In my airline profile I have a preference set for the aisle seat. I prefer an escape route that is open and not blocked by others' legs. However, occassionally I get bumped up to first class, when that happens you take the seat you don't argue in order to get the aisle. This is the circumstance I found myself in last weekend when I was flying from Colorado Springs to Tucson to see my mother.
Flying in the evening is also rare for me. I almost always fly in the morning or early afternoon but on this day I had to fly two flights to get to my destination, that left me with flying in the evening.
As we begin our decent I notice the Arizona mountains, the are dark in the forefront but the sun is setting and even though you cannot see the sun the orange behind the mountain is vivid against the dark form of the jagged cliffs. The contrast is striking. Above the orange in the dark of the sky is the moon, just a sliver but the shadow of the entire moon can be seen.
I wonder how much we miss when we are not forced to be still, to look out the windows in our life, not just in the landscape but in the people what we pass by every day. Do we see their inner beauty? Do we ever stop to see the best in them and in ourselves?
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Purple Mountain Majesty
By the title you have most likely guessed that this entry will be about running in the mountains, you may have even have guessed I was in Colorado, with that gues you would be correct.
I've done many postings about running in Colorado Springs so as you know every time I am there I am once again overwhelmed by the beauty of the breaking dawn.
On this morning the temperature was a mild 38 degrees, perfect temperature for shorts and long sleeves. The week before the temperatures were very cold and there was a lot of snow and so there was ice on the roads and the sidewalks. In the dark I had to be careful not to slip.
On my way back the sun was rising, the red like fire brimming over the plains as the lights of the city begin to dim. But it's not the sun coming up over the plains that is the most beautiful. On the opposite horizon are the mountains and this is where the beauty overtakes me, each and every time. The mountains are jagged and with the sun shining on them they turn from dark to purple to yellow to red and finally settle into the browns and greens that make the terrain of the mountain. It's hard to continue running when the beauty grabs your heart. And so I stop, breathe in the crisp dry air, and take in the scene. I imagine what it was like to the pioneers coming across the plains as the sun rose and lit the mountains with purple. Purple Mountain Majesty that is all the description needed.
I know that it's typical to forget to look at your surroundings as you are there all the time and it becomes common. I mentioned to someone at the office that the sunrise was fantastic and the response was "Yeah, I see it all the time "purple mountain majesty". I was a little confused by the comment. It sounded cavalier and it ocurred to me that we all forget look at the beauty in our lives. It's there in front of us, all around us, in the people we know and don't know, in the world God made for us, in everything we do, and yet it becomes common.
In this next year let's all remember to look at the beauty that surrounds us and choose to enjoy what God has given us to enjoy. Life will be better for us is we only dwell in the beauty.
I've done many postings about running in Colorado Springs so as you know every time I am there I am once again overwhelmed by the beauty of the breaking dawn.
On this morning the temperature was a mild 38 degrees, perfect temperature for shorts and long sleeves. The week before the temperatures were very cold and there was a lot of snow and so there was ice on the roads and the sidewalks. In the dark I had to be careful not to slip.
On my way back the sun was rising, the red like fire brimming over the plains as the lights of the city begin to dim. But it's not the sun coming up over the plains that is the most beautiful. On the opposite horizon are the mountains and this is where the beauty overtakes me, each and every time. The mountains are jagged and with the sun shining on them they turn from dark to purple to yellow to red and finally settle into the browns and greens that make the terrain of the mountain. It's hard to continue running when the beauty grabs your heart. And so I stop, breathe in the crisp dry air, and take in the scene. I imagine what it was like to the pioneers coming across the plains as the sun rose and lit the mountains with purple. Purple Mountain Majesty that is all the description needed.
I know that it's typical to forget to look at your surroundings as you are there all the time and it becomes common. I mentioned to someone at the office that the sunrise was fantastic and the response was "Yeah, I see it all the time "purple mountain majesty". I was a little confused by the comment. It sounded cavalier and it ocurred to me that we all forget look at the beauty in our lives. It's there in front of us, all around us, in the people we know and don't know, in the world God made for us, in everything we do, and yet it becomes common.
