? I guess so.
Here's a sampling of my playlist, boring as it may be. You'll find I'm a 80's man, but I do like a lot of contemporary groups, but I can't stand rap.
Alanis Morrisette's Greatest Hits
Sheryl Crow's Greatest Hits
Eye of the Tiger--Survivor
I Love Rock n Roll--Joan Jett
Heartbreaker/Hit Me With Your Best Shot--Pat Benatar
Gonna Fly Now--Rocky soundtrack
Coming in the Air Tonight--Phil Collins
Heat of the Moment--Asia
Africa/Rosanna--Toto
I Want You to Want Me--Cheap Trick
Friends in Low Places--Garth Brooks
Who's Your Daddy?--Toby Keith
Back in Black/Thunderstruck--AC/DC
Detroit Rock City--Kiss
Clocks/Yellow--Coldplay
Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
After Midnight--Eric Clapton
It Keeps You Runnin'--Bob Seger
Ride Like the Wind--Christopher Cross
Heart of Rock n Roll/I Want a New Drug/Power of Love--Huey Lewis and the News
All Star/Walkin' on the Sun--Smashmouth
Wizards in Winter--Trans-Siberian Orchestra
and, of course...The Essential Dean Martin (30 hits)
I'm 43 and getting old, but I still like to rock. There's nothing like music to get you going on a long run on a cold day.
Let me know if you listen to music while you workout and if you do, what's on your playlist?
Take it easy and enjoy the ride!
TFR
Cowboys Rant
I've been a Dallas Cowboys fan for as long as I can remember. This year's team is good and they sure can give you fits, which makes them your typical Dallas bunch. However, I've got to make a couple of comments about some flaws I'm seeing on the field.
I love Roy Williams. Even when he was with the Sooners, I liked him and I can't stand OU. He's a great "hitter" and he definitely comes to play every Sunday. Sure, he can paste a lick on a receiver that will leave him spinning until next Sunday, but, like cheap latex paint, he provides lousy coverage. In fact, he may just be the worst pass defender in the whole Cowboys' secondary. All you have to do is remember Santana Moss' two catches for TD's on a Monday night a couple of years ago, or Jeremy Shockey toasting Williams for several big plays last season and you know why I think Roy is bad. Like I said, I love him as long as he doesn't have to cover anyone.
And what's up with the Dallas special teams unit, especially kick and punt return? They are horrible. That might just be the one glaring chink in the silver and blue armor this season. Today against the Skins is a classic illustration of what I'm talking about. The Redskins regularly began most of their series beyond their own 30 after the Cowboys allowed them to run right through the first wave of tacklers. Please fix this before Green Bay.
Lastly, the Boys have got to cut out those mind-numbingly stupid penalties. Like my high school coach used to scream when we would false start, "You know the snap count, idiot, they don't!!!" I realize there's 65,000 ranting fans in Texas Stadium, but come on--hold your water, for crying out loud! Wade Phillips even went so far as to make the team sign a pledge to stop the insanity of drive-killing, or extending, penalties. I think if he levies some hefty fines these guys might get the message he means business. Is it too much to ask for a little discipline from grown-ups making ungodly sums of money as professionals to make fewer mistakes? I don't think so.
Bonus: Could somebody please tell Jerry Jones to get his chemically-peeled rear end back upstairs where he belongs with the champers and shrimp cocktail? I mean look at him. I think he's been dead for three years. He looks like "Weekend at Jerry's." What happened to leathery tough head coaches that would tell the owner, "Your place is in the stands and mine is down here." Yep, and never the 'twain shall meet.
That's my Cowboys rant for the day. See you Thanksgiving.
TFR
I love Roy Williams. Even when he was with the Sooners, I liked him and I can't stand OU. He's a great "hitter" and he definitely comes to play every Sunday. Sure, he can paste a lick on a receiver that will leave him spinning until next Sunday, but, like cheap latex paint, he provides lousy coverage. In fact, he may just be the worst pass defender in the whole Cowboys' secondary. All you have to do is remember Santana Moss' two catches for TD's on a Monday night a couple of years ago, or Jeremy Shockey toasting Williams for several big plays last season and you know why I think Roy is bad. Like I said, I love him as long as he doesn't have to cover anyone.
And what's up with the Dallas special teams unit, especially kick and punt return? They are horrible. That might just be the one glaring chink in the silver and blue armor this season. Today against the Skins is a classic illustration of what I'm talking about. The Redskins regularly began most of their series beyond their own 30 after the Cowboys allowed them to run right through the first wave of tacklers. Please fix this before Green Bay.
Lastly, the Boys have got to cut out those mind-numbingly stupid penalties. Like my high school coach used to scream when we would false start, "You know the snap count, idiot, they don't!!!" I realize there's 65,000 ranting fans in Texas Stadium, but come on--hold your water, for crying out loud! Wade Phillips even went so far as to make the team sign a pledge to stop the insanity of drive-killing, or extending, penalties. I think if he levies some hefty fines these guys might get the message he means business. Is it too much to ask for a little discipline from grown-ups making ungodly sums of money as professionals to make fewer mistakes? I don't think so.
