Hello Beautiful women, here is a conversation I had with God (i know it is weird but the way i journal is by writing letters to God, (I in no way think this is the only way to journal it is just what works for me and if it makes any0ne feel uncomfortable just let me know and i shall take it off our blog site) but i thought you lovely women might like to know what was going on in my head during parts of our race. I am so proud of us all and believe in each of your beauty, passions, gift, compassion, and visions for your lives and our world. I love you all and peace and love to each of you!! See you soon!

Running, running, running
My Forever Friend,
Why is it that I feel You so intensely during running? My Beloved, You would think that it would be in reading poems about Your universe, in singing, and in quiet time pondering You, that I would feel You the most. Why is it running; an active experience and the antithesis of "quieting the soul to listen" the act of prayer that I imminently feel You?

"When I run I feel God's pleasure," my favorite line in Chariots of fire, My God I have to admit though that is not quite what I feel when I run.

When we began the half-marathon I nearly wept. Here I stood with the beautiful Multi-faith running initiative women I had trained with and we were preparing to run the longest race of our training; we trained both as a group and as individuals and that would be how we completed this race. I stood with a plethora of people from all walks and runs of life. To my left were persons even crazier than I preparing to run a full marathon, to my front and back were persons preparing to run and preparing to feel both the pleasure of finishing and the pain of perseverance. I stood with persons who to my right were there to encourage and give energy to the runners. Above me Lord was the air of Philadelphia, the air of Your earth, the sun who first gave energy to life, the stars blazing the enormity of our universe, and below me Lord was the asphalt, the earth, and the bundle of solidness keeping my wandering soul connected to this celestial plane.

When the race began I ran and for the first bit of the race was not aware that my body was even running; the energy of the crowd, the heat of the bodies, the flags greeting me down Ben Franklin parkway made me feel nearly ethereal. Then the cramps began; I had to stop the pace that Allison was going in order to pull my body back together. I knew if I stopped running I would probably continuously stop for the rest of the race, so I ran through the pain... I became increasingly aware too of the physiological struggles of my fellow marathoners. One man wheezed through each breath, one middle aged "Running Mommas" runners was having shin splints, and one woman ran with a limp.

Lord, when I run I feel pain and I become attune to others' pain.

As I kept running I became increasingly aware of my surroundings as we ran down Columbus Blvd. I glanced to my right to see the "old city" section of Philadelphia and grappled with the Liberty Bell. Directly underneath this great symbol of "freedom" dwells the quarters where slaves "owned" by Jefferson lived... what is freedom, whose story is told in the remaking of "freedom"?

Lord, when I run I am a paradox.

As I continued running down Chestnut Street I remembered getting lost on Chestnut Street after a night of dancing on cars on Broad Street to Young Jeezy's My President is Black, The Barack Obama Song, and Letter to Obama. My friends and I got so lost and were exhausted after months of campaigning. Nonetheless, even in being "lost" Philadelphia we were "found" in each person we saw who walked/drove past us on election night. Sentences as a communicative method became obsolete. The greeting, conversation, and departure was the Beloved word OBAMA. The hauntings of slavery, the courage of the Civil Rights movement, and the memories of registering voters in Philadelphia who upon being asked if they were registered to vote took my hand and with tears dripping down their eyes told me, "Of course I am, it is time for my People to be free," ran with me.

When we run, we do not run on virginally trodden ground.

We run we run with the stories and races of the heroes gone before. Our sweat drips aloft the salt-the sweat, the tears, and the blood of our ancestors. We not only run with the echoes of the past but we run with the current runnings and inequities of this day. We cannot believe to run on a journey of solitude-how can this race ever have completion alone? We run because of the support and the goals of fellow humanity. Finally, we run because others will run after we run and we must tread new pathways so that their running may rise to new roads.

When I run, I feel my ancestors, my friends, my life-calling, and the children yet to enter this universe.

My Lord, why is it that I run? When I run I feel life. What is life? Life is beyond words and perhaps this is why the ritual of running speaks to my soul the pounding of life more than any poem or prose. Life is joy, life is beauty, life is pain, life is agony, life is suffering, life is rebirth, life is death, life is a paradox, life is a tragedy, life is a fight, life is making love, life is love, life is overcoming, life is chaos, life is order, life is the beating, the stopping, and the creating of the human heartbeat... Life is...life is...life is
When I run
When you run
When we run
When they ran
When she ran
When he ran
When they will run

My life flows on~

We Kicked Asphalt!!

I'm so proud of us! Even in middle school when they made us complete an assignment of 64 things we would like to do in our life, I don't think I put down "run in a (half-) marathon." I'm pretty sure sports didn't make it onto my list at all. Maybe this isn't something out of the ordinary for some of you, but a lot of people, including my own mother, were like "hm...huh?" when I said I was running/had finished a half-marathon. And yet on Sunday, November 23, 2008, I was a "runner."

