How International Women’s Day lost all of my Respect

I’ll be honest and admit that I didn’t realize today was International Women’s Day until I was browsing the news online.  While the homepage highlights some interesting topics such as women in the Asia-Pacific region lacking economic power and a recent women’s bill in India’s legislature, the notion that this day wasn’t milked for political purposes would be too good to be true.  Enter the two “causes” that fired up this firecracker:

1. Anti-Americanism: If I am reading correctly, which I assume I am, the name given to today is “International Women’s Day.”  It is not “Women Outside of the U.S.A. Day” or “Non-American Women’s Day.” Yet on the front page of the IWD website we have a link to a video where we can all take pride in Pakistani women condeming the U.S. Now I understand that Pakistan hasn’t exactly been hailed as a model for women’s rights and some would aruge that women exercising free speech is a step forward, but is anyone else getting mixed messages here? We’re celebrating INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S day! The paragraph discussing the first year it was celebrated specifically states, “Clara Zetkin proposed that every year in every country there should be one same day when women’s solidarity presses for equality…”  So explain to me please, IWD committee, just how Pakistani women protesting the U.S. (not an all male country by any stretch of the imagination) is practicing solidarity.

2. A woman’s “right to choose”:  To IWD’s credit, I didn’t see anything about abortion and “reproductive rights” on the home page, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t somewhere on the site, as I’m willing to bet it is.  I have, however, seen more than a few articles, blog posts, facebook status updates, etc thanking the women of yesteryear for “fighting for the right to make choices about our own bodies.”  While this refers to women having abotions, let’s talk about the choices part for a second.  Unlike some other places in the world, I don’t worry about female genital mutilation.  I don’t worry about having an arranged marriage and the ensuing physical relationship that comes with that.  I don’t worry about having my feet bound, because small feet are a sign of beauty.  I don’t worry about being forced into prostitution.  I don’t worry about being trafficked.  These are choices that other women don’t (or didn’t) get to make.  Guess what? I also can choose not to have sex, which means I won’t have to decide between personal accountability and a child or ending a life, because I didn’t think about my actions. 

Next year will mark IWD’s centennial.  There’ll be big celebrations, I’m sure.  But, as for me, I don’t need a day of identity politics, anti-Americaism, and the “reproductive rights” crowd cheapening the contributions extraordinary women have made.  I’ll instead continue to look up to those women, women like my mother, grandmother, Condoleezza Rice, Margaret Thatcher, and GEN Ann Dunwoody, who insprire me.  These women make me proud.  They also love America and don’t feel the need to make their ovaries the most important part about being a woman.

The 2nd Flight 253: the crew did the right thing

Just two days after 23-year-old Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up flight 253 en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, passengers suffered a potential scare on the same flight 253 today. You can read the full story here. Luckily today’s incident, unlike the thwarted attack on Christmas day, was not a legitimate threat but rather a series of coincidences and a case of stomach distress on the part of another Nigerian national with no connection to Abdulmutallab. Although today we did not have to rely on a heroic Dutch filmmaker to prevent a plane from being blown up there was certainly what I deem to be a courageous and appropriate response on the part of airline officials. According to DHS press secretary Sara Kuban, “A passenger on today’s Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit spent an unusually long time in the aircraft lavatory. Due to this unusual behavior, the airline notified TSA and the agency directed the flight to taxi to a remote area upon landing to be met by law enforcement and DHS.” Additionally, the man was taken into custody “after becoming verbally disruptive on landing.” While some might posture that taking an unusally long time to attend to nature’s calling in the latrine is not a crime (and they would be right, because it’s not), the situation was not that cut and dry.

Let me take a moment to put myself in that situation. I’m a flight attendant or other crew member serving on the same flight that two days previously was almost blown up, save for the Dutch filmmaker we read about above. I’m probably a little bit apprehensive about this flight, even though the logical part of me is reminding me that I’m more likely to be struck by lightning than be killed in a terrorist attack and that my drive to the airport was significantly more dangerous statistically speaking than my trans-atlantic flight will be. I know those things to be hard, cold facts, but I also probably know some of the crew from the other flight 253 and have done more than a little bit of thinking about what would have happened, had that explosive device actually detonated. I also might be saying an extra prayer as the passengers are boarding, because even though those facts are cold and hard, there is a part of me that knows there are no guaranteees. Whatever apprehension I’m feeling before takeoff, I tuck that away into a compartment somewhere else just as my passengers will stow their carry-ons for the duration of the flight, and conduct my duties as a professional. I then notice a man who is in the lavatory for an extended period of time (it turned out to be a total of an hour) and though I might not think much of it since I know that airline food isn’t exactly the easiest on the digestive system, I also know this: “As the (December 25 flight 253) plane approached Detroit, Abdulmutallab went to the bathroom for 20 minutes. When he returned to his seat, he complained of an upset stomach and covered himself with a blanket.” I know what happened after that, too. That’s when something popped and passgengers saw Adbulmutallab’s leg on fire after his explosive device didn’t explode the way he had planned. Knowing all of this and after asking the man to leave the lavatory and him contuniting to be uncooperative, I go ahead and report that something suspicious is going on, at which point my airline notifies TSA. Upon landing, the baggage on my flight goes through additional screening before taxiing to the gate and nothing suspicious is found. The man is taken into custody, but Later, Kuban adds, “the passenger in question, a Nigerian national, was removed from the flight and interviewed by the FBI; indications at this time are that the individual’s behavior is due to legitimate illness, and no other suspicious behavior or materials have been found.”

