Sum of my runs...

Leaves turning and falling
cover the trails.
Squirrels fattened
for the Winter.
Eyes in the dark
shine back from the beam.

Notice is taken,
but an audience is not given.

Baby I was born to run...

As many of my vast readership (2 or 3 people) know, I am a new dad as of May 12, 2009 at 11:15 p.m. I can't believe how much it changes the way I look at things. To know that I am now responsible for another human being, is the scariest thing in the world. Additionally, no matter how he turns out I know it is, at least partially, my fault.

For the purposes of this blog I will call him B-town

Being a new father also has influenced my running. For instance on my first run after B-town's birth every thing and every person made me think of him. For instance I saw a mother with her kids on bikes. Obviously, some day I envisioned myself in that lady's shoes. Later, on my way back I saw a baby rabbit frolicking or running. This made me think of him running some day. This is a lead into an email response I got from a running friend. She asked if I had registered B-town for the Kids Run for Fun event on Friday nights. Obviously, I hadn't, but I am guessing this will be one of the first ways in which I share my love of running and I am looking forward to it.

What does your leg mean to you?

I just finished watching Dateline tonight and Tom White (below the knee amputee) was featured. In his school days he was pretty good runner, but then a drunk driver caused a motorcycle accident and took away a majority of the functionality in his left leg after it was reattached. Even after this he fought his way back and began running again completing 26 marathons and ultra-marathons. After all this his left leg began to give out on him and he decides to take drastic measures. I sympathize and understand why he did what he did next. He decided to take things to the next level and regain running by having a voluntary amputation 25 years after the accident. Then, the in the same year he completed the New York City Marathon .

After everything he has been through, he exudes what most every runner feels with his actions. Some times we all have that second thought before dragging ourselves out the door to run because we have "excuses." Tom really puts things into perspective. When you really want something some times you have to sacrifice to keep it. I have begun to realize this in a much more minor way because of my wife, G, being pregnant. I have started running the morning to have more time to spend with her and the impending baby, but to love running so much that a person would cut part of their leg off to be able to continue sends a powerful message and puts things into perspective. I hope when the day comes that I am tested that I have just as much courage as Tom and can overcome whatever it is that is my "degenerative leg." No excuses.

4th of July Fireworks

So, I was sitting outside on the sidewalk, with friends, watching the town fireworks. My friends were deep in conversation, about how English theory could be applied to the burning display, as I sit there thinking about others points of view of the fireworks. As a person looks at the fireworks they see their version of things and it becomes two dimensional internally.

Although that is the perspective of a spectator in the crowd, I wonder what the perspective would be like from just below the fireworks where they are thrust into the air. Another perspective would be from the air, such as a plane. In the plane instance you could see the fireworks shooting up at you and then exploding. A person would probably see more than just one fireworks display. The next step is to the astronauts. I have heard stories that they can see California fires quite well, so, why not fireworks. In theory they would have 4 hours straight of fireworks going off, assuming they were in geosynchronous orbit. If there are aliens then they must think every 365 "Earth days" a certain part of this planet is playing host to a "massive" battle.