Periclean Accomplishments Brochure

Periclean Scholars at Elon continue to serve and raise awareness about our projects. One of these new tools for awareness is an online newsletter. 

While I have blogged in detail about my experiences with the program, and all of the benefits it has offered to me and the global community, this newsletter distills this information into a 14-page pamphlet. If you are new to my blog, I highly encourage you to read it!

Click the image below to be directed to the Periclean accomplishments brochure.

Donor Acknowledgement - Paul Crowell

I offer my most sincere thanks to Paul Crowell, who, upon learning of my fundraising goal for Project Pericles through running the Marine Corps Marathon, did not blink in showing support.

Paul's donation humbles me because I do not yet know him personally. He is a Vice President at my dad's company. In supporting the efforts of a family member of one of his fellow staff, Paul has demonstrated to me his commitment beyond profit - he is undoubtedly concerned about the people he works with, and the planet he serves on.

Paul exemplifies the spirit of the Periclean program at Elon, in that he gives not only when he feels like it, but when he is called to do so. He knows that giving in this manner makes the most significant difference. By listening to his staff, he allows the Periclean program to listen to our partners and make meaningful contributions in this same spirit.

I was delighted when my dad told me that Paul's son, a high school senior, is considering Elon University as one of his top college choices. If the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I have no doubt that Paul's son will be a great fit in the Elon environment, because he would be actively involved in the campus community. In fact, I think that he would be a great Periclean, because of the manner in which he gives and by considering the family of his work family as not the "other" but as his own.

Paul, I look forward to the day that I get to meet you and thank you in person. Your contribution provides extra motivation to run well in support of Project Pericles.

Thank you, Paul.

Donor Acknowledgement - Courtney Latta

It is an honor to write in acknowledgement of Courtney Latta's contribution to my marathon journey. This is by no means her first contribution to the Periclean program. As a member of my cohort, Courtney remained fully involved and invested in our project's success - from conception through completion and to sustaining it today.

Courtney's contributions are balanced in the best way possible. She is full of adventure - always pushing us beyond our limits and energizing us with stories that make us laugh. Yet, she is also deeply spiritual and uses her values and her knowledge of her place in the world to both propel her further and keep her grounded.

During our undergraduate career, Courtney was fully immersed in the mission of Periclean Scholars. She was a constant source of ideas and inspiration for developing the project. She invited her father, a doctor and model global citizen who is connected to Haiti, to serve as a Periclean Scholar-in-Residence. She was the only student to travel to Zambia twice - both on the information gathering trip in May 2008 to Kaoma Village in the Western Province, and on the build in January 2009 to Kawama Village in the Copperbelt Province. She is featured in our video postcard, produced in summer 2008.

Courtney dedicated her life after Elon to service, as well; she served with the Children's Nutrition Program (CNP) in the village of Leogane, Haiti. Even after living through the earthquake, she put the interests of the organization and those she served above herself; she did not stop her work with CNP. She lived out her commitment to others, proving that, even though the time to give the most of yourself is when it is most difficult, it is then that it is the most necessary.

The Class of 2015 will be focusing on Haiti. Courtney's experience after Elon in Haiti will be an incredible resource for this class. Her involvement in the Periclean program, and her desire to see all projects succeed and be sustained, gives me confidence that the newest class will accomplish much. With her on our team, Pericleans have a fierce ally and advocate.

In Courtney I have a friend, a classmate, a role model, a supporter, and more. I am fortunate to have her in my life and humbled that she has contributed toward my goal.

To conclude, I will place under the cut a poem that Courtney sent to my class - a poem that I think exemplifies her nature beautifully.

Thank you, Courtney.

9 Mile Run - Saturday 9/24

This past Saturday, I returned to North Jersey and completed a long run that was exceptionally short, by my standards. That being said, this stepback week was needed, and this was no time to get restless. The week of 9/11-17 and 9/25-10/1 are both peak weeks for me - that is, 52 miles in one week and a 20 mile long run.

The 9 mile run started in Hawthorne and took us through downtown Glen Rock, up Maple Avenue, through downtown Ridgewood, into Midland Park, and back down Goffle Road to return to Hawthorne. The Hawthorne area was one that I became more familiar with over the weekend, as it is Jason's hometown. Even though it is only 10 minutes away from my hometown of Oakland, I only spent time there as a child at the movie theater and the Dunkin Donuts. Unfortunately, I stopped at neither during my run! However, I did pass the Dunkin Donuts, which brought back some great memories... both of when I used to be a kid, and of when I ate baked goods.

Heading through familiar downtowns, I kept my eyes peeled for familiar sites. One of those was the Country Pancake House in Ridgewood. I recalled how the good cross country runners in high school would run from the high school to this restaurant and devour the massive pancakes as a post-run treat. I might not have been good enough to do that then, but I certainly would be now!

