Open Water Swim

Today, I went for a swim twice...

Once in the pool:

My routine swim at GWU Lerner Center was incredible. My stroke technique -- crisp; Elbow bend: 90 degrees, Reach: nice and deep; Breathing: every third stroke.

And once in the Reflecting Pool:

Running breathlessly on ice from the reverend WW II to the majestic Lincoln was just plain incredulous. What was unbelievable was that the ice was only just over an inch deep or less in many places. Science and logic were both dispelled this day.

I tried to stay on the white ice and avoid if possible the thinner, transparent ice. Tried hard but on the upteemth time.

Until I could hear the ominous sound of cracking progressing to a major fault directly under my feet. Hear the sound of ice cracking. And I went for a dive in the Reflecting Pool right under the guise of Abe Lincoln.

I Found a New Sport

Reflecting

I'm still nursing my IT band injury from my Cancun Half Iron and have been trying to run as much as I can, weather permitting.

What causes the IT band to inflame is whenever my foot bends too far inward after impact, it causes friction and my IT band is not able to stabilize my leg.

Jesus Walked on Water

"Test the Ice first, then in life, go for the Gusto"

Reflecting

I've had a lot of great runs abroad and here in DC.

This Christmas eve evening I had the most amazing and thrilling run of my life.

Understanding

It wasn't supposed to be the GREAT run. After all, my goal was to visit and enjoy the Tree -- the Colorado Blue Spruce that has adorned the center of the Ellipse every Christmas since 1978. I wanted to learn more about the meaning, the history and why it was called the Pageant of Peace.

The first National Christmas Tree lighting was made by President Calvin Coolidge in 1923. Over the years, the tree has stood as a symbol of good will and peace and the person given the honor of "flipping the switch" have ranged from celebrities, elected officials to children representing humanitarian organizations.

Inspiring

The tree is amazing -- after all it has served six presidents: Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, GW Bush, Obama. Around the Nation's Christmas Tree are 56 smaller trees -- one for each state and, DC and the 5 territories.

Little did they know in 1978, when the tree was donated, that this particular tree would live for so long.

The meaning of "Pageant of Peace" is particularly poignant this year, with our troops serving in harm's way overseas -- I pray that they will come back home safely soon.

Innovating

What was new with the tree this year, was the fact that GE has provided LED lights from top to bottom that are much more energy efficient as well as many ornaments from last year-- a great example for all to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Negotiating

But then I stumbled upon the Capitol Reflecting Pool. In warmer times, the Pool is peaceful and calm and designed to inspire solemnity and reflection. However, as much as I've wanted to go for a dip, I never did -- the water was usually too dirty (too many ducks)

But today, there is no reflection on the shiny surface -- since it's all covered in ice (And no ducks anywhere). In my seven years in DC, I've never seen anything like this before. Not knowing when I would get another chance, I wanted to go out for a walk on it.

But could it be really frozen throughout or just parts of it. Water is most dense at about 38 degrees F. As the water in the bottom cools, it rises to the top. As water cools, it expands thus creating a layer of ice that is less dense than water. Ice floats because of hydrogen bonding (less dense than liquid).

I knew that the temps in DC had stayed below that all week, after the blizzard, and since the pool was rather shallow -- knee to waist deep, it wouldn't take long for the pond to freeze over.

And yes indeed -- today, the Pool inspired me to live on the edge and run all over the 6,500 square feet reflection pool, on the jagged edge of excitement and vivacity.

At first, the ice looked cracked and unsteady. In places, you could hear the water lapping with that familiar sound of depth against the side of the pool. Perhaps the water at the edge of the pool was deepest to mitigate the formation of waves. But upon further investigation, the ice was solid, at least four inches thick -- enough to hold a 150 pound man. There were spots throughout that were thinner, transparent, some bubbling up with oxygen. I would keep an eye out for them, I added. But before the night was over, I would skate right by the broken ice, oblivious to a thing except the feeling of peace floating in the middle of the lake and the Magnanimity of Christmas and all things good with love, hope and benevolence.

