A Name and A Train

On Sunday, I ran in the Des Moines Half Marathon with the goal of running it in 1 hour and 44 minutes (about 8 minutes per mile).

I had spent a few weeks doing speed work and trying to train myself to run faster. The four day Vegas trip didn't really help me reach my goal and staying out until 5 am on the Friday night before the Sunday half marathon probably didn't help either.

I ended up finishing the race in 1:46:45 -- about 3 minutes off my goal but still right around 8:09 per mile -- not that bad and at least my times are improving.

I have to admit that I was a little jealous that my buddy Fitz ran the race in 1:36 but he's a great natural runner and has also spent a lot of time training this summer.

Overall, I'm just really glad that I have some friends who are getting into running/biking as much as I am!

Anyway, the highlight of Sunday's race wasn't my finish time. The two highlights on Sunday came by way of a name and a train.

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On Thursday I decided that I was going to make some sort of goofy shirt for the race. I ended up writing my first name on the front of the shirt and on the back I put something to this effect: "Official Pacer -- GOAL TIME -- BE:ER.13 -- Ladies, Join Us! -- Just shout out your phone #"

You wouldn't believe how many people did 1 of 3 things:

1) Yelled "Go Josh" with a huge smile on their face.
2) Said "That shirt is awesome!" having read the back of the shirt.
3) Asked me how I was going to get phone numbers when I had my iPod headphones on.

My answers were:

1) Thanks or a thumbs-up.
2) I would reply, "Thanks!" -- "Too bad this awesome shirt has got me 0 phone numbers."
3) "I have the volume on really low."

A few girls talked to me about the shirt but didn't give up the phone number. Shucks!

Overall though, most of the cute girls were behind me a ways and I'll just say that's why I didn't get any phone numbers.

Fitz and I talked to our buddy Clint after the race and met his new girlfriend, Abby. Great to see him and meet her!

What I won't forget from Sunday is how many people yelled "Go Josh!" during the race.

They didn't know me but they cheered for me just because I had written my name on my t-shirt.

I think more people would cheer for each other if they just knew each other's names.

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Okay, so about this train. As Fitz and I are walking back to the finish line after getting sweatshirts at his car, we see a train cut across the route and delay a few of the half-marathon finishers. Luckily I had my camera on me and snapped a few photos. Then, amazingly, the elite marathon leaders approached the train and the leader of the marathon actually had to stop in his "tracks" for about 30 seconds with only 400 meters left until the finish line.

He was a Kenyan and he kept saying "Where is the finish, where is the finish?"

I took more photos of this unique sight and once the train passed I told Fitz that I had to send these to the Des Moines Register because I knew they would get printed.

Sure enough, they did. One photo appeared on the Monday front page and another photo (the one above) appeared on the front of the sports page and in the online article.

Evidently, the photo was also used by WHO in Des Moines.

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On Sunday I learned two things:

1) People want to cheer us on and if they know your name, they'll yell it!
2) Trains (obstacles) might get in our way but they pass and pretty soon we can get back to...

Enjoy(ing) the ride,
Damm

A Winter Wanderland

It snowed today.

Huge, soft snowflakes reminding me that I live in Iowa.

While it was only a temporary look at winter, it reminded me that I'm going to have to find something worthwhile to do this winter besides working out and hanging out with friends.

I have so many things on my list and hopefully I'll be done with most of the "home improvement" items by the time winter truly rolls around.

In November, I'm off to Peru to visit a former player that played golf for me at Waldorf. I'm excited to go on my second overseas trip and my first trip to South America.

But I know that when I get back, winter will probably be waiting for me.

I want to start learning Spanish, get in sick shape for once, read quite a few books, begin my Half Ironman training program, watch some good movies, travel out of Forest City when I can, and learn to use my Nikon camera better.

But, shit! Where to begin?

Can I really do any of these things or am I just making another list that won't get completed?

This winter I want to wander away from my old way of doing things -- the open-a-book-but-don't-finish-it way.

I want to travel in a new direction. Complete some goals for once.

So this week I'm writing the prologue blog that will hopefully lead to an epilogue blog by the time spring rolls around in 2010. (Yes, I'm aware that the previous sentenced had some sick rhymes in it.)

I hope you'll join with me in this Winter Wanderland. A chance to check off some of those items on our bucket lists. Let me know what you're planning on doing and we'll hold each other accountable.