As in my previous North Jersey run, I learned once again that we runners are spoiled in Northern Virginia. The sidewalks were nonexistent in many places. When the roads transitioned from one town to another, the sidewalk would abruptly end on one side of the road and resume on the other side. In spite of this, I never felt like I was in danger. The streets were devoid of traffic on that Saturday morning.

Of all of the places where we could have planned long runs in North Jersey, this run took me through the same intersection in Midland Park (Goffle/Godwin) that I ran while on my 17 mile run. Whenever I go home, I always say that things change - but I cannot say that this is true about this intersection, since I was just there a month and a half ago.

One of the perks of a shorter long run was that I attempted different fueling than normal. I traded my Powerade for some Gatorade, and I ingested a mountain berry flavored Clif Shot Block for fuel. I did not drink as much liquid as normal, so I cannot tell if the Gatorade swap was fruitful. However, the experiment with the shot block did turn out well; it gave me a slight energy boost, which, during the marathon, could prove crucial. I think I will continue to experiment with these in my final weeks of training.

I valued the sightseeing in this run and the opportunity to soak in and enjoy the experience on a shorter long run. Training is now kicking into as high of a gear as it can get, as this is the peak week for my training. Today, I did 7 in the morning and 6 at night, for a total of 13. I will log 20 miles (minimum - perhaps 21 or 22) on Saturday. My body has done it once before, and doing it again will reassure me that I am ready for this marathon.

Back to Blogging

Friends, family, and fans:

I apologize for the lack of posts in the past few days. I was out of town on a fantastic long weekend adventure. In the next couple of days, I am excited to catch up and write about Saturday's run, Periclean inspiration, and my friend, Courtney, who will receive a glowing donor acknowledgement.

These entries will be written and posted starting tomorrow. For now, it is bedtime. Hope everyone had a great weekend, and I hope you enjoy my entries this week.

Donor Acknowledgement - Amanda Nieman

This acknowledgement is in honor of Amanda Nieman, who has shown to me how dedicated she is to the Periclean mission by going beyond the call of duty at work and through service.

As a Foundation Fellow at The Redwoods Group, Amanda was eligible to participate in the 2009 Zambia Periclean experience. She was selected, and during the experience it was easy to see why. Like fellow Redwoods employee Dan, Amanda showed she was adaptable to change, eager to work with college students and Zambians, and dedicated to the Periclean ideals. Amanda’s easygoing, open-minded nature earned her the trust and respect of all she encountered. She took her responsibility seriously and openly shared her heart and talents with team members and future homeowners.

Amanda's dedication to Periclean service continued last September, when she worked with Periclean Scholars for the Schools of Chiapas in Chiapas, Mexico. This project is the focal point of the Classes of 2008 and 2013 and is a model of Periclean sustainability. It is only fitting that Amanda, an individual who is dedicated to a life of service, would continue to support Periclean work at a site that epitomizes long-term Periclean sustainability.

Because of the model global citizen that Amanda has shown herself to be, I am honored to accept her contribution toward my personal goal of raising funds for the PSAA through marathon training. Amanda, your support means so much more because it comes from a person with your dedication to the Periclean ideals.

Thank you, Amanda.

Training for Trusteeship PSAA Participants: Lampert '11 and Lee '11

Kudos and congrats to Jesse Lee and Natalie Lampert, members of the Periclean Scholars Alumni Association and part of the Sri Lanka cohort, for participating in the 4th annual Training for Trusteeship Program in Sri Lanka.

The program, sponsored by the Weeramantry International Centre for Peace Education & Research, encourages young activists to "do what they can as individuals and future leaders to change their countries for the better by working across the cultural, religious, disciplinary and institutional divide in serving their communities".

I am honored to be raising funds for the program that helped to nurture their passions and talents, that helped them to grow from students curious about faraway lands to ambassadors of global change and environmental sustainability. Their plans to continue volunteering in Sri Lanka, even after graduating from Elon and participating in this forum, have convinced me that their connection to Sri Lankan communities is deeply rooted, one that will not wither after graduation. Their enthusiasm for active, informed global citizenship will continue to impact others in countless positive ways.

Click below to read the E-net article by Eric Townsend.

20 Mile Run - Saturday 9/17

Today, I accomplished two of my major pre-marathon goals: a 20 mile run and a 52 mile week. I took a path that combined some of my favorite loops: from home to the Mount Vernon Trail, to Hains Point, up north to the Lincoln Memorial, east to the pool right in front of the Capitol, back west to the Lincoln Memorial, up north to Georgetown, across the Key Bridge, and back south down the Mount Vernon Trail and back home.

