Shameless plug for Students Run Philly Style

Sarah and I were part of the Students Run Philly Style program last year. It was an amazing experience that culminated in running the marathon in November. The program is participating in an American Express non-profit organization competition. Take a minute and nominate Students Run Philly Style as a program they should support. There are 1190 programs, and right now, they are 47th on the list! Thanks!

Students Run Philly Style on TV

Here's a video clip of the program Sarah and I were involved in last year: http://video.nbc10.com/player/?id=255715

Missing a hubcap, but we've got marathon pictures!

Tonight, Sarah and I went to the local grocery store. When we returned to the car, I was dismayed to find out that my right front hubcap had disappeared! We drove around the parking lot looking for it, but were unsuccessful. Why just one? And why even take one? Kind of rediculous...and annoying. Any ideas where I can pick up an extra hubcap for a Chevy Prizm?

In more positive news, we started our classroom ballroom dancing lessons today. Despite the mixed response at first, kids mostly enjoyed the time. The big issue was holding hands and dancing with a partner, but thankfully, the instructors are easing them into it. So far, no partners.

Jim and Teresa Sorge are coming to Philadelphia! Sarah and I know both of them very well--I lived in the same building as Jim for all four years in college, while Sarah danced almost every day with Teresa. Teresa will be starting her masters in dance at Temple in either January or September, and Jim is job hunting. If anyone knows of an open position for a biology, chemistry, french major who is brilliant, let me know!

The official marathon pictures are now online. Sarah and I will be ordering one of us crossing the finish line, even though it is the most expensive 5x7 I will probably ever buy in my life. If you want to see them, visit this website. Our bib numbers are 7648 and 7649.

Marathon finishers

Today, Sarah and I ran and finished the Philadelphia Marathon. Yes, that's right: we FINISHED a MARATHON! I still don't quite believe it, to be honest. The weather had threatened to rain the whole day, which would have probably been quite miserable. However, God held it off until we were done, and we only had to deal with a little bit of "spitting" once or twice. The temperature was as perfect as it could have been--a little cold before the race started, but when we were running, I wouldn't wanted it to have been any warmer or colder.

Our two goals were to (1) finish and (2) possibly get done before noon. We accomplished both! Our final chip time (the time when we crossed the start to the finish) was about 4 hours and 30 minutes. We averaged just over 10 minute miles for the entire race!

One of the best parts about the race was all the people who came to cheer us on. Dan and Krista Carter (who we got to cheer on last year) ran the last 11 miles with us. Sarah's roommate Michelle ran the last 1.5 miles. Melanie and Christian ran a mile at the halfway point. Plus, a bunch of friends from Liberti came to cheer at the start and finish!

The best part of the day for me was the last .2 miles. I had started to cramp up in my left calf, but the last part of the race ended in a tunnel-like opening with people on both sides. Sarah and finished without anyone else around us, which was really, really cool. I don't think I've ever felt anything like it!

Afterwards, my body started screaming at me, and the first 20-30 minutes after our finish were pretty painful. By the time we made it back to Sarah's apartment and I took a shower, I felt much better. Some delicious tomato soup with grilled cheese, Advil, pretzels, bananas, chicken broth, water, an apple, and a 90-minute nap later, I was feeling pretty good. Right now, I'm a bit sore in the legs, but much better than I had anticipated.

Three days before the marathon

I'm pumping my body with fluids, anti-inflamitories, and carbs. Feeling nervous...feeling pretty excited...feeling a little chilly (it's supposed to be 32 when the marathon begins!). My main goal: finish. My second goal: finish before noon. Tomorrow night we have a spaghetti dinner with the students. Here we go.

Marathon training

The Philadelphia Marathon is in two weeks. Yikes.