And if we only make it to Chapter 8 or 9, we'll push each other toward the conclusion that holds some resolution for our goals.

And while we write our winter blogs, we'll still be...

Enjoy(ing) the ride,
Damm

Verse 2 or You Can't Lose This Game

Tao Te Ching, 2nd Verse

Being and nonbeing produce each other.
The difficult is born in the easy.
Long is defined by short, the high by the low.
Before and after go along with each other.

So the sage lives openly with apparent duality
and paradoxical unity.
The sage can act without effort
and teach without words.
Nurturing things without possessing them,
he works, but not for rewards;
he competes, but not for results.

The 2nd verse of the Tao Te Ching is the beginning to my explanation about why we are all here.

And let me tell you the summary of this blog -- life is not about winning or losing.

It's not about a God who condemns some and saves others. There are too many ways for us to lose if life is a game.

I've always had many questions about life and why we are here.

Will a child in Africa who never hears of Jesus Christ go to heaven?

Will the Dalai Lama go to heaven?

Is there a heaven?

Would a great Buddhist be condemned to hell for not believing in Jesus and a "horrible" Christian be saved because they profess to "believe?"

All these questions have made my mind spin. And the answers that pastors, friends and writers have provided just don't answer these questions.

No answers came for me until I began to believe in universalism -- the idea that all people are "saved" -- that all people will go to "Heaven."

The Tao Te Ching has only affirmed what I had already come to believe a few years ago.

The 2nd Verse explains the reason for humanity's existence. We are here simply to experience life so that someday when we reach enlightenment, nirvana, heaven or paradise, we will understand how great it is.

And just because we are all "saved" does not mean that we should just go out and do whatever we want to do.

The "rules" of life are here for a reason. Writings like the Bible and the Tao Te Ching, offer ways for us to live a better life. To truly be happy and content. But as Buddhism tells us, life is full of suffering and most of the time we will not win.

We will not be the best looking person in the bar. We won't be the fastest runner. We won't live a perfect life. We will get sick. We will experience stress and grief and loss.

But as the Tao Te Ching tells us in the beginning of the 2nd Verse:

Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty,
only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only because there is evil.

Or as T.S. Eliot wrote:


We shall not cease from our exploration
And at the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time


So life is about exploring. About experiencing beauty and ugliness. About knowing good and evil.

So one day...when this life ends, we will return to the Tao -- we will go to heaven and we will only know good.

And it will be great.

And for once we will have truly won.

Don't be afraid to believe that we all get to win. It truly changes how you see the world. Everyone is your friend. All are on your team.

This is what I believe Jesus meant when he said to treat your neighbor as yourself. And what the Tao means when it says we all were born of the Tao and we will all return to the Tao.

Oneness. UNI-versalism.

It's a beautiful thing. We all get to....

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

The 1st Verse

Tao Te Ching, 1st Verse

The Tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named
is not the eternal name.

The Tao is both named and nameless.
As nameless it is the origin of all things;
as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things.

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery;
ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations.
And the mystery itself is the doorway
to all understanding.

On Saturday, I got a tattoo on the upper right part of my back.

I've been planning on getting a tattoo and have been thinking about what to get most of the summer.

Quite obviously, tattoos are a permanent mark on a person's body. So I wanted to get a tattoo that would stand the test of time.

I've had an interest in eastern religion and philosophy since my freshman year in college but I only recently finished reading the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.

Written over 2,500 years ago, it is a work of 81 verses that describes a way to live a balanced, moral and content life.

The Tao has been translated as the way or the path but it is best described by the paradoxical verses of the Tao Te Ching.

After I finished reading the Tao Te Ching, I knew that I wanted this to be my tattoo.

I played around with the idea of doing the Chinese symbol for the Tao but decided against it after thinking how cliche Chinese tattoos have become. Also, I use English to communicate and not Chinese so why wouldn't I want to communicate the idea of the Tao in my own language anyway.

Plus, I found the simplicity of the three letters "T-A-O" to exemplify much of what Taoism is about.

The font I chose to use for my tattoo is Baskerville. It was designed by John Baskerville in 1757. As a traditional serif font, I figured it had stood the test of time so far and it wasn't a trendy font that might look silly later in life.