I started today's run a little later than normal, for a couple of reasons. First, it is getting colder out, so I no longer need to get up before dawn to avoid the heat. Second, I have been having pain in my left heel - I think it might be the Achille's tendon. Even though it felt mostly good yesterday, I am terrified that something bad will happen on a run and all of my training will go down the drain. That being said, it felt a million times better today than it did on Thursday when it first started hurting. Third, since I started running so late, my dog got her walk before my run today. Fourth, I forgot to get Powerade and had to go to the store before my run. With all that being said, I finally started my watch at 7:50 a.m.

Today's weather was in the high 50s to low 60s. Compared to normal, this was freezing for someone like me. Since it was overcast with some raindrops, I threw a windbreaker atop my technical tee. I wore my normal shorts. Combined, this outfit made me feel neither too warm nor too cold over the course of the run.

The streets leading to the trail were dead, but they came alive the second I hit the Mount Vernon Trail. Many teams and running groups were putting in their miles, and they had water stops along the way set up for them. This may be because of how late I ran in the morning, or the fact that the weather is getting cooler. Due to the weather, today's athletes wore mostly long-sleeved shirts; many even wore running tights. Yet, I saw the man with the gray shorts and the orange stripe, with the two knee braces, and he did not add any layers at all.

When I crossed over the George Mason Bridge, I noticed that there were a couple of events going on down at Hains Point. The first one was the Run Geek Run 8K. My path took me clear through the race! I ran in the opposite direction of the racers, so I was able to observe their running form and get ideas for race attire. Since I was going in the opposite direction, a volunteer called out my time as I crossed the race's 2 mile mark. It was something like 42 minutes, which would be abysmal - even for walkers! I just smiled and said "thank you". I was even offered water at the aid stations. At the edge furthest south on Hains Point, the volunteer manning the music asked me if I was running the race - because if I were, I would have to turn left. I just said, "nope"!  Since the music was blasting south, as soon as I passed the music booth I got an earful of Gwen Stefani's "It's My Life".

As I passed the Tidal Basin and headed up the Rock Creek Park trails toward the Lincoln Memorial, I noticed there were many tents, houses, Port-o-Potties, and bike racks at West Potomac Park. AT first, I thought that they had forgotten to clean up from last weekend's Nation's Triathlon. Then, I realized that they were setting up for - of all things - the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. Who would have guessed that a solar decathlon, of all things, would create the biggest mess I have ever seen at this park?

As I continued on and neared the Lincoln Memorial, I thought about my run last weekend and my fall on the nearby cobblestones. I thought about paying extra attention to the ground beneath my feet. Well, this could not have happened at a better time, because when I looked ahead of me, I saw a huge pile of horse poop. Thankfully I was able to dodge that, unlike last week's cobblestones. I doubt it would have injured me, but it would have made me miserable for the rest of my run.

Since I was out running so late, I encountered more tourists than normal - especially on the National Mall. In the past, such as during Cherry Blossom Season, I found it my duty as a runner to get in as many pictures as possible of unsuspecting tourists - i.e., photobomb them. However, today I was feeling nice. When tourists would stand on the right side of the sidewalk and take a picture of something on the left side, I would go off of the sidewalk and around them so as not to obstruct their shot. I will count this as one small act of charity toward mankind today - even though I know they would have loved to have me in their pictures!

Another consequence of running later in the morning was that Georgetown might as well have been Hong Kong. The sidewalks were clogged with tourists and shoppers, none of which seemed too happy to see me bolting in their direction. I didn't really have to slow down my pace to pass them, but it did make me feel like I was in some sort of game - or maybe as though I were playing football and had to dodge everybody trying to tackle me. The best thing that I saw in Georgetown, however, was independent of other human beings. The words "Pinkberry - Swirling Soon" graced a storefront on M Street. Cue the Hallelujah chorus. Pinkberry is one of my favorite frozen yogurt places of all time, and I am so happy that they are adding one more to the DC mix.

Today's run was quite eventful, but that wasn't even the best part. The best part of today's run is that I feel great after it. I am walking around now, and I have no aches and pains. Yes, my hamstrings were somewhat tight toward the end of the run, but a couple of hours after, everything feels good as new - even my left Achilles tendon. If I were dumb today and wanted to prove something, I know that my body could have done the full 26.2. That being said, I will not hit that distance in my training, but I know after today's run that I can do it.

I have a stepback week next week. The week after, I put in my second twenty miler - and then the taper begins. We are only 6 weeks out from marathon day. I cannot believe how soon it will be here.

Doubles

First - before I start today’s entry, I want to share a coupon with those of you, my followers, who like to live and eat healthy. You’re about to get $10 off your grocery bill at Whole Foods. Click this link: https://livingsocial.com/deals/123805?ref=conf-jp&rpi=26093749 and happy shopping.

Second - no, this entry is not devoted to a type of tennis match. Rather, it is devoted to a style of attaining my desired mileage. A double is when I run twice in the course of a single waking day. As of last week, I began to incorporate doubles once per week. The idea of incorporating doubles is thanks to Steve, my runner friend, who suggested early on in my training to do supplemental runs to build up mileage at peak training time. The second run of a double never replaces a subsequent run.

