HIGHLIGHT VIDEO TIME!

One thing I love as much as watching Landon play football is making his annual highlight video.  I was deprived of this pleasure last year.  I mean, I guess I could have looped a clip of him breaking his ankle over and over, but that idea didn't really hold up.

Anyway, we're back and here it is!

Here's a funky introduction of how nice I am.....

As some of you know, my lovely bride Dawn and I founded a community service organization for the athletes at our local high school.

www.streaksservetheburg.com

As a result, I've found myself spending a lot of time with teenagers.  That's something I never thought would happen as I figured I paid my dues on the teenage thing and would mainly interact with the lone teenager under my roof and his assorted friends.  However, life throws unexpected (and wonderful) twists and here I am in all my 40+ dorkiness interacting with a great group of kids.  Dawn has a natural knack for it, while it's something I've had to grow into.  One of the main lessons about enjoying teens is to set fire to your expectations and enjoy the ride.  Once you remove the control lobe from your brain (a daily exercise for a control freak like me) it's pretty exhilarating.

One example of this was our spring break trip to Mississippi last April.  We did a service trip to Gulfport, MS to help with a house teardown.  One ritual in our van was that some of the kids would ask Dawn to rap every day on our way back to camp.  I don't know how this started, but it was purely for comic value.  My wife has many great qualities, but rapping is not one of them. She would make up words, repeat words for the sake of rhyming and generally deliver a freestyle rap that was like nails on a chalkboard.

That sets up the most bizarre experience I've had in the recruiting process to date.  On Wednesday we were visiting one of the most formidable football programs in the entire country.  The day was culminated with a visit with Coach X.  Coach X is so high profile that even those of you who don't know a football from a watermelon would remark that you are sure that you've seen him before if you saw him out in public.  In tow, we had a family friend who is also being recruited by this school and one of Landon's friends who was along for the ride. Somehow, and I can't for the life of me remember or imagine how this happened, someone briefly said something to Dawn about her rapping for the kids.  

Coach X was immediately fascinated with this.  He wanted to hear it.  We tried to shake it off; he immediately would steer the subject back to Dawn and her MC skills.  I tried to change the subject, he persisted and asked for a rap.  Next thing I know I'm in a huge office decorated with championship trophies watching my wife rap for a guy paid over 2 million dollars a year.  The rap was about his dogs.  

Later, I walked silently out of the football facility and told my bride that nothing in this wild recruiting process can or will be that bizarre.  It's like something that I'd dream after a night of bad mexican food.

I'm in the process of developing thrash metal, rap, and punk songs for all of the schools we will be visiting in the future.

Word to your mother.........

-Macker

PS- RECRUITNIKS, THE SCHOOL WAS NOT IN VIRGINIA SO GUESS AWAY........

FEAR THE TURTLE!!!!

Greetings dear readers (reader?  greetings thin air?  hello?)

Anyway, my relatively anonymous blog affords the opportunity to scream an exciting piece of news out loud.

My absence of posts was no doubt a huge daily letdown to my litany of fans (fan? hello? is this thing on?).  The lame, but honest, explanation for that is as follows:

1) Time:  I'm interim department chair now and they actually expect me to work and act like a grownup.  The taxpayers of Virginia are starting to get their money's worth, but it's really cutting back on mindless loitering on the internet.

2) Topics:  My two main topics on this blog have been Landon's football recruiting and running.  As many of you faithful followers (follower?  is that an echo?) know, I've been up and down on the running thing to the point where I enjoy it but am not really motivated to write about it.  As for Landon, I freakin' love talking about recruiting and am no doubt boring the crap out of 75% of Rockingham County.  The problem is now that we've entered in to the real meat of the recruiting phase, we have to have something of a poker face.  There are too many recruitniks out there in cyberspace.  An honest appraisal of Landon's visits, what he liked, and especially what he didn't like is liable to give attention we really don't need and lead to potential misunderstandings with coaching staffs.  As crazy as it seems that they may find this site, stranger things have happened and people (recruitniks, not coaches) are already misinterpreting and twisting things about Landon.