I played around with the letters in Photoshop because the "o" seemed too separated from the "a". I simply brought the "o" a little bit closer to the "a" and I think it made the word a little bit more cohesive.

At a later time, I hope to blog more about Taoism and explain my reasons for connecting with the writings of Lao Tzu. But for now, I'm going to use someone else's words to explain why I got my tattoo.

The author of the following text also got a Tao tattoo:

"To remind me to keep my chin up.

To remind me not to sweat the small stuff.

To remind me to live in accordance with the nature of things.

To remind me to stay balanced.

To remind me to decrease my wants.

To remind me to indulge myself every now and then.

To remind me that everything is as it should be.

To remind me to stop comparing myself to others.

To remind me not to use force against the world, and embrace the way of the universe.

To remind me to follow my own nature, and not the trappings of life.

To remind me to have no claims to life.

To remind me to be spontaneous, deliberate, watchful, reverent, humble, pure, and accepting."

To remind me to....

Enjoy the ride,
DAMM

A Reminder

I just found out that someone I knew -- not that well but I knew him nonetheless -- died this week.

He was 31. He had two kids. He had a wife.

Life gets put into perspective every so often and last night, when I found out, it hit me pretty hard.

We spend so much time in life planning.

Planning for the week ahead. Planning vacations. Planning meals. Planning to buy a bigger house. Planning to find that perfect job. Planning to move.

But our plans don't amount to a hill of beans if we can't be happy TODAY.

Life isn't about tomorrow. It's about this moment. Right now.

I've met so many happy people who work in factories and at fast food restaurants who seem so happy. And I've read about Buddhist monks who own nothing yet rejoice in their simple, happy lives.

What I'm getting at is that happiness is not about money. And I'm not necessarily happy because I currently make a comfortable living.

I think my happiest days are when I have life in clear perspective. And my happiness comes from the simple, quiet moments.

When lunch outside at noon, seems like winning the lottery.

When a 4-mile jog lights up so many endorphins that I feel "high."

When a deer runs across the road when I'm biking, and stops and looks at me and just stays there -- still.

When I'm on a beach with friends reading a good book.

When a scent reminds me of a pleasant memory.

When an old friend calls out of the blue, and just wants to catch up.

We get a chance every day to be happy. And we need to take full advantage of each opportunity.

It can all end at any time.

But we have today. Contentment and happiness are at our fingertips.

At this moment, I'm going to quit typing and start reaching out for happiness.

It's TODAY after all. It's always TODAY.

Enjoy the (happy) ride,
DAMM

105 Miles

Sorry, but no pictures with this blog entry.

Lots to recap though from my last two weeks.

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Two weekends ago I was a groomsman in my buddy Aaron Seifert's wedding. I had an awesome time!

For some reason, I was just on an emotional high all weekend.

The rehearsal dinner was great. Jamie Olson Seifert has awesome friends from college and I also got to reconnect with all the guys from Aaron's bachelor party. It was a fun group.

By like 9 pm I was doing a keg stand, and the fun didn't end until much later that evening.

I was tweeting throughout the weekend and ended up getting a lot of good-meaning shit about it! By Saturday, people were actually telling me what to Tweet.

I also learned that quite a few people seem to be reading my blog. Cool!

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The Seifert wedding on Saturday was beautiful. I got up at 8 am and managed to kick out 4 miles before my delayed hangover set in. I was ready to go though in time for pictures and ended up having a great night of dancing, meeting new friends and eating Papa John's pizza at 1:30 AM. Congrats to both of you Aaron and Jamie! Shout outs to Joel, Redman, Sharon and Heather.

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Just a couple days ago I took part in the Jesse James Bike Tour in Northfield, MN. I signed up for the Century Ride (100 miles) and learned when I got there that the route was actually 105 miles! Yikes -- that was 20 miles farther than I had ever been on my bike before.

Luckily, I immediately joined up with a bike club from Northfield and latched onto their pace lane. We flew through the first 80 miles and eventually had about 20 people in our pace line.

It was such a rush. We were in a huge pack going 21-23 mph most of the time and riding inches away from each other.

With about 15 miles left, I started to bonk. I had to drop off the group (which was by then down to about 6 or 7) and finish the rest of the ride by myself.

Felt really good to accomplish my first century ride though!

I zonked out that afternoon at Charlson's and then we went to Stadium Village to watch the Gophers game at a couple bars. As hard as Joe and I tried, we couldn't muster enough energy to stay out all night and we ended up calling it a day.

