Unbroken

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

If not for so much documented historical research, the events of Louis Zamperini's life would seem unbelievable. After a life of mischief as a boy turned Olympic runner, he proceeds to join the military during WWII and becomes a bombardier involved in a number of bombing raids. While on a rescue mission, his plane crashes and he survives for weeks on a life raft. He and 2 other members of the plane's crew floated on the raft with scant provisions, dehydration, sharks and enemy fire to deal with. They are finally picked up by a Japanese ship and subsequently placed in a POW camp.

While imprisoned, they undergo torture incorporating hunger, sickness, dehydration, and both psychological and physical abuse, much at the hands of a man called The Bird. The Bird took special pleasure in tormenting Zamperini and made his life horrific while a prisoner. Incredibly, as the date for their mass execution approaches, the war comes to an end and they are released.

When Zamperini returns to the U.S., he is hailed as a hero come back from the dead and gets married shortly afterward. He then proceeds to flounder from one job to the next and sinks into alcoholism as he deals with the horrors of war. With his marriage on the rocks, a seemingly random interaction with a neighbor, introduces them to the evangelist Billy Graham who was holding meetings in Los Angeles at that time.

After his wife attends without him, he grudgingly joins her at a later date. He is unable to shake the pull of God on his life and becomes a Christian. Through this experience he finds peace and is subsequently able to forgive his captors and move on with life, becoming a Christian speaker and eventually starting a camp for troubled youth.

Hillenbrand did a remarkably thorough job of researching Zamperini's life and the surrounding events in great detail. The book reads like a novel rather than dry non-fiction. I highly recommend the book as an outstanding account of an incredible life.

Running on Faith

In Running on Faith, we meet Jason Lester, an incredible athlete and follower of Christ. As a boy, Jason was hit by a car which after recovering from the initial injuries, left his right arm paralyzed. He went on to live a very normal and active life despite this challenge. In young adulthood, he also came to faith in Christ and this faith has been his source of strength and motivation for tackling some of the most difficult athletic endeavors known to man.

After moving to Hawaii to train full time, Lester learned how to swim with one arm and went on to compete in the name brand Hawaii Ironman race consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 113 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. This was not enough though, he later competed in the Ultraman race which consists of a 6.2 mile swim, 261.4 mile bike, and 52.4 mile run over the course of 3 days.

Throughout the book he talks about his faith in God and how he continuously relies on Him in both training, racing, and daily living. It is one of the most inspirational real life stories I've read. It is highly likely you'll be inspired to go for a run, bike, or swim after reading it. Whether you're an athlete, interested in stories of Christian faith, or enjoy seeing people overcome great challenges, this book is for you.

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Born to Run

Born to Run is a true story that centers around the Tarahumara Indians who live in western Mexico. This tribe is known for their unbelievable feats of running endurance. Wearing home made sandals as foot protection  and fueled on lots of corn, they can run for distances of 100 or more miles without much difficulty.

Christopher McDougal travels to Mexico to see what they’re all about and to pick up tips that may help in his own running. During his travels, he encounters numerous “characters” including a man who calls himself Caballo Blanco. Caballo Blanco is an American who has lived among the Tarahumara for more than a decade and has incorporated endurance running into everything that he does.

After returning to America, McDougal stays in touch with Caballo Blanco who sets up an ultra race in the beautiful but desolate Mexican Copper Canyons where the Tarahumara live. His dream is to bring together American ultra marathoning great Scott Jurek, a number of other top ultra runners, and the Tarahumara who are regarded as some of the most incredible endurance athletes ever.  McDougal helps organize the American side of the race and brings about 10 other runners with him.

One of the runners is called Barefoot Ted who virtually always runs barefoot or with minimal foot covering. He provides an interesting foil to Caballo Blanco, both being unique characters in their own right.

The book makes a strong case for the benefits of barefoot running and the possibility that running shoes may actually cause more injuries than they prevent. They also discuss something called the Running Man theory that postulates all humans were created to be runners and discusses group endurance hunts. These endurance hunts involved running after prey and keeping at it until the animal died of exhaustion. While humans are not nearly the fastest animal on the planet, we have greater endurance than a vast majority. For example, given enough time and distance, a man can outrun a horse.

McDougal’s journalism background shows throughout the book as we see vignettes telling individual character stories that feed into the overall narrative of the Tarahumara and culminating in the race. He delves into the science behind running as well as telling interesting background stories for each of the people represented in the book. He clearly performed a great deal of research when writing the book.