Bonus: Could somebody please tell Jerry Jones to get his chemically-peeled rear end back upstairs where he belongs with the champers and shrimp cocktail? I mean look at him. I think he's been dead for three years. He looks like "Weekend at Jerry's." What happened to leathery tough head coaches that would tell the owner, "Your place is in the stands and mine is down here." Yep, and never the 'twain shall meet.
That's my Cowboys rant for the day. See you Thanksgiving.
TFR
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Elvis is Dead and My Achilles Hurts
I've been increasing my running mileage over the last few weeks and now I'm paying for it. My left achilles is tender and I walk like John Wayne wearing a barbed-wire thong.
I guess my age is catching up to me. At 43 and being a fat runner, I'm slowly wearing down. I'm still battling my weight and doing my best to stay in shape. After a hard run today on the fake road in my local gym, I hopped on the scale at 244. That sucks! As hard as I workout I feel like I should be getting lighter. I do lift weights, but I don't believe I've put on that much muscle.
Maybe I need to live with the fact I'll always be The Fat Runner and quit worrying about being some slim-jim dude I ain't never gonna be. My students still think I'm the bomb when they see me out running and some of my male student-athletes said they wish they had my calves. Right now, I'd rather give them my achilles.
For now, I'll keep running and hoping my legs will last me through another year. I've heard of runners taking off three to six weeks just to rest, but I'm afraid if I do that I'll look like a balloon floating through Albuquerque. I guess I could dial it down a notch and lower my intensity a bit. With the holidays fast approaching (see my last blog entry) I want to keep moving and burning calories so I can at least feel good eating all that junk on Thanksgiving.
I'll keep moving forward and not worry too much about all the other stuff. Like the saying goes, "The rest is just details."
That's my confession. What's yours?
God bless you!
TFR
I guess my age is catching up to me. At 43 and being a fat runner, I'm slowly wearing down. I'm still battling my weight and doing my best to stay in shape. After a hard run today on the fake road in my local gym, I hopped on the scale at 244. That sucks! As hard as I workout I feel like I should be getting lighter. I do lift weights, but I don't believe I've put on that much muscle.
Maybe I need to live with the fact I'll always be The Fat Runner and quit worrying about being some slim-jim dude I ain't never gonna be. My students still think I'm the bomb when they see me out running and some of my male student-athletes said they wish they had my calves. Right now, I'd rather give them my achilles.
For now, I'll keep running and hoping my legs will last me through another year. I've heard of runners taking off three to six weeks just to rest, but I'm afraid if I do that I'll look like a balloon floating through Albuquerque. I guess I could dial it down a notch and lower my intensity a bit. With the holidays fast approaching (see my last blog entry) I want to keep moving and burning calories so I can at least feel good eating all that junk on Thanksgiving.
I'll keep moving forward and not worry too much about all the other stuff. Like the saying goes, "The rest is just details."
That's my confession. What's yours?
God bless you!
TFR
Merry Hallogiving
Have you been in Wal-Mart lately? If you're anything like me, you've been there in the last hour. What's up with Christmas decorations and holiday music the day after Halloween? I mean, the peanut butter kisses had no sooner gone on clearance when the inflatable Santa rising from the inflatable chimney is blaring "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow," in the Lawn and Garden department.
It's like Turkey Day doesn't matter anymore. The biggest feasting day of the year is losing its punch. And Wal-Mart isn't the only one making us long for the glitter of Easter in December, there's the house down the street that has icicle lights twinkling beginning LAST WEEK! I'm no Bah Humbug, but I am a traditionalist. Silly me. I like my Santa to show up sometime in the 12th month of the year.
It just seems like all these department stores are pushing the holiday envelope earlier every year. Why wait until Christmas to watch Ralphie shoot his eye out? Why look for the white stuff to celebrate little Kevin's loneliness in his neighborhood dwelling while his parents are freaking in France? Isn't March a better time for fruit cake anyway?
From what I heard the other day, retailers are hitting the panic button in light of all the mortgage crashes and lay-offs that are sure to come before the end of the year. So, let's run those credit card bills up as the sales hit the floor in early November so we can file bankruptcy as we usher in another ball-dropping with the ageless teenager on ABC.
At the risk of sounding like Dennis Miller on crack, I just think Christmas has become as routine as a hot date with your wife of 47 years. But, as a wise man once said, the spirit of Christmas is in your heart, not Bentonville, or the mall, or even up on my neighbor's way-too-early-decorated house. I guess I just needed to rant about something tonight and this was it.
At least I'm not the poor schmoe cashier in weed and feed listening to Bing Crosby ad nauseum when it's 75 degrees outside. It could be worse. It could be Texas Tech's fight song.
That's my rant, er...confession. What's yours?
God bless you and Merry Week Before Turkey Day!!!
