Freedom Fun Run 8K - St. Peter

On July 4, my dad and I ran the Freedom Fun Run 8k in St. Peter. My goal was to get my time under 22:30, which is 6:30 per mile pace. I crossed the finish in 21:50; about 6:24 pace.

My dad wanted to run faster than 9:30 per mile. He finished with a pace right around 9:04 per mile. We were both pleased with our accomplishments.

To top it off I received a nice medal for placing second in my 30-39 age division. Honestly, for the last few races I’ve run, my age division hasn’t been particularly fast. I find my self finishing behind at least three or four runners in the 40-49 age division.

It seems men in the 40-49 division wake up and realize they’re not going to be young forever so they get out an run races. The men in the 30-39 age division don’t quite have that sense of urgency yet. I’m guessing it won’t be as easy for me to place when I turn forty.

My splits for this race were as follows: 1st Mile - 6:18.8, 2nd Mile - 6:37.7, 3rd Mile 6:32.4, 4th Mile - 6:36.1, and 5th Mile - 5:45.7. They’re all over the place, but I attribute that to the fact that the course was not flat. Instead, there was a steady incline throughout with a steep drop at the end.

I’d love to run this race again next year and see how I do. Maybe I can get closer to 6:15 pace through a consistent combination of longer endurance runs and shorter speed workouts. Yesterday I ran a very slow 9 miles just to get my mind prepared for a little more mileage. I’ll be running a couple half-marathons later in the summer.

Saint Thomas Avenue

I’ve started another blog. I’ll be keeping “and no one heard a word,” but will also write a blog at the Albert Lea Tribune. It’s called Saint Thomas Avenue.

As for workouts, here’s what I did last week:

After my race on Monday, I took Tuesday off. Then, on Wednesday, I ran about 60 minutes easy. On Thursday, I ran 30 minutes easy with some striders. Friday, I ran one of my more favorite workouts which was 6×800 meters at threshold pace, which for me when like this: 3:21, 3:24, 3:22, 3:20, 3:23, and 3:20. It was not a particularly hard work out, but it wasn’t easy either. I took about a minute rest between each 800. The work-out included a 10 minute warm-up and a 10-minute cool-down.

I took Saturday off. On Sunday night I ran 20 minutes at threshold pace through the county fairgrounds. Actually, it was probably less than threshold pace, but fun to run through the fairgrounds. On Monday I played 18 holes of golf with no cart, so that was some good walking. No run that day. I didn’t run today. Tomorrow, we’ll see, but I’m thinking another 60 minute run would be appropriate. I have a sore hamstring so I’m not hesitating to let off on the mileage a little. I’m aiming for a hard work-out on Thursday of this week, something easy on Friday and possibly something hard on Saturday, but it will be hard to get in since I’ll be in Rochester all day for the state DFL convention. My guess is that I’ll have to do something hard on Sunday instead. I’m gearing up for a race in Janesville on the 14th.

On the whole, I’m not doing a ton of mileage. Maybe after Janesville I’ll take fewer days off and see if I can get some solid training in before another race in St. Peter on the 4th of July.

Race Day: 10 Kato

This morning I rand the 10 Kato with my dad, Joel Erickson, and my wife, Jen Vogt-Erickson. The night before the three of us with my mom, Pembie Erickson, got into my parents’ minivan and drove the course…or at least an approximation of what we thought was the course based on the course description at www.raceberryjam.com.

Anyone familiar with the Mankato area knows it is, like, way hilly. The 10 kato isn’t extremely hilly, but the later part of the course contains a steep decline followed by a less steep and more gradual incline. Good thing we drove the course before we ran it otherwise I would have run the first half much faster than I did. This way I was able to save a little energy for the incline portion. On the whole, after seeing the course, I knew my time would probably be slower than it usually is.

As it turned out, I ran a fairly solid pace, slightly faster than I ran a couple races last year. My first two miles came in at 13:32, the next two 13:12, the next two 13:39, and the last 2 tenths were at 1:13. My total time was 41:36, with an average mile pace of 6:43 per mile. The reason my middle two miles were faster than my last two miles was obviously the sudden change of terrain, which makes for measurably less efficient running.