So some might say that the airline notification, additional TSA screening and searching, taking the man into custody and interviewing him were a waste of time and resources. And they might be right, because ultimately the man proved to be experiencing stomach distress rather than attempting to conduct an act of terrorism. But who can fault the flight attendant/crew member for taking the action that was taken given the circumstances of the situation? Apparently some people. While reading about the incident from various linked news sources on twitter as events were unfolding, I came across a few tweets that were particularly irksome to me. One was: “flying in America: where being foreign and Incontinent is a national security issue.” It sounds rather pithy so I’ll give him that, but it completely ignores the situation. Being foreign and incontinent was not the national security issue. It was being verbally disruptive and not cooperating when the aircraft was preparing to land after being in the lavatory for an hour. The comment continues to not be able to hold water. Given that the flight was going from Nigeria (a foreign country) to Amsterdam (a city in a foreign country) to Detroit, there were likely more than a few foreigners. It’s not as if every foreigner using the lavatory was reported, only the one who didn’t cooperate and exhibited behavior similar to a passenger that tried to blow up a plane on the same flight two days before. The person who posed that tweet also coined the hashtag (a hashtag is when you use the # sign to tag a topic, later allowing twitter users to filter tweets based on that topic) #FWN which he said equals “flying while Nigerian.” Once again, the issue was not that this man was Nigerian (since the flight originated in Nigeria, there were probably a number of Nigerian passengers on board.) Frankly, it does not matter what nationality this man was, and we do not even know if the crew was aware of his nationality or not. It doesn’t affect the actions that they took. The crew acted as they should have during the incident. All passengers landed safely and DHS and the FBI cleared the ill passenger of any suspected wrongdoing. So instead of the snarky tweets that falsely characterize the situation and seek to imply some sort of xenophobic action, I’d personally like to thank the crew for taking the steps they did in what was surely a fearful situation with many unknowns.  My guess is many of the passengers thanked them as well.

Veteran’s Day, a Bridge, and a bag of Bananas

While Veteran’s Day may be ending soon on the East coast, the meaning of this holiday should always be close to our hearts. Everyone likely knows family, friends, colleagues, classmates, and acquaintances who have served this great nation of ours as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines or who are currently serving. In my life, the two people who stand out are my grandfathers, both WWII veterans. One of them, Grandpa Eldon, was a Soldier who served in Germany during the war. He grew up in Iowa and enlisted in the Army “because it was the right thing to do.” He received a Purple Heart for being wounded in combat. Earlier this year, he was also awarded a Bronze Star for having served in three or more battles, including the Battle of the Bulge. I’ll always remember when he showed me his uniform, some of the artifacts from the war, and his honorable discharge paperwork. There is also a very handsome picture of my grandpa in his uniform. He looks like the great American that he is, the kind of person who defended his country, then went on to work hard and live out the American dream. He was a part of the famous capture of the Bridge at Remagen, which was called the “Miracle of Remagen” because it opened the way for Allied troops to drive into the heart of Germany. The Germans were expected to blow up the bridge before American troops got there since Hitler had ordered its destruction and were shocked to see it was still standing. The Americans then were able to capture the bridge even though the Germans did eventually detonate an explosive that lifted the bridge from its foundations. Members of the 9th Armored Division, 1st Army were able to secure a perimeter and secure the bridgehead giving the Allies a foothold on the east bank. Pretty impressive, if you ask me!

Grandpa Harry was half of a world away, in the Pacific Theatre. He enlisted as an Airmen after the attack on Pearl Harbor. When he first went to sign up, he was three pounds too skinny and was told to eat a bag a bananas, then come back, which is exactly what he did. Looking at him now, you might not guess that he was three pounds too thin, but that was indeed the case. Grandpa Harry was an Air Force flight navigator and flew in the plane that was the decoy mission for the Enola Gay. At this time he and the rest of the flight crew didn’t know what was going on and were not told until later what had happened. My grandpa sat next to the photographer who took the famous photo of Hiroshima, although at that point the photographer wasn’t sure what was going on. Grandpa Harry even has original photos of the Japanese emperor and President Truman signing the Japanese surrender paperwork on the U.S.S. Missouri. Following WWII, he continued to serve and was career Air Force.