Prior to marathon training, I experienced doubles in a couple of different arenas.

The first arena was with high school sports.

• The middle to end of August welcomed me to the start of the soccer season, in a grueling way. We would have rigorous practice in the morning, have lunch, rest, and then return for the afternoon. Sometimes, we would just pack our lunches and would not leave the field. These sessions would last for two weeks straight.
• The second instance in high school was when I was a cross-country camper at Green Mountain Running Camp. We would do two runs a day: a 2-miler in the morning and a 5- to 7-miler at night. If you were feeling injured or burnt out, you could aqua-jog at the pool. Camp lasted for one week.

My second time experiencing doubles was during my college career.

• When I got to Elon, I noticed that they had a fitness competition where you could win maximum points for spending an hour and a half in the gym each day, plus completing other challenges. Because I needed an hour and a half each day, I often split up the time into a long and a short session each day. I did it successfully my first two years and won some great prizes as a result. The competition continued for 6 weeks the first year and 5 the second.
• During the summer of 2007, I got a membership to the local Y to use a variety of exercise equipment beyond what was in my basement at home. I used the gym during the afternoons, but I still ran 3-5 miles in the morning as my wake-up medicine before my summer jobs. This pattern continued for about 8 weeks.

With each past instance of doubles, I had very different motivation. For high school soccer, the completion of doubles was a rite of passage. It was a way to prove to your teammates that you were serious about playing. It was also a chance to try out for the varsity team. For running camp, doing doubles was a way to spread out mileage over different bouts. Cross country runners rarely, if ever, run at more than 10 miles at a time, so they need to build up their mileage in smaller doses. The doubles at Elon were for the prize at the end, and for the honor of having my name on the fitness center wall. The summer sessions in 2007 were because of convenience and preference; it would have been difficult to go to the Y early in the morning, but I still needed a morning workout.

Many of the motivating factors of years past are reasons why I am incorporating doubles.

• Giving my best in training for this marathon is part of making it a rite of passage. As Steve Prefontaine taught runners, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
• I am aiming to hit a mileage goal that peaks at 52 miles in a single week. This is a mostly psychological goal, but it does prepare me very well physically. Throughout my training, I knew that if my weekend long run was no more than half of my weekly mileage, I would be able to complete it with (relative) ease. If I can run a 52 mile week, then I can do a 26 mile race easier than if I had not had this baseline of training.
• I can’t say that I am doing the doubles for a prize, except to see that number 52 in my training log.
• I am definitely returning to doubles as a matter of convenience. I am a part-time runner, full-time something else - like the rest of the non-elite running world. I have limited time to run in the morning before I have to get ready for work. With the sunshine becoming more limited, it is getting harder to get those 8 milers at morning dawn. These have made up a lot of my mileage in past weeks, so I don’t want to fall behind if I transition them to 7 milers on the treadmill.

Unlike in past years, for my marathon training the greatest measure of success for running doubles will be to keep in tune with my body. I had planned to run a double on Saturday, but my body was tired, sore, and burnt out, so I decided not to push it. However, I felt great yesterday afternoon, so I made it a double of 6 in the morning plus 6 in the evening. After the second run of a double, I allow myself extra time to stretch and cool down - more than I get during my average morning run, when I am focused on floor work and strength training. Stretching is what helps to prevent muscle fatigue when my body is adjusting to something out of its comfort zone. Doing these help me to avoid burnout; my mileage is hitting new heights, and I want to make sure that I am not dragging in the process. What use are doubles if they bring down the rest of my training?

I believe that if I play my doubles smart, they will take me to new heights in my training. My physical and mental goals of this marathon seem more attainable with the simple addition of one double into my weekly routine. I feel more confident and stronger - all thanks to one extra bout on the treadmill each week.

Preventive Maintenance and Transformative Learning

The idea for this entry came from a recent conversation with a friend, who mentioned that our greatest time of weakness - and the time when we most need to turn to God - is when things are going well. On September 10, 2001, the churches were empty. The next day - a Tuesday - churches were packed to the brim as people sought God in a time of unprecedented hardship. We are weak when we are not on alert. We do not seek help (or to give help) when life seems to be going just fine. Too often, we take this path of least resistance, and it blows up in our faces.

Such moments of weakness are not just confined to faith. We not only go to church only when there is hardship - we also give to aid groups only when immediate relief is needed. We go to the doctor when something hurts, and only after finding that home remedies will not work. We don’t know the emergency evacuation procedures until after an emergency occurs. We cram for tests the day before and write papers until 4 a.m. the day they are due. We invest more in our retirement when our careers are nearing completion. We’ll consider using more clean energy only when the flooding does not stop and climate change deniers become victims of their own denial.

