Santa is Always Right

Christmas is a pretty cool time around my house the past few years.  With two little kids and a little stability, we are providing the context for them to have a great holiday.  Santa is also a big motivating factor at our house for about a month each year and it will be sad when that behavioral tool goes away.  You all know what I mean.  It provides a great series of "if, then" situations you can leverage to your advantage. Mostly leading to not getting any toys if you don't do something.

"If you don't go get in bed, then Santa won't bring you any toys."

"If you don't eat your green beans, then Santa won't bring you any toys."

"If you don't stop pinching your sister, then..."

What amazes me is the power of Santa.  If you replace Santa with me, for instance, the threat goes largely on deaf ears.  I attempt to strike the fear of me into them every once in awhile but as my wife would say, I'm typically a softy and bend to their wishes. (so sue me, they are my girls)

The power of Santa to be all knowing is dumbfounding to me as well.  Ruby, is a shoe afficianado, much like her mother and father, and in an effort to keep her in some seriously fast kicks, her and I had been shoe shopping for the past few weeks.  WEEKS!  I had taken her to countless stores to find the exact shoes she wanted that were:

1. Faster than any other kids in her class shoes.

2. Looked black and had both three stripes and a swoosh.  (somehow she thought their was a magical hybrid brand of Adidas and Nike somewhere in existence. In actuality she knew that Daddy wears both to run and so does Mom and she wants to please us both I guess.)

3. Have laces and no Velcro.  She recently learned how to tie her shoes and according to her infinite wisdom, is way too old for Velcro.

You see my dilemma.  I was unaware of this mythical shoe but on Christmas Eve Day I made a run to Dillards in Zona Rosa in Kansas City.  My prayers were answered.  This place has tons of kids shoes.  They are a bit pricier than other department stores but at this point it didn't matter.  I found what I thought was the perfect pair, sort of white and purple with laces, and a swoosh.  As I bantered with the sales associate at check out I turned around to just admire this store, it really is a nice place, brand new and very shiny, and was struck by a vision of the perfect shoe. "Don't ring me up yet.  Do you have those in a nine?" I questioned.

"I take it she is a bit of a Tom Boy?" asked the assistant.

"Sort of." I replied.

While she loves throwing people (Judo), soccer, climbing trees, she also loves dress up, makeup, and other "girl" things.  I would say she is like most other little girls or boys for that matter and her ideal shoe does not necessarily label her. 


On a side note, her last pair of running shoes, were "boys" shoes as well, which we didn't actually know until we went to soccer practice and a boy on the other team was wearing the same shoes.  In regards to these shoes, they are yellow and black , so they can be Tigers or Hawkeyes, so that's a bonus, they tie, and they have the name Flash in the title.  Pretty much a slam dunk by Dad here.

I rush home and wrap them up (using the Santa wrapping paper) and put them in the hiding spot until they wenr to bed.  In the morning as the carnage of boxes and paper littered the floor she opened her shoes from Santa.  Her first comment, "See Dad, Santa knew exactly the shoes I wanted."

Of course he did. 

Learning Something New

It amazes me how we can learn new things about ourselves when we least expect it.  This has been happening to me every Tuesday for the past month and a half.  In an agreement stuck between my beautiful wife Emily and myself, Ruby is now learning the basics of Judo.  Long story short, I have been pushing for Ruby to wrestle ever since she was born.  My justification was always that it is an Olympic sport for women, some Universities give scholarships for it, and the pool of female athletes in this sport is thin, thus improving her chances for both of these things.  Also, I was a wrestler for years and coached and it is an addiction that gets in your blood and becomes something you want to share. 

My wife on the other hand sees it just as weird for girls to do.  She thinks I'm dumb, the idea is dumb, and Ruby will only wrestle when hell freezes over.  That is pretty hard for me to argue with but believe me I have been.  I also catch flax from my mother-in-law (imagine that) who likes to tell me that Ruby is not a boy.  As you can tell, the influencers on this debate are certainly lined up against me.  What I'm trying to do is find something that focuses on paying attention to details, slowing down and doing things right, respect, and all the while emphasizing personal discipline. Attractive qualities to instill in a child and the earlier the better I might add.

