Reflections On Marshall

A week has passed since the Marshall University Marathon. We've had time to reflect on the race and sift through the experience, compiling out unofficial list of lessons learned. I'm still not sure why I cramped so badly at mile 17, but I'm very pleased at how I was able to fight through it and still post a personal best time. Therein likely lies the most important lesson from this race: always respect the marathon. It would be easy to become greedy and say, "If I hadn't cramped, I could have run sub-four". But I think the wisest thing to do would be to "take what you can get and be grateful". After all, 4:14 is two minutes faster than the previous PR.

The marathon is one tough event, filled with peaks and valleys. Talent and athletic ability are of no use when the difficult times arrive. These tough periods in a race must be expected, anticipated and embraced. They require preparation in advance. To paraphrase Vince Lombardi, the will to win is not the important thing. It is the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.

The film "We Are Marshall" was shot in several locations in and around Huntington, WV. Here are some pics of some sites central to the movie.


Springhill Cemetery, the site of the memorial to the plane crash. Six players, whose bodies could not be identified are buried here together. The site overlooks the cities of Huntington, The MU campus and stadium.


Nate Ruffin, captain of the 1971 Young Thundering Herd, died of cancer in 2001. He is buried next to his teammates. Jessica is getting a closer look here.


Nate Ruffin's headstone.


Someone left their artwork of number 25.


This is the top of the monument. On the sides of the monument below are inscribed the names of the players, staff, boosters and flight crew killed in the crash.


The main entrance to the campus. The building is named "Old Main".


The Chief Justice John Marshall statue, for whom the school is named.



The memorial fountain, in front of the Memorial Student Center.


The plaque beside the fountain.


On November 14 of each year, the anniversary of the crash, the water to the fountain is turned off. The fountain remains dry until the spring.


Outside Joan C Edwards stadium.


A church across the street.


The 50-yard line.


State Road 75 in Kenova, the site of the plane crash, less than a mile from Tri-State Airport.



The Marshall plane clipped the tops of the trees to the left...



...and crashed into the hillside near the bottom of the ravine to the right.




The Keith-Albee Theater on 4th Avenue. This is the theater depicted in the movie, and was the site of the world premier of "We Are Marshall".


The Frederick Hotel on 4th Avenue, site of the crash hearings held by the NTSB.




Jim's Restaurant on 5th Avenue, inspiration for the restaurant in the movie.

We Are... Marshall!! New PR!!

Well, we made it. A new PR for us, 4:14:03, official time. The trip was great. We got to see some old friends and make some new ones.

The course was flat as advertised and the weather was cool, a great formula for a good time. I've learned through experience that every race brings its own unique set of challenges, and this time it was cramps. My legs started cramping around mile 17 and it was literally a fight to the finish. I've dealt with pain before in a race, but never quite like that. I tried every trick in the book, but ultimately decided on the Nike method, "Just Do It". Hopefully in the next few days I'll have time to post some insights and observations from the weekend, but for now here are some pics.



The "pre-game" meal with Rick and Cindy Shideler.










Near the starting line, a balmy 37 degrees F.









The striptease inside Cam Henderson Center.









One last item of business...










Ready, set, go! We're in there somewhere, I promise.











Mile 6...










Mile 19.... a cramping we will go :-)

Finally....

Go Herd!!

Time to relax.

That's nothin' doc. Last race I lost three toenails.

All pictures courtesy of Rick Shideler, our "official" race photographer.

One Week To Go...

Well, the training is done. One week to the race. Nothing to do now but sit back, keep loose and let the bumps and bruises heal. This is our final week of a three-week taper, during which we reduce the mileage, cut back on the cross-training and clean-up the diet. I've heard it said that outstanding performance happens when diligent preparation meets excellent opportunity. We've had a really good training cycle, good interval times, good endurance on long runs. The course is conducive to fast times, the current weather forecast is favorable. We'll see....

"We Are Marshall" has definitely been the inspiration this time around. The DVD is available now and it really is a must-see. I get goose-bumps thinking of running through that stadium and campus. This is going to sound strange... during every long training run this time, when we hit a rough stretch on a climb, or when it got really sunny and hot, an airplane would pass overhead. Each time that happened I thought, "we are.... Marshall". If that town, university and student body can pick itself up from the ashes of such a tragedy, I can climb one more hill, I can run one more mile.

Speaking of one more mile, the Cape Cod Marathon is tomorrow. I guess right about now registration is in full swing. Last night would've been shirt-folding and packet stuffing at the Lawrence School. Cindy and I really miss being there. We miss Chris and Pam, and we miss all our Falmouth Track Club friends. The CCM is the finest event of its kind. We shall return. Perhaps Chris and Pam can make the trek from Wild Harbor Road down to Thomas Landers Rd and Rte 28 tomorrow and give the runners a cheer from us! Pam, we were thinking of you this morning during our run. How that, if we were running CCM, we would be in you kitchen this morning scarfing up your special waffles. :-)

So.... just a few more days and it's off to Huntington, to meet up with the Shideler's and enjoy a relaxing, Sunday morning "stroll".