The truth is, the consequences of complacency are not revealed at the time but rather when crisis hits. Aid groups need much more money than they would have otherwise to meet the same needs after a crisis. We find it much more difficult to cure a disease that has taken a strong hold than a young disease. We panic when emergencies hit. Our papers and exams are of inferior quality when we do not spread preparation out over more time. The compounding value of a 401(k) will never reach what it could have been if we started early, if we made it a habit. Our flood waters will rise ever higher and our air will get smoggier than could have been if we took immediate action on climate change.

A lesson I have learned from these consequences, and from my friend’s statement, is that preventive maintenance is cheaper in terms of time, money, energy, and other resources (emotional, mental, spiritual) than cleaning up after a crisis. Why bother with the intense suffering when we can reduce its pain? This concept holds true for international development. We can wait to invest in communities that can benefit more from tools in good times, as they fight forward against certain hardships (such as flooding or drought). Then, when it becomes ghastly not to offer help when hardship hits, we must pony up more resources to work toward the same solutions. This is humanitarian aid. Alternatively, we can strive to build up communities in good times so that they will be self-sufficient and prepared during hardship. This is development aid, and it is the Periclean model of partnership.

Now, I am not saying that I am above such moments of weakness. I have done my fair share of procrastinating and failing to go to the doctor at the first sign of an ailment. The important part is that I recognize fault here and try my best not to make this mistake in the future.

The point of recognizing fault and repenting, making a sincere effort to not make the same mistakes again, is a key point in the transformative learning process. Once we connect consequences with our inaction, we can begin to create better destinies for ourselves and our communities. For many Elon first year students, this starts with the Global Experience course that sparks a desire to move beyond our first-world privilege and take preventive action in global communities. The outlet for continued transformation becomes the Periclean Scholars Program.

The main measure of success is not to forget once the transformation has begun. We shouldn’t forget about Haiti years after the earthquake; we should be working with partners to undertake preventive maintenance for the next disaster - whether it be humanitarian, climate-related, another earthquake, or something else - as the Class of 2015 will be doing. As Pericleans, we should not forget about the work we did as undergraduates, but rather continue to engage the community as alumni. As the payoff is greater with acting before a crisis, the payoff is also greater if we act more than just once or for a short period of time.

For some crises, once they occur it may be too late. As an example, when 9/11 hit, we could never recover the lives of the 3,000 lost. However, we could work to prevent future attacks on our soil. Many of us might dismay the TSA, but we agree that the small inconvenience of longer check-in processes is better than the large inconvenience of losses of life. We can (and should) mourn the hardship, but to emerge stronger, we must transform our mindset to one of future preventive maintenance.

I invite you to participate in the preventive maintenance and transformative learning process, through ways that make the most sense to you. Invest time in learning the consequences of certain actions. Work backwards from some of your hardship to see how to minimize it next time. Learn about how development aid is far superior to humanitarian aid, and why. Donate to a program that facilitates development aid: the Periclean Scholars.

10 Mile Run - Saturday 9/10

You might be looking at the title of this entry and thinking, "I thought she was doing 20 miles today?" You would be right. Unfortunately, I fell and scraped up myself pretty badly around mile 7 or 8 of the first lap of a 10 mile loop. I made the tough decision to stop at home base, ice myself, and run to the convenience store to get some first aid.

There have been times before when I tripped, but this was the first run that I flat out wiped out. There was a raised area right before the Arlington Memorial Bridge (on the DC side). I was in my normal running flow, not overly cautious about my terrain because it was cobblestone sidewalk. Before I knew it, I was down. My water bottle flew out of my hands. Luckily, I had four other Arlington Road Runners around me to support me: Jason next to me, and Amy plus two other women directly in front of me. Jason asked if I was okay before I resumed running. As soon as I got up and grabbed my water bottle, I said, "Let's go." If I did have to fall once during training, I was thankful that it was when I was with a group of people.

I felt in okay shape, minus the gashes in my hands and the light scraping on my left knee. Then, as the run progressed and we ran past the Iwo Jima Memorial (the concluding spot of the MCM!), I felt my scrapes starting to swell up. I decided I would stop at the ARRC home base in Rosslyn when we reached there, prior to beginning lap two. Thankfully, they had ice, but unfortunately, there was no first aid. I feared that my cuts would get infected, that the wounds would hurt so much that they would detract from my running - so I made the very difficult decision to cut a long run short.

At first I was dejected about having to stop, but now I see it as an opportunity. I am going to finish up my mileage either this afternoon/evening or tomorrow morning. I will run somewhere between 10 miles (to make 10+10 from today), or I will start from scratch and do 20. I am not going to go into my second run with huge expectations, aside from the desire to complete a minimum of 10 more miles. I am going to listen to my body and do as it tells me to. If it says that it can do 20 more miles, then that is what I will do - and then I will rest tomorrow, extremely confident that I will be prepared for MCM. Plus, if I run tonight, I will see how I do with eating prior to a long run - something I have not had a chance to experience since a 9 miler earlier this season. As MCM gets closer, I wonder if I should consider having a small snack in the hours before the race; if I do not eat before the race, then I won't have my first meal until 1 p.m. at the earliest on October 30. I would never consider experimenting with this the day of the race, so this afternoon/evening will give me a chance to do so.

