Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Walking at the Race in the Park for Breast Cancer (Updated 6/21/07)

The day before Mothers Day, 5-12-07, the Race in the Park was held in New Britain. I over-trained to participate in the race (running laps at the track, entirely on my own) and I re-injured my left knee, so I had to compromise my goal of completing the 5K run and settling for the 1M walk, which I am very happy with. My friend, Al, has played such an active role in my running rehabilitation. I hope that this is not too shallow, but I owe him a big THANK-YOU. Also, Al struck my emotions when he made the presentation of his “week 600” plaque. I remember, so well, helping him to celebrate the 500th. In fact, I recently found photos commemorating that occasion, also with Al.!!! I cherish and value him as a friend who always sacrifices his own conditioning to be a part of mine.
In the previous week, I successfully ran a lap at the MHS running track with my friend, Al, who has been my buddy since our college days. We completed a lap, holding his arm to give me stability, in just 3 minutes, 55 seconds, after completing a lap just prior, completely solo, in just 4: 24. I was actually running, not merely walking fast, and it gave me a sense of accomplishment. It was especially significant to complete this milestone in the presence of Al, who has been my camping buddy since our UConn days and who credits me with introducing him to many competitive individual sports. In fact, one year ago, when Lynn heard about my serious accident, she called Al to inform him about my condition and he dissolved his sorrows while completing a run at Hammonasett State

You see, it was also significant to accomplish this milestone with Al, because we have shared a dream to commemorate our first, in 199x, road race together at the 5K Race for The Cure, in New Britain.

Another valuable thing happened Saturday. We (Lynn and I) met up with the race director, Beth Shluger, who knows me well, and she invited me to volunteer at the Glastonbury (Shamrock) Duathlon on Sunday, 5-20-07. This type of activity (giving back to the sport) has been a goal of mine. Last year, 2006, I volunteered at the Hartford Marathon, also directed by Beth, and I value the opportunities she provides me. I hope to see you out there!! Buona Fortuna!!

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Quote of the week

Updated 3/26/08
"You must give up the life you had planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you."
......... Joseph Campbell

Updated 6/29/07
“I run because I’ve never been much of a car guy. I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary.
“I run to honor my sister and unite my family. I run because it keeps me humble. I run for the finish line and to savor the trip along the way. I run to help those who can’t. I run because walking takes too long and I’d like to get a few things done this lifetime.
“I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.”

......... excerpted from the Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Filming of a Documentary

My son’s friend, Silas, visited with us from Monday, April 23, until Monday, April 30 to record a documentary film, about my injury, and, mostly, about the progress of my recovery. My hope is that the documentary serves the purpose of answering "what it’s like for me and my family to live with a Traumatic Brain Injury", to raise awareness of the severity of TBI, and to the under-diagnosis of potentially-serious injuries.
Silas is a graduate of the University of Vermont, attended a year of film school at the Maine Photographic Workshop, has worked professionally at MTV, and has recorded many non-profit film documentaries. His website can be viewed at www.smoothfeather.com. He will make several copies of the documentary on DVD and it will be more widely available on his website. We are planning to host a premier of the documentary, when it is released, and to donate all proceeds to a deserving charity.
Silas has also created a BLOG, http://smoothfeather.blogspot.com/ where he has placed a preview of the documentary he is producing about my recovery. Check it out, at your leisure!!
Please note the pointers to Silas’ web sites at the end of my BLOG under the section named, “Silas's film making website info”.