Class of 2010

My thoughts from Todd County High School's graduation ceremony this afternoon:

• The ceremony began with a drum circle, the singers carrying the drum from the entrance of the auditorium to the stage. I'm thrilled elements of traditional Native culture are still incorporated into everyday life on the reservation. Hearing the Lakota Flag Song sung prior to high school sporting events gives me chills. It reminds me that the Rosebud is different from anywhere I've ever been.
• The valedictorian spoke. Based upon what he said and how he said it, I cannot believe he's the valedictorian. It was especially touching when he casually stated that the graduates made it through their four years of high school because of each other, not the teachers.
• There were 54 graduates. When the Class of 2010 started high school in 2006, there were approximately 200 freshmen. The dropout rate is even worse than I thought. But it does go to show what a big deal it is around here to graduate from high school. They didn't all make it.
• I optimistically and erroneously thought a graduation is an event momentous enough to get friends, family, and the community in their seats by the posted start time. Cheers to TCHS for beginning at 1:00 p.m. sharp.
• The temperature reached 95 degrees this afternoon, the first hot day we've had this year. The auditorium also serves as the school's gymnasium. Between the heat and the number of attendees, I was expecting it to feel like a sauna inside. But it was rather comfortable.
• It's wonderful that graduation is open to the entire community. Those kids should be celebrated.
• I remember bits and pieces of my high school graduation back in 1996. I thought today would jog my memory on additional details, but it didn't. But I can say that the atmosphere and festive nature at Todd County's graduation were nothing like they were at mine 14 years ago.

A small pebble of disappointment among a sea of goodness

I ran the half marathon Saturday morning. My time was 1:30:39, just shy of my still-elusive goal. But I finished 7th overall out of 271 finishers. And I came in first in my age group. Here are my awards:



Socks! Score!

The recap:

I was on a 1:30 pace through about the first five miles. But before I knew it, I was behind by close to a minute and a half. I experienced more soreness in the middle stages of this race than I usually do during a half marathon. I chalked that up to arriving at the event later than I would have liked. I had only 20 minutes to stretch, jog around, get my bag to the check-in area, and just focus before the starting gun.

I felt as though I was sprinting during the entire race, so there was no way my time could have been even a second faster. I was actually able to pickup some time in the final miles too, evinced by the fact I cut my time deficit nearly in half and missed my goal by only 39 seconds. I was close enough to running 1:30 that I picked up my pace sooner than usual and really, really pushed myself during the final three miles.

The marathon and half marathon courses split between Miles 10 and 11. After this point, the course was like a ghost town: no spectators, no aid stations, no traffic, and no other runners. Besides wanting to put in a strong finish with an outside chance at 1:30, my training really helped me during this stretch. I run alone on empty, wide-open roads here on the Rosebud. (Remember this photo?) Because of that experience, the loneliness during this portion of the race was actually to my benefit. I think it was the most fun I’ve ever had in the latter stages of a long race.

In the final mile, one of the volunteers directing traffic noted that I looked like a sprinter. I’m not sure if that was because of my speed, my form, or my build, but it made me smile. A sprinter I am not! Running too fast makes me nauseous anyway.

Quick side note: From what I've read, my body type is supposedly suited more for sprinting than distance running. That makes sense when you look at the builds of the runners who typically finish ahead of me at these races. I have a few more pounds to haul than the elite runners. Nothing I can do about that.

So, I didn’t achieve my goal. Oh well. But I’m over it and am proud of how I ran and the improvement I made over last year’s race. What I’m most disappointed about now, however, is Saturday was the second and final time I ran in Brookings. It was by far my favorite race in South Dakota. But the trails in Idaho await.

P.S. Soon after writing Saturday’s post, I stopped by the front desk at the Super 8. The woman behind the desk placed a call to Room 125. It was quiet by the time I arrived back in my room down the hall. I slipped back inside as quietly as possible so they wouldn’t know it was me who turned them in.

P.P.S. A couple photos of me, before and after, courtesy of the Brookings Marathon:

• Here I am in a post-stretch stance just before the 7:00 a.m. start.
• And here is me again at the finish, looking as fresh as a... ummm... never mind.
  

Live from Brookings

I'm at the Super 8 in Brookings, South Dakota. My headphones are blasting to block out the loud conversation from Room 125. They have until 10:00 to shut the hell up before I call the front desk. Why must people be so inconsiderate? I need my sleep tonight because...

I'm running a half marathon at 7:00 tomorrow morning. And, man, am I excited! A little nervous too. This is probably the most pressure I've ever put on myself before a race. I ran this same event last year in 1:32:14, a personal best which still stands. My goal is 1:30, of course, and I feel like I have a more-than-decent shot at accomplishing it.

I haven't run since Sunday. I needed the rest though. I ran well last weekend, but volleyball Tuesday night was a bit much on my body as evinced by my soreness Wednesday morning. I'm back to 100 percent now. I love playing with the gang each Tuesday, but with the amount of running I do, it isn't good for my knees.

It's supposed to be cool, clear, and calm tonight. The low should be 44, which is warmer than it was at last year's start. Conditions should be ideal. If I'm going to meet my goal, tomorrow's the day.