Both of my grandpas are truly heroes of mine and I look forward to following in their footsteps. On this Veteran’s Day, I want to thank those who serve and those who have served, from the 19 year-old currently who is currently deployed in Afghanistan to the 89 year-old who tells his great grandchildren the stories of Normandy, Iwo Jima, and Midway.

Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong. ~James Bryce

To all those who strive or have striven to make this country righteous as well as strong, God bless you, and God bless America.

My One-Year Anniversary with Marathons

So today is my 1 year anniversary with marathons.  I ran my first one last year on 10/26/08.  It was fabulous- my parents came up to watch, my brother came to run it (we ended up finishing together even though we hadn’t run anywhere near each other during the whole race), one of my best friends ran it, some of my friends were awesome cheerleaders, and I had a shirt with my name and a line of a Pre quote on it.  The quote was

 A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more

I had the “to see who has the most guts” part painted on the back, because as competitive as I am, I also know that a marathon takes more than speed, focus, or discipline.  It takes pure guts. The kind of guts you may not know you have until you’re forced to find out if you do.  I finished with a 4:04 that first race and although I’d been hoping to crack 4 hours, I was still pretty excited and couldn’t fall asleep til 3 AM that night because I was so keyed up.  Since then, I’ve run another in Houston (courtesy of my company) and one in Atlanta.  Houston was a lot of fun, because 20-30 people from my firm were there and I got to meet a lot of cool runners.  Unfortunately, it was also the worst I’ve ever been prepared for a race.  Like any “relationship” you need to put time into marathon training, and I’d been slacking.  My long run was a 13 miler (for good races I log at least an 18), I’d had a bad sinus infection and missed some key weeks of training for work travel to Korea and Germany, then couldn’t motivate myself to get out the door in December.   I didn’t make training as much of a priority and it showed when I clocked a 4:24.   I learned my lesson (I always seem to learn them the hard way) and was determined to crack 4 in Atlanta.  I trained well, running lots of hills with my friend who was running National the week before, hitting up the track for speed, and putting in solid long runs.  I rested well the week before, got some serious carbs in my system and was totally pumped for the race.  I ran with the 4 hour pace group, then pulled away at mile 15 and ended up with a 3:56 after negative splitting.  My entire family was cheering for me at the finish and I’ll always remember my dad yell “you’re doing it!” as I headed to the line with more than 3 minutes to spare.  I’ll also always remember taking a picture with an adorable Georgia bulldog right after the race. I may not have been able to stand, but I was getting a picture with that puppy! 

To celebrate my one year anniversary with marathons, I ran Marine Corps for the second time yesterday.  It was another occasion of being less than well-prepared.  Again, I had been traveling, this time to Japan and Korea, and hadn’t run as many long runs as I’d hoped.  I ran a 20-miler, but that was the week before the race, something any runner will tell you is a terrible idea.  The race started out well and I was logging 8:50-9 minute miles pretty consistently for the first 16-17 miles.  There was a potential for a PR!  But then I couldn’t sustain the pace and was dropping to 9:20-9:30s.  As the last ten miles dragged on, my goal got consistently slower.  “Just break 4,” I thought to myself, then “Ok, K Reed, you can do 4:05.”  After the bridge (1.5 miles of sheer hell and 7 total spectators) I knew even that would be a challenge.  As I ran miles 22-24 in Crystal City I just wanted this race to end.  I was not feeling the love this anniversary.  I wanted to break up with marathons.  I wished I could quit them.  But I knew I wouldn’t.  After mile marker 25 I got a little more bounce to my step.  I was so close.  As I rounded the corner to climb the final stretch, conquer that last hill, crush those final 200 yards I…. puked.  Not once.  Not twice.  But three times. In front of all of the finish-line spectators and runners coming up the hill.  A Marine came to ask if I was alright and needed help to get to the finish line.  I told him:

Nah, I got this

After 26.15 miles no one was helping me to the finish. I was going to get there on my own.  So I regrouped and prepared to execute, sprinting to the finish amidst chants of “Go REED” (thanks to K Reed being written on my shirt.) It was over.  I was done.  4:11.21.  It certainly wasn’t a great showing, being 15 minutes slower than my best and 7 minutes slower than my first marathon ever on the same course a year earlier.  But I’d like to think that somewhere Pre, a fellow duck, is laughing with (or at) me.   Happy anniversary, marathons.  Here’s to many more years of running together.  For better (PRs) and worse (puking), I’ll be right next to you.

I Came, I Tri-ed, I loved it

I’ve said for several months now that I wanted to start doing triathlons, given my swimming background and the fact that I’ve become a runner along the way as well. The one thing stopping me was the biking- it’s not that I’m afraid of it or haven’t gone to my fair share of cycling classes. It’s that I don’t have a bike and wasn’t really willing to shell out the benjamins for something if I didn’t know I’d get good use out of it. For that reason, my tri aspirations were dormant for quite some time. This was about to change, though! Booz Allen, the consulting firm I worked for was sponsoring teams to do the Make a Wish Triathlon in Bethany Beach, DE. A friend who I had met at the Corporate Athletic Association on the Booz team asked if I was interested in the swimming part since someone else we knew was doing the bike and run.