Last weekend, we did what most marathon-ers say is the hardest run: 21 miles in a non-race situation. Sarah and I were out at her parents' house near Pittsburgh. We managed to find a nice, flat bike course through the beautiful hills and colorful trees of Western Pennsylvania. The run went amazing well, except that we made the mistake of poor hydration. Since we were what some might call the "boondocks", there weren't many water faucets to be found. We stopped at a town on our way home, but it wasn't quite enough. I had to do a walk/slow jog combo for the last three miles, and Sarah was more than understanding and comforting for me. I scarfed down a few funny-tasting apples in her car after we got back. Unfortunately, I puked them back up a half hour later. Besides that, it was probably our best run we'd had yet. Sarah and I both felt strong, and we managed to run 21 miles in less than 3 1/2 hours (I forget our exact time, however).

Today we ran a 2PM race with mostly other students run students. It was a simple loop around the Schuylkill River. What was surprising about it was that since there weren't many people in the race, Sarah and I both received medals for our age group! We arrived at the finish line at the same time (Sarah technically crossed a split-second ahead of me). Sarah got a 3rd place medal, and I got a 2nd place one. What's crazy is that I've never run in a race expecting to win or even get anything. So, it was a nice surprise.

The last two weeks before the marathon are supposed to be tapered--running less so your body is at peak capacity for the 26.2 miles. We're both nervously excited about it, and it seems that the students share our feelings. Since the course is long, we're looking for people to help cheer us on! If you're interested, please come!!! We'll be running from 7AM until probably noonish.

Half marathon

This weekend, Sarah and I ran in the Philadelphia Distance Run, which is a beautiful 13.1 mile half marathon. Sarah held up better than I did at the end, but we both had a great time running in it. Here are some pictures of us.

The last few weeks have felt like a marathon with all the events and planning that's been filling the schedule. I'll write more when I get a chance.

New heights

Phew! It's been quite the week. I've been at Sandy Cove, MD (right on Chesapeake Bay), working in my classroom, preparing for school next week, relationship talks with Sarah, and running this week. I'm about ready for Labor Day weekend. Good thing it's here!

Sarah and I just got back from a 13 mile run. Yes, you read that right: we ran 13 miles this morning. The previous longest had been Broad Street when we did 10 miles, but that was with a student who went at a pretty slow pace. Sarah and I managed to stay below 10 minute miles this time, which was in itself a miracle. We both felt pretty strong, and the cool weather, beautiful scenery, and seeing student along the path kept us going. It felt good, but it also feels really good to sit down. I felt like it was a great release of stress from this past week. Pretty cool how God uses healthy living to keep us strong. When we are weak, He sure is strong.

Recent art events...for free!

Saturday night John, Angie, Pricilla, Sarah, and I saw a production of Romeo and Juliette in the park! I had never seen the play before, and despite the tragic ending, it was a wonderful show. The bowl-shaped park provided an excellent venue for it, and the weather was perfect for the evening's events.

Tonight our Students Run race was canceled due to the excessive heat. It ended up working out well, however, because Sarah and I went to a free concert at World Cafe Live. We got to hear two artists--one from Philly and another from Miami. The Miami guy, Jacob Miller, was great--Sarah even bought his CD! Good timing: I could use some new music before embarking on a 12-hour road trip to Michigan!

Great American road trip

Seth, Dave, and I leave Thursday for a road trip! We're heading to Seth's home in Handover, Lydia and Will's wedding in Ohio (Seth was invited...and he asked me to go as his "date"), then finish up with a trip out to my parents' house in Michigan! Road trips are a blast, and I'm pretty excited about sharing some of my Holland life with someone from Philadelphia, while Seth gets to share some Handover life with me!

Students run has a race tonight. A 10K (6.2 miles). Let's hope the 95-degree heat holds off... Thankfully my new sweatband will be on my head to protect me. =)

In lue of the Twin Cities bridge collapse, some interesting information has surfaced regarding cell phone usage in times of crisis. Namely, how cell phone companies may realize a crisis has occurred earlier than TV networks! Tip of the day: if your call is blocked in an emergency situation, use a text message; it almost always gets through. (I also noticed in the article that Sprint's network didn't go down...perhaps because not as many people have it!)

Catch up

The last few days have gone quickly...and without any blog postings! Let me catch you up to speed with what's been happening in my life recently.