After surveying my options, and consulting my wife (this is a good idea) we decided to give Judo a try.  Luckily for me, the instructor is Kenny Brink and his club is called Brink's Welcome Mat Judo.  Welcome Mat Judo is an organization familiar to most in the Judo family, especially in Kansas City. Kenny has three boys and one of them I was lucky enough to help coach in wrestling so we have some ties.  He was also a National Champion in Judo and has the credentials that any newcomer should look for in finding a good club.

It took me two practices to be comfortable not wanting to be in charge.  That is a personality trait I have had forever, wanting to run the show, and I realized I have no business doing such a thing.  I still harp on her to pay attention and get up off the mat, but I don't have to say much anymore.  She bows to center when she gets on the mat, bows to center before she gets off the mat.  She bows to her partner before each drill and shakes hands after every drill.  She thanks her instructors after every practice and is working hard to get better, not because I tell her to but because she wants to.

When I stopped pushing so hard she has started to thrive.  It's pretty neat, she is learning Japanese, because all the moves are in Japanese, her flexibility is improving, and she is learning a little self defense which, you never know, could come in handy some day. 

I must confess, there is a secret plan to all of this.  Judo is also an Olympic sport so my dream of Ruby being an Olympic Champion is alive and well.  Also, one of the top Greco-Roman female wrestlers for the United States practiced Judo her whole life before she took up wrestling in her twenties.  To quote dumb and dumber, "so you are telling me there's a chance." I can hope.

FAQ for my next Trail Run.

I am a member of a group called the Kansas City Trail Nerds.  Basically, a bunch of nature loving, granola eaters who do trail maintenance and run races in the woods. Some of my favorite things.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share the questions people ask before we do on a PRACTICE run, this isn't even a race.

Alt Chili Run FAQ:
How much is the run? $5, which the Trail Nerds will donate to ERTA, a trail-building organization.

Why aren't there bib numbers? Because it's a fun run not a race.

Where does this start? In parking lot.

Is it timed? No

How will I know where I'm going?  There will be some markings at any intersection where you have to make a choice. We have pace leaders - Scott, Travis, Matty and Brian ,John King and Beth Hilt will course sweep to keep you headed in the correct direction. Michael Ruder also knows the course . If you get lost  you can
always dip out of the woods and get on the road which will have markings for the Chili Run which starts at 9am.

Where are the bathrooms? Down the steps in the James P. Davis Center

The bathrooms aren't open-- what should I do? Here is a baby wipe-- check out the woods.

Will there be water stations? No

Will non trail shoes work on this course. Sure, but you should join the Trail nerds and get a 20% discount  on trail shoes at GGRS.

Will I slip? The weather isn't set to get nasty until Sunday, but after that we "screw" our shoes. But there will not be a screwing station for this run, this year.

What is the course like? It is the same loop as the Winter Psycho/Toto race and consists of quite a
bit of bridle trails. You'll have to head down some pretty steep treacherous stuff, but that's part of the fun. The Trail Nerds support ERTA, an organization that builds sustainable single track and hope that in the future we'll have better trails!

Is there an Aid station?  No we've never had one and no one dehydrated. Make sure you bring water or run with a friend who has a hydration device.

Where is the Chili?  In the James P Davis center. Pay $5 and enjoy. Sophia ate 4 bowls one year.

One for each mile (she had a tough year, but met Bad Ben and fell in love
with him !)

 Proud to be a Trail Nerd.