“Why not give it a tri?”

I thought to myself. The swim was 1.5 K, or .93 mile. This didn’t seem too bad so I committed and wrote in my handy dandy planner. We figured out the logistics, carpooled to DE, picked up our race packets, and grabbed some grub with the rest of the Boozers (aka Booz Allen colleagues, not alcoholics), at a local BBQ joint. I’d say there were about twenty of us, some completing the whole triathlon but most doing the relay. It was fun to meet others interested in the different sports, chow down on brisket and corn bread, and of course get some advice and situational awareness about the race. After that, four of us headed to a bonfire on the beach which was a lot of fun. There were these high school kids playing some type of crazy drums and we chatted about planning for the next day. Because I generally have the gift of being able to sleep anywhere when I’m tired enough, I got some good sleep and was ready to go in the morning. I chugged some Gatorade and put my swimsuit on. I think Andre and Rob were less than excited when I knocked on their door at 6 AM with a loud and obnoxious

Good morning team!! Who’s ready for the race?!?!?!

We drove to the race site, took a Booz Allen picture and headed to the transition area to set up.  Since each team has one chip I’d be giving my time chip to Rob after the swim for him to wear during the bike and run.  It was pretty chilly outside so Amy (another swimmer) and I stayed in our sweats as long as possible before walking the mile on the beach to wear the swim would start.  We had some time, because relays were the last wave.  On our way down I saw the largest jelly fish I’d ever seen in my life and a 12-year old kid who will probably win a Nobel prize for science explaining to a group of onlookers that jelly fish have 98% carbon dioxide in their muscles.  Who knew? At least I’ll be prepared, should this question come up on Jeopardy! After taking a moment to look at the large fish we queued in our section of black caps and waited for our wave.  I was trying to keep warm, which probably wasn’t as hard for the 95% of people who had wetsuits on! I don’t own a wetsuit and I don’t really plan to.  While this may sound strange coming from someone who’s always cold, I find them quite claustrophobic and believe that whatever time they save in the ocean for buoyancy would be lost during the 5 minutes it would take me to get out of one.  So instead of wearing a wetsuit I was rocking a blue camouflage one piece.  Once our gun went off we ran into the water, battled the waves, then took a left.  The course was a rectangle and the hardest part was getting to that left turn at the buoy.  During the swim we were to stay to the right of the buoys.  Being used to lane lanes and clear water for all my years of competitive swimming, it was definitely different to not have the structure of lane lines and not be able to see.  The water was murky, and people could run into you at any moment.  At first I wasn’t really having that much fun because it was strange to get used to, but after a few minutes and once I turned and got into a routine of breathing forward instead of to the side every 6 strokes or so I actually was loving it.  I got excited when I would pass someone and felt a rush when someone tried to pass me, eagerly trying to hold them off.  When I saw I had caught up to some people in the wave before me, I got even more excited.  I definitely swallowed some salt water and had a couple of people run into me but nothing major.  The best part was after the turn at the buoy to come back to the shore.  Because of the current, it was really like I was swimming and body surfing at the same time.  After getting back to the shore it was time to run back onto the beach, onto the mat and to the transition area so Rob could get on his bike.  While the swim itself had been just fine temperature wise the standing around after was pretty chilly.  Since we knew we couldn’t really cheer on the bike course, Amy and I took full advantage of the Sea Colony facilities, first relaxing in the hot tub and then showering the salt water and sand out.  After that, we headed back to the race area and saw the runners coming in.  We got to cheer for the Booz runners and I was screaming loud for my teammate, Rob, when he crossed the finish line.  Our team name was “We’ll Give Anything a Tri” (can you tell I really like this pun?) and I’m glad we did, because it was a great time. 

Following the race there was a picnic, sponsored by the BBQ place from the night before, that was amazing.  Even though I had only swam a mile I was pretty hungry and how can you ever get enough BBQ? They even had beer!  At this point it had warmed up and a group of us sat around talking and hanging out for a while which made for a good time.  They presented the awards for the top finishers in each age category and gender and also announced the top 10 fundraisers for the event.  The Make A Wish Foundation is a great organization, and it was awesome to see them raise some serious money for their mission.  I love how races (running, triathlon, biking, etc) are often times combined with charities, because what better combination than staying healthy, having fun, and giving back?  Overall I had an awesome time and can’t wait for my next triathlon experience! While I do still need to buy a bike and am doing some research on that, my next tri will be in a relay again, this time in the Beach to Battleship Ironman in Wilmington, NC.  The ante will go up quite a bit though, as the swim is 2.4 miles instead of a little under a mile. I’ll also likely be doing the running part with my teammate Jon since it’s 2 weeks before the 50-miler we’re signed up for and a marathon will make for a good training run before JFK.  So for all of you out there who are thinking about a triathlon and may or many not be prepared for all three events, I say go for it!  You can sign up for a sprint one, participate in a relay, or volunteer at one to get an idea of what it’s like.  You’ll be glad you did.  After all, you never know until you tri!