TFR
It's like Turkey Day doesn't matter anymore. The biggest feasting day of the year is losing its punch. And Wal-Mart isn't the only one making us long for the glitter of Easter in December, there's the house down the street that has icicle lights twinkling beginning LAST WEEK! I'm no Bah Humbug, but I am a traditionalist. Silly me. I like my Santa to show up sometime in the 12th month of the year.
It just seems like all these department stores are pushing the holiday envelope earlier every year. Why wait until Christmas to watch Ralphie shoot his eye out? Why look for the white stuff to celebrate little Kevin's loneliness in his neighborhood dwelling while his parents are freaking in France? Isn't March a better time for fruit cake anyway?
From what I heard the other day, retailers are hitting the panic button in light of all the mortgage crashes and lay-offs that are sure to come before the end of the year. So, let's run those credit card bills up as the sales hit the floor in early November so we can file bankruptcy as we usher in another ball-dropping with the ageless teenager on ABC.
At the risk of sounding like Dennis Miller on crack, I just think Christmas has become as routine as a hot date with your wife of 47 years. But, as a wise man once said, the spirit of Christmas is in your heart, not Bentonville, or the mall, or even up on my neighbor's way-too-early-decorated house. I guess I just needed to rant about something tonight and this was it.
At least I'm not the poor schmoe cashier in weed and feed listening to Bing Crosby ad nauseum when it's 75 degrees outside. It could be worse. It could be Texas Tech's fight song.
That's my rant, er...confession. What's yours?
God bless you and Merry Week Before Turkey Day!!!
TFR
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Is Running Really Safe?
If you keep up with running news, today was a sad and shocking day in the world of our sport. Ryan Shay, a U.S. Olympic marathon hopeful, died while running in the trials today. This comes on the heels of runners going down in the heat of the Chicago Marathon, with one man dying. Also, former Boston Marathon winner and Nike coach Alberto Salazar fell victim to a heart attack while trotting to the track to begin working out his team. Fortunately for Mr. Salazar he survived.
This all got me to thinking--is running really safe? I mean, you have to wonder when you hear about world-class athletes dropping dead during a run. By no means am I an elite runner, but I do run. I weigh 241 pounds and lift weights 3 times a week. I consider myself in fairly decent shape, but is my click ticking?
So many of these runners that have died while engaging in their sport have been found to have some sort of heart defect or genetic predisposition to heart disease. Irregular heart rhythms run in my family on my mom's side. I, too, have had irregular heart beats from time to time, which I have read is fairly common. Still, maybe it is time for me to have a checkup.
I'm not a big fan of going to the doctor. Last year, I experienced a bacterial stomach infection that had to drive me to the floor before I finally acquiesced and with to the emergency room. So when I read about runners like Shay and Salazar I'm thinking now is the time to do a little preventive medicine.
With my family's propensity for hospital visits (my youngest is back in the hospital right now as I type this), I don't want to be careless and be the latest casualty.
I'd like to know what you all think. I just wish we had more people reading my blog because I'd love to open this for discussion. If you run and are reading this, would you tell me what you think about my question?
I pray Ryan Shay's death isn't connected to anything wrongful. Runner's World magazine stated, "within hours of Shay's death the rumors were already swirling." That aside, it's just tragic a young man of 28, and a newlywed, lost his life.
I want to be healthy and run for many years to come. I'd like to be in my 60's, like my friend Ted, and still have the legs to run and kick my grandchildren's butts.
Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you.
God bless you with great running!
TFR
This all got me to thinking--is running really safe? I mean, you have to wonder when you hear about world-class athletes dropping dead during a run. By no means am I an elite runner, but I do run. I weigh 241 pounds and lift weights 3 times a week. I consider myself in fairly decent shape, but is my click ticking?
So many of these runners that have died while engaging in their sport have been found to have some sort of heart defect or genetic predisposition to heart disease. Irregular heart rhythms run in my family on my mom's side. I, too, have had irregular heart beats from time to time, which I have read is fairly common. Still, maybe it is time for me to have a checkup.
I'm not a big fan of going to the doctor. Last year, I experienced a bacterial stomach infection that had to drive me to the floor before I finally acquiesced and with to the emergency room. So when I read about runners like Shay and Salazar I'm thinking now is the time to do a little preventive medicine.
With my family's propensity for hospital visits (my youngest is back in the hospital right now as I type this), I don't want to be careless and be the latest casualty.
I'd like to know what you all think. I just wish we had more people reading my blog because I'd love to open this for discussion. If you run and are reading this, would you tell me what you think about my question?
I pray Ryan Shay's death isn't connected to anything wrongful. Runner's World magazine stated, "within hours of Shay's death the rumors were already swirling." That aside, it's just tragic a young man of 28, and a newlywed, lost his life.
I want to be healthy and run for many years to come. I'd like to be in my 60's, like my friend Ted, and still have the legs to run and kick my grandchildren's butts.
Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you.
God bless you with great running!
TFR
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)