I didn't go on the run with the group on Saturday, but I have been running a lot. The humidity has dropped a few points this week and the air is getting a little bit lighter. Fall and cooler weather is near. Sitting outside at Starbucks this Saturday was certainly enjoyable and it sounds like those who did make for the 8AM start had a wonderful time.

Sometimes running provides subtle messages about faith and God, and sometimes it hits you over the head while your out on a run. This week I got a dose of the latter.

On Saturday night when I should have been slipping into bed, I sat flipping through the television channels and I stopped on one of the christian television stations. During high school I watched a lot of this sort of programming. At the time I was trying to figure out my salvation, scared to death of the rapture, curious about all forms of worship, and also disgusted by the self-righteousness of many of the preachers (though it is hard to be too self-righteous standing amongst gilded furniture and velvet drapers.)  I still find myself drawn to these programs-I guess they are my "Jersey Shore" or "Real Housewives." I can't help staring at these religious train wrecks.

The program I found Saturday was a taping from a church service where a rather bland woman explained faith to the audience. Beside her was a man dressed in a baseball catcher's pads and she explained that his padding was like faith and it protected us from the onslaught of the "enemy". She demonstrated this by throwing baseballs at the man, who didn't flinch as they bounced off of him. This common explanation of faith seemed so off the mark to me (and I also felt sorry that she felt her audience would not understand her baseball metaphor without a live demonstration).

The following day, I ran home from All Saints after the 9AM service. It is about an 8-mile run from All Saints to our house, and though there are some tough hills, overall it is very pleasant. I weave my way from Midtown, through Virginia Highlands, Druid Hills, the Emory campus and finally to our neighborhood.

This Sunday as I ran, I listened to the Prairie Home Companion re-broadcast.

During the run, I didn't think much about the faith message from the previous night, but Garrison Keillor's "News from Lake Wobegon" answered her explanation nicely. He concluded his anecdote by saying, "I used to think that faith, faith was sort of like a building block and you put all these blocks together and you'd build a house, sort of like the little pig built, that the wolf could not blow down; and now I get older and i feel that faith is a matter of surrender, it's a matter of just giving up and leaving that house and just walking out and experiencing the cold, and the rain, and doubt and confusion and trying to keep up your hope and some sense of gratitude; if you just keep up hope and gratitude maybe that's all you need."

What we do on Saturday mornings, or anytime we lace up our shoes and get out in the world, is a metaphor for faith. We don't know what we are going to find, or what it is going to be like exactly, but we go and do it. Maybe no one shows up on Saturday, maybe it rains. Maybe Starbucks is closed, or out of coffee (it's happened to us before). Faith doesn't keep us safe, it compels us to accept being unsafe.

Peace,
Timothy Frilingos

August 21, 2010

Pictures can be misleading.  After I took the group shot, Tim packed up the boys and headed to dry ground because of the rain.  Then Kristi and Noelle drove in.  So, jogging on Saturday were Noelle, Ann Stuart, Kristi, Beth and me. 

The rain had stopped by the time we set off for Atlantic Station, or rather the water was just hanging in the air rather than falling to the ground.  And, the run was uneventful.  Good, but uneventful.

Uneventful until Starbucks where we met Tim and the boys who had graciously bought the group various pastry delights from the BakeShop next door!  Paul magnanimously announced that the pastries were for all of us to share.  Paul had no answer when Tim asked if Paul's pink doughnuts were also for the group to share.  Paul did single out Ann Stuart as honoree of the morning (I-ee want to sit next to YOU), and Ann Stuart dutifully took her seat next to Paul at the table.

Fun to see everyone, and see you next week.  NOTE: We revert to Ga Tech Starbucks next week - 5th and Spring.

August 14, 2010

It was a wonderful gray morning in Midtown Atlanta. Wonderful because the clouds kept the temperatures in the low eighties and wonderful because we were together on the corner of West Peachtree and Ponce de Leon Ave. It was unofficial father and daughter day at Morning Run and we were lucky to have Pete and Janine DePree along with us this morning. Janine set the pace for the runners and Pete made his way through Midtown walking with his dogs. We were also joined by Jennifer a new recruit and a fellow state worker who I commiserated with at Starbucks after the run/walk. It was great to see everybody and I hope to see everyone again soon.