9/11: Turning “Never Forget” into “Always Remember”

September 11th.    9/11.    911.    9:11.  If you’re like most Americans, you’ve never looked at that date or those numbers the same since that tragic day 8 years ago when thousands of innocent lives were taken.  You most likely know every detail of where you were, what you thought, and how you reacted.  I can vividly remember my English and History teachers that sophomore year of high school uttering the words Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, words I’d never heard before but words that have since stirred emotions in me I never thought possible.  My German teacher preferred to continue with class as usual, citing that the news would “only continue to rehash what had already been said.”  Whether that attitude she took was her way of handling the shock and tragedy of what had just happened or a means to try to return to a sense of normalcy, there was no hiding the fact that the world changed that day and would never, ever be the same. America had been attacked by savages.  The locations our attackers chose were no coincidence.  The World Trade Centers, a symbol of  American economic prowess and stability.  The Pentagon, the most concentrated center of military decision making and power in the world.  As the terrorists likely predicted, America suffered greatly.  We lost the lives of  our countrymen on the three flights that were hijacked.  We lost the lives of those who could not get out of the World Trade Centers or the Pentagon in time, those who had to jump out of a building or were incinerated, those who died in a Pennsylvania field to prevent the Capitol from being attacked.  We also lost the lives of those who were assisting in rescue operations, the firemen and police officers who tried to save their fellow Americans.  Many correctly say that we can never forget these losses and sacrifices.  I agree. We need to do more than simply never forget.  We need to always remember. This isn’t a great analogy, but it was the best I could think of to explain what I mean.  Rather than saying “I will not be mean” or, in other words, deciding you won’t do something, it’s saying “I will be nice” or deciding to consciously do something. Instead of making sure America doesn’t forget and that the memory of what happened on September 11th and the loss of lives doesn’t fade away, we need to make sure we actively remember.  How you choose to remember is an individual decision.  Whether it’s wearing a flag pin on your heart, saying a prayer each day for the lives lost and the troops who serve, volunteering your time and/or resources, serving in the military, or any other number of ways, we can only honor the victims and heroes if we actively remember.

We need to always remember the innocent lives that were lost that day. Every single one of them.

We need to always remember their individual stories. 

We need to always remember the families, friends, colleagues that are still grieving.

We need to always remember that this country stands for freedom and liberty and does not cower when our ideals are attacked.

We need to always remember that this is a nation of resolve and that we fight for what we believe in, recognizing that the freedom we hold so dear has never, and will never, be free.

We need to always remember the men and women who defend that freedom, both overseas and abroad.

We need to always remember that all of them are giving some and some have given all in the name of defeating the very type of terrorism that was committed that day.

We need to always remember that the fabric of this nation is stronger than the differences that divide us.

We need to always remember that our threats are real and vicious and that they will not go away on their own.

We need to remember the pain and suffering of that day.

We need to always remember that it is only by being vigilant that we can prevent such acts.

Here is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.  Always remember their sacrifices.

Here is a tribute to our military members  fighting terrorism. Always remember their sacrifices. 

God Bless America.

10 Quick Notes on Obama’s Healthcare Speech

So it would take hours to get into the nitty gritty of all this healthcare stuff and I’m sure you’ll get to read more about my views on it in the weeks/months to come, but here are a few observations on tonight’s address to Congress by the president.  If you saw my tweets, you know I had my fair share of sarcasm during the speech.  But for now, I’ll be serious.

1. I’m still not sure who’s going to be paying for this if, as Obama, said it’s not the taxpayers.  More people (depending on the day it’s 37 million or 46 million or insert random #) will be getting care, quality will supposedly be the same, and this won’t cost taxpayers more? In other words, show me the money. Are we going to borrow more? This is a fundamental question that I think even HR 3200 supporters need an answer to before we can proceed.

2.  Comparing the cost of Obamacare/healthcare reform/call it what you want to the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan is extremely upsetting to me.  Radical Islam, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban present real and dangerous threats to Americans and need to be combatted.  It’s a disservice to those who are serving their country to compare these issues and act as if they are on the same level.  Also, if you can find one person who would put their life on the line to get this health care reform passed, please let me know who it is.  I highly doubt the Congressmen trying to ram this thing through would deploy for a year and battle insurgents but maybe I’m wrong. 

3.  Whatever you think about Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelling out “liar” or “you lie” the president actually started this name-calling when he said that there had been a lot of lies coming from the opposition.  So if you’re gonna dish it, please be able to take it.  And if you want to follow Rep. Wilson on twitter he’s here. My guess is he’ll have something up about it tomorrow. I’ll be curious to see what he says.