Aside from my graceful fall, the run was fantastic. I felt capable in all regards - including my ankles. I have had no tendon problems for a few days now, and they did not come up on today's run. The temperature was great. My lungs handled the weather well, even if it was somewhat humid for late summer. My stomach gave me no problems, and I didn't need a Pepto or Imodium before the run.

The start of the run was the site of today's Rosslyn Jazz Festival. At the beginning, I saw them setting up, and toward the end, I got to hear the warm ups. I saw promoters all over getting people to attend the festival, even at a very early hour in the morning.

As we crossed into DC, Chris from ARRC mentioned that there would be a water station with oreos. They might as well have been orioles (the birds), because we saw more of them than oreos. They were mystical "Never-cookies" that did not exist today. Although I would not have eaten any, the promise of cookies on the trail made me think of what I would like to see during MCM: a station that hands out fig newtons. Elite runner Deena Kastor has said that this is what she eats as fuel for long runs; I love fig newtons, so I imagine I would enjoy them during the race.

Part of the run took me along the National Mall. I saw some tents, and as I headed east, I instantly thought they were being set up for 9/11 remembrance. When I looped the Capitol and started heading west, I saw that they were for the National Council of Negro Women, Inc.'s 26th Annual Black Family Reunion. They had fired up the grill and were singing and playing music. Members from the running group were looking for a water stop around this point; I think that if they had asked for a burger, they would have successfully gotten one!

After I traversed the Arlington Memorial Bridge, I saw many points of inspiration. As mentioned earlier, I got to run past the Iwo Jima Memorial and up the road that in 50 days will lead me to victory. I got to run past the Netherlands Carillon and Arlington Cemetery, the first time I have ever done so. I briefly thought about all who have sacrificed their lives for us so that I can run on these streets in freedom and without fear, even around the 10th anniversary of 9/11. My only fear today was uneven sidewalks.

All in all, today did not go as planned, but it was still a good 10 miler. I will make up my mileage the rest of this weekend, and I will learn about my body in the process. With each crisis comes danger plus opportunity, a truth that I get to test out soon.

Spirit of the Marathon

I just stumbled upon this movie:

Spirit of the Marathon is a 2007 documentary about the Chicago Marathon experience of six runners, as well as the distance's history.

This movie is available on Hulu, which is great, because I am sure I will watch it (or parts of it) multiple times in the next 51 days.

As time dwindles down, each piece of inspiration holds greater importance. I could not have found this movie at a better time. I am currently streaming it but will not finish it tonight; it will go in the queue for the weekend.

Runner friends, please click on the Hulu link (http://www.hulu.com/watch/85354/spirit-of-the-marathon) and enjoy the movie along with me. If you have runner friends (other than me, of course!), please share the link with them.

Marathon by Numbers

I am no longer just a person; I am now also a number.

This afternoon, I received my bib number in a confirmation e-mail from the Marine Corps Marathon organizers. I will be runner # 12501. Receiving this number means there is no turning back. I have an identity in this race.

Numbers do motivate me to run harder, faster, and stronger. The numbers on the treadmill console or my watch inspire me to go faster, and the numbers in my running log inspire me to stay consistent. For additional motivation, I will take this time to share some numbers that have propelled me in my marathon journey.

196: Days since I began training for the marathon.
52: Days left until the marathon.
52: Number of miles I will run during my heaviest training week.
171: Number of miles I ran during the month of August.
1,013: Number of miles I have run this year.
2: Scheduled training days that I missed due to illness.
0: Scheduled training days that I missed due to injury.
30,000: Approximate number of people who start the MCM each year.
21,948: Number of MCM finishers in 2010.
4:44:14: Average finish time of 2010 MCM finishers.
6: Miles per hour starting pace for each treadmill run.
7: Miles per hour tempo pace for each treadmill run.
5:00:00: Corral that I will be in for MCM.
4:00:00 (or below): Goal finish time. (I enjoy passing people!)
9:09: Pace per mile to achieve goal finish time.
1: Incline for each treadmill run.
4:30: Earliest start time for my summer long run.
9:00: Start time for MCM (a.m.).
1:15: Time I need to beat the 14th Street Bridge to continue MCM (p.m.).
2: (Each of) legs, arms, and lungs that will propel me to the finish line.
1: Body, heart, and soul that is responsible for me crossing the finish line.
Unlimited: Number of supporters, both through PSAA and elsewhere, that make all of the above numbers worth it.