Time To Do Some Good

Tis the season for outreach to our less fortunate and also a time to be thankful for all the blessings we do have.  I currently sit on the board of the Northland Sports Alliance here in Kansas City, Missouri.  We offer a plethora of recreational and competitive team sports for the youth in our area.  We offer a scholarship program for parents to enroll their children even in hard economic times.  This program is built on donations from you.  Please read below and donate if you can. 

 

     Yes it's that time of year again, time to be pandered to for your generosity.  The time of year where we set our expectations high because we know you will help us reach them.  Last year we set a goal for our scholarship fund to hit $5,000 and we made it with your help.  The group was small but mighty.  This year we would love to have more participation.  If every person that receives this made a small contribution, we would hit that $5,000 mark in no time.  Last year we were able to sponsor over 70 kids.  Kids that would not normally have the opportunity to play.  I can't tell you about all 70, but I can share a story about one family. 

 

     This one family in particular has three kids.  These kids are very active in sports, playing something all the time.  They are a typical family in our program.  Parents love the kids, kids love the parents, they may even have a dog - they could be any one of us.  However, this year they were hit hard and they had to make choices.  Those choices included some tough decisions.  The mom called us on the last day to register and as we were doing her registration we asked her which child she was registering first (because we knew all three played.)  She started to cry and said she only had enough money to register one of her kids.  They all wanted to play but she couldn't afford it so she was letting the oldest one play and was hoping things would be better by the next season.  The two younger ones were disappointed but she said they would be okay, she was hopeful things would all work out.  First, we couldn't imagine the heartbreak for this mother to tell the two younger ones they didn't get to play this season.  Second, we couldn't let this happen - do you know why?  Because we have you!  I wish all of you could've been with us when we told this mother that we had funds available for situations just like this.  I helped her get all three registered and I told her things would turn around.  Some day, maybe even today, she could pay it forward and help out another family when they might be in the same situation.  Those tears were suddenly tears of joy (both mine and hers).  We don't "advertise" our scholarship fund regularly so a lot of people who have never needed it, don't really know about it.  Well, I am here to tell you it exists and it gets used.  

 

     I wish I could tell you about each one of our families.  Some have gone through divorce, others a job loss, or a medical crisis.  I know things will turn around for a lot of them.  We have very few families that continue year after year on our scholarship program which tells me things will get better for some while others learn about our scholarship fund for the first time.  The key is to let these kids continue to play.  Unfortunately, we can't do that without your help.

 

     Think about how you can make a difference in a child's life.  Imagine if that family above wasn't able to let all three kids play.  Can you imagine the reminder every week when the two younger ones went to watch the older one play - disappointment for both the kids but also the parents.  Imagine a child going through a divorce - their soccer team may be their only outlet with their friends on it - that could be what gets them through a difficult situation.  Imagine a child with a mom or dad that has cancer, I can't even begin to tell you how important those friendships are.  Some of our teams have been together through all of these situations.  Those parents rally around those kids and continue to tell them everything will be okay.  I know these families appreciate the help.

 

     Please consider helping out.  It's easy.  Just click here https://www.spcaa.com/donate.aspx.  It's fast.  Or if you prefer, you can mail a check to the address below.  It's not the amount that's important, every little bit helps.  Last year we had donations as low as $10, those donations added up to $5,000.  I know we can do it again, won't you help out?  I'm counting on you!

 

     With your help we will be able to continue our scholarship program.  I am proud to say we have never turned down a child because of their inability to pay.  I give you my word, we never will. 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Stephanie A. Schieber

Director

Northland Sports Alliance

8341 NW Mace Road

Kansas City, MO  64152

Pilgrim Pacer Half Marathon Adventures

Writing about running was always a central theme of what I wanted to do with this blog.  Much like my life this was taken over by ideas and things and pulled in a different direction, namely my kids. I make no apologies for that but I wanted to get my thoughts on a recent race I ran and a blog I read.