The 10 Kato was a well-organized race. And everyone who registered early got a sweet t-shirt and a nice pair of running socks…along with a bag of miscellaneous goodies. My only suggestions for next year is that they make their first mile marker more accurate. Nearly every runner I talked to thought they were doggin’ the first mile. Luckily someone told me about the poorly measured first mile before the race and I wasn’t shocked when I came it at 7:19 for the first mile and then 6:12 for the second mile. I guarantee 100% that those two splits are not accurate. If you add them together, they are, which means the first mile is wrong and the second mile is right because there is no way on earth I ran a 7:19 first mile.

Finally, I hope they publish an accurate map of the course for next year. This link will take you to a map that I drew at USTAF.org. I drew it from memory, the course description, and the map on the back of the t-shirt.

Below is an elevation profile based on the map I drew at USTAF.org.

Anyway, great race! Certainly one I’ll put on my calendar for next summer!

Workout: 5.25.2008

I’ve decided to log this summer’s workouts and races on my blog. It’s a great way for me to keep track of my efforts and for others to read if they have any interest in such things.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be racing the “10 Kato” in Mankato, Minnesota, tomorrow morning at 9am. I’ve been running fairly consistently since earlier this spring when I started by training for the “Fountain Lake Five” here in Albert Lea. The weather has become considerably more runner-friendly since then. The “Fountain Lake Five” was cold, windy, and parts of the route were slightly iced over. The first mile and a half was something of a balancing act.

For tomorrow’s race, I hope to have a reprieve from treacherous racing conditions. Not having run the “10 Kato” before, the only obstacle I’m aware of is a long gradual hill in the second half of the course. This tells me I should make sure not to take out the first two miles too fast. I’m aiming for a 13:20 at the two-mile mark. My ultimate goal, however, is to run fairly even splits. The majority of my races last summer were simply too fast at the start, which resulted in my holding on for dear life in the last two or three miles of the race, whether it be an 8k or a 10k.

This morning I ran a short and sweet workout in preparation for tomorrow. After a five minute warm-up, I ran two 800’s at 10k race pace, just to get a sense of how I should feel in the first 800 Meters of my race tomorrow. Of course, all gets distorted with a little adrenalin thrown into the mix, but at least I now have a rough approximation of how I should feel.

In all, I’m feeling quite good. This week I got some great workouts in, with slightly reduced mileage overall. My favorite workout was earlier in the week when I ran 6 800’s at about 3:12 pace (6:24 mile pace, of course). After I got done with the sixth I felt just fine, which tells me I’m actually getting into shape. I’ll be able to tell where I’m really at tomorrow after my race.

“Deliver Us From Evil”

Upon seeing the cover of “Deliver Us From Evil” and reading the back of the DVD case, I thought to myself, “Oh, not another piece about abuse in the Catholic Church. Isn’t that whole controversy over and done? Didn’t all the victims get their money and the Catholic Church do an overhaul of their treatment of abuse allegations?”

After seeing this movie, I conclude the following: the Catholic Church, as an institution, is still very much involved with the cover-up of sexual abuse perpetuated by clergymen. Here’s what’s missing: transparency. Piles of documents, paperwork, letters, and testimonies have been made inaccessible to the criminal justice system in this country. When allegations of abuse surface, it is the responsibility of bishops and hierarchy within the church to respond by reporting these allegations to the proper authorities. Instead, allegations are handled in-house and dismissed. The public has been fooled into thinking that this problem is solved. It is not.

Case in point: Father Oliver O’Grady. Admittedly, he is an extreme case. His abuse of hundreds of young children, as was described throughout “Deliver Us From Evil,” is a rare and tragic characterization. But what is most tragic, is that at the time of this movie, he was living in Ireland…even living with a family at the time. And they new nothing of his past. And it was the Catholic Church who put him in Ireland in exchange for not testifying against the hierarchy of the church.

Do I think it is a good thing to dwell on a person’s evil past? Not necessarily, but when the safety of children is at stake, their knowledge of his past is of the utmost importance. He was compelled to abuse in the past and he will be compelled to abuse in the future; he’s sick. Not because he’s chosen to be an evil man, but because he was abused as a child…because he continued to abuse even after allegations of his abusing children continued to come forward. And the church did nothing.