Saturday I ran 8 miles with my students in Valley Forge. The heat and humidity--even in the early morning--were pretty rough. It made me feel like I was there as long as Washington was with his troops! The scenery was neat; I had to pinch myself as I was running by things like "Washington Memorial Chapel" and all these monuments to realize it was real! There is such rich American history out here; sometimes it seems too good to be true.

Saturday afternoon I drove up to Princeton, NJ to visit my good friends Dan and Krista Carter for the day. We played a lovely round of frisbee golf before consuming delicious home made popcorn, pasta, and, of course, IBCs. They're such a lovely couple, and they've become even more beautiful in their marriage. I treasure time with them.

Sunday was more laid back for once. Sarah and I enjoyed some scrumptious french toast/syrup with two new couples in our church. Both of them recently moved from North Carolina, and we spent the afternoon chatting over our dinner table. Again, a great time of friendship!

This week has been filled with the Responsive Classroom for me. Basically, it's a classroom management training for Spruce Hill. Spruce Hill adapted the philosophy as a whole school two or three years ago, and they say it's changed their school. Thankfully, my background of Jim Fay's Love and Logic at Jamestown Elementary in Hudsonville is very similar (when I posed a question of differences to the lead presenter, she hemmed and hawed before giving me a minuscule detail difference). I'm really enjoyed the training--mostly due to the excellent teamwork in our group, first six weeks tips, and free food. The training is in the suburbs west of Philly right near Sarah's current hospital, which actually allowed us to car pool out there one day this week!

Weekend!

What a fun weekend! Tubing, 4.5 mile race, friends, food, and beautiful weather. Here's the details:

Sarah and I watched the movie Akeelah and the Bee on Thursday night. (which was great since she didn't have any studies to do!!! her rotations have been doing orientation for a few days; the real deal starts later this week...dum dum dum....). It was a neat movie on its own, but what made me enjoy it even more was that it directly related with the current coursework in my online grad school classes at Walden University! I had been struggling with being interested in the course this week since it seemed to all be about teaching kindergarteners to read without a whole lot of application for me. The movie, however, had elements of phonics, etymologies, spelling games, and other activities that I associated with my latest lectures and readings, and I even wrote a paper this week using one of the games in the movie! It was a well-needed shot in the arm to help me finish up the week's assignments.

Saturday morning was an early: 6:30AM in West Philly to meet the bus. My students and I ran in a 4.5 mile race sponsored by Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church. This was the first race with me being the main leader, so I was a little nervous. Unfortunately, the bus was over an hour late, causing us to arrive JUST as the race started (thankfully for us, the church started the race 15 minutes late...gotta love the African American culture!). The kids had a good run despite the hilly course. Two of our runners were flat out lazy and finished BEHIND the ambulance. Finding intrinsic motivation on a warm day isn't always easy for everyone.

This week we start city-wide Students Run clinics. Our first one is in the graveyard behind our school! I'm interested in seeing how the students respond to having a bunch of kids from all over Philly come run in our backyard. They were pretty excited about it before, so let's hope it continues.

Sarah's new apartment is taking shape. It's been great fun for me to help her move in and figure out how she and her new roommate's place is going to look. (okay, so maybe I'm not too thrilled with all the designing part of it, but I can move beds and dressures and run wires through desks with the best of 'em!). It really is a beautiful place, and we've talked about its potential for hosting friends. She's lacking a TV, but what's more exciting...a TV or a roof deck?!? C'mon.

Yesterday about 25 of us went out tubing down the Brandywine River in Deleware after church. The 90+ degree heat made for a PERFECT day on the tubes. Traffic held our group up over an hour past our start time, and the tubing company wasn't too happy and dropped us farther down the river than expected. Still, we had a good hour in the water. Families were splashing in it all over the place.

After our ride, we went back to Libby's house for John's smoothies, pizza and fondu. John and Libby sure know how to host a party! What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday in the summer.

The latest forecast calls for temperatures to be over 100 today here. Yikes!

Back at camp

This weekend I went to a leadership summit/running camp with my kids from Students Run Philly Style. About 100 students and leaders from all over Philadelphia drove an hour north of the city to Briarwood Day Camp. Most of the kids had never been to a camp before, much less an overnight one! Several of them were saying they had never left Philly before...so to spend a weekend in the woods was quite the change for them! Despite that, the kids responded so well to everything. The directors said that we were their best group they'd ever had! There weren't any fights and very little bickering. Everyone encouraged each other and stepped up to the expectations of leadership the counselors gave them.