On Sunday, Joe and I went to Tiger Sushi and Norm Coleman happened to walk by us as we waited for it to open.

By the way, you all have to try the Volcano at Tiger Sushi. It's made up of strawberries, mango, various raw fish, vegetables and a great sauce. For only $10, it was the most filling thing I've ever had a sushi restaurant.

I went to IKEA and bought a TV stand in the afternoon and headed back home with hundreds of ideas running through my head about how I want to pimp out my new townhouse. Oh yeah, I might not have mentioned that over the last two weeks I've been moving into my new townhouse on Sweetass Lane.

I'm a homeowner. Zen minimalism is coming to Indian Springs.

Look out!

Enjoy the ride (and a good night's rest),
Damm

A Half Marathon, a Funeral and a Wedding

Beed's Lake near Hampton, Iowa.


Ted Kennedy.


My cousin Megan and her husband Phil Porter.

On August 29, my Saturday began much earlier than usual.

The alarm buzzed at 4:45 AM and surprisingly, I jumped out of bed. I knew that I had planned a lot for the day. Excited to begin the adventure, I got ready real quick and hopped into my car.

The drive to Hampton was uneventful. I twittered about how ridiculously early in the morning it was, I drank an FRS Orange and nibbled on an energy bar.

By 6:15 AM I was at Beed's Lake for the half marathon and ran into a friend from the Wednesday night bike rides that I've been going to in Clear Lake.

The 13.1 mile race began at 7 AM and even though I went out pretty slow (about 8.5-9 minute miles), I felt good about everything.

Listening to my iPod (Sweet Disposition by True Temper) and watching the sun rise above the rolling hills near Hampton, I felt that usually elusive feeling of bliss.

Pure happiness. Everything was right with the world.

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During the second half of the race, I kicked it into gear. My goal was to break 1:50 and I knew I had to book it to beat my goal. My left calf muscle started to feel a little cramp-y but I didn't have to push it too hard toward the end and I finished in 1:49:08.

I still want to become a better runner but this spontaneous half marathon proved to me that I was in good shape and ready to push the limits this fall.

Coming up...
- 100-mile bike ride in Northfield
- 5-mile Frontier Days run in Forest City
- Half Marathon in Mason City or Des Moines
- A winter of training with Kansas 70.3 in my sights

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I returned home to talk to my parents about my morning and ended up sitting with my dad and watching Ted Kennedy's funeral.

We were both waiting for Obama to give the Eulogy but I was inspired well before Obama stood at the lectern.

Yo-Yo Ma played Bach. Placido Domingo sang. A contralto sang Ave Maria.

But the person who truly moved me was Ted Kennedy Jr.

He told loving, funny stories about his father. How even though his father had personal flaws, he had an undying commitment to public service.

Ted Kennedy was a true liberal but he was also a politician of times-gone-by. He was a compromiser, a legislator, a man who knew how to get a law passed.

He was equally friendly with Orin Hatch and John McCain as he was with Bill Clinton and John Kerry.

Ted Jr.'s eulogy was incredibly moving -- it reminded me that we are all called to help others.

It made me think of "The West Wing" and the idea that public service could make a difference in the lives of others.

Why am I a Democrat? It's because of people like Ted Kennedy.

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The day came to a close on a happy note. My cousin Megan was married to Phil Porter on Saturday.

I gave the readings from Colossians and Phillipians. Both of the readings reminded me what I like about Christianity. Lately, I've too often been turned off by either the religious right or fundamental Christians acting like hypocritical, self-righteous zealots.

Anway....the wedding was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun!

13 miles and 13 beers (drinks).

Megan looked beautiful and I was so happy for her and Phil. Phil is a great guy and I know they'll be happy together!

A little dancing and a few drinks later it was 1:30 AM and we were at Shooterz.

The epic Saturday had turned to early Sunday morning.

A half marthon in 1:49:08. A funeral of a great statesman. A nap. A wedding. A reintroduction to the good parts of my childhood religion. A dinner. A dance. A few freestyle raps. A few too many beers. An epic day turned to Cinderella's pumpkin.

A reminder that each day ends and becomes a new day.

A new beginning for me. A new life for Ted. A new union for Megan and Phil.

Enjoy the ride,
Damm