The Express

Dori and I are planning to take the kids to "The Express," a movie premiering October 10. The storyline is about Ernie Davis, the Syracuse running back who was the first African-American to win the Heisman trophy. Davis was destined to a great NFL career before leukemia claimed the life of this great man. Will mentioned his interest in this movie the other day. Here's more:



Tonight, I ran a surprisingly easy four miles in 36:29, a 9:07/mile pace. Soreness from Saturday's run was minimal. I felt like I was running at 80 percent in the warm, dry conditions, but knew better not to press it after a long one. A cold front is coming through tomorrow morning, so running this week will be wonderful.

Commodore fans are having fun talking about potential signs to hoist behind ESPN's College Gameday crew, kinda like this.

Here are some sign ideas from my fellow Commies and one from me (the last one). Some of these are inside Vanderbilt/SEC/college football, so enjoy if this is down your alley.



The Geeks Shall Inherit the Turf
Vanderbilt Bandwagon: Looking for Volunteers
Memorial Magic: Let's Take This Outside
Same old (crossed out) new Vandy
Dr. Lou says: 'Bobby Johnthon for Prethident'
Corso smells like sweaty costume!
Our hot girls are smart!
Only at VU, QB = High School Valedictorian
Fold your athletic department before it's too late!

ESPN Gameday Coming to Nashville

Dori was surfing a Vanderbilt college football blog this afternoon (see why I love her?) and blurted, "Wow, ESPN's Gameday is coming to Nashville Saturday!" I got that funny feeling, like I was kissing my first cute girl. Hot damn! The eyes of college football will be on US NEXT WEEKEND.

Kathryn asked me if I was going to blog about this, to which I responded, "Kathryn, there's a lot of meat on that bone. Absolutely!"

If you don't follow sports, Vanderbilt has been the joke of college football for decades. Since the mid-70s, it's been futility at its finest, or worst, depending on your perspective. Our last bowl appearance was in 1982, when I had zits. 1982 was also the last year we had a winning record. We've found inconceivable ways to lose a football game ... seriously, try me and I'll tell you when and how we did it. I'm surprised no one has written a book or made a movie about it.

The last three years of football have been better, though we haven't been able to "get over the hump." We're beating one or two good teams a year now, but not getting that elusive sixth win. This year, we're 4-0 with eight games left. Heck we may not win six or seven this year because of a brutal schedule, but I like our chances.

I won't rehash why I love this team; that's in a previous post. I will tell you I am proud to be a loyal supporter of a program that has always placed academics and character above getting the most wins to fuel somebody's ego. To me, that's why I love Vanderbilt football and this upcoming weekend. In summary:





GO DORES!

Hotty Toddy!

Ole Miss fans have a lot to cheer about ... Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty! The Rebels beat Florida in Gainesville yesterday. Yes, that's the same Ole Miss team Vanderbilt beat last weekend in Oxford. Florida and Georgia both have one loss, while Tennessee is going nowhere fast (0-2 in the SEC). VU's game Saturday with Auburn just went from huge to ginormous, as our daughter would say.

I felt like singing Hotty Toddy after yesterday's 12-mile Team in Training run. Before the start at Grassland Elementary, Coach Stephne said we should take it slow, but I had other ideas. Three weeks from the big day in San Francisco, I decided to simulate the race as best I could. That meant no stops or hanging around water stations. My goal was to post a 9:20/mile pace at the turnaround and see if I could negative split.

Things went very well the first six miles. Suprisingly, no one joined me as I settled on a 9:15 pace. Today wasn't social day for me, so I stayed in my own world. My only "stop" on the out portion was 20 seconds long at the 3.4-mile mark (the Moran Road-Old Natchez intersection) to refill my Gatorade bottle. Fresh off my first energy gel, I reached the Montpier subdivision after a cruise along the Harpeth River on Old Natchez. Average pace: 9:17/mile.

At the 6.5-mile mark, I saw Stephne, Lisa and Sara. A mile ahead of some good runners, I asked myself, "Is this too fast?" Stephne asked how I was doing, and I said, "Good!" Pressing on, I caught some of my teammates who were running 10. We knuckled Barack-Michelle style. Soon after, I hit the only serious hill of the run at 8.5. Could I hold this? My Garmin said average pace was 9:20 as I refueled again for 20 seconds.