4. I’m not sure who held up the “what bill?” sign, but it was amazing. When Obama claims that x, y, and z will be in the bill, he is basically looking at a crystal ball.  This hasn’t made it through the committees, to the Senate, and is miles away from the president’s desk, if it ever gets there.  How is he to know what will make it to the final version after all of the political bargaining?

5. Republicans all know that there need to be changes to the system.  One of these is tort reform.  The president made a comment about doing “experiments” with tort reform in states, which basically translates to hoping people forget about it. 

6. I knew Ted Kennedy would be brought up, but whatever your thoughts on the man, it doesn’t even make sense.  Sure, he wanted universal healthcare, but would he ever have used it? We don’t need to speculate to get the answer to this question since he left Massachusetts (where insurance is required) to get the best care possible.  Although his brain tumor proved inoperable, his life was extended for more than a year as a result of top-notch care.  Just as Canada’s Prime Minister Harper doesn’t wait in the long lines his fellow countrymen do and get placed on waiting lists for routine procedures, Kennedy wasn’t going to go the commoner’s route either.  And frankly, I don’t blame him.  But don’t invoke his name as a champion for something if he wouldn’t have gone near the system. 

8.  News flash to Obama: No one thinks that illegal aliens are going to be required to have health insurance like legal Americans would be.  The concern is that the costs that Americans currently pay for illegals (mostly for care received in the ER) will not only remain constant but actually increase.  So when he says, “the bill does not apply to illegal immigrants,” he is technically correct, but doesn’t address the main issue, which is that this cost will skyrockets, especially given the administration’s policy (or lack thereof) on immigration enforcement.

9.  As Sean Hannity pointed out on his show tonight, not once did the president note the things that are actually good about our system.  Nothing on the medical technologies.  Nothing on the innovation. Nothing on the fact that people around the world who have the opportunity to come here for quality care do so when given the chance. I know the system needs some improvements, but you would score some points if you acknowledged some of the great things American healthcare does right. 

 10.  I have been fortunate enough to grow up without any major health scares or debilitating conditions.  For that I am grateful.  I realize that has not been the case for everyone, and I think we should listen to those people and learn from their experiences. From a Canadacare escapee whose life was saved as a result of coming to the U.S. for care for her brain tumor:

Government healthcare isn’t the answer. And it sure isn’t free.