Can you pick me out? (hint: front middle...the white dude with the red bandanna)


Personally, it was a little more difficult than usual. I'm used to Geneva, where there's a rock star feeling with elementary kids. At the summit this weekend, there were all middle and high schoolers. I was nervous about connecting with them, but it all ended up working out. You show kids respect, and they'll show it right back to you.


There sure is a difference between kids from Western Michigan and West Philly. For one, as soon as I had my bandanna on, I had several kids ask me if I was a blood. "A what??" I responded several times. Soon I learned that there's a gang that wears blood red bandanna just like that. Oh well...at least I'm adapting to the culture!

These are the fearless counselors. I'm excited about running in races and knowing several other leaders and more kids. Now I can cheer for specific students instead of simply "go students!".

Seth left this morning for Indiana for a photography gig. That leaves Murphy and me here alone! So far, so good. I was able to get a bunch of random things done today and try to catch up on the e-mails and other business I missed while away. You know, it's good to be missed, but sometimes........

I managed to snag 35 cents on the sidewalk last night while walking around town with John, Seth, Kallie, Jeremy, Casey, Melanie, and Christian. They made dinner and let me join them after I finished my final Walden paper for my third class (only 14 months left now!). I made cwaffles a la mode with ice cream, and we had to take a walk to get the calories burning again. John and Seth were in prime picture taking mode, as shown here by this creative picture:


With Sarah on vacation with her sisters, I find myself missing her more than usual when she's simply across town. It looks like we'll have to survive two weeks without seeing each other; good thing we had practice all last year! God has ways of reminding us how good we have it.

Run the Monk

Last night Sarah and I ran a race called "Run the Monk" with my kids from school. It was only a 5K race, but it seemed like more with the 90+ degree temperatures and hilly course (or was that hell-y?). Most of the kids did quite well; we had several stragglers who simply did NOT want to run in the heat. Fortunately, they were motivated by sprinklers several people were spraying down runners with from their yard. Afterward, there was a band, face painting, a bounce house, and food/drinks. We all got a free t-shirts with our food, too.

Unfortunately, it was Melissa and Stephanie's (7th grade and gym teacher at my school) last event with students run. Melissa is moving to Miami, and Stephanie is moving to the pacific northwest state of Washington this summer. It's a bummer, but fortunately there are a few others who are stepping in for the summer to run with the kids. Any of you are welcome to join us! We'll be practicing Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.



And here's a video of us dancing to the band before the race. My students are only in middle school while most of the students run kids are in high school. Consequently, they were pretty hyper before the race started...if only they could have saved some of that for the race!!

Broad Street Photographs

My roommate, Seth, refuses to call the things he takes with his camera "pictures"...to an artist, they are "photographs". Personally, I think mine can be both--when it's a good shot, it's a photograph...when it's a quick snapshot, it's a picture.....or even a lower class title: "pic". Anyway, here are some memories from Sunday's Broad Street Run, courtesy of my vice-principal Rosemary and Sarah.

One of my beautiful 8th grade girls who ran.

Mid-race with "Kwaamia", Sarah, and me.

Some of our team after the finish line.


This is "Dominique", who had never run more than 4 miles in her life. She was determined to run all 10 miles, and she did! The rest of the team had finished 30-60 minutes before she did, and we all realized she was still out there. So, a few of us went back, found her, and went with her for the last leg of the race. Jogging the last half mile with her was the most rewarding part of the day; it moved me to tears. Everyone cheered and clapped when she neared the finish. It was so neat to see the students come around and encourage her. The whole story reminded me of Jesus' parable of the lost sheep.

Sarah makes an excellent running buddy--even though her hair doesn't stand straight up like the girl in the background's!