His writing style is funny, engaging, and off the cuff. There are a few spots where the language can get a little rough and a few scenes are described in a bit more detail than is needed. He does discuss macro-evolution as fact but if taken with a grain of salt, the perspective is still interesting as it relates to running. These elements do not overly denigrate an otherwise fascinating and fun story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone interested in running, geography, or just a plain good story. Incidentally, if any movie producers are looking for a good potential movie, this would make a great story with a full cast of characters.

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The Perfect Mile

In the early 1950s, several young men by the names of Roger Banister, John Landy, and Wes Santee were knocking on the door of the 4 minute mile barrier. Some said it would never be done and that the human body was simply not made to run that fast. The Perfect Mile is the story of each of these mens' quests for the 4:00 mile barrier.

Bannister was a medical student in London at the time and mixed training with studying, rounds at the hospital and keeping up with a social life. His scientific research into the capabilities of the human body aided his understanding of the practical side of running and he knew that it was definitely possible to break the barrier.

Landy was a student as well and spent countless hours training when friends and family were pursuing other activities. Of the three, he was probably the most well trained and could consistently run 4:02 miles and not be overly spent shortly thereafter.

Santee was a student at the University of Kansas and had team commitments to fulfill in addition to his individual pursuit of the 4 minute mile. His team obligations sometimes put a damper on the ability to focus solely on training for the event.

Each of the men kept track of the other's progress on far away continents and spurred him on to be the first to break the barrier. Eventually, Bannister succeeded in running a sub 4 minute mile at Oxford University with the help of a couple of training partners pacing him through the first 3.5 laps. Landy and Santee were obviously a bit disappointed but continued in their own personal pursuits.

After the barrier fell, Bannister and Landy finally met in the Commonwealth Games held in Canada in an epic race hyped in the media as one of the biggest races of all time. Thousands and thousands of people witnessed the race with Bannister just barely beating Landy at the end.

I was interested to read about the training methods at the time. There is a much greater understanding of how to train for speed in the approximately 60 years since that time. Another factor differentiating that period of competitive running with today is that virtually all world class athletes were not professional and had to subsist on the support of family and their own jobs rather than benefiting from the lucrative sponsorships afforded to today's athletes.

I thought the portion about the showdown between Bannister and Landy was well done but could have gotten to the point a bit quicker rather than prolonging the suspense. At parts, this portion felt like the suspense leading up to the race was unnecessarily lengthened.

The book is well written and adds suspenseful elements that keep you wanting to read more. It alternates amongst the three runners stories, constantly circling back to the 4 minute mile barrier. Bascomb did extensive research and interviews in writing the book and the quality of the material shows this. It would make an excellent movie if ever produced into a full length feature film. I definitely recommend the book for anyone interested in running, history, and the intrigue of running a mile in 4 minutes.

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Run Like Elijah

"The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel." I Kings 18:46

I think this display of God's supernatural power is just awesome. It comes briefly after showing His power through sending fire to light a very wet sacrifice on fire, proving that He was God and Baal was not. (some good trash talking from Elijah to the prophets of Baal is in there as well) It also comes just after Elijah had prayed for a three year drought to be lifted. Once a cloud appears, Elijah sends word for Ahab to hitch up his chariot and skeedaddle because it's about to rain something fierce.

I don't know how many horses a typical chariot would have but am guessing the king could afford several so suffice it to say that Elijah was booking it in running "ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel."

I recently ran a half-marathon and while the spirit of the Lord did not give me supernatural speed, it was a good time of seeking His power to complete the race and glorify Him in it. I think Elijah's seeking after God and walking or rather running with Him is something to aspire to. Will God always reveal Himself supernaturally? Probably not, but if we continue to pursue Him and stay in His will, someday, we may run like Elijah.

Praise in Battle

Running has so many parallels to the spiritual walk/run and life in general. I was reminded of this again yesterday while doing a 10 mile long run. I'd been running for around 4 or 5 miles and listening to a worship album by Paul Baloche and really enjoying the time of praise and singing while running. Cars kept wizzing by and while that's not out of the ordinary when running on the roads, it definitely keeps you on your toes.

The spiritual parallel I saw in this was the times when going along in a season of joy and worship and then something catches you by surprise. I can be in a worshipful frame of mind and praising God for who He is and the things He's done in my life then an arrow from the enemy comes firing my way.

