Easley Peasley

Dark Horse, Posscoon and Running Deer (post-run)


Note the sign on the right and its notation of the pending decline (or incline in our case). Welcome to Easley Hill.


Big Muddy - the beginning and the end. The alpha and the omega.


This picture was taken soon after I finished. I drank the contents of that yellow bottle quickly.


I wish I would have had a motorcycle, too.


Nike+: 12.24 miles @ 1:52:36 (9:10/mile)
Weather: about 50 degrees
Gear: I wore shorts and my black/red long sleeve top and my St.Louis 1/2 Marathon hat. I didn't remove any gear.

There are a lot of things I could write about this run. We started at Cooper's Landing and after a mile on the trail, in sight of the Big Muddy directly to our right, we meandered north up Easley Hill. We encountered a variety of farm animals, not excluding loose dogs on our heels. The smell of cow chips evidenced our arrival and 12-mile journey throughout rural Missouri. Somewhere along the line, I even managed to get lost and at the 12.24 mark on my Nike+ odometer, I stopped to walk the remaining distance (we only intended to run 12 miles). But none of those things will remain in our memory banks as long as the hills. The uphill battles were more than any of us expected and toward the end, my mood vacillated from humor to anger. We drank no water until the end.

Much thanks to Jason and Nic for waiting on me to finish and sharing their food. I deeply appreciate your patience.

In the words of Dark Horse, today's run was the "Hardest and most rewarding physical experience of my life today."

I don't know if I can say the same, but at the moment, I can't think of anything to top it.

I Run...

B-52 Baby, Way Up In The Sky!!!
Wildflower and Peacedog in Kansas City before a performance by one of our favorite bands. This was about the time that I left Columbia and took a job in Houston.

The following poem was written by my good friend and cousin Troy Paul Rickertsen. Ol' Wildflower stood by me when I got married in Rocheport last year. He's a poet. And a runner.

"Have you ever heard someone say... 'Why in the world would you run, unless you were being chased?'. Well, it's taken me the better part of two decades to understand why I am drawn to running. This touches a few of the reasons...

I run mostly for joy
I run to escape
I run to connect
I run to embrace my fears
I run for pleasure beyond pain
I run to seek answers
I run because this is the time
I run for obedience
I run out of honor
I run for speed
I run to feel high
I run through the lows
I run to test my limits
I run to learn of the human spirit
I run out of fascination
I run for others who can't
I run for some peace
I run to understand the gift
I run to say thanks
I run to remember the cost of His love

While there's time, share the lifewalk."

Blood & Sweat but No Tears

I'm not exactly sure what caused the outside area of my right ankle (pictured sock is inside out) to bleed, but I think it was the pant-leg zipper on my tights.

Nike+: 3.07 @ 25:16 (8:13/mile)
Weather: about 35 degrees
This was a nice run from the house and along Broadway to Fairview. It was great to start while the streets were still naturally lit. When I was returning, and heading west on Broadway, I could see the sun's rays still alive in the distance. There were many colors to be seen. Yellow, round headlights, green, red and yellow stoplights, red neon from Hy-Vee's sign. But the most impressive sight was the remaining residue of what was once the sun. It was gone, but still there. A reminder of its ability to keep shining, despite an inevitable evening of darkness to come. The sun gave up slowly, but with grace. Diffused red, orange, yellow and then matted black. Any pain I felt on this run, and there was some, reminded me that I'm alive and running toward, not away, from an inviting fire.
Here's the alternative:

Inside the abandoned Roosevelt Warehouse in Detroit, a body lies frozen in a block of ice. (Max Ortiz / The Detroit News)

Slipping and Sliding

I bought this album (tape version) with my buddy Troy at Wal-Mart in Moberly when I was in high school. Read on for its significance on this run.

Nike+: 6.27 @ 52:53 (8:26/mile)
Weather: somewhere between 20-22 degrees
This run felt good. Didn't really know what to do when I arrived home since I was looking at another dark trip. Treadmill or outside? There was snow and ice on the edges of the road, but I decided to say f-it and go out into the tundra. I wore tights, the black Zoot shirt, hat, gloves, headlamp and wristband.
Things were quite cold in the beginning, but after a quarter of a mile or so, I warmed up. My face was cold but eventually it got the idea. To help my sense of place and space, I turned down the volume on my iPod. I felt like I wanted to hear what was going on around me - especially since I ran along Stadium for so long.
To my surprise, I saw another runner at about my 4-mile mark along Stadium when I was headed up to Rollins. He was wearing black and no gear to light him up. Quite dangerous in my opinion, but if you're going to die, getting hit by a car is probably a quick and good way to go.
The most dangerous part of the route was running up Stadium to Forum. There was snow and ice under my feet and I did a little slipping and sliding. In some instances, I neared traffic to avoid the mush. It all worked out.
I steadied my pace for most of this journey - kept things under control and didn't push too hard. Really felt good.
On the last 1/2 mile or so, U2 came on my iPod. They played my favorite song from the old days and I couldn't remember the name of it. Does this mean I'm losing my mind? Ok, let me think....I refuse to google it. It'll come to me. And when it does, I'll write its name on this blog.
Bad
"I'm wide awake. I'm not sleeping...."
I just needed to put my mind to it I guess. That was for you, Po.