At 9.5, discomfort arrived and I started slowing slightly. I also flashed a rash under my right armpit from the rubbing of my sleeveless t-shirt. At 10.6, I had to stop to remove my shirt, took a deep breath and swigged plenty of Gatorade. To the sounds of "You're So Vain" in my head, I ran shirtless (impressing no one) the last 1.5 miles, much of it uphill. I returned to Grassland spent in 1:54:27, a 9:32/mile pace. Total mileage for the week: 33.5. Total training mileage since June: 385.

I'm pleased with the effort. The only disappointment was not to negative split. The sun beat down pretty good the last four miles, which was a factor. It wasn't hot, but it wasn't cool either, except at the beginning of the run. My takeaway is I need to get to Mile Six in San Francisco at a slightly slower pace, probably in the 9:25 range, conquer the big hill at that point and then see if I can get it on. Realistic goal for San Francisco looks like a 2:02-2:04, but we'll see what happens. No race is ever the same or what you expect ... that I know after six half marathons.

The weekend ends with the kids' cross country run on a warm day and Dori returns after a weekend in Charlotte with her friend Garrett.

New link on cord blood donation is now in the Links section.

Friday Night Flashbacks

Friday Night Flashbacks are being delivered a little early. This week's back travel shines the light on Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) and his tigress ex-wife Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders). That was too much talent in one marriage and house, so they divorced soon after marrying in 2004 and having a baby girl.

First, "Alive and Kicking," a great running song and so spiritual.



Dori and I saw The Pretenders at the Ryman Auditorium a few years ago. The Ryman, an old church and the former permanent home of the Grand Ole Opry, has seldom heard better than the talented but foul-mouthed Chrissie, whose mouth my Mom would have washed. My favorite Pretenders song, "Show Me," was written by Chrissie about her baby girl.



I love "See the Lights," but Dori loves "Don't You Forget about Me" more. When momma's happy, nobody's bummin'. This one's with Pop-ups.

Morning Surprise

This morning, the alarm went off at 4:15. I turned it off, feeling no motivation to run. After 15 peaceful minutes, Guilt started yapping in my ear. "So you're gonna let people in need down?" he whispered. That was enough to get me moving, along with the fact Dori had me playing tooth fairy after Will's most recent gum loss.

The weather was perfect this morning ... 53 degrees and no wind. As I hit the three-mile mark on an out-and-back near Belmont University, a young lady bolted from behind a tree in a dark yard. She asked, "Can I run with you?"

My mind raced through about six possible retorts, some of them responses to old pickup lines and a few not fit for this blog. Using my media training, I said, "Sure, are you OK?"

"Someone was trying to get me," she said nervously. "A car stopped and they wouldn't leave me."

As we ran together, I could tell she'd been spooked. After a few hundred yards, she thanked me, then sprinted down a street to her home. Near Belmont, I saw a police officer at a gas station and told him what I knew. He took notes and thanked me.

The return run was uneventful. I ran seven miles at a 9:40/mile pace. I'm at 21.5 with a 12-miler scheduled Saturday morning. Tapering starts next week.

My employer is about to do a nice thing. They are sponsoring a team at Light the Night Oct. 16 in Nashville (they are a $2,500 sponsor) and will be letting folks know how they can contribute to my run. Pretty good stuff.

OK, I don't do politics on this blog, but I do appreciate a little levity. I'm watching in disgust, like many of you, Washington bail out a mess rooted in corporate avarice and lawmakers' and regulators' inability to address predictable problems over the last 10 years. So let's allow the world's most famous capitalist share a more cogent moment from a recent TV interview:

"It's nice to have a lot of money, but you know, you don't want to keep it around forever. I prefer buying things. Otherwise, it's a little like saving sex for your old age." - Warren Buffett

No wonder I like Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) in Caddyshack so much ... PG clip to follow.

