Songs of the Season

As most who know me could tell you, I love music. Music moves me like nothing else, and I am always singing to myself whether it's out loud or just in my head. In all the silent hours of this training season that I have had to myself, I have found that music always keeps me company and keeps me moving. Here are a few songs that always make their way into my head's rotation:

When I swim, I always think of a Raffi song that I learned as a child called "Baby Beluga." The song's full lyrics escape me, and I find myself repeating the same lines over and over.



"Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above, and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.

Oh Baby Beluga, Baby Beluga, oh Baby Beluga"

Never fail, each time I swim, my head plays this song. There's something organic about the song that brings me back to my love of the ocean. I envision that baby whale gliding through the ocean's waters without a care in the world, feeling alive and happy just to be. For a moment, I am envious of that whale, and my heart longs to feel as carefree and at home in those wild waters as the baby beluga does.

On the bike, I often think of another song from my childhood. This one being, "Coming Round the Mountain."

"She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes, (when she comes).
She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes, (when she comes).
She'll be coming 'round the mountain, she'll be coming 'round the mountain,
She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes, (when she comes)."



When I was about eight years old, I had an almost life-sized doll named "Cricket" that had a tape deck in her back and moved her mouth to the music she played. This was by far the coolest toy I ever owned as a child! She came with me everywhere, and one of my favorite stories she told was the one including the "Coming Round the Mountain" song. So, now, when I'm peddalling hard, all I can think is "She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes..."

The song never speaks of when she actually gets there, it simply tells of how "she is coming." This is me, on all those rides that I thought would never end, where the only thought I clung to was to just keep going. The moving forward is the experience, and arrival is the end. Naturally, then, "she" is always "coming" and never "there."

Running is home to me. I began this journey as a runner, and nothing makes me more at ease than running. It's almost like meditation and is where I do some of my best thinking. For those reasons, it's no suprise that the most often song that comes into my head while running is "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson.



"I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favorite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs

A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere To Go
That's Why I Want You To Know

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change

I've Been A Victim Of
A Selfish Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No Home,
Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With Me

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change"

The song epitomizes how I feel about so many things and in so many ways. There is so much in the world that could be better and needs change. The only thing within your control is yourself; therefore, the best place to start is with you.

Who knows all that will go through my head on my fourteen hour race day, but you can bet your bottom dollar that these three tracks will be there at some point, feeling like familiar friends who have been with me all along.

The Three Questions

This morning I went for a run down by the canal towpath in Georgetown. The canal is one of my favorite areas to run in for many reasons. It's flat, made up of dirt and gravel, and surrounded by trees. Travelers can always find some shade, and even on the hottest days, its proximity to the Potomac makes it a few degrees cooler than the rest of the city. In fact, the whole scene can be quite enchanting. There are animals of all kind, and as the path winds, you feel like you’re running through the woods on a forgotten path to nowhere.

Today I saw a turtle resting against the bank of the path, with only his head poking out of the water. And, I couldn't help but imagine the little guy coming up to look around and just taking it easy. He reminded me of a book I read last night to L (the three year old I babysit) called "The Three Questions." It's based on the short story by Leo Tolstoy and features a boy asking "What is the best time do things?" "Who is the most important one?" and "What is the right thing to do?" The boy comes to learn from a wise, old turtle that the most important time is now, the most important one is the one you are with, and the most important thing is to do good to the person you are with.

I really enjoyed my run and felt strong the whole way. I began to wonder about the many ways we take care of the one we are with and also how often we forget to do that exact thing. In every circumstance in life, there is always another that we are “with.” And I’d have to agree with Tolstoy that taking care of that one is the most important thing. Not necessarily because we love that person or even know that person but simply because he or she shares in our humanity.

One of my favorite quotes has always been the following by John Wesley:
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all times you can,
To all people you can,
As long as you ever can.

This is our calling. But it is up to each of us to discover our own destinies in fulfilling this calling. It is amazing to me to think that an Ironman is part of my life path, and I am awestruck with this realization every time it hits me. The most important time is now. And I have so many incredible people "with" me on this journey that I can only hope I am doing my part to take care of them along the way. I certianly could not do this alone and am deeply grateful to those who continue to take care of me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!