Hey All,

I am not much of a writer (Thanks Grey) and clearly you will understand that to be true when you read the essay below. I wrote the essay below, a college classmate of mine suggested I submit this story, as a nomination for a ‘Spirit’ award for my friend Jim who passed away to soon. She was instrumental in helping me with the initial steps in setting up this run I’m doing to remember him. Thanks Kirsten…and too many others to name here.

While to many it may seem like a small thing, a nudge, a push or a stubborn unwillingness to give up, acquiesce or settle for less than success. The large point in my mind and my heart is the realization that life is a series of small things that we give no meaning to and wait for the large things to define us (college, weddings, kids, jobs, cars, races, sports, money, houses, titles etc)….sadly the large things we have little or no control of, nor influence on we are merely participants on ride. So I am sharing this with a recurring sense of gratefulness, do I miss Jim? Yes, but what is more painful is what number of little things he’d be doing for his family, friends coworkers, strangers and it’s that which leaves me a little less for the experience.

The Nominating Essay, win or lose-I’m in awe of every time I think about it, and humbled each time I finish a mile in that park. Humbled, humbled like I am small little nothing and my greatest contributions are likely those things I have done and have yet to do and think nothing of ’cause they’re small–the reality–they’re my greatest moments and biggest achievements. A professor in College once told me via the Tao of Pooh, then I read it again in the Tao Te Ching (audio book like 100 times at 2x) “achieve greatness in little things”.  So the lesson, if there is one, is that sweating the small stuff is all we can do. The “Ten Thousand Things” are out of our hands. So kill it on the small nudges, they will have the greatest and widest effects…trust me.

Here’s the essay (I apologize if you well up, lump in throat or cry, that is not what I intended):

Jim is the Spirit of Valley Forge in his triumphing repeatedly over adversity and teaching others to do the same, throughout his fight with cancer. Not only was his 18 month battle with cancer a fight he planned on winning, he remained a father, friend and a stubborn mule when it came to giving up or even getting upset at setbacks and nearly innumerable procedures. All the while Jim was an inspiration to me and surely many others. There was a moment, a run actually, that Jim and I went on as a training run leading up to my very first Valley Forge 5 miler.

The sport where Jim gave me a push

Jim and I were running the 5 mile loop and I had been complaining about not be able to keep up. This was just prior to him being diagnosed with a malignant NS Germ Cell Tumor. We were running at mile 3ish of the run just before Washington’s Chapel heading eastbound on the path. I stopped and started walking and saying I couldn’t keep going. I just can get moving, I said, “Jim, c’mon lay off I just can’t keep going, you go ahead…” well that would have been it for me and I’d have walked back to the car defeated. Unfortunately for me, Jim was more stubborn than usual that day and at right around the 35 MPH sign on RT23 he began, literally hand to back, pushing me up the hill toward the daughters of the revolution seal. All the while he was ‘suggesting’, I could and would, one way or the other get to 5 miles. Now for Jim a 10 min mile felt like crawling, for me I could barely breath.

I took a bit of pushing that day to make it over the hump, I went on to run my first Valley Forge 5 miler in spite of my best efforts to not push through. Well it took a run with a guy who faced the most adverse situation of his life to appreciate what he did for me that day…Jim taught me the truest Spirit of Valley forge…Triumph over Adversity is a team sport!

Jim passed in November 2011, he left behind his wife Jessica, and his two young sons, Matt and Mike. I submitted this on his behalf because it’s the small moment of triumph he gave me that match up well with the Spirit. Jim may have lost his fight, but his life represents a Triumph for those affected by how he lived. Jim nudged my life a bit that day and changed it’s trajectory and many runs later in Valley Forge.

—

So while you may have moments like this in your life but don’t think much of them, they could change your life. 1.Call your dad. 2.If you’re a Dad small nudges are good–think ripple effect. 3.Karma is essentially presence (state of mind-quietly aware) plus patience (calm waiting) and now (a time and place to act) that moment in that park was one of those  Karma things, a little thing with a ripple effect. Your results may vary, but watch for those, they’re out there. Nudges that is

So if you feel like a run come on out and run awhile, maybe this nudges you and I’ll be glad Jim changed your life too!

Thanks for reading and not wretching.

Mike

Hey,

The TM is a challenge course where you’ll want some gear to lessen some of the impacts. I want to make sure my team has at least a reco on what I wear or wore during the last TM and the training days.

Lets work from top to bottom.

Head gear…

Tough Mudder Headband…if you don’t have one something that will keep blood and sweat out of your eyes. Also keeps your ears warm.

Torso, Arms and Elbows

The obstacles are challenging and you’ll be tired then you’ll need to jump in the water…then crawl out or into shiz. Keep skin covered. Under armor style.

I use these sleeves there is

Legs

Knee pads volleyball kind

Footwear– Saucony progrids

A record for myself mostly but for those looking for a good book…unlike 2010 where the goal was 50 books, i did listen to 25… this year was more quality than quantity..