It's important to always be mindful that I'm in a spiritual battlefield and attacks can come at any time. My Commander is able to see attacks coming and give me power to resist and keep my eyes fixed on Him. There's something powerful in weathering the storms and battles then coming out on the other end still holding on to Jesus.

I think He sometimes guards us and prevents the enemy from interfering with our lives in order to give us seasons of rest and rejuvenation. It is during these peaceful and quiet times by abiding in Christ that we firmly root our souls in Him.

When the storms and battles do come, we may undergo blows and be battered by the wind and rain but with our feet planted firmly on the Rock, we can stand and praise Him despite the circumstances. "I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." -Psalm 121:1-2

How to Ice a Knee and Still Be Upwardly Mobile

From time to time, athletic pursuits result in soreness, inflammation, and occasionally injuries. While propping up a knee, relaxing, and icing said knee is preferable, sometimes this is not always possible due to competing time demands. There is now a solution to icing while remaining upwardly mobile. I present to you, the Saran-wrap frozen veggies/fruit icing method.

This is easily accomplished by taking your favorite or least favorite bag of frozen vegetables or fruit and wrapping several layers of saran-wrap around the knee or other appendage. Tape helps to keep the ice wrap in place. And voila you are now both icing a knee and upwardly mobile.

Ryan Hall on Running and Faith

Below are excerpts from an interview with world class runner Ryan Hall by RunningTimes.com in which Ryan discusses the intersection of his Christian faith and running. He's got a great perspective that can be applied to any profession or area of life.

For the full interview go to: http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19104

Ryan and his wife Sara's website is: ryanandsarahall.com if you'd like to read more about them.

Running Times: Why do you think God takes an active interest in the outcome of sporting events? Given that the outwardly faithful more often than not don’t win, what does that mean about God’s involvement in these events?

Ryan Hall: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts [emphasis added, Isaiah 55:9]."

...
From my experience through my running career of weathering many lows and enjoying some really high mountain peak experiences, I have felt that the sweetest part of running is feeling God with me as I run, and the great thing about that is it isn't something that only one person or a couple of people can experience in a race. We can all experience it. We can all feel something that is even sweeter, available every time we toe the line and more lasting than winning or setting a record. Today, whenever I sign my name to an autograph I always write John 10:10 (The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy, I came that they may have life abundantly and have it abundantly) with it because it is the best part of following Jesus and having his Spirit in me – it makes life sweeter. My running is better, my daily life is better, etc. Following Jesus doesn't mean abandoning the fun things of this world; it means having more fun, being free from the worries of daily life, and experiencing things in greater, more fulfilling ways...

...While I cannot coerce God into moving in this (miraculous) way I still have childlike faith knowing it’s possible, which I reflect in my running by being bold, taking chances and giving God an opportunity to do something amazing. However, I have found from my experience that often times what I hear God telling me is, "My grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9)." God has always provided enough strength for me to do what He wants me to do on the race course. It doesn't mean I always win or do something miraculous but I always have enough to accomplish the purpose which God called me to race for...

...The most important thing I can train is my heart. It is what drives the body. Christians should be able to compete with more freedom, less pressure and more joy. I have become better at being OK with whatever God has for me in a race knowing that at the end of the day, though I try to wrap my head around how God moves in sport, in the end, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9)..."

...In a world where it is all about the guy on the top step of the podium and we are defined and define ourselves by the time on our watch, at the end of the day I am trying to spread the word that it ultimately isn't all about that. The sweetest part of life is that we can all have God. God is with those who are with him. It’s our choice and a free invitation to everyone...

...Being highly favored, or winning as we might call it in the sports world, is an inner peace, joy, and freedom that comes from having God with us. It’s not about the circumstances we are in but rather about the heart that we are able to have because of who is walking through all the circumstances of life with us...

...When we lose our focus on just following Christ and we start looking to how God is moving in other people’s lives it totally steals our joy, thankfulness and power...

...I believe that God created me to run the marathon and run it well and I will not stop until he tells me it is time, and I will not be distracted unless he directs me to something different...

Running Times: Are you this good because you have worked and trained harder than everyone else, or because you are more blessed?

Ryan Hall: Neither. I am what I am because of the grace of God. God’s grace has allowed me to pick myself up out of the dirt time and time again. That grace is something we can all have. It obviously takes a lot of focus, discipline, humility, hard work and all those other things that make up great athletes but that is just who I am. We can all achieve a level of greatness when we are who we are meant to be to the fullest...

...The Olympic Marathon Trials is probably the time when I felt the Holy Spirit the strongest in a race. It was an incredible experience that I believe we can all experience, even in the same race (meaning you might not win), depending on how desperate for God we are...

