Introducing "Skids" our (un)official mascot

We run around Hollenbeck Park in East Los Angeles during our morning runs.  There are a lot of ducks and geese that live there as well.  During the springtime, as you would expect, there are always baby birds that are hatched and can been seen following their parents walking and wadding in the lake.

When we arrive at the lake, we wait for several minutes for the rest of the runners to catch up, those usually slowed down because of changing traffic signals.

One occasion while we were discussing the weeks upcoming activities, a little baby duckling got really close to our group.  Someone had to point the duckling out to me so I wouldn't squash it.  We continued our talk and the duckling climbed on the shoe of Cass, one of our long time runners and ardent supporter.  It keep chirping loudly.  It didn't want to leave.  It was covered in mud as it had rained the day before.  There were no other ducks around and it was clear this duckling was lost.

Rather than leave it there to die, I decided to pick it up and put it into my running cap and with the help of Tony, we decided to take it to a bird rescue.  From the time I first saw the duckling until I put it into my hat, it kept chirping.  When I started running with the duckling in my hat, it stopped chirping.  Has this bird run before?  It seemed to really enjoy bobbing up in down in my hat as I was running.  If I stopped for a traffic light, it would start chirping again.  Clearly this was a running duck!

Long story short, we found the duckling a good bird rescue and learned that it's taken to looking over the newly rescued birds, irrespective of their species.

Review of the Brooks Revel running shoe

Several weeks ago, Armand at Run with Us in Pasadena,  brought running shoes for members of the club. 

I was gifted a pair of the Brooks Revel running shoe.  Because I am a toe runner, I usually prefer to have a high heel to toe ratio in my running shoes since my heels don't completely hit the ground.  However, I have quite enjoyed running in the Brooks Revel so far.  There is cushioning in all the right places and ample support.  I am a neutral runner by the way.  The shoes feel light and it's suprisingly responsive.  However, I don't know if there is enough support and cushioning to last me on a longer distance, for example 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles.  For know, though, I am happy to run in these shoes for our weekday morning runs along Skid Row.

What's also nice about the Brooks Revel is that it is actually a shoe that I would wear when I am not running.  Since a lot of running shoes are somewhat built up in terms of support, they tend to look like loaves of bread on your feet, and seem to stand out when you are wearing long pants.  Not so with these shoes.  I have been very comfortable wearing those shoes with my chinos, because the bulk of the shoe doesn't bunch up the bottom of my pants.

All in all I would say this is one of the better all-around use shoes I have come across recently. 

Strength shows not only in the ability to persist, but...

in the ability to start over. 

I am frequently asked what the 'success' rate of your running club is.  First, I think the word 'success' is difficult to define in terms of addiction recovery and homelessness.  Second, our club is not a treatment provider nor do we explicitly provide social services.

Having said that, the 'success' rate of the Skid Row Running Club appears to be substantially higher than for the recovery community at large.  I say this because many of our members have maintained their sobriety for long periods of time, for the first time in their life.  That have found the self confidence to seize the narrative of their lives.  Is it solely because of the running club?  Of course not. 

The best success stories always work in conjunction with other groups, or communities if you will.  We are but one such community, but we are a strong one.   With AA and our running club, people have two strong yet distinct communities that are there for each other.

It's with the help of these communities, that members of our running club are able to get back on their feet.  Almost all of them eventually find gainful employment or return to school to learn a new trade.  It takes a community of like minded people to encourage and support each other.

There are members of our club that relapse back into drugs or homelessness, but they have more resiliency.  They bounce back faster and when they are ready, the Skid Row Running Club is there to welcome them back with open arms.

Running while the City of Angels still sleeps

I used to hate mornings, especially when it was still cold and dark outside.  I just wanted to curl up in my blanket and go back to sleep.

The Skid Row Running Club turned me into a 'morning person.'  Now when my alarm goes off before 5am, I can't wait to get out of bed, put on my running outfit and drive down to Skid Row. 

I look forward to seeing my running family, my friends in the Skid Row Running Club.  Even though most of us are still blurry eyed and sleepy, that soon changes when we head down onto 6th Street in front of the Midnight Mission.  That doesn't mean that I am ready to just jump into a quick 5 mile run.  It's not until we have crossed 6th and San Pedro Street and a couple minutes later start having conversations that the fun really begins.  It starts with a simple question such as "What are you going to do after the run?" or "How have you been?".  Immediately you stop focusing on the fact that it's early in the morning or may even forget that you are running.  

From mile 3 - 5, everyone is having a great time, the pace quickens although I don't think anyone really realizes that their effort has increased.  We finish at 4th and Crocker Street, where there are a lot of tents and frequently volunteers who are out on the streets to provide breakfast to the people living there.  We all wait for one another to finish, with high fives and fist bumps.  Everyone, I mean everyone, is in the best mood and very happy that point.  It made the early morning wake up worth it.  That's why I do it again and again.  

When you know you have friends that are counting on you and are also getting up early in the morning,  it's a lot easier to get up early in the morning.   The natural 'high' after having a good morning run is incredible.  It feels especially special knowing that you accomplished it with an amazing group of individuals.  Everyone walks away ready to tackle whatever obstacles that confront them.  We all realize that life is just a series of small steps, putting one foot in front of the other.

What happens when a gang member runs a marathon

In November 2015, members of the Skid Row Running Club ran the Revel Canyon Marathon.  It's a mostly downhill marathon and while you would intuitively think that is great for us runners, but downhill running while easier on the lungs is absolutely brutal for the body.

For many marathoners, when you hit miles 20  -  22, you often hit "The Wall," the point where your body runs out of sugar and you start to become lethargic.  Imagine hitting "The Wall" and having your legs beaten to a pulp.

To prepare for the Revel Canyon Marathon, I spent a lot of time lifting weights in the gym to prepare my muscles for this beat down. (More on this in a later post.)

At mile 22, I was feeling good and running well.  But then I came across an unusual sight: one of our runners cursing in the middle of the street.  Onlookers were horrified.  Not necessarily because of seeing a runner who hit "The Wall" since this is a common occurrence at marathons.   But Josh, had his shirt off and his entire body was covered in gang tattoos.  Josh was a gang member.  In his sour mood and with his menacing tattoos, spectators were scared.

I ran up to Josh, put my hand on his shoulder.  He turned around.

"Don't touch me! I'm going to kill you!.  Oh, it's you."

"How are you doing?" I asked.

"What am I doing out here?  My body hurts, it hurts to breathe, it hurts to walk," was the reply Josh gave me.

I looked at Josh intently.  "If it hurts to breathe and hurts to walk, why not hurt and run?"  With that, I began to run.  Josh followed.  We ran the last 4.2 miles together.  As we neared the finish line, this former tough guy began to sob uncontrollably, shouting "I can't believe it!  I can't believe I am about to finish a marathon!  I was ready to throw in the towel and quit."

Afterwards Josh hugged me, he was very emotional.  I told him that less than 1% of the US population finishes a distances 26.2 miles. 

Josh realized that he could accomplish whatever he put his mind to.  From that day forward, his life took a very different path...

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