Redding Marathon '09

I Finished my marathon in 3:28:06. I was 28th overall and second in my age group, granted there was only 170 people in the race and most of the runners were 35 and older which means I got trounced by a bunch of 40 year olds. For the complete break down see the results page here. The course went from Vista point above the damn, over the damn and onto some rail trail that ran for 11 miles. At mile 15 we hooked up to the River Trail, did one loop around and then finished at the Sundial Bridge. It really was a great course and the first 15 miles were absolutely stunning. Linz and Carter saw me twice during the race, as did Evan, Nance, Zach and Kelly, who caught me at great places along the river trail. Noah and Sarah caught me at mile 18.4--all were a huge encouragement--thanks guys, I could not have done it without you!

The first 18 were a breeze and really fun. I met Mike from Washington DC (pictured below) in the first mile of the race, we ran together and chit-chatted  till about mile twenty. He did his best to drag me along the last six but I just could not hang and he finished about 7 minutes ahead of me--great Guy--I would run with him again any day. Through that section our mile pace fluctuated between 7:15 and 7:30, a pace that put our finishing time around 3:15. The above picture is me feeling great at mile 15. 
This pic is at 18.5. A mile and a half after this picture my pace dropped to somewhere in the nines and it was all I could do to run sub tens. At mile 22 my legs began to cramp severely and continued to cramp off and on till the finish. I have never felt anything like it. I became road kill for the more experienced old dudes and dudettes who whizzed by me at quickened pace, for they had run a young 24 year old into the ground and were proud of it. 
Me at the finish where Linz, Carter, and great friends awaited. After the race, in an attempted to explain the pain, I equated the last four miles to the pain of birth, Linz laughed and said, "Not even close honey, but nice try." 
Me and my new friend Mike--the camaraderie  at these races is incredible.
A hug and a kiss never felt so good. Thanks all for your support.

In Brief

1. Student teaching is amazing. 

My master teachers (mentors) that I am paired with could not be better. 

Some signs that I am in the right place:

I don't feel like a fish out of water, being in front of a class seems as natural as breathing (I have got a lot to work on though--they tell me the craft is never mastered and I believe them), I sincerely and genuinely care for the kids in my class, and finally, I feel more myself then I have felt in a long time.

2. Marathon tomorrow. nervous. excited. hydrated and hungry.

3.  I am teaching the The Great Gatsby to my Juniors. Every one should read it again because it is unbelievably good. Fitzgerald succeeds in giving us pure poetry out of the mouth of Nick his humble and witty narrator. If you read it and don't like it, try it again because it is even better the third time. I am 1/3 of the way into Grapes of  Wrath, put that on your "to read" list too. It is blowing me out of the water and it reads faster then I ever could have imagined. 

4. The Best for last. Carter is turning into a human, not that he never was one, but now he crawls, claps, eats some solid foods, climbs into my lap, gets into trouble (see my wife's blog) and loves me.  

January Will Be Great! Like the rest of 09

For Christmas I got the flu. It came with some great features like chills, cold sweats, the usual fever and a soar throat. Medication was sold separately and like batteries was overpriced. I was sick for a solid five days, five days that were to be a critical component of my marathon training. Oh well, in the words of that nineties pop wonder Chumbawamba, I get knocked down but I get up again. The flu took more out of me then I expected. I did a 19.3 mile run on friday, it hurt, I am sore and now nervous about the race. However, I can not blame it all on the flu, I did slack a little and skip out on two or three big runs. My demise will be the result of a team effort by Flu and Apathy. We will see how it all pans out, I got two weeks to recover and taper my training. . . Giddy-up! 

I also start student teaching at Shasta Hight School this tuesday. I have two remedial freshman classes and a junior english class. It is a relief be making the final steps to a career. I would love to be hired by Shasta High come fall and my plan is to make myself a vital part of the school community, that way when hiring time comes they will say to themselves, what would SHS be without Mr. Tyler?--hire that man!

I am pumped for 2009

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Review that turned into a reflection

“Your just gotta have faith” is what the old George Michale song tells us. Faith has always been a positive value within society. Within religious communities persons whose faith is the strongest are venerated and looked to as an example. The community essentially has faith in the person’s faith, trusting all along that the venerated speak words of truth and wisdom and that their connections with God are authentic. But what happens when faith is perverted—when one’s belief becomes an unmovable force and the voice of “god” ostensibly whispers in their ear to commit atrocious, violent actions in "his" name.

John Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven is a mesmerizing and tantalizing read. By putting Mormon Fundamentalism under the microscope Krakauer launches a full-blown exploration into the dark fanatical underbelly of religion. Krakauer uses the violent murder of a mother and her child committed by Dan Lafferty as a launch pad for his exploration. Lafferty, a member of a fundamentalist Mormon sect, still believes to this day, some 20 years since the incident, that he was d0ing gods bidding when he slit the throats of his own brother's wife and her baby daughter.

This is disconcerting to say the least, especially for one who holds to a christian belief system; a system that allows for one to communicate directly with God. As a Christian it is not uncommon for me to hear a fellow believer say something to the extent of "I feel that God is telling me to do this or do that." I too have used this line myself, I hope with sincerity, to justify my actions--but so did the zealot/murderer Dan Lafferty who, incidentally, is not insane.

I believe most assuredly that the voice Lafferty was listening to was not God, however, Lafferty would vehemently disagree. Yes, he subscribes to a cookey brand of fundamentalism that places him narcissisticly as a central figure in Christ's second coming, but the question still must be asked, How do we know we are listening to the voice of God? I feel like all the indicators for what is and is not the voice of God are entirely subjective. The Holy Spirit? Theology? Both these things can be tweaked by listeners and hearers alike to line up with the voice. Problematic? Yes. Do I have any answers? NO.

All I can offer myself at this juncture is that I have to have faith in faith. I must believe in belief. One bad apple does not ruin the bunch right?

Anyway, the book is a quick read and is definitely worth a looksey

My Attitude Sucks Today

Today Blows. My apathetic self is back--if it was a living thing I would shoot it after I slit its throat and spit in its face. But it is not, so I can't--I kowtow to that SOB inside me every time. Today I am a failure--maybe tomorrow I will be the victor. I feel better any how after typing the above. 

Oatmeal: Yes it is Good!

Lately I have been hooked on breakfast sandwiches made with egg, cheddar cheese and tomato on an english muffin, they are delicious but I have been looking for something else to add to my breakfast repetuare. I found what I was looking for in old school Quaker Oats. Now, as most of you may agree, oatmeal by itself is gross and reminds me of Oliver Twist and the phrase "Please Sir . . . I'd like some more" comes to mind right after I gag on bland mush. 

Linz and I have discovered that if you want to enjoy oatmeal you got to dress it up a little. Here are some of our recent creations. 

But first some standard operations:

Never Cook in Microwave--always on the stove top!

Put the oats in with the cold milk before you start heating. Doing this gives good texture with out the oatmeal getting to goopy. Also at this point it is standard procedure for me to add a few drops of vanilla extract. I feel this rounds out the flavor and their is also the added benefit of the pleasant aroma when cooking.

Banana Oats

After oats are done cooking add sliced bananas, slivered almonds, cranberries, and brown sugar. 

Apple Oats

Throw in diced apple with cold milk and oats

While heating add nutmeg and cranberries 

When done stir in brown sugar (not to much or you will drown out the apple) and garnish with a dash cinnamon. 

Give it a try and tell me what you think.

Light

Is it just me, or does everything taste better this time of year. Coffee tastes better, wine tastes better, cookies taste better, kisses from my wife (these always feel magical, but none the less they feel extra good), all of it. My theory is that Christmas is magical. Duh--we all know this right, and if you don't think it is magical anymore . . . well, then perhaps you're heart has shrunk. I believe that Christmas owes a lot of it's magical feel to lights. Lights are a big deal, for they stir within the human nervous system a hypersensitivity to everything our little synapses can handle. It is so fitting that light should lead the charge in holiday spirit. Fitting because Christ was light to the world. Light in literature is always symbolic with hope, rejuvenation and life. This is true outside the realm of literature, not just in film and art, but in real life too. Light brings clarity, perspective, and most important, life (ask anyone who suffers from seasonal depression). Christ is light and Christ is life. 

My dad, when talking of his life before he was a Christian, says that Christmas always housed, for him, an inordinate amount of hope. Hope for what I am not sure, perhaps just hope for hopes sake, but none the less there is this intrinsic quality about Christmas--even with all the commercialization. It is a season that is shot through with a magical air of light, life, and hope. 

I should also mention that yesterday I saw, right around mile 13 of my 18 mile rain run, a vary large Bald Eagle perched high up in a tree over the river trail. It was massive, and majestic--it was a Christmas miracle.