You Never Know Who's Watching

It's very true... you never know who's watching. Yesterday morning at church we played "O Praise Him". Last night after rehearsal, one of the vocalists from the band sent me a video of her son performing his own version of the same song.

out of the mouths of babes....

Thank you, Becky, for sharing the video. I think Grayson is a natural...

We Are Marshall...

So we're getting used to not having Ashleigh around all the time. sort of... She seems to be adjusting well to CSU. We've spoken with her a couple of times and traded emails. She has made some friends and says she enjoys her classes. Last time we talked, she said she was planning a trip home the weekend before her birthday.


Calling all marathon fans! Want to make a trip to Huntington, WV, this fall? We usually run the Cape Cod Marathon the last weekend of October, but after seeing the movie "We Are Marshall" last Christmas, we decided to compete in the Marshall University Marathon this November. If it wasn't for my job at FBC, we would go to Falmouth, volunteer at the CCM, then run Marshall the next week. If anyone is interested in coming to WV for the race let us know.


Cindy and I are now in the middle of the training cycle. We started our long runs a couple of weeks ago. This past Saturday we did 18 miles, and have 3 20-mile runs scheduled before the taper down to the race itself. So... here we go again.

I took John driving for the first time today. Our church has a huge parking lot so we went there and I let him drive around for awhile. He did very well. Cindy even rode along and didn't hyperventilate. I'm thinking of starting a Newell car insurance fund. I wonder if there's anyway to set it up so that contributions are tax-deductible...

There She Goes...

Well, Ashleigh Marie Newell is now officially a freshman at Charleston Southern University. Move-in day was yesterday, and it was surprisingly smooth. There are flat, open grassy areas next to the freshmen ladies' dorms, so we could pull the cars near the entrance. The football team and marching band were all there to help new arrivals carry things into their rooms. Ashleigh's roommate, Kerriann, met us soon after we parked and grabbed some of her marching band buddies to help us. We were unloaded in about 10 minutes. We spent a little time getting the major items arranged in the room (microwave, coffee pot, bed, etc.). Ashleigh is the new keyboard player for Elevate (the campus worship band), so a couple of those guys popped in to help us move her equipment to their storage area. We ate lunch together at The Caf, filled her car up with gas, gave her some extra cash and said our goodbyes.

I'll admit that leaving her there was the tough part. From the moment we almost lost her at birth, I have understood that Ashleigh does not belong to Cindy and me. She belongs to God, and we were only caretakers for a period of time. She is ready to fly, and to follow the path that God has set before her. Knowing that fact is the biggest comfort, but we are human and will readily admit to shedding many tears on the way back, even John choked up a little when he hugged her goodbye. Jessica? She just wants to know when she can have her sister's bedroom with the private bathroom. Sorry, kid... ain't happenin'.

So, off we go to the next chapter in life. It will be different, but good. Although, it's going be more than a little strange when the 1030 band takes the stage in the morning to lead worship and you-know-who is not behind the keyboards on my left...

It's The Same Sky

It's no secret that I love Massachusetts, specifically, Cape Cod. One of my favorite things about the Cape is the sky. Whether it's watching the sunset over Cape Cod Bay, or catching a sunrise over the North Atlantic, the colors are spectacular. A few years ago as we watched the sunset at Campground beach, Uncle Peter remarked that no two sunsets are ever the same. You know, he's right. They are each unique and have been known to draw applause from the neighbors gathered by the shore each evening.

One Sunday morning, a couple of weeks ago, Cindy and I were doing the "get out the kinks after the long run" workout before church. As we ran through Elisha Park we came up over the hill where the path turns back toward the east. The sun had just begun to rise but had not quite peeked over the treeline. I looked up and noticed the colors, reds, yellows, oranges, a tinge of purple... "Oh, wow!", was my spontaneous response, "how beautiful." As we made our way back home, I did some thinking about that sunrise, and I realized that the view was just as beautiful as any on the Cape. As a matter of fact, all things being equal, the Cape sunrise that same morning was likely just as stunning. Then the most elementary of all concepts struck me anew... it's the same sky.... in Massachusetts and in South Carolina.... it's the same sky... I'm the one that moved.

Isn't my relationship with God just like that in a way? He is there, always. Same location. Same beauty. Same power. Same love, mercy and grace. The view seems different because I was the one who moved. He is perpetual. I am intermittent.