Justice - MLK Jr. Tribute Series

The conclusion of the post series devoted to Martin Luther King, Jr’s work and its reflections in the Periclean program focuses on justice. Justice is moral righteousness, most often associated with the laying down of the law. Justice is mandated in societies from a variety of sources, including religion and morals that come from divine inspiration. It concerns how people should be given what they earn or deserve, how punishment should be delivered for those who commit injustices, and how victims can best be healed.

There are many theories of distributive and retributive justice, meaning that how we achieve it is open to debate. Since we are focusing on the dream of Dr. King, how did he envision that we achieve justice? We can get a glimpse at this through his Letter from a Birmingham Jail dated April 16, 1963, which goes into further detail about how he sees the formation of injustice and how to determine whether or not a law is unjust.

First: “...I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.”

This quote leads me to believe that King wished distributive justice to be distributed across communities nationwide. The distributive justice King advocates is not a good, but rather love and respect. It is of a sort that is timeless. He saw groups of people being systematically denied this respect. His call is aimed at individuals, to treat one another with a spirit of brotherhood - as if different races were our own flesh and blood.

The Periclean Scholars extend distributive justice across international borders. Some may say that we are taking goods and resources that could be used in America, such as dollars for shopping malls, clothing for children, or building tools for domestic groups, and acting in the fashion of Robin Hood. To those who say that, I would say that the allocation of these resources for our partners acknowledges the ties that connect us all. They should be used to attain the best collective results. In this sense, supporting Periclean partners gives a synergistic effect, in that 1 plus 1 is greater than 2. The giving of ourselves for the justice of our partners allows us to receive just as much, if not more, than what is given. Dumping our dollars on goods and services for those closest to us (geographically or in kin) cannot give this same effect.

Second: “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.”

King’s words tell us that justice is more than just the laying of the state’s laws. It is sticking to moral integrity as the mainstay of our mandate for justice. From the retributive side, it is our responsibility to change the law if we find it is in discord with moral righteousness. However, we should be careful here not to tie the law of the land to the law of any one nation’s primary religion. Consider for a moment sharia law and its impact on Islamic nations. Citizens do not treat each other as they would have unto themselves, because their view of integrity does not always mesh with natural law.

Pericleans operate independently of one nation’s laws. They must consider a variety of perspectives, cultural requirements, and expectations before putting plans into action. While they must obey custom, the law that governs Pericleans and their actions is the compass of eternal and natural law. This sense of justice allows us to treat “others” as equals and partners as players on the same level. Being fair and just in this sense is the antithesis to ruling without law, as in, without a set of national laws there would be no law. Eternal and moral law, combined with the integrity of doing the right thing when certain people are not watching, provide a foundation for Periclean actions.

Third, at the conclusion of the letter: “I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or as a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”

King could end this letter any way he chose, but the lasting impression he wished to leave was one of his vision for our society as transformed into a just one. King did not dream of jailing those who had betrayed him. He did not dream of forty acres and a mule. He dreamed of a type of restorative justice. He acknowledged that it would be nearly impossible (and both impractical and backwards) to impose retributive justice on those whose ancestors committed acts of racism and hatred. For one, people might see my white skin and think that my family owned slaves, but in fact I am a descendant of immigrants who arrived after the Civil War and relatives who supported civil rights. We only need look to Zimbabwe for an atrocious example of retributive justice, of the sort that King’s words show that he sought to avoid. To restore King’s soul, he wanted brotherly love. He wanted all people to be treated equally and fairly.

Pericleans use our talents and gifts to affect the destinies of our partners in positive ways. We do our best to overcome years of inequality between nations and communities as agents that distribute justice. No, we do not create laws, but rather we heal and work with those to move beyond the wrongs that have been committed against them by various forces. We select communities that are willing partners, that have specific needs based on a past history. We only choose partners that are willing to show us love and equality, to see us as brothers and sisters on this same earth. We work with those who are open to restorative justice. We retain partnerships in the spirit of King’s dream.

19 Mile Run - Saturday 9/3

Today's 19 mile run took me to many familiar places - some of which I have visited recently, others I haven't visited in over a month. I started up the Mount Vernon Trail, headed across the George Mason Bridge to Hains Point, ran up the Rock Creek Park trails into Georgetown, took the Key Bridge back to Rosslyn, and down the Mount Vernon Trail where I turned around and came home when I saw the fork in the road for the Four Mile Run trail.

I desperately needed today's long run to build my confidence. I was nervous going into it for a couple of reasons. First, my last long weekend run was extraordinarily mentally tough. Second, my most recent run, my Thursday 8 miler, was cut to a 5 miler because of a trots attack on the trail. It was the only run this season that I had not finished to completion. That being said, I put those episodes behind me on these familiar trails. I had received a quote in my inbox from Runners World that I would hold in the back of my mind: "Relish the bad training runs. Without them it's difficult to recognize, much less appreciate, the good ones." -Pat Teske. I decided that, even if my 19 miler didn't turn out as planned, I would take it as a learning experience. That being said, it is my longest run so far, so I had hoped it would turn out alright.