So, even though I know who he likes, who he doesn't and what type of school he's looking for, I can't say much.  What I can tell ALL of you is that Landon just got his first offer!  I got an e-mail reply message (hear that NCAA?  He was replying to me and didn't initiate  contact prior to September 1st as stipulated in paragraph 5, clause zz in your 1,000 page recruiting regulations) from a UMd. coach that said that they would love for Landon to be part of their future and that an offer would be coming to us the first week of September (see NCAA? We did not receive a written offer prior to September 1 of his junior year as stipulated in your harumph harumph blah blah blah).  

Actually, this is apparently his second offer.  When I called Landon's coach to tell him the news, I was informed that Virginia Tech has also stated the same thing, but went through Landon's coach instead of us.  This was, of course, because they didn't want to initiate contact (NCAA, we and these schools are as white as the driven snow so far).  The coach also stated that he felt Landon had three offers because [university name withdrawn] said they were going to offer Landon after making sure that he was healthy and doing well after a couple of games.  I'm still counting two.  To count [university name withdrawn] at this point would be like someone saying they are engaged because their fiance stated that they would be asking for their hand in marriage provided the next few dates go well.  

Anyway, I'm real proud of Landon and his accomplishments to date.  The next few months should be really interesting.  So interesting that I paradoxically can't write much here.  I mean, I can't even write about the new BMW that I've been promised by an SEC school (kidding NCAA, kidding).

PS-  THIS OFFER DOES NOT MEAN THAT LANDON IS OR IS NOT GOING TO ANY OF THESE SCHOOLS.  I just needed to say that in the off chance that recruitniks or coaches actually see this (hello?)

Summer Book Report, Volume 2

Today's installment is one of my absolute faves.  I had heard about this book early on in my running journey.  However, I kept putting off reading it, in part due to the fact that copies are almost impossible to find because it's out of print.  When I read it, I was mesmerized.  Today, I bring you:

Once a Runner, by John L. Parker, Jr.

What it's about:  Collegiate runner Quentin Cassidy goes full out to see how good of a miler he can be.  Mentored by Olympian Bruce Denton, he moves away from everything and everyone to live, breathe, sleep and eat running.  His breakout performance comes in a meet at his University that he has to run in disguise, since he's been kicked off the team.  This book answers the age-old question asked by relatives and friends of any dedicated runner; namely "Why".  The book takes that question, spits on it and asks "Why not?".

What I learned: This book confirmed the paradoxical secret of distance running that I thought I might have discovered on my way to my pedestrian achievements.  The secret is that there is no secret.  They even state this in the book.  The "secret" is hours on the pavement, trails, tracks, etc.  The "secret" is not the latest workout in Runner's World.  The "secret" is not the latest piece of gear.  The "secret" is the same secret that Lydiard and other coaches discovered in the middle of the 20th Century.  Run more miles, use that as a base to do some decent workouts and then kick butt.  

If this book was a band, it would be: Led freakin' Zepellin baby.  Like Led Zep, this book came out in the '70s.  Sometimes when I hear Led Zepellin I'm floored that the music is so good and wonder why I don't listen to them more.  Same with the book.  I've read it three times in the last three years and wonder each time why I don't read it more.  

How's the writing?  Gotta be brutally honest here.  Imagine a talented writer.  Now take that writer and put them back in 12th grade English or an early writing course in college.  They're still full of angst and in the course of trying to be the best writer they can, they go a little over the top with their descriptions.  That's my best assessment of the writing in this book.  If you are in to the running, it won't matter because the insights made on training and racing are simply incredible.  If that part goes over your head, however it is rough sledding.

After you read this: ....you might be in danger of burning your collection of Runner's World mags.  You also might be in danger of getting rid of any and every excuse for not being the runner you want to be.  

