September 4th, 2010

My favorite run in months!  (I always enjoy the varied company - it's just the cooler weather and the sights we saw.)

Tim, Beth (and two loaded strollers) and I set off downtown on such a beautiful, sunny, un-humid, mild morning - it was almost hard to believe how perfect the morning was.  Before hitting the Dragon-Con crowd, we went through the Coke complex, Centennial Park, around the Georgia Dome, over Atlanta Underground...  Beth noticed something Tim nor I ever had - the 'Atlanta' spelled out on the Philis Arena.

I've driven by it, but not on that side - and I've never run down the bridge opposite, so it was funny to just now see it.  That's one of the great things about running - it gives you a different perspective.

In Centennial Park there were crowds assembling for the ESPN College Game Day.  Interesting outfits, but of the brightly-colored, team oriented variety.  Not the same as the outfits we would see once we ran further downtown. 

While running by the Underground, Tim pointed out a lost-looking couple, getting directions - and toting polka-dotted luggage.  Both wife and the husband.  After we remarked that they must be tourists quite a ways from their hotel, I kept feeling bad for the husband who was made to carry matching luggage.  Matching polka-dotted luggage.  I have nothing against polka dots, mind you, but the husband, too?

And of course, then there was Dragon-Con.  The ones who dress up and the ones who come out to watch those who dress up were lining Peachtree Street.  I didn't have my camera with me, but this gives you a general idea.

There was leatherette, there were futuristic trucks, there were masks, and there were two strollers and three runners weaving in and out of the crowds with Paul saying 'faster, Dad'.  Paul not being used to seeing me in front of him and his Dad while running.  But, I was trying to cut a path through the warriors and aliens for the strollers. 

So, after 4.7 miles I really could have kept on going.  I'm no better a runner than a month ago, but the mild weather really agrees with me. 

Ruth and Marie joined us for coffee, which was great.  And, being back at our normal Starbucks meant even more people watching.  It was game day at Georgia Tech and people were wearing more yellow and black than I have seen in my life.  It was a very fun morning!

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.

Why do we run on a day like this

I started running in college on the flat, cool plains of the Midwest. Lacing up and heading out on a run was never very hard.

I became a runner during the summer after my sophomore year, when I worked on a golf course through a long hot summer in Orlando, Florida. It was a summer that had fires and I can still recall the burning smell in the air as I mowed fairways and greens. I have never sweated more in my life and I used to come home in the afternoon, strip off my shirt, pull on some running shoes and run a few miles in the 90 degree/90% humidity of Central Florida summers. When I dragged my way home I would take off my shoes and socks and fall into the pool.

On Saturday morning, five runners and a walker started out on a run that promised to be as uncomfortable as those afternoon runs in Orlando. When you run on a day like Saturday you never get to that runner's high that we all seek most of the year. On these runs everything is heavy: our breath, our clothes, our legs, and even our thoughts. Just like those runs in Orlando, there was nothing easy about Saturday's run. It is the hard runs that make us runners. It is the hard times that make us human.

July 24, 2010

Tim is writing the reflection this week.  Let me just give you the pictures...

The run hasn't begun and Paul has already passed out from the heat.

Steve mesmerized by the football talk between Kristi and Tim.

Kristi turns red as Tim guesses correctly that she was a cheerleader at Mule Shoe High.

Papa bear, Mama bear and baby bear.

Two very fast Morning Runners.

Paul making plans with his girlfriend for later at the pool.  Steve digging himself a hole re texts to Ruth about dogs.

Beth and Jack after acrobatic flips.

July 17, 2010

Just Ann Stuart, Noelle and me Saturday Morning...

Change that...

The four of us decided to to a downtown jog.  The only thing to say about the weather was that it was actually not as hot and humid as past weeks.  Bill commented that while driving to All Saints' he was mentally preparing himself for a run with the likes of Steve and Tim.  While I'm sure you enjoy those runs Bill, it was nice to have you with us yesterday!  Next time you come, bring the pictures from your trip to Greece.