...Running is my ministry. I am using the body that God gave me to do what he wants me to do, including feeding and taking care of the poor...

...I have learned that my primary role as a Christian is to receive God’s love and then to love others from that love. Now I am much more interested in hearing what others believe and why they believe it. I really enjoy talking about spiritual matters but if I sense my teammates don’t feel like it or don’t enjoy it, then I respect that...

Running Times: Are you currently learning anything about who God is through running or racing?


Ryan Hall: Every day, man. God is always teaching me more about who he is and who I am while I am out there. For me running is the ultimate school ground.

Winter Wonder Run

I went for a run this past week while it was snowing and found this great spot for some pictures so came back and set up a tripod to get a few good shots. Running in the snow is fun and quite beautiful if not overly cold.

Once A Runner

Once A Runner by John L. Parker.

For several years, I'd heard of Once a Runner and it's cult following in the running subculture. Being a runner for many years myself, I was excited when I learned that the novel would be released again.

The novel follows a protagonist named Quentin Cassidy during his running career in the 1970s at the fictional Southeastern University in Kernsville, Florida. (Based loosely on the University of Florida in Gainesville) Cassidy is one of the top milers in the nation with race times around 4:00 flat. In addition to his running adventures, we also follow his humorous escapades as a college student and ring leader of various mischief.

As a result of Cassidy's leadership role in an athlete uprising against unreasonable administration rules, he is banned from the track team and decides to drop out of school to pursue training exclusively while living in a cabin in the woods. During this training he further refines his mental and physical abilities to finely honed race condition. This training culminates in a race against the fastest miler in the world.

The book captures with extreme accuracy the many aspects of life as a competitive distance runner. It goes through the components of training including long runs, speed work, training logs, eating, sleeping, stretching, and race preparations among others. It additionally touches on the social nuances that runners experience in the football centric American sports culture. I found the pre-race rituals and description of nervousness as well as feelings and thoughts during the actual race to be right on target.

The book alternates between rambunctious tomfoolery college scenes and the more reflective passages of both group and individual training. The flow parallels running quite well. At times a runner will interact with the hustle and bustle of the non-running world and at times he or she will enter the separate world of running and introspective thinking.

The plot is exciting throughout with varying components of humor, drama, and heart pounding racing. Once A Runner will entertain and strike a nerve especially with the competitive runner. It's a great read for the casual runner or the person simply interested in a good sports story.

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Kansas City Marathon & Half-Marathon

Here are a few pictures from the Kansas City Marathon & Half-Marathon that I took on Saturday. Along with a few friends, we spent the morning running from spot to spot along the course to cheer on Andy, Sue Ellen, and Sarah. Having run quite a few races myself, it's kind of fun to be on the sidelines cheering on people. I like the race organizer's idea of putting people's names on the race number so you can cheer for random people by name. The runners appreciate it.










For more pictures, please see the Community Faces link here.

Ryan Hall

Check out this great interview with US Marathon Olympian Ryan Hall. He is an outstanding runner and someone to root for in the Olympics. He also is a Christian with a strong walk which is very apparent from this interview with "Sharing the Victory."

Westport St. Patrick's Day Run

Today I shot some pictures for the Star's Community Faces at the Westport St. Patrick's Day 4 mile run. Approximately 3,000 runners this windy Saturday morning. The main race was followed by a kids fun run. There were runners from age 1 to 88 involved in the event which also included an appearance by a leprechaun. Click on the link in the CF section for more photos.

Icey Goatee

This is what happens when you go running outside in single digit weather. It was a chilly but good experience. After running on the treadmill for a while, getting outside was a welcome experience. From a purely functional standpoint, facial hair, especially in beard or goatee format, provides a nice guard against the biting winter wind. I've thought of going to a cut down format but each time I've recently been outside have reconsidered the benefits of said hirsuteness.

Kansas City Corporate Challenge

Last evening, I ran the mile for the KCCC. I finished in a time of 5:04, 8th overall in my age group, and 2nd in my division. I was very pleased with the result though sub 5 would have been nice. My quarters were very even at 74, 75, 77, 77. There are some races where you're thinking wow I feel pretty good this is kind of fun. Results viewable here.

5k

On Saturday morning, I ran the House of Hope 5k in south Kansas City and finished 3rd overall with a time of 19:20. I was fairly happy with the result considering my recent training, the rolling hills on the course, and the wind.
Check out the results here.