Looking ahead to racing in Boise, there isn't much on the running schedule there over the summer that intrigues me. Plus, it's hot there in the summer, so it's not like there are many races to choose from. So, tomorrow morning is my last chance for some time to scratch my competitive itch.

I've told the cross country and track kids more than once they need to say their goals out loud and write them down. Otherwise, who's to say the goal even existed in the first place? (If a tree falls in a forest...)

At this point, I think everyone knows my "hour and a half" mantra. It's good for me. But it's time to get the job done!

Go west young thirtysomething

I'm moving to Boise at the end of June to attend graduate school at Boise State. It's funny how life turns out sometimes. I mean, Boise? Really? This time last year, I wasn't even considering options outside of South Dakota for school. Then life happened. Boise turned into the plan, then just an option, followed by a distant possibility.

But all it took to completely redirect my future was a very thin envelope with a lot of scholarship money. The funny thing about Boise State is that after researching their public administration program and speaking with its director, it turned out to be a really good fit for me and my goals. But out-of-state tuition and loans weren't going to happen. So when the scholarship money came through (and a bit more since), my decision was simple.

Attending grad school two states away instead of just three and half hours down the road in Vermillion is only going to make leaving here harder. But Boise will be good for me. Besides the school situation, it's a great town for the outdoors. That's the big thing I have missed during my time in Mission. I already have my trail book, and there are plentiful hiking and running opportunities close to town.

I'm trying to convince myself that this is a new adventure, but it does pale in comparison to my past two moves. It's not Alaska, and it's certainly not the reservation. (But can anything really compare to the rez?) And I'll be the first to admit that Boise is pretty white bread. I guess that makes the Rosebud fry bread. (I just came up with that. Hilarious!)

This move is also different from the last two for several other reasons. Unlike both Juneau and Mission, I've actually visited Boise. Granted, it was just a long weekend, but I did get a feel for the place.

Also, I actually know someone there. He was the reason I applied to BSU in the first place. I moved to Juneau without knowing a soul in all of Alaska. And I had only spoken with my future co-workers here at Habitat over the phone.

And the actual move is shorter than the last two. That's not exactly a bad thing though. Yes, it's still over 1,000 miles; however, I'll be able to leave one morning and arrive in town the following afternoon. There won't be a three-day ferry ride this time around.

It's not a fair comparison though. Each move, including the first one from Delaware to Texas, served its own distinct purpose, and this one will as well. Besides the great outdoor opportunities, the winters are moderate (I'm not going to know what to do with myself!), there are college and minor league sports events to attend, and there's a Costco and Fred Meyer.

So, seven weeks to go. The stretch run to the finish. I won't be sitting idly watching the clock either. I have a half marathon next Saturday. My mom and grandmom are coming to visit in June, which should be something else. And then there's everything going on at work. There's a lot to accomplish between now and June 25th. I'll pack the car that weekend before heading west.

That sounds good. Heading west. I will say it was a strange feeling to be driving east on I-90 moving to what would be my new home. It seemed like I was going in the wrong direction. Mission is west of the 100th meridian, but just barely. This time, though, the road signs will be pointing west. That feels great.

Boise or bust!

Did anyone bring a map?

I went to the 86th annual Howard Wood Dakota Relays last night. The top high school and college track and field athletes from South Dakota and surrounding states converged on Sioux Falls for the two-day event. I happened to be in town for meetings held on Friday, so I was able to attend yesterday's evening session.

The highlight for me was watching Todd County's distance runners participate in the 1600. The ninth grade girl, in particular, was awesome. She finished fifth in her heat, picking up the pace and passing a number of runners during her final lap.

Up in the stands, it was fun to listen to where the spectators had traveled from to watch the races. The older man in front of me spurred many of the inquiries, asking where I was from soon after I arrived. But that was one of many similar conversations that followed a familiar back-and-forth:

"Where are you from?"

"Small Town, South Dakota."

"Oh... And where is that?"

It was a veritable South Dakota geography lesson.

Runners and their times were posted on the scoreboard. There was only so much room, so the school names were abbreviated. That led to some more geographical banter:

Old man in front of me: ORR. What school is that?

Me: I have no clue.

Woman behind me, eavesdropping: Did he just ask where ORR is?

Me: Yes.

Woman: Oldham-Ramona/Rutland.

Me: Wait, what? (There were too many towns in there. And I still had to pass the information along to my new hard-of-hearing friend in front of me.)

Woman: Oldham-Ramona/Rutland. (She was obviously up on her high horse for possessing information so valuable to humanity.)

Man next to her, also eavesdropping: It's near Madison.

The thing about the rural schools here is, outside of those located on the reservations, the number of students attending is dropping. That makes sense given the overall population of the state's rural areas - a large portion of South Dakota - is aging and decreasing. The solution for many districts is consolidation. And when it comes to sports, you often have nearby schools combine programs, which is the case for "ORR":

Oldham-Ramona School + Rutland School. = Oldham-Ramona/Rutland

The 2008 Census Bureau population estimates for these three towns are:

• Oldham, population 181
• Ramona, population 191
• Rutland (unincorporated), population 236

All told, I was at a track meet when a geography lesson broke out. And now, I pass my newly acquired knowledge on to you, dear reader.