So off I went, running across, from side to side, from corner to corner -- all of a sudden I was a fearless kid again.

I didn't stop for over an hour and a half. Before long, passer bys stopped and joined me. Some went on their own. Some went with a little coaxing. Lo and behold, I had started a Christmas Eve family event.

It was a thrill to run freely, skate casually on the frozen ice. It was tough keeping balance, and when I got tired, I simply skated, moving from side to side.

Christmas Eve at our Nation's Front Lawn

My roommates are gone and I'm all alone for Christmas Eve. No regrets. I get to spend Christmas Eve with my friends on Second Life (Read my post on the benefits and drawbacks of Second Life).

The true joy of this special evening: I'm looking forward to spending Christmas Eve at our Nation's front yard -- catching a delightful earful of sweet melody, the wispy, caressing voices of our eclectic vocalists as they sing Yuletide praise to Jesus.

As I enjoy the aromatic tranquility of the Yule log burning, its sweet red embers sending off plume of ash into the cold, romantic night. clouding the sky and the top of the Washington Monument obelisk.

Then when I get my fill, I am off amongst the toot of a model railroad car and the locomotive, I am off for another run around my circuitous path that takes me to Lincoln, to the Capitol and back.

Christmas in DC

Christmas in DC is not about shopping at Pentagon City, admiring the gargantuan palm trees adorned with sparking Christmas decor and staring straight up to the sky through the massive glass ceiling, making you feel like you're outdoors without the wintry freeze.

Christmas in DC is not about strolling through the National Zoo enjoying the dazzling display of the Giant Pandas, the Asian Elephants and the Komodo Dragons during the festive ZooLights.

Christmas in DC is not about endless parties in Adams Morgan, or bebopping to holiday jazz on eclectic U Street while enjoying half smokes at the historic Ben's Chili Bowl

Instead, Christmas in DC is about the one thing that is both traditional and contemporary, deeply rooted in Presidential history and Washingtonian heritage. Around the perfectly-trimmed, paragon Christmas tree -- a 87-year tradition, a large-scale model train loops around sounding a low pitch steam whistle with lights, bells and the festive music emanating from the stage.


In 1921, on Christmas Eve, President Calvin Coolidge lit the tree located at the Ellipse in front of the White House with a simple touch of button that instantly lit several hundred electric light bulbs.  Today, more environmentally-conscious LED lights adorn the Norway Spruce each year we call the "Nation's very own tree."

Christmas in DC is all about the culture, celebrations and customs that has made the fine, fab festivities so delightful, delectable and unique -- the National Christmas Tree -- our Nation's own and only Christmas tree to enjoy, adorn and embrace.

Dulles Snow Debacle

Reflecting

I remember Feb 03 distinctly -- I was of all things going house hunting and this major "President's Day" snowstorm paralyzed the Eastern Seaboard for days that no one was going anywhere. The Pentagon loved the fact that I was living in the Metropolitan apartments in Pentagon City -- and was the dude that could always come in.

We had not had any major snow storms for years since -- in 2007, we had virtually none. Most years we would have two significant snowfalls (more than 3 inches) and a couple times with just flakes that appear so soft and delicate as they fall, some stick, some just disintegrate.

That's why the Blizzard of 09 completely caught me off guard.

I had agreed over a week ago to take my friend to Dulles, so she could fly to Colombia. "Sure thing," I said. "I'd be glad to."

Little did I know that this seemingly easy trip to Dulles would turn into a 20-hour historic Christmas exodus ordeal.

Understanding

Her flight was scheduled to leave at 3:30 PM on Avianca to Bogota, Colombia. By mid-morning, I knew that this flight would not take off today.

Speaking with my friend on the phone, I told her that I would be glad to take her to the airport, however, I don't suggest going today but recommended going first thing in the morning instead.

