<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
{mso-style-name:msonormal;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.m8330937444249775617m3790531096448530968gmail-abn
{mso-style-name:m_8330937444249775617m_3790531096448530968gmail-abn;}
span.m8330937444249775617m3790531096448530968gmail-aqj
{mso-style-name:m_8330937444249775617m_3790531096448530968gmail-aqj;}
span.m8330937444249775617hoenzb
{mso-style-name:m_8330937444249775617hoenzb;}
span.hoenzb
{mso-style-name:hoenzb;}
span.EmailStyle22
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Herman – thanks for your report on your latest (or maybe your last) marathon. Passionate engagement takes many forms and your story about running is a great reminder for all of us. The tributes to Barbara Bush yesterday are another witness to a life-long commitment to engagement and service. You and she have permanent seats on my own meditative council – continually raising the question for all of us…how do we stay engaged and “act our age” as we age. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In Peace, Sherwood<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> OE <oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Herman Greene via OE<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, April 18, 2018 8:21 AM<br><b>To:</b> OE Listserv <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net><br><b>Cc:</b> Herman Greene <hfgreenenc@gmail.com><br><b>Subject:</b> [Oe List ...] My report on running the Boston Marathon<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><i>Background: The race was on April 16. The temperature was in the 30s at the beginning and in the mid-40s at the end. Rain was constant and sometimes came down in sheets. Wind was in our face at 10-20 mph with gusts to 32 mph. This marathon, as all others, was 26.2 miles long. The Boston Marathon has been run since 1897. It's the granddaddy and the most prestigious of all. It's a metro-wide festival. The run is from Hopkinton, MA, to Copley Square in Boston. 2800 racers sought medical help. 59 were taken to the hospital, mostly from hypothermia. Thirty-two thousand were registered for the race. Seven thousand failed to finish or didn't run. I was toward the end of the finishers as explained below.</i><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b>The Report:</b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white'>Every race you learn something. The conditions I ran in were totally new. Not only was the weather bad during the race, but because the ground was soaking in the "athlete's village" I had to stand for over an hour before the race and then walk a kilometer to the starting line. </span><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>This was my 21st marathon. I'm very satisfied with my race, but it was my second slowest ever, about <span class=m8330937444249775617m3790531096448530968gmail-aqj>5:48</span>. My slowest was when I tore a muscle and walked the last 12 miles. My time then was <span class=m8330937444249775617m3790531096448530968gmail-aqj>6:15</span>. I could say I'm just getting old, but I ran a <span class=m8330937444249775617m3790531096448530968gmail-aqj>4:30</span> marathon in November 2017, so I don't think I've declined that much.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Much of my slowness this time came from having something happen to my left groin at mile 7. I had to shorten my stride from there on. From mile 7 on I ran about 13 minute miles most of the way but even slower toward the end. I didn't walk!. So my achievement was putting one foot in front of the other and staying with it.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>The weather was a huge factor. The wind and rain drop body temperature and I read that with hypothermia comes shortened breath. I never felt I could breath well and that makes all the difference. I didn't have serious hypothermia because fortunately I did decide to wear a gore-tex type suit, but the weather was still a factor.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>The injury came out of nowhere. I didn't take a wrong step or anything and I have never had an injury in my left groin. I thought it might have been a groin pull but I think it must have been a spasm of some kind, possibly with some tendon strain. At the expo, a person handed out a homeopathic cream for cramps as well as homeopathic pills for cramps. I think they saved my day. Without that medication I would have had to walk and walking beginning at 7 miles which would really have been bad. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>I'm changing my mind about the tapering. I think the most important training ends about three weeks out and that one should taper more than I did the last two weeks. I was pushing because an injury kept me from running in weeks 5 and 4 before the race. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Tens of thousands of people run marathons each year. They are all heroes in a way. Training for a marathon is hard and running one is hard . . . and you never know what might be coming at you in a race in terms of weather or injury.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Aside from all this, the day was perfect. That strange logic of the marathoner takes over . . . the more grueling the experience, the more the spirit rages within. Pain is good! When's the next race?!<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Well, for me this really may be my last. It's been glorious and I feel I had a glorious ending. Plus it was great having Sandi and her brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Kristen Strong, as my team. We had a grand time.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Herman<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'><br clear=all><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>-- <o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>__________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>Herman F. Greene<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>2516 Winningham Road<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>Chapel Hill, NC 27516<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>919-942-4358 (ph & fax)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'><a href="mailto:hfgreenenc@gmail.com" target="_blank">hfgreenenc@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>