run: eaten by a lion

I pushed the limits on running visibility this evening.  (As Seattle’s long summer days quickly fade to mere hours of daylight, I have a feeling this will be an ongoing theme.)  Anyway, I took my favorite route through the upper trails of Carkeek Park for my 8 mile fartlek run.  I knew I was asking for trouble when upon entering the woods visibility was minimal.  Well, obviously it only got worse.  As I jogged along the trail wishing I’d eaten more carrots, I couldn’t help thinking about the book I’m reading “What is the What.”

The section I’m on at the moment is where the author is retelling his experience as a young boy travelling through the night with all the other Lost Boys of Sudan.  Describing the fear and tactics that are unavoidable when facing the potential of being eaten by a lion at night.

The biggest potential danger I had on my run was tripping over a root!  It’s hard to imagine how I would be or who I would be if placed in that reality those boys faced.  Would I stand up and protect the young ones or would I selfishly do everything necessary to protect myself?  Would I be brave in the face of danger or wet my pants?  Would the real Mike please stand up?

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beats today: 8,800
my beats to date: 312,500

run: what is the what

Yesterday’s run was nothing special to write about.  I did my regular route down to Carkeek Park.  Only exception is that I incorporated some newly acquired hill sprint tips.  That was fun.

What was most striking about yesterday was my running train of thought that went from refugees, to the book I’m currently reading, to the neighborhood I run through almost every day, and education.  As this is the place for me to record my “running thoughts” (no matter how unprofound they may be), I guess I’ll put it all down here…

First, I started reading a new book yesterday.  It’s a biographical novel on one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan.  The pulitzer-prize winning book is called What is the What by Dave Eggers.

So this book is obviously a great connection to the plight of refugees.  It’s also a connection to the neighborhood I often run through.  Located just off the corner of 85th and Greenwood is a magical little tutoring center called 826 Seattle.  The cool thing about the center is that the front-end is a space-travel store.  They sell all kinds of stuff from space food to ray guns to moon dust.

Anyway, the guy that started up the “826 seattle” concept is also the same guy that wrote “What is the What.”  He also just won the 2008 TED award where he was granted one wish.  Check out his TED2008 presentation here.

As you will see, his wish was for folks to find a way to help support public schools through volunteering, etc. He’s started up a website for people to record how they’ve contributed to his wish – Once Upon A School.

As I thought about all these things, I also started thinking about my future role in education, how to help those in our community that need it most (refugees being just one of the major groups), and how our upcoming trip to England ties into the future.  All this has my mind buzzing as I think about what on earth “pacific315″ is all about.  That’s a whole other story!

beats today: 8,400

total beats: 109,200!!!