1. All the Devils Are Here — Credit Crash…a cautionary tale…like savings and loan, enron, LTC, Worldcom, etc…
2. At Home– why is there rooms, what is salt and pepper doing on the table
3. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (4 parter -26 hrs 35mins  or 3 months of running)– holy crap a pretty interesting man
4. Einstein — Also a very interesting man…lots of failure latin around that guy, but look people are writing books about him
5. Jon Adams — Hands down one of the better  presidents we’ve ever had…tons of gravity and vanity aka dichotomy, then i watched the hob special
6. The Blank Slate — So we are born preprogrammed for certain base level operating systems…explains a ton and throws mud on the blank slate idea
7. Influencer — ID the behaviors ID the changes
8. The Geeks Shall inherit the Earth — fascinating explainer on what actually happened to us in school.
9. Incognito — quick listen on the brain’s visual cortex functionality  and how we actually don’t see we have an elaborate piece of software and hardware producing images at the end of the optic nerves and the rest of the brain processes, associates excludes or includes the appropriate about of information so your subconscious stays just out of reach.
10. Stumbling on Happiness – its amazing how happy i can be
11. Seal Team Six — EarCandy
12. Spark — Most powerful work out running endorsement i have ever read…

Tough mudder notes…

I am reading (audiobook) John Adams…by David McCollough (sp.) and they wrote a ton back then via journals and diaries.

Anyway, most of the training is done for the tough mudder…by this time we are ready…and we will have a blast…
hundreds of pushups, pullups, miles of running trails, with logs, hills, climbs, teamwork, balance running, rock running, rock climbing, water crossing, multi-surface running steps, wall running, track work, long runs, speed work runs, intervalling, 7°F running…we’re as ready as we are gonna be.

Taper runs this week all, and get lots of sleep, hydration, and protein. And get there an hour early. Google map it and figure an hour before…

Mike

Update: mudder training day- awesome trail run and my misery climb and descent plus p90x break wall runs stairs and last 2-3mi run back with keith straw. Thanks Keith, Lisa, grey and ray. Good times.

Barefoot vibrams 6.5 miles

Sunday training run
..6.5 mi
..a couple hill repeats
..midway p90x break
..walls and steps
..long hill and team pull practice
..trails back

Bring water/cliff bar

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Vf park rt23 side at betzwood approach

Training Day

Ran a 6.5 mile course…reference here.

During the course there is a nice long hill about a mile or so in on the trail…ran up and down a couple times getting some technique as well as running up the heart rate to pukeville.

Also mentioned the carrying the log part of the TM, somehow get a bag of sand or something that can be carried a distance that is roughly 40 lbs. To train start with lighter weight and build up to 40.. run for a .25 to .5 miles.

Then we ran to the some gravely rocky mini ravine and did a run down climb out, then a steady up hill.

Next, scaled an 12-15ft embankment, and then to the braveheart run down the hill to the washingtons HQ for water stop and p90x break…so

• we’re already warmed up at the 3mi or so point
• dips, with leg raises(opt) as well as all the diff ones from the p90x vids
• decline pushups
• diamond or heart to heart pushups
• a word about doing them on knees…
• Phlange pushups, like military with palms pressed to the lower ribs elbows in
• Balance pushups
• standard pushups
• seated two position back flys, demo without weights obviously
• Plyo-Pushups…
• Aussie Pullups lying down like an upside down pushup
• Divebomber pushups (under the fence) these will come in handy at the mudder from what i have read and heard.
• Did 4 sets of steps
• uneven wall run 2 one at Washingtons HQ and one along the trail to covered bridge. (core balance)

Next leg of the run takes us along the trail side of 252 toward mt misery…which we ran out of time or would have done a couple more hill repeats there

Covered bridge to the trail that runs up on the left side of the cabins visible from 252 just past the covered bridge

At or near the top we stop for some tips for team assist summitting, grip grab pull the teamate up..just in case.

Also this functioned as a fourth long and challenging heart rate hill.

Then we walked a bit…hear rate monitors are key in this kind of training just because you don’t want to bonk out cause you are a team and start together finish together…so managing the events and the running we keep it fun

Then we ran back past the reenactors out on the trail for demos i guess as part of the president’s day observances…

All in all a good run and fun…I am generally alone on these runs and tend to do all this stuff by myself so it was cool to have some others looking like dorks doing pushups in the park…its usually just deer who stare…

A nod to those who came out we will have a few other like that, and as i mentioned the loose rock climb and mt misery are on tap next time. Plus we will hit a park or two for the jungle gym practive etc…im thinking that up off ridge there is a large park with what we need, manderach park? that had a number of obstacle type things we can try out.

These are just excuses to ‘play’ but what can i tell you…

Also if we are friends on FB there are images of the Tees im thinkin about..

Also there is now a mudderteam email..

tough@mudderfudders.us, also a site soon at mudderfudders.com

3.36mi 9.07s vfp Short Loop by mikeswelsh at Garmin Connect – Details.

Grateful moment:
Grateful for a little time to hang w dad…
While driving home tonight Lt. Mike Ryan popped into my head and finally realized I’m grateful to him for a little wisdom long ago that helped me appreciate my Dad. I also am truly grateful John Langdon gave me that Tao of Pooh and Te of piglet books that put me on a path that changed my life. Mostly the only worry i ever have is falling off that path(which happens now and then).

In a sea of chaos(life) there are of islands of awesomeness (ppl that took a sec to impart a little wisdom)

What r u grateful for? Thanks Dad, Mike(rip), John

Oh, and if u don’t get this… Nasmasté anyway.