This movie does not rail against Catholics, rather it empowers them to take back their church. And all of us, Catholic and non-Catholic, must celebrate the Mother Theresa’s, Oscar Romero’s, and Dorothea Day’s of this world. They are witnesses to God’s love on Earth. And it is our love for the church that should propel us to seek the truth…and the utmost transparency about what has yet been uncovered concerning sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

Here are positive reviews of “Deliver Us From Evil. And here are negative reviews of “Deliver Us From Evil.” Read both…they are very interesting.

The High Price of American Inequality

Here’s the first paragraph of an article by David Hilfiker: The High Price of American Inequality. It is an excellent analysis of growing income inequalities in the United States…and what these inequalities mean the future of our society.

The High Price of American Inequality
And What Might Be Done About It

In the March 17, 2008, Washington Post were two articles on toll roads. The first concerned the ongoing attempt by the current US Department of Transportation to get the federal government out of the business of funding road building, thereby “encouraging” states to move toward toll roads where the users pay for construction and maintenance. And the second article was about a report from a Metropolitan Washington regionwide council that in order to relieve the disabling traffic congestion in the area such toll roads are now an absolute necessity precisely because both state and federal governments are pulling back from the costs of roads. The council is recommending that most of the existing area highways, the bridges into the District and even major District thoroughfares be at least partially converted to toll roads. Those able and willing to pay would zip by on their toll roads while the rest would stay stuck in traffic. The impact of toll roads will be to give the affluent a further advantage over others. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. (more)

A New Christian Manifesto

A few weeks ago my friend, Bob Ekblad, called to get a copy of my Swords into Plowshares CD. Excited to hear from him, I immediately asked about his ministry and told him how much I enjoyed his last book “Reading the Bible with the Damned.” He told me he wrote a new book that was soon to come out.

I told him I was anxious to read it, so he sent me an electronic copy and I started reading it right away. When I finished it, I felt completely overwhelmed…almost disturbed. Why? Well, let’s say this much: though I’m totally into Jesus’ ministry and the power of what he teaches—and I am riveted by Jesus’ unwavering commandment that we love one another, I never quite got into the healing stuff.

Yes, I confess, my belief in all praying for this and that all the time, non-stop, Jesus do this, Holy Spirit do that is rather dim. Which is why “A New Christian Manifesto” rattled me. From my encounters with Bob in the past, I’ve not known him to be particularly into the charismatic stuff. When I first met him, he was solidly in the Liberation Theology / Theology of the Cross camps. (Whether or not he was truly in either of those camps is only for him to say; I’m only offering my past impressions.)

Well, folks, let’s say this much: Bob is into healing now. And a lot of it. The stories in this book blew me away. I read it weeks ago and they still blow me away. Not just because the idea of healing like Jesus sounds preposterous to me, but because it’s Bob; an academic, skeptical, critical thinker…who is devoted to Justice and the power of Jesus’ love…but not a charismatic healer. Um, but he is now. And after several rather riveting personal experiences, his life has changed forever…in ways that I could never explain in this short blog entry.

Yes, the book is about more than Bob’s tanglings with the Holy Spirit; it is also about “Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God.” It is about Bob’s ministry; his work with undocumented immigrants, with prisoners, with drug addicts, and all those who find themselves on the margins of society. It is about Jesus’ total ministry, which is a ministry of presence, of healing, of protection, deliverance and WHOLE LOT of Holy Spirit. Story after story in this book hammers home something very clear in my head. God is doing a new thing. Wow. Am I still as skeptical as ever? Well, yeah, kinda, but I now have hope that God is at work in ways that are far beyond my limited rational understandings of Divine power.

“A New Christian Manifesto” is a dense read; it is packed with enough material for a thousand Bible studies. (Okay, I’m prone to hyperbole, but you get the point.) And now that I actually have a copy of his book, I’m going to read it again. There’s something about these stories that never let my mind rest…or that never let me get complacent about what the Holy Spirit can actually do here on Earth, right now, today. I leave you with these two words: read it. To learn more about Bob Ekblad’s ministry follow this link.

Obama Osama Typo

I’m sure Reuters will love me for pointing this out. But they mistakenly called Obama, Osama in an article published minutes ago. This is probably the hundredth time that a publication has done this. I thought this one was particularly funny, though. It reads, “The New York senator dismissed Osama’s criticism over the economy, saying his plans fell short on extending health care to the all Americans, on dealing with the mortgage crisis and expanding the sue of renewable energy.”