Here is the blog: http://www.therandomride.com/The_Random_Ride/%28anti%29Blog/Entries/2010/10/29_Something_old...something_new.html

The ideas put forth in here really appeal to me.  So I wanted to think back to what running means to me.  I ran my first road race when I was eight or nine.  It was a one mile fun run around Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I finished second and was devastated.  Normally one would think not winning something you have never done before wouldn't be that dire but that's not how I'm wired.  I'm pretty sure I had some sweet Roo's or street shoes with no consideration for what "running" shoes were. As time went by, I forced my Mom to get me the latest and greatest running shoes from Eastbay and figured these would put me over the top.

Now, it really doesn't matter to me that much. My newest set of kicks are here:

They are Adidas Marathon 10's.  Sort of a throw back to some of the earliest versions of "marathon" shoes that Adidas made.  Pretty simple really, good support, pretty light, a little bit of yellow, they stay tied, pretty much everything I need to go out and run.  I'm not a big believer in replacing shoes every 1000 miles or whatever, I do believe in getting new insoles but as long as they aren't falling apart we are all good.

These beauties have led me to two PR's (personal records) in my last two races.  3:21:10 in the KC Marathon and 1:29:10 at the Pilgram Pacer Half Marathon.  Personally, if you are trying ten different brands of shoes, clothes, gear, goos, etc., it's not there fault you are slow, it's you, train more.

What training will do is help you to overcome unexpected obstacles.  The Pilgram Pacer Half was a fantastically organized race by the Kansas City Trail Nerds.  What was unexpected was the weather (about 35 degrees, very strong consistent winds, and very hilly.  This was the first time I had been out to Unity Village in Lee's Summit, Missouri so I was not familiar with the course. It was actually the first time being held here as well so most of us at the starting line were in the same boat.  I found some nice dude from Atlanta who was running 50 half marathons in 50 states and asked him what he thought he would run it in.

"Around 1:26:00."  That sounded good to me so I told him I would run with him.  He lasted at that pace for about a mile.  Then, it was on me for the next twelve. This race was four 5K loops. The halfers did a short out and back at the beginning to get in the extra 7/10ths we need for the half.  That was actually kind of cool because it made me realize only four people were ahead of me and one I would pass fairly shortly.  As I'm running up and down the short steep hills I kept thinking. "I have finished top three in one of these things, that would be awesome." Well, I got passed with about a half mile to go and didn't feel like suffering anymore than necessary so I let him go. 

In the end it wasn't so bad. I won my age division and took fourth overall. My girls had a blast playing in the bounce house, and my wife got to visit with a friend and get a better understanding of why I do this to myself.

Running is simple. It's a human expression of what we are capable of as a species and what we can overcome.  It also gets me out of the house for two or three hours at a time. Amen to that.

The Pink Elephants

The Pink Elephants

The Season Finale

Pink Elephants are the CHAMPIONS!!!  That is the last thing I told my girls after the final game of the season.  Talk about a sense of accomplishment.  I think I am more excited about the progression of this team than anything I have done at work in a long time.  It is helpful to do a little comparison of other teams versus the Pink Elephants to get a more realistic breakdown of success.  I am using my own scale of awesomeness to determine overall results from a coaching standpoint.

Promptness of Teams

1. Elephants - On Time 
2. Opponents - Some on time, most late.

Number of Players In Attendence

1. Elephants - 7 every game
2. Opponents - 5 if they are lucky

Number of Girls Crying Per Game

1. Elephants - 1 first two games
2. Opponents - At least one crier a game

Number of Parents Who Told Me They Want Me To Coach Their Kid in the Spring

1. Elephants - All seven
2. Opponents - I have no idea but it's not seven

Hugs Given to Me

1. Elephants - Five Hugs
2. Opponents - Zero Hugs

As you see from my scientifically advanced comparison matrix, this season was a lot of fun for everyone involved.  I tell you what, volunteering brings more joy and soul filling goodness to the volunteer than to the recipients.  When the opportunity to give back presents itself, grab it.  You don't get that many and you can learn a lot about yourself.

Until next time.