In this next year let's all remember to look at the beauty that surrounds us and choose to enjoy what God has given us to enjoy. Life will be better for us is we only dwell in the beauty.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Viewing not Running
Tomorrow could be a day we revel in silent slumber until the sun is at it's mid morning place in the sky. Softly enjoying a long overdue late morning sleep. Normally we are up at the crack of dawn to get our long runs in. Tomorrow could be our time of rest, lazily draping our legs out of bed onto the cold wood floor, walking downstairs to the coffee, cuddling on the couch to watch the morning go by as the caffeine makes it's way into our viens.
Instead we will rise very early, put on layers to keep us warm but can be taken off as the day warms, and head out to Dallas to view our friends and family as they run the Whiterock Marathon and Half Marathon. This may be the first time (that we can remember) that neither of us is running and we are both going to watch. Obviously our late morning snooze is not as important to us as our friends and family. We are sure they need our support along their journey and so, we will be there.
To all of them we say good luck, good race, and God bless your running. We will see you tomorrow!
Instead we will rise very early, put on layers to keep us warm but can be taken off as the day warms, and head out to Dallas to view our friends and family as they run the Whiterock Marathon and Half Marathon. This may be the first time (that we can remember) that neither of us is running and we are both going to watch. Obviously our late morning snooze is not as important to us as our friends and family. We are sure they need our support along their journey and so, we will be there.
To all of them we say good luck, good race, and God bless your running. We will see you tomorrow!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Viva Las Vegas
If you are a veteran runner, meaning you've run for awhile, have so many races under your belt that you can no longer count them with your fingers and toes you sometimes lose the magic of the race environment. And then enters a "newbie". Someone who is running their first race of that distance, someone who has had no real experience with the race expo's, the crowds the morning of the race, the excitement and a big race with the music and fanfare.
Suddenly that euphoric feeling swells up inside once again and as veterans we remember what it's like. We see it again through the "newbie's" eyes and remember why we get up so early to stand out in the cold and wait to run like crazy people through the streets while most are still lost in slumber.
And so it was with the first annual Rock and Roll Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon. Our niece joined us there to run her first half marathon. While she attempted to remain "cool" it was apparant that the excitement was there and the nerves were too.
After a restful Saturday we got up at 3:00 AM on Sunday to get ready, eat, and make our way to the race start. The race started at 6:15 so that the strip could be completely closed down. That in and of itself was amazing. How often do they close down Las Vegas Blvd.?
Making our way to the start we met a man who was a bit lost, he is from Florida and was running his first marathon. Now we have another "newbie" and we assure him he will do fine, don't start too fast, make sure you fuel, all the things we say to those who have not been here before. We stayed together until the race began, he was alone and nervous so we tried to provide some calmness for him. Later after the marathon we saw him again, amazing with 25,0000 runners, he pulled a groin at mile 4 but still finished. He was dissappointed but still happy to have made it through.
Staying with the Rock and Roll theme there are bands all along the way and at the beginning they had a band above the start line "Blues Brothers", fireworks, and skydivers with Celine and Cher singing beforehand (or at least I think it was them but may have been an impersonator).
And then we are off. Running through Vegas is unlike any other race I've run. The buildings, so large and ominous, the overwhelming enormity of it all. We stuck to our plan and did well keeping our pace and slowly building up..and then it happened. Terry and I were in a conversation about the wedding chapel where my dad and stepmother got married, we were looking at a few of the chapels we were passing as we ran, and I tripped on one of the reflectors in the middle of the road. BOOM, I am down, with knees scraped up, knuckles and wrist bleeding, blood going down my leg. I hop up and get right back at it hardly losing a beat. I'm not sure if that makes me tough or crazy. We kept with our pace and still finished strong.