The Big Picture

Sometimes when things aren't going well, it's good to take stock. As I embarked on this morning's 5.5 miler, I felt deep soreness I knew wasn't going away soon. Rather than focus on the discomfort, I decided my time would be better spent in the 5 a.m. darkness thinking about what I've accomplished and where I'm going.

Here's the big picture of my training to date and my half marathon race scheduled just 25 days away.

*I've run 366 miles since early June. That's the equivalent of running from Nashville to Knoxville and back or from Nashville to Greenville, SC (plus 16 miles). That's not bad.

*I'm injury free, knock on wood and break out a rosary. That wasn't the case last summer before the Virginia Beach half marathon.

*Most of my runs have gone well. Only two long runs have been duds, and I've emerged from another hot summer lighter and fitter. My resting pulse is in the high 40s, and I haven't spent Fridays making poor nutrition decisions.

*To date, we've raised $12,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with another $2,000 in corporate pledges. We may very well get to $20,000, or darn close to it.

*Through this site, we've raised tremendous awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and encouraged (successfully) many people to register on the National Marrow Donor Program. We're just starting on cord blood donation. This site has registered about 15,000 visits since its inception last June. What a blessing to have this impact.

*I've made many new friends. Great people, too. Mark, Sammie, Jessica, Stephne, Heather, Margie, the LLS staff ... the list is a long one.

*Most importantly, Dori will be with me at the October race. Last year, she was recovering from consolidation chemo and preparing for a bone marrow transplant. Certainty was not in our vocabulary. This year, I have a hot date in San Francisco.

*My faith in God has been tested, but it's stronger. I was never worried about wavering, but you do have to go through it to see what you can and should do. You look at some very dark places when you go through this battlezone called cancer. Emotions can bubble to the surface (I cried in church twice), and your wife and children are always on your mind. Whatever happens, as I said at a recent Gilda's Club meeting, I believe this brief life of ours is simply a test to earn the right to enjoy everlasting life.

Funny how the pain dissipated as I worked through these.

The run ended in 54:55, a blistering 9:59/mile pace.

Quick Hits

OK, three friends have sent me this video link today about Nashville's gas crisis. It's laugh-out-loud funny and PG, so move on if bad language offends you. If it does, you're missing out on a belly ache.

On last weekend's drive down the Natchez Trace, I rediscovered a song on a Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder CD that didn't mean much to me a few years ago. Written by Mac McAnally, the touching song revisits the journey of Mac's grandmother who was dying from leukemia. I shared the Ricky Skaggs version the other day with Dori; here's an older version.



Here's another good follow-up from Paige about the cord blood donation process. Thanks again, Paige, for sharing your experience and being an activist:

" ... This issue makes my head spin because on one hand an organized banking system makes so much sense (and it's easy to explain to people), but on the other hand, does it start with doctors, hospitals, a federal effort or regional, or with building more cord blood banks? Squeaky wheel is all I know to do, and I plan to make [the hospital in which she delivered] my first target. With more than 7,000 babies delivered per year and considering the hospital's interest in providing top-notch l&d services, the hospital surely could help make increased donation a reality. At the very least, I plan to write a letter. Beyond that, I have a couple of connections with the hospital chain's administrative folks."

Now love on that baby girl!

Our family continues to go through a good Gilda's Club program. Tonight, the kids asked oncology nurses questions about cancer, while the parents attended their separate program. We are learning a lot about dealing with things and sharing experiences with others that are helpful.

Running went fine last night (five miles at Radnor in 47:20) and this morning (four untimed miles). On last night's warm run, I ran slowly the first 3.25 miles, but clicked along at an 8:30/mile pace the last 1.75.

It's getting close to new shoes time ... Total mileage since training began in June is 361 miles. My current pair is still doing the trick, but I like to buy a new pair about 2-3 weeks before a race. New running shoes feel so good the first few weeks. Your legs and feet simply say, "Thank you." I donate used pairs to the homeless through the local running store and hope you fellow runners do, too. I'm sure many have said "thank you" to us.

Great Weekend on All Fronts

Saturday morning started with a Team in Training run, my first long run in two weeks since the bug invaded my body. I ran 1.5 warmup miles to a rendezvous point with the TNT crew, then joined them for five miles, making a few fueling stops. I peeled off at the Music Row Roundabout and headed home to complete 11.5 miles with my iPod cranking.