I won't put down a mile by mile account of the race at this point, where I felt by turns tired and triumphant--and continually couldn't feel my face. I'm really happy that I got to do this, and that I got to do it with all y'all :D You guys are awesome. It's too bad I couldn't go on virtually any of the group runs, but next semester I'm totally there so we can go to D.C.!

Thanks Sarah for starting this up, what, was it just a year ago?? And for inspiring me so I now see that running can be fun. And for wrapping my foot with ice, since I was whining like a kid over how cold it was and not doing it myself. I can be so puerile sometimes... (ha, you better know what that word means by now!)

loove
Sarah A

Clothing for the RACE!

Hi everyone, I'll probably mention this at the Lunch on Saturday, however I spoke to Paige Walker who is an experienced Marathon Runner. She said that specifically for the Philly Marathon usually what runners do is buy sweatshirts or sweatpants (the top layers) from Thrift stores, (or we could search through Free Boxes in the dorms) and then while running they take off the clothing and throw them to the side. So if you have a sweatshirt that you really like and plan on stripping while running I'd advise you to perhaps replace it with a Free Box item.

The great thing about stripping off these top unwanted layers is that at the end of the race all the leftover clothing items are donated to the homeless!

So keep an eye out in your free boxes, even if you have enough layers maybe bring some along for donation!

Another point, sorry for the nature of it: There will be porta potties along the race track..however since there are a lot of runners they usually run out of toilet paper. Thus it is a really smart idea to bring a strip of toilet paper that you can tuck into your spandex or what not.

Okay cya everyone at the lunch!

Ready, set, go! (Marathon Details)

Saturday (The Day Before the Marathon)

o Spaghetti Dinner!

o Where? The Religious House (Cambrian Row)

o When? 3-7pm

o What? Cooking, decorating shirts, eating, discussing, mental rehearsing, celebrating, and just having FUN!

o No running. (If you’d like, go on a walk instead).

o Eat as your normally do, but also carefully. Strictly avoid foods that might mess up your stomach. Some general items to avoid are:

o Salt—reduces capacity for performance through hydration.

o Fat—makes digestive system less effective in delivering nutrients to body during marathon.

o Fiber—too much is dehydrating.

o Large meals—draws blood away from exercising muscles.

o Alcohol—central nervous system depressant.

o Drink lots of water (4-6 ounces every 30 minutes).

Sunday November 23, 2008: The Philadelphia Marathon

5:30am. Meet at Rock Arch (van will leave promptly at 5:45)

6:20am. Stretch, Warm-Up, Pray, Get Excited!

7:00am. The Runs Begin. Have Fun!!!

Marathon Matters.

How can I prepare for the run over the next few days?

· You are READY. Just run for fun on Thursday and Friday, but not on Saturday.

· Eat. Small meals every few hours are ideal; but whatever you are used to is best.

· Sleep. Try for at least 7 hours a night.

· Prepare items for the big day well before Sunday morning.

What to wear to the race?

· LAYERS. Here is one effective suggestion: long sleeve T and T-shirt, tights and shorts or wind pants, socks or mittens or gloves, hat over ears.

What to BRING to Philly?

§ Bib # and registration materials

§ ID Card

§ Cell Phone

§ If you have asthma and usually use an inhaler, bring it. (Or if there is anything else you ordinarily take, be sure to bring it with you!)

§ $10 (just in case).

§ A water bottle.

§ A smile!

What to LEAVE @ BMC?

§ iPods, MP3 players, or any other sound players.

Notes: There will be fluid replenishment stations throughout the race providing water, Gatorade, and other fluids. It would be a good idea to bring a water bottle for the ride into Philly. There will also be opportunities for using the bathroom at every station--Port-a-johns.

Visit http://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/ for more details.

The information here was extracted from Jeff Galloway’s book, Marathon!

MENU

the shopping list/menu is:

pasta: spa-ghet-ti

sauces: marinara (vegetarian), alfredo and/or pesto
---> do people want to/know how to make these from scratch? if so, respond with the ingredients necessary, otherwise just buy the prepared stuff

toppins: parmesan cheese

dish of veggggiieeess yummmm: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, spinach, ?????

salad: lettuce/spinach, olives, tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar for dressing

bread: buy loaves that are already buttered and garlic-ed, or just plain ones and we can add those ingredients.  either way, we have to warm them in the oven.

dessert: sarah, are we allowed to have dessert? If so, I think it should be ice cream.


that's all I can think of. Reply with modifications. 
As usual, I won't be able to go on the run because I work at Bertucci's :( but HAVE FUN for me!