10 miles strong

We made it! Yesterday 17,800 people ran the 10-mile Broad Street Run in Central Philadelphia. The weather was nearly perfect for a race, with the temperature in the 60s, beautiful sunshine, and the wind at our backs. In a shocking twist of events, I didn't even lose much sweat! Going up to the race, most of the students had never run farther than 6 miles. I had expected 5-7 of the 23 runners to finish the 10-mile trek. Instead of only 5-7, we had 20 of 23 finish!!!! Most of the students finished on willpower alone, and it was tremendously rewarding to see EVERYONE go beyond what they thought they could do.

Personally, I had a awesome time. Races like that are so much fun! Being part of the Students Run program is the icing on the cake; when I'm encouraging students to do their best, I forget about myself. (funny...is sounds like the Bible might say something about that!) Sarah and I started with a bunch of runners, then decided to run with a 7th grade girl named "Kwaamia" for the whole race (before the race she had asked me to run with her). It was hard at times because both of us wanted to go faster and not stop to walk much, but we wanted to stay and encourage Kwaamia. The three of us finished the race in just over two hours! Kwaamia had never gone farther than 6 miles before, and she was appropriately quite proud of herself.

Surprisingly, my body feels pretty good! I was quite tired yesterday, but it was an accomplished tired. My muscles are only a little sore today. Running with Kwaamia helped my confidence. Due to our slow speed, I felt great by the end! It made me feel much better about running a half marathon, and that a marathon isn't an impossible task. We'll have to see though...one day at a time!

I'll try to get some pictures from the race and post them later today. Until then, you'll just have to imagine it!

Next task: overcome my blasted allergies. My nose has been a leaky faucet this past week. Just this past Monday, it seems like everything opened up and attacked my nostrils. Pray for healing there.

The weekend is upon us

This Thursday, I did something I've never done before in my life: sang karaoke. A few friends from our home group invited our group, and Sarah and I decided to take them up on it! Looking back, I would have liked to have changed a few circumstances around the situation: I was pretty tired, feeling more reflective than assertive, we didn't get there until 10PM, and there were a bunch of females from Drexel who were together (and they were all near the front...it made our small group feel like we were crashing somebody else's party). Having never sung karaoke before, I was a bit nervous. I also didn't know how it worked, so I was quite surprised when there was a teleprompter that went through the words for me! After combing through the song list for quite some time and feeling rather disappointed that there weren't any songs from the Little Mermaid, I sang "One More Day" from Diamond Rio (kudos to Chris Avery for helping me learn that song back in our Nykerk days!). People congratulated me and said I did great, but I felt a little sheepish. However, it will not deter me from attempting again in the future. My comfort level is much higher now with it, so I'll give it another shot!

Sarah, Michelle, and I are going to check out a potential house for the girls on 33rd Street in Philly. It'll be about the same distance from me as last year, but much less in the middle of the city.

Tomorrow is the 10 mile Broad Street Run. I'm excited! Two weeks ago I was pretty nervous about the distance. Now, I'm less nervous about finishing and more excited about the journey. I guess that about 10,000 runners run it! There are bands and church choirs setup alongside the race for encouragement, which I think is really cool. Too bad I won't have a camera to take pictures as I run!

Last night several students, gym teacher Stephanie, and Melissa and Erika (the two other students run coaches) went with a bunch of students and me to a Students Run Philly Style pasta dinner. While we were there, All-pro Shawn Andrews from the Eagles came! He volunteered his time and told the kids how good it was they were participating. The dude was only 24, but he's already played four seasons with Philadelphia, and he's as thick as a wall. A few of the guys on our team were doing the male version of swooning, and some of the girls were teasing them about it. I had forgotten to bring my camera, but I'll post pictures when I get them from the other coaches.

The Cubs came back from a 4-run deficit yesterday. They're suddenly in 2nd place in the NL Central! They're coming to Philly the weekend of Mother's Day. Will and I bought tickets for the Sunday afternoon game, and I think I'll catch the Friday game as well. =)

Jay Leno reported this week: "Statistics show that in a lifetime, the average person sheds 120 pints of tears. Double that if you're a Cubs fan."

I'd like to add that we should double that statistic with tears of joy when the Cubs win the Series this year. Go Cubs!