I pushed Paul this morning as we ran our distance through Midtown. He kept me occupied with a few songs and a game of I Spy, which is actually pretty tough to play while running, since the mystery items may be long passed before the correct guess is made.  Since we were close, I took the group by the first house we lived in when we move to Atlanta. It is along Vedado Way a few blocks from Piedmont Park. We rented a one room apartment in the house and other than a neglectful landlord, we enjoyed the year we spent there. I told Paul about the house and as he does these days he asked why? Why did we live there? Why did we move? I told him we moved because we needed more space since we were thinking about having a baby. I told him that the baby we were thinking about having as we moved from Vedado Way, ended up being him. He didn't respond to this. I imagine this sort of concept may be a little deep even for an above average 4 year old. Truthfully, the idea that I was having a conversation about the place we used to live with the major reason we ended up moving may be a little too deep for the thirty two year old pushing the stroller as well. Where has the time gone? Who was the Tim that lived in that green house on Vedado Way and how has he changed since then? All of these questions came to my mind as we finished our run on Saturday.  That's what happens when you run. You start out sight seeing and wind up learning more about what's going on inside your head  than what's going on around you.

Thanks again for joining the group on Saturday. We would love to see you next Saturday if you can make it.

Tim Frilingos

Morning Run: the whiplash edition

This was among the strangest Morning Runs I have ever taken part in.

But first, let's think back to some other strange events in MR history...

There was the pre-Peachtree MR when I ran with Devon and baby Oliver in the POURING DRIVING RAIN. That was odd.

There was the time when we were running through Midtown and I spotted a $20 bill at the exact same time that Steve McGehee spotted an unopened six pack of beer. That was definitely weird.

Running through downtown with Jeff and Steve the day after the huge tornado a few years back was eerie. We were surrounded by broken glass, large pieces of buildings, police and gawkers. Strange.

But this past Saturday when Ann Stuart and Eileen and I started out, it seemed like a fairly normal day. Hot, as usual. I was in a grouchy mood, not too abnormal. But as we turned into Piedmont Park, the first sign that this was not a normal Saturday was the overabundance of very attractive people out running. Really!-- hordes of cute people out for a morning spin! I've never seen so many in one place, running in large groups.

Perhaps because I was too busy looking at the cuties or maybe just because the street market was so crowded, I got bit by a dog. No kidding. A stumpy corgi-meets-labrador on a leash reached out his maw and nipped me behind the knee. It was not a terrible gash, but he did draw blood, the mangy mutt. I'm up to date on my shots, so I'm not worried, but it was nonetheless disconcerting.

A few blocks later, still recovering from the shock of my first running-related dog bite, we passed another group of folks out for a training run. The leader of the run, an older, attractive, thin man, smiled at us as we ran by. After he passed, AS hissed "That was Jeff Galloway!" Running legend! Eileen and I both gracefully and tactfully whipped around like we were on slingshots to get a glimpse at the Great God of Long Distance. The giddy and awe carried us the rest of the way to Starbucks where we giggled about our adventures to Steve and Ruth, Eli, Linden and Kevin, all of whom showed up to partake in Ruth's delicious butter brickle cookies. Mmmm...

Feel free to insert your own theological reflection here. I don't have one. I'm still reeling from another strange run in this strange town.

July 31, 2010

Welcome back, Fred!  And, welcome to first-Morning-Run-timer Emma!!

Fred, Emma and I had to let Steve run solo yesterday.  We did a jog/walk to the park and back.  As it happens, Emma is a sprinter, not a jogger, so a couple of miles into the jog her legs were aching.  We took a break and talked to a one year old Great Dane and his owner.  I am impressed, Emma, that you hung in there and finished strong!

Steve went to Stone Mountain and back, and seemed refreshed.  Ruth was there at Starbucks and the five of us talked about Max, money, Lisa M. (who has a job!) and more...

Please join us this Saturday.  It's addictive...

Fred, Emma and Steve

The McGehees

They cheated (bought b'fast from the BakeShop next door).

Happy about the cheating.