--
Sarah Alibabaie
Bryn Mawr College '09

Do not think that he is not to be feared;
    --better think that he cannot be withstood.

-The Book of Documents, Book V, Section 1

Shout Outz to all the MULTIFAITH RUNNERS

The Philadelphia Marathon is in less than one week!!!! Excited? Pumped?! I hope so, because we are all definitely ready for the big day! Soon we'll be running to Hope's Cookies in celebration of 13.1 miles covered with faith.

I don't think that we pause often enough to think about how much everyone has been doing to make all this happen, so I'd like to take a moment to say thank you.

Mary Florence: thank you for facilitating last week's discussion. Emily: thank you for leading us through so many beautiful routes. Sarah: thank you for planning the Spaghetti Dinner. I'm already kinda hungry... Michelle: thank you for coordinating the registration packet-pick up, we'd be number-less without you. Neha: thank you for organizing transportation matters, the run to Philly woulda been longer than the race. Jess: thank you for being our driver and such a constantly uplifting fellow runner. EVERYONE: thank you for your faith in this all-new Multi-faith Running Initiative, for making time in your day to run with one another and every Wednesday before sunset to feed the body, mind, and soul all in one.

For me, MRI has been all that I've ever envisioned, and more--because of you. And I hope that for all of us, this is just the beginning of a lifelong commitment to running with faith. ...Anyone thinking about another marathon, in the Spring maybe?! :D


At Villanova....

A short photo break:

Caught IN-ACTION!! But, way too fast for my camera:

Adumbration of another Run

It would be difficult to describe in full detail my wonderful run today with Isa and Grace, so instead I will adumbrate the big picture: We ran in the direction of Haverford about 3 miles and then back. As we approached Bryn Mawr, we yoked with the BMC Track Team!

I had to run off early for class, but I did sit-ups, push-ups, etc. as soon as I got back to my room for the night.

First post

I ran today for just an hour. It was a really nice day. I started out feeling energetic but then after awhile my legs felt really stiff and I couldn't move as fast. I'm not sure why.

Finally new post!

sorry i have been out of commission these past three days..i went home for the weekend and therefore was unable to run this weekend. since i'm still up i'm not really sure if i'll be awake enough for the morning run..but i'll try
i can't believe we have a week till the race!

Sunday morning run

Hello everyone!
Sarah and me went for our long run this morning. The weather was beautiful ! The sun was out and it was the perfect time for a refreshing run!
We had initially planned to do a double-digit run but I guess by the end of it we must have about 9 miles.
It was my first long run, and it's really not so bad as I thought it would be!
I'm really confident that we can all do it and it's going to be really fun!
Our last week to go!
Take care

Bi-Co Excursion :)

Wednesday's run this week was, as always, invigorating :) Yes, even despite the dismal weather and eventual darkness, we managed to stay in high spirits...because what other disposition could you be in during a run!? Well OK, it might have been a little offputting had we not had someone else to run with, but even as the group at large disbanded a bit towards the end, we all held fast to our running mate, sharing stories/laughing/venting/attempting to regain the path...
Overall we had a good scenic tour of Haverford College as we circled their campus on a route Emily kindly introduced us to (and repeatedly backpedaled on to help keep everyone on track! thank you again Emily!! :D
In the end, some of us reached Bryn Mawr a little earlier than the rest of the group, which enabled a head-start on sit-ups, planks, push-ups, and all that other fun stuff ;)

Dinner included discussion on topics ranging from burial/mourning practices with respect to both religious and cultural guidelines; to gay marriage and the institution of marriage as a whole and how the ways in which we view it may clash with what society and the government defines it to be.
Logistics were reviewed at the end of the meal, including the reminder that there are only 2 more group runs left before the marathon!!!

NOTE: As this is being posted long after the fact, please feel free as always to add anything I might not have mentioned, as my short-term memory is not an extremely reliable source of knowledge.

Double Digits

I went on my first double digit run (10 miles!) with Sarah and Grace on Saturday. It was truly exhilarating to cover so much ground--we discovered parts far beyond the Bryn Mawr township that we did not know existed. In fact, we came across a Dairy Queen, which lured us inside on the way back, keeping us energized for the last 4 miles! I can't wait for the next long run, and I am now convinced that the half-marathon is not just doable; but it will be fun.

On a not so happy note, I didn't go running today. Not feeling well, I finished my box of Kleenex, and decided not to risk it today so that I can run tomorrow InshaAllah (= Godwilling).

Greetings lovely, strong, and world-changing women! I hope you are all doing well and mourishing your body/spirits well. So, i must admit i did not run in the last two days but have been campaigning for Obama. I wore a pedometer and walked over 8 miles both yesterday and today and just did not find the energy to go running. Nonetheless, tomorrow i definetely will. Blessings, be well, peace, and love