I felt great the whole way. I experienced some fatigue at a serious hill at 10.5 miles, but lumbered up and regrouped to get back in rhythm. Final time: 1:48:52, a 9:28/mile pace. The accomplishment was welcome after wondering where things stood the last two weeks.

Will and I then headed to Oxford, MS, to watch our undefeated Vanderbilt Commodores play an improved Ole Miss team. We tailgated with our friends the Woodmansees, then watched VU prevail in a thriller. Today, the Dores cracked the Top 25 today for the first time since 1984.




Yesterday, VU started slowly. Ole Miss was poised to blow us out in the first quarter. I looked over at Will, who looked very dejected. I said, "This team responds well to adversity, and I think you're going to see them play well soon. They may not win, but watch them respond."

Minutes later, they made some big plays and eventually tied up the game at halftime. They made key plays late, their trademark, to sew up the game. I think Will is gaining an understanding that football (and life) are longer than one quarter. He's watched his mother battle cancer with courage, and now he's been given another good example how you can respond when things don't look great.



As good as the football game was, the best part of the trip may have been the 200-mile drive to Tupelo and back on the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway, the two-lane federal road through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi that doesn't allow commercial vehicles. On the Trace, you might see a car every five miles. We saw dozens of turkeys and deer, quite a few box turtles crossing the road, and endless fields of soybeans, corns, sunflowers and other crops. It is smooth, picturesque driving without any eyesores (signs, telephone poles, etc.).

Kathryn and Will ran the season's first cross country meet this afternoon. It was warm, but they ran good mile times on the rolling course - 7:43 and 8:22, respectively, they tell me. I wasn't at the finish line but positioned on the far end of the course. Unlike past years, neither stopped and both combatted their pain.

Friday Night Flashbacks

For the 14th installment of FNF (has summer flown by or what?), I submit piano pop from Vangelis, the composer of "Chariots of Fire." This song, which is empowering and thus a favorite running tune, is from the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty." Note Mel Gibson pondering a tirade.



Also good Vangelis here from "Blade Runner," a favorite 1982 movie. Since Dori doesn't like Vangelis, it's time to make momma happy with The Babys' "Everytime I Think of You." Admit it ... all of you want to sing back up to this song.



Time to make daddy happy with the Pointer Sisters.



This one's a request from my friend Chuck. Hard to believe Bobby Caldwell is not African-American.

Bobby Caldwell - What You Won't Do for Love

Well Said, Gary

From my weekly Team in Training newsletter, which included an entry from a triathlete:

The following excerpt from a letter to his teammates by Nashville participant, Gary Mappin, (who experienced not one, but two flat tires on the bike course!) makes a beautiful connection between this experience and the patients whose lives we hope to impact through our fundraising efforts.

I think it has come together for me; the connection between cancer patients and triathletes, the answer to my daughter's brain-overload question ["Dad, why do people play sports?"] and what I took from the race today. As sports enthusiasts, we seek to overcome what seems to be insurmountable goals within a controlled environment with rules, regulations and safety nets included. We start out with great expectations and then disaster strikes or the circumstances we thought we would be facing suddenly change. In a very microscopic way, we simulate real life challenges people face in everyday life, such as the people we raced for today. I "experienced" that common-thread in meeting Jana and Joshua Kelley on Friday night and Dori on Saturday night [Nashville tri team's honored teammates]. I'm sure their life dreams and plans never included the hand they were dealt. After calamity struck, they went on to display the courage and fortitude needed and chose to live in the moment and live for the journey and not the final destination. I think the reason we miss this in our society today, is because we glorify the athlete and not the people who are living this out in real life drama on a much larger scale.

I do believe participation in sports helps develop the coping skills needed to pursue our dreams and overcome our obstacles. I also believe it takes an exceptional coach to prepare you to accept the hand you are dealt and teach you how to live in the moment and savor the journey.

This is so true about Dori ... how she has changed:

After calamity struck, they went on to display the courage and fortitude needed and chose to live in the moment and live for the journey and not the final destination.