She Loves Me

I’m in another show this winter: “She Loves Me.” It’s a Broadway Musical set in the 1930’s. So far at the Albert Lea Community Theater I’ve only done shows with three word titles. The show before this one, of course, was “Don’t Hug Me.” “She Loves Me” is actually quite different than “Don’t Hug Me.” For one, “Don’t Hug Me” is a contemporary reflection on life in a tavern in Northern Minnesota. “She Loves Me,” on the other hand, takes place in a parfumerie.

My character, Georg, the male lead, is the head clerk at Maracek’s parfumerie. He has a wonderful relationship with his pen pal, who he affectionately calls “Dear Friend.” And he has a terrible relationship with a woman recently hired by Maracek: Amalia. They’ve been arguing with each other since the day she sold Maracek’s first “genuine leather musical cigarette box.”

As the story progresses, however, Georg learns that Amalia, who he thought he couldn’t stand, is actually “Dear Friend.” At first he’s in denial, but by the end of the show Georg and Amalia finally get over their arguments, sing to each other, and prance off the stage together. An abbreviated synopsis…to say the least. There are really piles of wonderful subplots, characters and scenes throughout the show.

Being an untrained vocalist, the hardest part of this show for me is the singing. I actually had to get a couple voice lessons just to get more comfortable reaching notes outside my range. I do a touch of falsetto when I have to reach those notes. There were other regular chest-voice notes that I’d never thought I’d get that I can reach just fine now…thanks to my lessons and a ton of practice. It’s hard to turn a contemporary folk singer/songwriter into a Broadway-type singer. I figure I still have a ways to go. (big smile)

The show is a blast. We’ve got a fantastic director, cast and crew. I’m a little blown away, however, at how much different this show is from “Don’t Hug Me.” Both shows together have taught me a ton about singing and acting. All at once I’ve gained confidence and reached new heights of…humility. I’ve a great respect for professional, well-trained singers. They can do amazing things with their voices.

If you’re in Southern Minnesota this February 7, 8 or 9, come see us perform at 7:30pm at the Albert Lea Community Theater!! You’ll love it!

Does Hell Exist?

Questions about the existence of hell have been meandering through my brain over the last few weeks. Not just questions, but implications. Let’s say hell doesn’t exist. Do we all lose our reasons for behaving well? Or are there other reasons to do the right thing? Look at atheists. They don’t believe in Hell, yet most of them are not lawless, malevolent creatures. In fact, most atheists I know are conscientious, benevolent beings.

Most Christians believe they’ll avoid Hell if they ask for forgiveness, so it’s all about timing. If they happen to do something that earns them a trip to the fiery depths, and then right before they die they ask forgiveness, all is well. On the other hand, if they die suddenly and don’t have that chance, or they simply forget to ask for forgiveness because they were too busy saying goodbye to loved ones, too bad.

Can one be a Christian and not believe in Hell? Doesn’t Jesus talk about Hell? Weeping and gnashing of teeth? Furnace of fire? It’s all there, plainly spoken…no question about it.

Rather than argue what is meant there or whether it means folks will go to Hell if they do not behave, I’m instead entranced by a rather profound statement Jesus makes right before his death on the cross. He says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Who is the “them” that Jesus is referring to? And is Jesus saying that we’re all clueless sinners? Can Jesus forgive us even before we’ve asked for forgiveness?

We can choose to be miserable on earth and not forgive ourselves and others for transgressions, or we can accept the fact that Jesus has already forgiven us…in advance. Hence, we love our neighbors as ourselves not because we’re afraid of flames, but because we love God. I don’t believe anyone ought to follow Jesus because they’re afraid of flames in the afterlife. And, frankly, if a kid comes up to me and says, “Jeshua, do you believe in Hell?” I’ll say, “You know what, I guess I don’t believe in Hell, but you’ll have to come to your own conclusions and reasons for why you believe what you believe.”

No one knows for sure whether Hell exists or not, but it does make for rather interesting discussion. And these kinds of questions, I think, should be a part of every follower’s faith journey.