Dedicating A Run To A Friend

I lost a friend a few weeks ago, prior to the Cradle To The Grave 30 k.  My friend put a bullet in his ear after almost a decade of a series of unfortunate events; divorce, passed over for a deserving promotion, asshole for a son, then laid off after 15 years with the firm he literally saved millions of dollars for due to his design expertise and foresight. I decided to dedicate my 30 k run to my friend.  I thought of him every inch of the run and towards the end, I thought that no matter the pain I was enduring, it was nothing compared to the pain he endured, and that eventually drove him to taking his own life.  Not the right answer to the problem, but it was his choice.  In what seemed like a short period of time, I had run 18 miles, and it was the best run/race I have had in the past two years  There is something edifying about going out and beyond yourself by turning your thoughts and concerns towards others.

Going Up In The Not-So-Nice Area Of South Central Los Angeles

Hi Larry,

I spent quite a bit of my youth in South Central; 14th Street and Central Ave.; just down the street from the Coke-Cola plant.   Here is a link to a picture of the CC building:http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/2008/04/no-138-coca-cola-building.html

My Dad had his warehouse between Griffith and Paloma with 14th Place two doors down from us.  We were right in the middle of it, aka the bowels of hell.  14th Place was the stomping grounds of the Clanton 14 gang who started off as a bunch of zoot-suiting low life during the Depression and went downhill from there and redefined the term "low life scum".  Eve and I did a Google flyover the other day and the warehouse is still there; in fact it looks totally unchanged and untouched.  All the housing that the vermin called home is now gone, replaced by manufacturing and warehousing facilities. 

My Dad's partner had been there for years prior to them going into business together.   Evidently Ralph Walker had some sway/influence with the local knuckle-draggers because we never had a break-in or any vandalism to our property.  The younger low-lifers never gave me much trouble but I always carried in my belt a 3/4 x 8 inch capped pipe nipple with a lanyard on one end and lead filling in the other.  I could tear down wooden crates faster with that than a 16 oz framing hammer.  Whenever I went to the corner store or down to a local "mama's" hamburger stand, I had it with me and only had to take it out once.  It sent a strong subliminal message that even the single-digit IQ punks could understand and certainly saved me from at least one ass-kicking.

Yes, it sure would be interesting to hear what you friend's son would have to say about serving a mission in that area ("shit-hole" is the first term to come to mind, but I will refrain).   Hopefully they can find some spirits there that really yearn for some truth in their lives and want out of that....ok, place, and a better life.

Cheers,
Bart

email response to John Keith, former speed skating buddy from California, now living in Thailand

5/24/14

Nice to hear from you John!  Yes, it certainly has been a long time since we saw each other.  Bob Nelson and Eric Williamson have kept me somewhat up to date with your achievements, but they hadn't mentioned your new joints.  However, very glad to hear you keep yourself active and moving.  As God once said to Abraham "Lech Lecha" or "keep moving", applies to all of us.  As I tell people, "as long as you keep moving, Grim can't catch you!"

 

Too bad your local skating group didn't snag you as a skating coach.  They are missing out on a wealth of knowledge and experience.  But you did the right thing; just walk away from it.  Their loss.

 

Mt. Baldy was one of my favorite places.  Certainly are some nice summits around LA and I am always thankful that my parents made the sacrifice on their part so I could grow up right on the southwest boundary of Angeles National Forest.  That entire range of mountains hold a special place in my heart.

 

Yes, Dick Hunt keeps on rolling.  He was like a big brother to me for several years.  All of us were extremely fortunate to have the peer group we had in skating.  Bill and Jack Disney, Stan, Buddy, Dick, Bob Olson, Roy, Jack....dear me, the list goes on.  I consider myself very fortunate, very lucky to have those great people around me, you included, that encouraged me and supported me, either through word or deed, to strive to be better.  Those were not easy years for me, and I am so thankful to God for the group of people I had to look to and at times, to lean on.  I am one lucky sob.  If you can pdf and email the picture mentioned of Bill Sedwick and me, I would really appreciate it.  After my Mom passed away, my Dad remarried a couple years later to a woman who's picture appears in several encyclopedia's under "Two Faced Lying Bitch".  When my Dad health began to rapidly decline she destroyed most all the old skating pictures, ISU-US record documents, etc. .  I was able to salvage a few things but most of it was lost.  It been reported that the TFLB was last seen circling above San Diego on a broom spelling out "Surrender Dorothy" across the horizon.

After returning stateside in 1980 it took several years of hard work to get myself reestablished and not much time for anything else.  Once settled, I began running and cycling a bit.  A cycling accident in San Diego (stressed out single mother in a Toyota sedan hit me head on) put me in the hospital for 2 weeks and that's the last time I had a road bike under my ass.  To many crazy effers on the road.  I still ride a bit on the mountain trails and forest roads in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I like the odds better when trees and rocks don't move.  But running is my real passion and I do plenty of that.  Boston  Marathon three times and about 20 other marathons total; several AG wins and a best time of 3:05.  Not bad for an old bastard.  The trails here are awesome so I do mostly trail ultra's (anything longer than the marathon distance) and off road events.  Did several years of backcountry skiing and mountain climbing but gave both up when Eve and I began going together.  She worried to much about such shenanigans and rightfully so.  Had a couple of close calls; an avalanche during a ski trip to the top of Mt. Charleston, then an asshole short-roping me on a repel during a descent on a climb in the Spring Mountains.  Eve merely confirmed what the great outdoor Buddha was trying to tell me.

 

Otherwise, thoroughly enjoying life in the mountains of North Carolina.

 

Please keep me posted on your ride in Tibet.  A real epic it sounds like to me.  Avg 16,000 ft!  That's total badassedry John.  Nutrition wise your are going to need a bit more cals at first but it will subside the more time you spend up high.  You may want to double the recovery drinks at the end of the day.  The S-Caps will really help, figure one per hour on the tough climbs.  After a while you will figure out what your body needs; becomes like second nature. Be patient and go easy on yourself.  Be careful of the migraine type headaches and the feeling of confusion.  I've had cerebral edema once and it sucks and it's nothing to mess around with.  Keep me posted.  Proud of you John!!

 

Cheers,

 

Bart

Cradle to Grave 30k

5/20/14
 
Ran a trail 30K in Pisgah National Forest this past weekend.  Won my age group by 20 minutes and finished in about the middle of the starting field.  Pretty tough course (quite a few runners dropped out) but I really enjoyed it.  I must have passed 20 runners during the last 8 miles of the race.  Feeling much healthier, finally.
 

Comments to Elder Chad Boore who serving his mission near Kingsport TN. at the time

May 19, 2014

I heard once that McDonald’s was the new age cowboy, or as referred to among the Blackfeet as the "jaevligtoskenpaaeiku" or "he who rides the bovine".  Now we have photo documentation. 

The bowling picture you sent me (looks you were having a great time) reminds of the last time I bowled with my Dad.  We took Susanne and Beathe (my daughters 8 and 6 at the time) with us and went to a local alley just west of La Canada. Dad bought us (just for me and him, not the girls) a beer at the beginning of each round.  I hadn't had a beer in probably two years or more, and I hadn’t held a bowling ball in over 12 years.  I bowled 78 on the first round, 84 on the second, broke 100 on third round.  On the fourth round, and while downing the fourth beer, I bowled 222!  A new PR!  Probably would not have passed the test if I had to pee for USADA.  Beer is hard on your kidneys but apparently could be considered a Performance Enhancing Drug (PED), or in this case a BED, (Bowling Enhancing Drug).  I will confess to Oprah next time I am on her program.

That's my one and only bowling story.