Run DMZ

I don’t talk much about spirituality, particularly my own. Not in public, not in private and not on this blog. But this morning I took part in a unique event that had me very visibly praying on a busy, six-lane suburban street corner with almost 900 others, everyone standing, sitting or kneeling six feet apart and wearing face coverings per a new state law. We stretched for blocks in every direction. We were grateful for the annual weather phenomenon known as June gloom that kept things cool.   We were part of a much larger group of thousands throughout San Diego County participating in We Pray San Diego, a special event created and coordinated by a Maranatha Chapel pastor and Miles McPherson, the former-NFL-player-turned-megachurch-minister. We peacefully assembled and took our places and at 9 a.m. began listening through headphones and earbuds to McPherson lead a recorded online prayer vigil that included biblical scripture to connect with our own reflections, confessions, petiti...

  For more than two years, I’ve lamented leaving Les Mills’ BodyPump, a group exercise class I took consistently every Tuesday and Friday early morning at a local 24-Hour Fitness. Then I abruptly  left both the class and the gym . When I finally returned to San Diego, I started back at my original gym on a nearby military base, having finally gotten over the issues that forced me to flee there.   Now it’s time to move on again. Due to the ongoing pandemic (and maybe well beyond it), all local military gyms are open only to active duty and their dependents, plus DoD civilians who work on base. I do not fit any of those categories. And returning to 24-Hour Fitness isn’t an option, being as they are in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and do not appear eager to reopen in my suburb.   I started looking into online exercise programs, especially free ones that a friend recommended from YouTube. But I just couldn’t connect with the format or instructors. My older daughter told me she’...

I no sooner publicly acknowledged bright sides of pandemic living when we were again thrust into turmoil due to recent incidents showcasing racial inequality. First, there was Ahmaud Arbery,  killed while on a neighborhood jog . It took local law enforcement more than two months to charge two gun-wielding vigilantes with murder despite clear evidence they went well beyond whatever bounds they believed they were entitled to have. I thought back to an early morning jog I took in the mid 1990s in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. I lived in a typical middle-class, mostly white neighborhood bordered by a lower-income, mostly black one. A house I'd run by earlier had been burglarized, and police stopped me a couple of blocks over upon arriving at the scene. And rightly so. Who expects to find someone running for pleasure at 4 in the morning? All I had to do, though, was explain that I was training for a marathon and where I lived and they let me go. Would they have done the same ...

I’ve written numerous times about bathroom issues common among runners and probably anyone whose repetitive movements impact their  gastrointestinal organs ,  kidneys  and  bladder . Pre-exercise nutrition is a key factor; you need to make sure you eat foods and drink liquids that help prevent things like diarrhea and dehydration. But there’s another important factor that isn’t always within the runner’s control. I’m talking about restrooms. If you run or even walk long and far enough, especially if you pre-hydrate to ward off other dangers due to hot-weather workouts, then at some point you’ll need to make a pitstop. This typically isn’t an issue and may even predetermine a select route. But these are still not typical times, despite the relaxing of rules that now allow for more public interaction. Depending on where you work out outdoors, you may need to go and find a public restroom near a still-shuttered state or local park is closed. It’s also not as ea...

I’ve been thinking about why some of us use guides and others don’t when venturing into unknown territory, especially tough, multi-day hikes. A guide sets the pace, makes sure you don’t get lost and can provide local lore and points of interest you might miss on a solo trip or one with friends. They also carry first aid items and monitor members for signs of hypo- or hyperthermia, dehydration and other common medical conditions.  But you also are tethered to a team that might not have the same objectives, pace or experience levels. This can either slow you down or force you to go faster than you prepared. Your guide may be having a bad day or just be a general jerk, which casts a trip in a different light. You might get disparaging looks from others on the trail for taking up so much space. And, guided hikes cost more than do-it-yourself ones. My friend and I had a guide when we went to  South Coyote Buttes , mainly because we didn’t know how to reach it on ou...

Now that more of us are out in the streets and parks (and beaches here in sunny San Diego), the rift between runners and walkers and cyclists is heating up too. No one is in a good headspace right now after months of forced quarantines, but the rudeness is really ramping up. Last Sunday I went on an hour’s walk at dawn and encountered at least 15 people exercising too.  Every runner lacked any type of face covering (as in there was nothing visible to suggest they even brought it with them) and every walker kept their noses and mouths protected. The cyclists were split, but most had a mask that they may or may not have put on when coming within six feet of someone (that would be me). Dirty looks at both offenders and the offended are easier to find than  a Wendy’s hamburger now . That good vibe we get after watching a new episode of the thoroughly uplifting  Some Good News  dissipates as soon as we head outdoors  and risk evil eyes and ...

Yes, things can change on a dime these days, but at this moment on a very hot, sunny Saturday here, it appears people finally turned off the mic on our President. For weeks he’s monopolized nationally broadcast briefings with rally-style rhetoric instead of data-driven updates on our battle with COVID-19. Thursday evening his rifting went from dangerous to deadly after  suggesting people ingest disinfectants (and somehow expose their innards to UV lights) . Among the first to publicly decry that advice were disinfectant makers who, as anyone who’s ever cleaned up after themselves already knows, have long warned their products are for external use only. Some states in the Deep South begin soft openings of businesses requiring human contact this weekend. I certainly understand the economic pressures these politicians are under and really, really, really hope employees and customers follow CDC guidelines so any spikes in infection and death rates aren’t severe. Fingers crosse...