I'm not sure why I trip sometimes while running, it seems to go in phases. I feel somewhat like Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live, and I hope I provided some good laughs for those around me and made their race easier.
As for our Niece, she came in after us and what a joy to see her face all lit up as she reveled in the excitement of having done something she never thought she would do. She had a great run in her first half and I am quite sure there will be many more and possibly a full marathon sometime in her future. What fun to be there to share with her the excitement of the first distance run!
Suddenly that euphoric feeling swells up inside once again and as veterans we remember what it's like. We see it again through the "newbie's" eyes and remember why we get up so early to stand out in the cold and wait to run like crazy people through the streets while most are still lost in slumber.
And so it was with the first annual Rock and Roll Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon. Our niece joined us there to run her first half marathon. While she attempted to remain "cool" it was apparant that the excitement was there and the nerves were too.
After a restful Saturday we got up at 3:00 AM on Sunday to get ready, eat, and make our way to the race start. The race started at 6:15 so that the strip could be completely closed down. That in and of itself was amazing. How often do they close down Las Vegas Blvd.?
Making our way to the start we met a man who was a bit lost, he is from Florida and was running his first marathon. Now we have another "newbie" and we assure him he will do fine, don't start too fast, make sure you fuel, all the things we say to those who have not been here before. We stayed together until the race began, he was alone and nervous so we tried to provide some calmness for him. Later after the marathon we saw him again, amazing with 25,0000 runners, he pulled a groin at mile 4 but still finished. He was dissappointed but still happy to have made it through.
Staying with the Rock and Roll theme there are bands all along the way and at the beginning they had a band above the start line "Blues Brothers", fireworks, and skydivers with Celine and Cher singing beforehand (or at least I think it was them but may have been an impersonator).
And then we are off. Running through Vegas is unlike any other race I've run. The buildings, so large and ominous, the overwhelming enormity of it all. We stuck to our plan and did well keeping our pace and slowly building up..and then it happened. Terry and I were in a conversation about the wedding chapel where my dad and stepmother got married, we were looking at a few of the chapels we were passing as we ran, and I tripped on one of the reflectors in the middle of the road. BOOM, I am down, with knees scraped up, knuckles and wrist bleeding, blood going down my leg. I hop up and get right back at it hardly losing a beat. I'm not sure if that makes me tough or crazy. We kept with our pace and still finished strong.
I'm not sure why I trip sometimes while running, it seems to go in phases. I feel somewhat like Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live, and I hope I provided some good laughs for those around me and made their race easier.
As for our Niece, she came in after us and what a joy to see her face all lit up as she reveled in the excitement of having done something she never thought she would do. She had a great run in her first half and I am quite sure there will be many more and possibly a full marathon sometime in her future. What fun to be there to share with her the excitement of the first distance run!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Quick update
It's been a bit since I blogged so this is to catch you up.
Training is going well and the Vegas Rock and Roll is this upcoming Sunday. I feel very strong and my knee is doing well. We've been doing some intense training and I think it will pay off on the mostly flat course!
The weather has turned cold and in fact it snowed today. It did not stay on the ground, nonetheless the flakes were big and beautiful. I love running in the colder weather, my body seems to respond well and so soon I am off for an easy 5 mile run. I did not run this morning because it was raining, now it is dryer but cold and a bit windy. Seems I just traded one for another. All will be good because Terry will be running with me and then we can cuddle up by a nice fire.
I will post more soon!
Training is going well and the Vegas Rock and Roll is this upcoming Sunday. I feel very strong and my knee is doing well. We've been doing some intense training and I think it will pay off on the mostly flat course!
The weather has turned cold and in fact it snowed today. It did not stay on the ground, nonetheless the flakes were big and beautiful. I love running in the colder weather, my body seems to respond well and so soon I am off for an easy 5 mile run. I did not run this morning because it was raining, now it is dryer but cold and a bit windy. Seems I just traded one for another. All will be good because Terry will be running with me and then we can cuddle up by a nice fire.
I will post more soon!
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