I am happy to report that the run did turn out well. I had no intestinal or breathing issues. My finishing time was five minutes faster than predicted. It was so refreshing to get back on my favorite trails and see the familiar landmarks that have seen me through my toughest miles. My muscle memory kicked in, and it was like a huge linking of my favorite runs. My only issue is that my inside tendons on my ankles were tight the entire run, so I might want to put some ice on them tonight.

Over the course of the run, I saw so many different sports being played - both summer sports to finish out the season, and fall sports to kick off the season. I saw a boater with a jetskiier trailing, flag football players, soccer players, golfers, sand volleyball players, and more. The most interesting athlete to me was a girl on Hains Point who was dribbling the ball backwards through her legs, as she was drilled by a coach. She was short but obviously looked like she competed at high levels. I also saw the normal (and dreaded) cyclists and rollerbladers on the trail. Most of them were courteous to me so they get a free pass this week. Overall, if you were active and not outside today in the DC area, you missed a great day of camaraderie with your fellow athletes. I am glad I was able to enjoy watching all of these different sports.

I also noticed countless running groups - some of which I have seen before, others I have not. I saw Team to End AIDS, AIMS India, Potomac River Runners, Pacers, Georgetown Running Company, and more. I even saw some members of the Arlington Road Runners as I connected back to the Mount Vernon Trail in Rosslyn. The best part about all of these running groups is that they have support/water stations scattered throughout their runs, so if my Powerade ran out, I could theoretically request some water from one of these groups. (Luckily, I measured out my Powerade perfectly.)

My favorite moment of the run came when I was heading up the Rock Creek Park trails, past the Lincoln Memorial, and I got accidentally sucked into a running group. The XMP group (Montgomery County Road Runners' advanced marathon training program) came from out of nowhere. They were 15 or so strong, and they were all about my pace. When I realized that I would be running with them for a little bit, I decided to break the ice. It turns out they were heading toward the Capital Crescent Trail. They were doing 22 miles this week, and they said that on their stepback weeks, they do about 16! Clearly they are an advanced group! Even though I had not planned to run with anyone else, it was nice to have a chance to make conversation and run with that group.

There are only 57 days until race day. Although I had some bumps in the road recently, my strength on today's course - that includes a lot of the same paths as the MCM - has me feeling that I will do great on race day, as long as I continue to train smart in all aspects. Next week, I hit another milestone with my first run of 20 miles. I expect this week to be a strong week, as today's run definitely helped to build my confidence.

Opportunity - MLK Jr. Tribute Series

Today’s post continues the series inspired by the recent opening of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Memorial in DC. Dr. King was a model citizen and human being, whose values guide and inspire Pericleans today. As the second in this series, this post will address opportunity as an area of needed growth among Americans, as it relates to race relations.

Opportunity is the chance for us to achieve our full potential. It is not being shut off prematurely by any sort of force. Granted, not all opportunities will be realized, but the potential for them to develop is there in a free and just society. This opening is what Dr. King championed.

Opportunity in the racial context would see us all rise above race as a qualifier to unlimited potential. In some cases, such as through scholarships, opportunity can be granted through belonging to a certain racial group, but these chances primarily come along as a result of lack of opportunity in the normal arena. True opportunity in the context of race would be to have race play a minimal or wholly insignificant role in the development of potential.

My desire to see race removed as a barrier to opportunity stems partly from my Periclean experience in Zambia. For my entire life, I was in the majority and never needed to consider my own race as an impediment. Then, I became a “muzungu”, or white person, as known in Zambia. I was singled out as the subject of attention because of my race. People in Zambia assumed certain things about me as a result of the color of my skin. From the looks I got, I assumed I was not from their country, a true “Zambian”. From the way I was approached, they assumed I had money to spend. I was given special (and not equal) treatment just by being of a different race, just by being muzungu.

I was not harmed or disrespected by being a muzungu in a nation of Zambians, but I did get a sense of being the “other”. I was not free to interact with people or travel without the stares and being approached. Zambia is one of the safest nations in the African continent, and I am thankful that I was able to get this experience there without fear of harm. However, the invisible barrier shows to me that we still have strides to make toward achieving King’s vision.

The experience of being in the minority is something I consider to be an opportunity. It frees me from the shackles of apathy and oblivion. It allows me the chance and the potential to spread the message of fellow global citizens’ lack of opportunity. If I had lived a sheltered life, then the opportunity for me to do this would have been cut off prematurely.

So long as the Periclean program exists as a vibrant force guided by a robust mission, America’s potential for opportunity sought by Dr. King will continue to grow - and will lead to mirrored growth in partner nations.