However, Avianca instructed us that the flight was scheduled to leave on time, and if we didn't show up at the airport, my friend would miss her flight and she would not be rebooked.

We looked out the window and was shocked to see the snow coming down like golf balls in an overcrowded driving range, some being thrown as hard as a Nolan Ryan fastball.

Thankfully I had a Subaru Baja AWD, and I knew my car could handle well in the snow. It was a risk, but I felt we could handle this.

Negotiating

I asked my friend to keep on calling both Avianca and the Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority to see if we could get an update in the next few minutes. A cancellation would be good news because we would avoid having to make the dreaded 27-mile trip to Dulles until perhaps tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, I headed outside to prep the vehicle. My Subaru was almost completely snowed in and it took me a good, intense 30 minutes just to pry myself out.

After I picked my friend up in Anacostia, we crawled down South Capitol St and entered cautiously a snow-ruined highway. We were aghast turning as white as the puffy elements that blanketed the isolated freeway -- nothing much had been cleared -- this was no man's land and the chances of us making to Dulles on time or even at all had suddenly come into serious question.

Over the 14th Street Bridge, we tried to take a shortcut via the GW Parkway. But there were too many skidding vehicles at the exit ramp -- the whole scene resembled a stock car derby at a muddy racetrack. We slowed to ask if everything was alright -- no it didn't seem so -- the people there were all in a trance. We decided to continue on 395 South instead -- the longer, but more surer route.

Despite the harsh conditions, I wasn't feeling all that stressed. Actually the constant rain of flow of tender chunks of snow felt calming, warming and in many ways, carthartic.

Within several miles, the traffic completely came to a slow, painful, dreadful crawl. Apparently a semi had gotten stuck several miles ahead and everyone behind him was paying the price of slowly chugging along, feeling the intense cold wind and keeping our eyes peeled as the visibility had plummeted -- even the car several feet ahead of us seemed like a distant blur.

I used this downtime to check my Iphone. I searched Twitter to see what people were saying about delays. "No flights are leaving Dulles," stated a post -- I appreciated the real time information from desperate travelers like us. Wouldn't it be nice if some innovative traveler on Avianca could tweet their latest info and broadcast the obvious.

Thankfully, we managed to peel ourselves from the virtual parking lot and before long, we had made it to 495 North, heading to Tyson's Corner.

That's when my friend called Avianca once more. This time, Avianca informed her that the flight had actually departed and that she would have to pay a penalty of over $1,oo0 to rebook for a flight that leaves Dulles the day after Christmas.

She was almost in tears...

I was livid. First I was feeling remorseful since it appeared that my friend would not be able to spend Christmas with her family -- the family that she had not seen in a few years.

Then I was in an utter state of shock. I glanced over to my friend who instructed me to radically alter course and set a Bee line for home. At this point, there was no point in even showing up at Dulles, despite the fact that we were only 15 minutes away.

As I continued driving north towards Bethesda, I started questioning the status and motive provided by Avianca. With the constant gush of snow and blizzard winds gusting to 40 MPH, it was physically impossible for the plane to depart.
Then I started questioning the motive once more -- perhaps Avianca knew the real status of the flight but decided to withhold it from their customers , in hopes of gouging them for more money. After all, how would their customers know whether a flight did depart on time at all.

In no time, we were approaching Exit 45 towards the airport. But my friend instructed me to head back -- for a moment she had given up hope -- all hope of seeing her family this Christmas.

The drive towards Bethesda and down Connecticut towards Adams Morgan went rather smoothly, albeit painfully. The snow continued to come down fast and furious and it was now starting to get dark, making matters a lot worse.



It was then that I decided to call the Washington Metropolitan Airport Authorities to see if they could give us an update on our flight. We were amazed and overjoyed to hear that the flight was still on the tarmac, regardless of what Avianca had said.

The flight was now delayed to 6:30 PM. We could still make it to the airport, but we would have to start from scratch since we were already back home in DC.