Six Weeks Down, Twelve Weeks To Go

Running Deer and Yanni (3-time marathoner)

Nike+: 3.01 miles @ 27:08 (9:00/mile)
Due to the snow and ice, I decided to run on the treadmill at Anytime Fitness. I took it real easy on the first mile and eased my way into things. I started at about a 10-minute mile and slowly sped up to finish in 27 minutes. I have no idea what pace I should train at to run a marathon. Although it's obvious, the slower I run, generally the better I feel. I think I'll slow things down in expectation of the long runs to come on Saturdays. On the longest training run so far, I averaged about an 8:30/mile but have no idea what to expect for a marathon. The real goal is arriving at the starting line in good shape and making it to the finish line.
This morning I walked Sly at about 6:45 am and there was untouched snow on the ground. The sky was dark and the atmosphere was quiet. It was quite nice.
Spoke with Yanni tonight. He's run 3 marathons - all in Chicago. Maybe we'll run one together someday.

Mighty Burr Oak, McBaine, Missouri

Because it was so cold, the sweat that dripped from my hair onto my shirt froze.

We ate at Lucy's (in McBaine) where the food was not healthy, but the atmosphere was pure medication for the country soul. Where else could you find an American flag with John Wayne's face on it? After a 7-mile run, Mary drank a Jack and Coke (my grandmother's favorite drink).

Nike+: 7.19 miles @ 58:18 (8:05/mile)
Let's start with the weather. At 10:30 am, it was about 15 degrees, but felt like zero. I wore two layers up top - my white long sleeve shirt and the black long sleeve shirt that Mary gave me for Christmas. Down below I wore my black tights, a pair of shorts on top of them and a pair of sports underwear underneath them. I also wore my black hat and gloves and listened to my iPod. I started out somewhat cold, but not too long into the run, I warmed up and unzipped my black shirt to cool off. I also removed my gloves at about the 6 mile mark and stuffed them into my tights.
Nic, Jason, Mary, Cat (a newcomer) and I met at the MKT/Scott Blvd parking lot and carpooled to McBaine in Mary's car. Cat is the only one of us who has run a marathon. She did so in San Francisco and plans to run another one in St. Louis as part of the Team in Training program.
After a difficult week, I ended on a high note. This turned out to be a great run. The sun was shining and the landscape was beautiful. It felt good to get out of Columbia and experience a variety of senses.
We ran two loops around the Burr Oak tree. It was fun to watch Jason and Nic ahead of me as they separated from the pack. Because there was so much openness and the entire trip was flat, I could see all around me. And it felt good.
Probably because I ran faster than I should have, I struggled to speed up at the end. I think my lungs were tired.
After we finished and stretched, we drove to the mighty Burr Oak and took a few pictures. We all felt pretty good and ventured to Lucy's for some lunch. It took awhile to warm up, but we were entertained with country music on the jukebox and a colorful waiter who treated us with some small-town hospitality. And my cheeseburger was quite tasty.
It was a nice way to spend the morning and early afternoon.

Heat Wave - 50 degrees at run time, January 22nd

Nike+: 3.12 @ 25:25 (8:07/mile)
After several days of cold weather, it was nice to get out there and only wear a t-shirt up top. Down below, I wore my black tights. The trip was a little cooler than I expected, but still not too bad.
I started at my normal spot (next to the office) and headed southwest - just followed the trail for about 1.54 miles and made a u-turn. When I ran under the tunnels at the end, I couldn't see where my feet were landing. It was blind faith that got me through there.
Saw several people on the trail - even a large group going the other way.
Students are now back on campus and everything is much busier. I appreciate the energy but also find it distracting. Gotz to focus.
At the end of this run, I was ready to stop and catch my breath. My lower legs definitely hurt so I stretched out a little bit.
Tomorrow is Saturday and I plan to run with Posscoon and Dark Horse at 10 am. It's going to be about 15 degrees with a zero windchill.
We've all had less than a stellar week and are looking for some inspiration. We're headed west to a river where a mighty oak both whispers and shouts its presence, "I am here. Hear me roar!"