Appalachian Trail Mix

It’s been over 48 hours since I ran 14 miles on the Appalachian Trail (starting at Turners Gap) and my body seems to have not forgiven me yet for putting it through that abuse, although that also might have something to do with the Sports Conditioning class I did at Gold’s yesterday.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store when I get to run that section again, although next time it will be preceded by 3 miles and followed by about 33.   I had better stock up on Advil, or maybe some morphine? So now for the play-by-play.  I got up at about 6 so I had plenty of time to meet up with the Reston Runners in Reston by 6:45.  This was my first time running with their club so I was a little bit apprehensive since I only knew a couple of the people through e-mail, but was looking forward to meeting some fellow JFK 50 runners and getting some words of wisdom from the pros.  Any apprehension soon melted away, partially because I will talk to basically anyone, but mostly because everyone was so welcoming and friendly.  Runners, and distance runners especially, are generally like that though.  Sarah from Pittsburgh, who spent the previous night at two of the club’s active members’ home before the run put it well and explained that most in the endurance community are very kind since they understand that “we’re all a certain breed of crazy.”  And a certain breed of crazy is what I found out my fellow AT runners were all about.  Sarah herself completed an Ironman in FL last year.  She’s doing a 5.8 mile open-water swim in a couple of weeks.  As someone who started year-round U.S.S. swimming at the age of 7 and generally seems to function better in water than on land, this is intimidating even to me.  Anna, who is organizing the Reston women’s teams for JFK 50 will be running JFK for the 15th time.  Other club members boast similar tallies.  One of the Jims (there are a few) recently did a 100-miler in Vermont.  Another club member who is essentially the definition of the word “jacked” flew out to VT to pace him for the last 30 miles.  After hearing about the club members’ experiences, it was official: I was puppy chow and setting out to run with the big dogs.  While the three marathons I have under my belt might be impressive to some of my friends and family, they were essentially nothing compared to the achievements of these people.  It was inspiring and humbling at the same time.  It was comforting that several others were training for their first 50-miler but in general I couldn’t help wondering if the rest of the runners were going to be napping for 2 hours by the time I finished.  After carpooling to the finish of our segment, then carpooling to the start (so half the cars were at the start and half at the finish) we began the run, or I should say the walk/run.  Since I’ve never walked in a marathon for fear of not starting to run again, I had the very naiive idea that I would approach the 50-miler (and thus the 14 miles of the AT) the same way.  This idea, while a really good one in an ideal world, proved its ridiculousness as club members explained to me that running the hills of the AT would only kill your legs very early in the race.  It proved to be even more laughable when I actually saw the first hills of the AT.  Even the turbo guys (who will likely run the rocky trail portion at sub 8-minute miles) were walking on the hills.  So I adjusted fire and the new strategy became walk hills, run the flats, and try your damnedest not to fall.  For those of you who know me, you know that I can trip fairly easily on my shoe, a leaf, or nothing at all.  Add that klutziness to a trail that literally has rocks and rocks upon rocks , logs to jump over, and only stretches of even surfaces, and the probability for falling is infinitely higher.  Sometimes I’m asked what I think about when I run long distances.  Distracting my mind wasn’t really a problem on the AT as I had to pay attention to every step to ensure I didn’t fall.  Looking at my watch, taking a shot block, and even wiping sweat off my face made the risk for falling twice as high.  I made it to the aid station the club had set up around mile 6 and re-filled one of my fuel belt bottles with gatorade and had a fig newton.  I was careful not to stop for more than two minutes or so since I knew getting back on the trail was going to be harder the longer I was off of it.  The next 8 miles were brutal.  It was rockier than the first section, I was more tired, and despite my best efforts… I fell… twice.  I don’t even think it was a large rock and it definitely wasn’t a log, but I was on the floor with dirt on my water bottle, a left wrist that broke the fall and was in pain as a result, a nice scrape on my left arm, and what is now a large purple bruise on my left knee. I got over it quickly and kept going.  Then I fell again within about a mile.  This one was worse and left me with a bleeding right knee (you can imagine how hot my knees look), the area between the thumb and wrist of my right hand thoroughly swollen and a nice blue color as well as dirt basically all over my face.  Despite the physical pain I was in, I was probably more mentally irked than anything.  I had been determined not to fall and clearly hadn’t achieved that goal, despite doing my best to pay attention to every step.  I was also pretty ready for this run to be over with.   A couple other runners fell as well so at least I wasn’t the only klutz.  Unfortunately one of the club members actually broke or dislocated his pinkie finger and the knuckle was jutting out in what can only be described as an unnatural position.  Proving the breed of crazy theory, he completed the remaining 7 miles without even taking the Advil that was offered to him and running with his right hand above his heart.  I was impressed.  After the last two miles of switchbacks, additional rocks, and steep downhills, I finally saw some of our runners sitting down at the end of the trail segment.  Everyone was sharing their thoughts, stories of their falls, the two snakes that had been spotted (I saw a large black one right in the middle of the trail and one guy even hopped over it since he saw it at the last minute) and where and how the rest of the runners were.  It was clear no runner would be left behind, regardless of their injuries, speed, or anything else.  The organizers made sure everyone was accounted for and people were sharing Luna bars, wet wipes to get blood off the scrapes, and anything else they had.  Anna asked if this was a good thing to do before the race or not.  My answer was a mix, just like the trail. On the one hand, I’m glad I know what to expect when I actually get to the race and wouldn’t want to be blind-sided with that type of terrain. On the other hand, ignorance can sometimes be bliss and I’m not sure how excited I am to run that portion again, especially knowing that 30+ miles will follow it, and last year’s temperature at the start of the race was a chilly 17 degrees.  A few things are for sure, though.  It was definitely better to do that kind of run in a group.  Even though the runners weren’t all in one bunch, I was generally running near other people most of the time, which makes the monotony of rocks go by more quickly and also ensures someone is there should you happen to wipe out.  The AT is absolutely beautiful.  Though I was mostly concerned with looking at the ground to ensure fewer falls than more, the scenery is gorgeous and you’d never know you were just an hour or so outside of the DC area.  Lastly, I’m pretty sure I’ll fall again during the actual race.  One wise runner told me, “It’s not a matter of if.  It’s a matter of when.” And that’s ok, because next time I’ll know what to expect, and I know I’ll get back up just like I did on this run.  Oh, and I’m for sure bringing some trail mix for the aid station after the AT.  God knows I’ll want the sugar and calories, and after 14 miles of rocks, some chocolate, in the form of M&Ms, will be just what I need to slog out the rest of the 50 miles.