Final note:  Last I checked, Once a Runner was still out of circulation but there were plans to put out a new edition by a publishing company.  I suggest you wait for this instead of ordering it used for 100+ dollars.  It's good, but not THAT good!

Cycle of futility

My latest training cycle has come to an end, and it's ended much like my last two training cycles.  In short, I create a plan, target a race and then go back to absolutely despising running after I get the mileage up.  Stepping back and taking stock has led me to the conclusion that I am, in fact, done.  I figured that I was wrung out and done with racing for a long time after the 2007 Richmond Marathon.  These cycles of futility have only confirmed that for me.  

Here's what I do know:

1) I love running.  I continue to do it and like being in shape.  I'm going to continue doing this.

2) I can't race.  I loved racing because I loved the process of setting PR's.  Therefore, I cannot line up for a race and know that I'll be minutes slower than the absolute best I could be.  A good friend of mine who ran in college told me that he can't bring himself to race despite the fact that he's in great shape for someone pushing 50.  In his words "Why would I go out of my way to break 18 for a 5K"?  While he is a much more talented runner than I, I am finally fully empathetic with this.

3) I realized that I slayed the dragons that I strained after for 10 years and have no more that I want to conquer.  Actually, relative to many people, these were only semi-large lizards instead of dragons.  I always wanted to break 40 for a 10k and qualify for Boston in the marathon.  I've done both on more than one occasion now and also participated in the wonderful celebration of running that is the Boston Marathon.  Despite trying to make other goals, they pale in comparison and fail to resonate with me enough to push past the considerable inconvenience.

I'm a fan on road racing and track and field.  I learned so much about myself from this recreational pursuit.  Most of this ambling, rambling blog will continue to be devoted to this wonderful sport.  However, the personal aspects will be fond recollections of the past.  The present will be devoted to other people's pursuits of their dragons.  

See some of you on the roads!

Summer Book Report, Volume 1

Eugene Peterson, famous Christian scholar and author, once said, “you are what you read”. I think there’s a lot to that. TV shows and movies can change your mood for an hour, but books can change the way you view something for the rest of your life. Given that heavy introduction, this will be the first installment of running books that have influenced me. Today’s book report

Running with the Buffaloes, by Chris Lear


What it’s about: Former runner and aspiring writer follows the Colorado University Cross-Country team for a season. This team features Adam Goucher, a US Olympian, but also includes a lot of solid, but not spectacular runners that post some remarkable performances.

What I learned: I’ll never forget when I first read this book. I was still living in Michigan, but was flying home for an alumni award from my old department at JMU. I started the book on the plane and couldn’t put it down. I remember that book more than anything else about the trip. I was out of shape and was occasionally running for fitness at the time. Every now and again I promised myself that I’d train for this race or that race and my efforts would ultimately fizzle. I was staying at my parents and went for a run the first chance I got.

This is a chronicle of a team that pushes the envelope. Common worries about injury and burnout are tossed aside as they push themselves and each other to see how good they can become. It helped me rid myself of the myth that weekend hacks like me can’t run high mileage. It transformed my training and resulted in achieving my long-time, albeit pedestrian, goals like breaking 40 in a 10k and qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

If this book was a band, it would be: An ‘80s punk band like Minor Threat. The training and racing of the Buffs is old-school, smart, full of integrity and doesn’t heed warnings from traditionalists. It also works.

How’s the writing?: Not great. It’s a well-written diary, not much more. Like many running books, it doesn’t have to be that great. The inspiration and the passion is in the topic. Non-runners will generally not like the book as a result, although sports enthusiasts will likely see themes that resonate.

After you read this: You’ll go for a run. Then you’ll go for one the next day and the next and the next and………………………………..

Thought for the day.....

Every day on my walk to work, I cut across the front lawn of the "Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence". I harbor a small fantasy that one day someone from that Center will come out and scream at me to get off their lawn.