Joining us at Starbucks: Kevin, the cherubic Eli and the I-must--play-with-dogs child Linden.  Last week I asked 'bring back the children' and this week I left the camera in the car after these welcome shots.  No good.

I was at a friend's house for dinner Friday night.  Surprised that I wasn't staying 'til the wee hours of the night, they asked if I were crazy to get up on a Saturday and run.  When I explained 'Not just this Saturday. E v e r y Saturday.' they stopped talking altogether.  Driving home I thought that it's  interesting the patterns we get ourselves into and the things for which we make time.  I blame Steve McGehee, personally.

On another note, not sure if anyone on the Morning Run mailing list looks at this blog - other than those 10 to 15 of us who attend regularly.  Specifically, only 10 of you get 'automatic updates' when there's a new post on the blog - b/c as far as I can determine that's all that Blogger allows.  So, 10 of 85 people get these 'recaps' - as well as a few more devotees who make a habit to log on and see what's been happening.  What are your thoughts about putting future blog posts in an e-mail to the whole Morning Run list?  In other words, the whole group still receives the standard Wed. e-mail, and the blog stays the same, AND then the blog posts are sent out in a Sunday e-mail.  Do you think it would boost attendance?  Your thoughts please.

See you next week,

Eileen

July 10, 2010

Saturday morning started out with the amazing, sudden and brief return of Sophie H. to the Morning Run group!  Great to see you, Sophie, and please come back to MR the next time you are visiting from Va.  After seeing Sophie, Mr. McGehee runs up - having just completed the first leg of his run (7, 8 miles...). 

Then, I had a text from Lisa saying she was coming to walk.  Then there was Noelle.  Then Ann Stuart with her friend in from ChattaVegas (his expression - not mine, I think the Vegas part belongs to Nash not Chatta!)  Last, but never last on a run, Mike C.

Runners: Steve, Mike, Noelle, me.  I joke with the runners that I am the weakest link, but the truth is - I am.  It's great motivation to run with the various runners - especially because I find it particularly hard.  In the heat.  With the hills.  Sweating like a sweatshop slave.  While running, I sound like a horse and marvel that others can talk.  All of the runners and walkers are pursuing their own goals at their own levels of competence.  Patience and practice.  I keep repeating it to myself.

The walkers:  Lisa, Sophie, Ann Stuart and friend (Jo?).  They went through the park and by the farmers' market.  Back at Starbucks, Ruth joined us for refreshments.  We all miss having you walk with us, Ruth.  I hope you are able to lead us on some fast and furious walks soon!

I was looking around the group, pulled out my camera - and only then realized there were no children in our group that day.  The adults managed to pose for a few shots, but sweaty adults have a harder time posing for these 'blog' shots than children.  Bring back the children!

See everyone next week.

Pre-Peachtree

For the last several years, the Morning Runners have taken a pre-Peachtree Road Race run along Peachtree Street in order to prepare for the upcoming race. This year, however, The Great Race was on a Sunday so all of the regular runners were resting or tapering before the big day. Like all good traditions, we'll pick it up another time! Steve, Eileen and I headed downtown and through Georgia Tech at a nice pace. While our numbers were down, the conversation was as quality as ever. It is good to have Steve back among us, practicing his pastoral skills ("Oh," said Eileen at one point, "you want to talk about FEELINGS? While I'm RUNNING?!"") and putting us through our paces as we hoof it around the burg.

Since runners often talk about weather, I'll send up a little prayer of thanks for Saturday's temps. It was a gorgeous morning for running, low 70's and breezy. Just right. And even better than the weather, was the crowd that joined us at St. Arbuck's. The whole of Team Frilingos, the other 3/4 of Team YoSim, Steve's better half, Ruth, fresh from travels in Greece, and Laura, Tim and Zoe (the dog, appropriately scared to death of the grabby hands of the smaller set). Ruth passed out July 4th sunglasses and stickers to the kids-- preschooler bliss!

It was a grand morning. If you weren't there, we certainly missed you. Won't you join us?