The second time around was rather interesting -- the storm was even more intense and there were times when we hit a patch of snow, we started to drift only to have my rear wheels gain traction and stop us from fishtailing (Thank God for AWD -- All Wheel Drive).

After making a few wrong turns and driving methodically down the Dulles Tollroad, we were finally at the airport by 7:30 PM, after navigating the roads for over five hours -- we were dead tired, our bodies as rigid as the snowed turned ice that piled up like dwift wood on both sides of the highway.

My friend tried to check in at Avianca, while I went to park at the garage. Unfortunately, the counter was closed and so were the checkpoints. Even the departure listings did not mention the Avianca Bogota flight. There was a complete dearth of information -- we felt we were lost in a foreign country with no directions or currency. Luckily my friend ran into some Colombians who happened to be on her flight. They informed her that they were told by Avianca to be at the counter by 5:00 AM the next day. We were relieved and for once, we we were set free.

With this information, we settled in at Harry's Tap Room and were fortunate to be the very last customers before they closed. All they had was chicken tenders, fries and soup -- and at this rate, it tasted like we were being rewarded with a five-course meal. Plus the Harry's ale was nice and was exactly what the Doctor ordered on this long, cold night.

It was now 10:00 pm, and we had several hours to kill before showtime at the counter. Walking around the airport was depressing -- people were spread out everywhere. Lying listlessly on the floor, every corner, every seat accounted for. Even the shoe shine chair was been used for someone to take a nap, while his iMac sat delicately on his lap.

Plus it was bright, loud and absolutely zero privacy. I peered inside the USO and it was crowded with Soldiers and Marines -- many heading to Afghanistan -- resembled the tight, canned berthing on an LST (Landing Ship Tank)

We were fortunate to make our way to the Subaru which was as cold as a huge block of ice in an New England fish market, but the garage offered the quietude and solitude not found anywhere inside the terminal. For a moment we were alone and images of the snow-strewn highway were now distant and slipping.

The next morning we were up at 3:30 AM. Our faces were beet red and our noses were as cold and bright as Rudolph's.

It was a special day: "Feliz Cumpleanos!," I said. She smiled at the irony of spending the first part of her Birthday in the car. "Thanks, I almost forgot," she said. It could only get better from here, she insisted -- this was her day--may her biggest wish come true.

We were the first ones at the counter. Around us, a sea of people, some sleeping, many in a daze. And after much push-back, haggling and negotiation, Avianca manifested my friend on the first flight leaving Dulles. They pushed back heavily at first, saying that the manifest was already sent to Colombia. But we didn't buy that story. We along with a few others told our compelling story and finally convinced Avianca to allow my friend to board the first flight (her original plane) rather than wait for the second one.

Inspiring

As I waited and watched my friend negotiate with the managers, I noticed someone in the corner of my eye -- someone I didnt know, but someone I recognized on the cover of a magazine. As I always do, in moments like these, I walked up and said. "Aren't you runners? Weren't you on Runners World?" Yes indeed, it was Matt and Adriana who two years ago graced the covers of Runners World.


It was great to meet them in person. I knew and remembered them, I felt that I knew them as friends. Matt told me that they were heading to Colombia to work on support a project for their High Cloud non profit organization. I thought their work had a great vision and was very inspiring -- what a great timing to see them and coincidentally on the same plane as my friend.

It was at this time that I knew that everything would be ok.
In a way, Matt and Adriana were like angels bringing good tidings in a time of distress and hopelessness.

Navigating

After we got the boarding pass, we informed the airlines that they were irresponsible in holding onto the flight despite knowing the severity of the weather and the slim chances of the snowfall clearing.

They could have made things easier and put less people at risk if they had simply canceled the flight first thing in the morning -- it was a lesson learned indeed, one starting with the patronization of Avianca (never again) and a complete reaffirmation of the RUNIN model: to Reflect, Understand, Negotiate, Innovate and Navigate -- tackling this very huge snow problem and ensuing massive delays.