Speaking of Chicago teams, the Bulls begin a big series with archrival Detroit tonight! Makes me wish I was in Michigan for this one...I'd be teasing my students about it all day long.

Me vs. pollen

That's what today felt like. For whatever reason, all of Philadelphia's trees, grass, molds, spores, dust mites, animal dander, and other allergetic forms of Satan invaded my entire sinus system today. It was rough. I had taken an Allegra D in the morning, but it was no match for the devil's demoralizing attacks. Fortunately, my nose was mostly cleared up for the afternoon, which included a 4 mile run with my kids that felt like 8 miles (all in 88 degree weather...it's amazing what a harming effect heat can have on a runner!).

Despite today's pollen ambush, Philly has TONS of beautiful blooming trees all over the city. Here's a picture of a few of us pretending the petals are pink snow:




This past week was filled with runs. I ran 5 miles Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs. Then to top it off, my kids and I ran down to the Skuykill River from school and back--my approximate distance: 7-8 miles. For those of you who are counting, that's the longest I've ever ran in my life! The most encouraging part was seeing my students go so far and be excited about their accomplishments. We needed to go pretty far since our 10 miles race (Philly's finest Broad Street Run) is this coming Sunday morning.

My roommate Seth was asked to give his testimony in church Sunday. He did an awesome job of glorifying God and humbly sharing how God has moved in his life. God really has been at work in Seth, and I've felt tremendously blessed to have been privileged to observe so much as his roommate.

Yesterday some Liberti folk and I spent another GORGEOUS Sunday afternoon in a park. We grabbed lunch to go and headed to Liberty's Lands, a nice green playground/park a mile from Fishtown. What a blast! We played a frisbee game called hot box that one of our church's pastors taught us. I even indulged in the ice cream truck's wares for the first time. Not exactly Franklin Fountain quality, but it sure hit the spot.

God has recently brought some really neat people into my life here in Fishtown. John, Kallie, Nate, Melanie, Kristin, Jeremy, Seth, Sarah, and I have had some really fun times together. I feel so comfortable hanging out with each one of them, and I enjoy life so much with them, too!

Here are a few pictures from last week's adventures:

The second race in my life

What a beautiful day in Philadelphia! Sarah and I ran with my students on our first race: the Clean Air 5K. It was the perfect day to race. The kids were awesome...about a third of the team wasn't able to race (mostly due to missing multiple deadlines for their forms), but they cheered each other on. When you don't hear much encouragement AT ALL for so long, then to see them yelling from the sidelines at the team going by, it means that much more. I had to fight back an urge to go as fast as I could. Instead, Sarah and I ran with LaShante and Sharonne. (LaShante ran the WHOLE way, which was a big accomplishment for her) Running in a road race is so much fun! We have a 10 mile race on May 5...but we'll tackle that monster later. For now, it's cool to celebrate.

This was my second race of my life. The first was on New Year's Day in Holland, Michigan. Brian Mulder, Scott Parrott, and I ran it on the spur of the moment. It felt really good to have trained and be prepared for a race. Unfortunately, the next one won't be quite as easy...

Our whole team.

Bunch of our team (can you find me?).

A cute girl I found at the race.
All the free stuff we got at the race. =)

A day full of grace

I've felt blessed today. There has been a number of things happening to me that I have not earned, but were given to me at no cost. Here's a list of freebies I have received just today:

-pair of new Puma running shoes for being a coach in Students Run Philly Style
-beautiful blue and green sweat-wicking running shirt for Students Run
-bright green Students Run t-shirt
-falafel lunch with Stephanie (I beat her in a NCAA March Madness bracket challenge)
-Michigan Chemistry t-shirt
-Michigan "bad call brick" made of foam to chuck at the TV when upset at the refs (kudos to Chris Avery for the previous two birthday gifts)
-SEPTA Day Pass from Sarah (all the public transportation free for the day)
-Blue Man Group ticket from Seth (he got them for doing a photo shoot a few weeks ago)

Continuing the freebies spirit, Sarah and I snagged some free Ben and Jerrys ice cream on Tuesday. We had to wait in line about a half hour as it snaked down the block, but it was certainly worth it after an afternoon run with my students.