‘Twas the night before college football

As I was browsing facebook tonight I saw the status of one of my AXO sisters/friend who is a die hard Oregon Duck fun.  It said “It’s kinda like Christmas Eve.”  She was, of course, referring to the fact that tomorrow is the start of the college football season! The anticipation is great- like a kid on Christmas Eve who knows they’ll be tearing apart presents the next morning, college football fans wait to see what gifts the season will bring.  Whether its Davids defeating Goliaths (you might recall that Appalachian State vs. Michigan upset), games that come down to the wire (Navy beating Notre Dame in triple OT two years ago), coaches that will literally die on the field before they give up the game (Joe Pa at Penn State takes the cake at age 82!) the season will never disappoint.  There’ll be controversies of course- you may have heard that Michigan is now under investigation for potentially violating the NCAA 20-hr rule in the preseason.  There’ll be disputed ref calls, belligerent fans, and heart-breaking injuries.  What duck doesn’t get a little misty-eyed recalling our former QB, Dennis Dixon (now a Steeler) tore his ACL while Oregon was sitting pretty at #2.  Then there’s the “scandals.”  It’s pretty much a given that Florida State will have to supsend at least 10 players for “academic issues” aka hard core cheating by the time Capital One Bowl Week rolls around.    Sports reporters, coaches, and any American who gives a damn will be sure to opine about what should be done about the BCS.  Should college football have play-offs?  Should we get rid of the BCS? Are certain schools going to stop doing everything short of sleeping with BCS commissioners to get bowls? There’ll be the golden children, (Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy were last years), some of whom will live up to their celebrity status, others of whom will get their 15 minutes of fame but fail to deliver when the second quarter comes around.  Then there’s the kids you’ll be watching to see how they handle what could be potentially be that golden child status.  This year Matt Barkley (USC’s true freshman QB) will be one who could flop or earn hero-status.  What about Greg Paulus, former Duke point guard and basketball team captain, who will now be playing QB for Syracuse?  Never mind the Duke grad hasn’t played football competivitely since his senior year of high school- we’ll see if his Orange crush pans out or dead pans.  Speaking of Orange, tomorrow my ducks are playing the Boise State Broncos in Idaho at what’s been dubbed “Smurf turf” for it’s blue surface.  When the Broncos aren’t playing the ducks (and beating them narrowly like last year) I generally like Boise State.  There a team that doesn’t get as much attention as they should, a sentiment echoed by my favorite ESPNU college football podcasters.  I was stoked to see them defeat then #10 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to ring in 2007, and speaking of rings, you’ll remember running back Ian Johnson proposing to his girlfriend after scoring the final points in their OT 43-42 victory.  Tomorrow’s game is sure to be a good one and even won “pick of the week” by one of the podcasters.  Although he said the game would be played “by the team with the ugliest uniforms at the ugliest stadium,” we all know there’s just some jealousy lurking about the fact that Oregon has the most uniform combinations in all of college football.  I’m excited for tomorrow’s game and the season in its entirety! I think this quote sums things up pretty well.  When Dan Jenkins, a golf reporter for 50 years who has attended over 200 major championships, was asked what his favorite sport was, the no-brainer answer would be golf.  But instead here’s what he had to say:

“Hey, golf is fun. It’s beautiful. It’s elite. It’s gorgeous and all those things. But college football it’s important. People live and die for that sport.”

And that, my friends, is why tonight feels, according to my friend, a little bit like Christmas Eve. Here’s to a great season!  And go ducks!

 

Starting the Fire

So I’ve always thought the idea of a first blog post was like a first date, awkward and chock full of pressure.  Rather than worrying about that perfect outift that says you’re not trying too hard but still showered within the past 18 hours, one must worry about the blog layout.  (I spent 20 minutes trying to crop an awesome picture of a firecracker to no avail.)  Instead of wondering if the person across the table from you will want to sit across that table from you once more, one wonders if the reader on the other side of the screen will ever come back.  And just as all first dates bring some apprehension about what the converstaion might consist of, potential uncomfortable silences or uneasiness about how many details to reveal, a blogger might face apprehension about what topics to focus on, how to generate new ideas, and the degree to which they post personal content over a medium that lasts forever.  What about the competition? Just as your date might be playing the field, your readers probably are too.  How do you demonstrate your value and uniqueness as a potential companion? Or in blog world terms, how do you become a blogger that will make the blogroll of others, get trackbacks, retweets, and comments?  Then there’s the dreaded goodbye.  Instead of ascertaining whether to end the date with a handshake, high five, hug, or kiss, the blogger’s sign-off is something that must certainly be anaylzed.  Are you a “cheers,” “regards,” or ”best,” type? Or is “over and out,” “catch ya on the flip side” more your style?  Of course the scrutiny doesn’t end there.  How often should you check to see if he or she has called/e-mailed/facebooked you about a potential second date? And what’s the best way to communicate your interest if you do want that second date, keeping in mind that neither stalkerish tendencies nor cold-shoulder tactics will achieve that aim? In the blogosphere these questions are comparable to figuring out how frequently to check your blog for comments and how often to update.  I mean you want your readers to read of course, but you can’t bombard them- you also can’t leave them with three month gaps in your entries.  You’ll either scare them away or bore them. The more I think about this, a first blog post and a first date really do have a lot of similarities.  There are some marked differences, though.  For instance, I wouldn’t attend a first date in my pajamas, which is the attire I’m sporting as I write my first post.  I also would avoid first dates that start at 12:30 AM and don’t generally post the details of that initial hang out on twitter and facebook like I’ll be linking this post to in the morning.  But there is one thing that will definitely remain consistent for both.  Just like a first date I’ll certainly be debriefing my closest girlfriends with the details and asking for their input.  If I trust them to tell me whether date one was a go or a bust based on my rehashing, I know I can count on them to let me know if post one is the equivalent of dropping a bomb or lighting a spark.  And that, my fellow firecrackers will be somethong for you to decide, too, as I officially detonate the blogging adventure.