The key was that we were persistent realists who complied with Avianca's erroneous call. However, we did our own research and called their bluff.

Meanwhile we know that United, Delta and all the big carriers had canceled their flights in the morning and often times automatically rebooked their passengers -- this is the right way of treating your customers, even if it affects their revenue -- safety is paramount and the right thing to do.

Later that day, when I was driving back, I stopped by the Capitol. The Snow had blanketed the Mall creating a terrain that was foreign but beautiful. I tried to dive in it, splash around in it, run in it -- but the layer was too deep, I wouldn't make any traction -- it was like ocean foam on a giant wave without the surf.

Quietly, I surrendered to the safe confines of my vehicle, glad that my friend had boarded the plane, glad that we had made it back safely and smarter knowing that the next decision would only be made with more experience, more rounded and thus more wiser.

* Photo from Loudon Times

Danny Cahill is the Biggest Winner

Reflecting

It wasn't long ago -- Last July, I had the honor to do some calisthenics with Danny Cahill and spend some quality time chatting about life and life's goals when the reality TV show came to DC to film. Link to July blog At that time Danny had already lost a hefty 80 pounds and was very optimistic about the rest of program and how much he could potentially lose. I was excited for him, but knew that he had a long and painful road ahead.

I knew that Danny would make a strong and substantial impact on my life, but never this huge.

Understanding

Last night while flipping through channels, I was extremely pleased and wonderfully surprised to see that Danny won the Biggest Loser Contest. Danny had shed a record 239 pounds, a record for the series.

Needless to say, I am flabbergasted! Although he is now a totally different man, I'm sure he is just as spirited and driven as he was back in August, if not more so.

Negotiating

I was just in the right place at the right time. I was running by -- already on my feet for five hours -- decided to do one more pass by the Washington Monument. That's when I ran into Danny.

Inspiring

I always knew Danny would do well, but never thought that he would be the one to lose the most amount of weight. I couldn't wait for the show to air in Sept and followed him -- in many ways he had become my inspiration to run a half Iron in Cancun.

Navigating

One of my favorite quotes from Grey's Anatomy: "Once in a while, people will surprise you, and once in a while they may even take your breath away."

As Christmas Nears, A Run Thru Georgetown Appears

Reflecting

Today I worshipped the gravel grounds--the routine run from the Wall to WW II to the Wash Monument -- the same rugged trails that I had hit a million times or more since I discovered running as my calling, my ancient ritual.

Understanding

For some mysterious reason, I decided to break away. Not to the ubiquitous Capitol and back today. Made my way along the Potomac, under the Memorial Bridge--Boom, Bada Bing, Bada Boom -- the rhythmic sound of traffic rolling overhead and passing JFK until DC's oldest city was within sight and reach.

Negotiating

Ran along the Georgetown waterfront, watching the locals and tourists strolling along with nothing particular in their minds that day, or enjoying a meal or sipping a margarita in the many open bars and restaurants thinking beautiful thoughts, I'm sure.

Then across the C & O Canal and up the red-brick hill, steep and sudden ushering in old Georgetown with all its high-end shops and restaurants galore. The sweet herb garden smell of something tasty emanating from a nearby Italian kitchen -- all the motivation in the world to make me stop and taste the fettucini. Thankfully I had no money, so I told myself that I had no choice but to push on.

Inspiring

The run was eloquent and eye opening. Ran past the eyes of the world, our venerable embassies: Mongolia, Venezuela; then past historic homes and mansions: Old Stone Cottage before I merged onto Pennsylvania Avenue to George Washington University and Foggy Bottom. From there, I stayed on Penn, passing the World Bank and IMF before I entered Lafayette Square next to the White House.

Navigating

Today was indeed a glorious day -- A day to profoundly wonder my mission in life and my vision for life's future. As I start preparing for the busy Holiday season, I'm glad I took time out to enjoy life's simple pleasures. I'm glad I decided to break away -- be free and roam a part of this town I rarely venture but hope to eventually get to know.