Why I Run #3- Training/Racing

Over the last few months I've been trying to understand what competitive running actually is. I mean, when you think about running at it's most basic level, we as humans have this function where we can move our legs back and forth quickly, pushing off the ground and bounding forward in pursuit of something. Racing then, at its most basic level, is two or more people using this function to see who can get from a certain spot to another certain spot first. I suppose we as humans love to make things competitive, and so even something as simple as running becomes a competition. That's the obvious part for me.

The not-so-obvious part comes in when running morphs into something else. Let me start out by talking about children. Many of them run wherever they go. Whether we tell them to go back to their cabin or to go sit at a different spot at the table, often they will skip into a run to wherever they are going. Over time the more I run I've lost this ability to up and run somewhere, and I've wondered why. I've realized that I have a difficult time entering this state of 'running' that might differ from a children's. When I finally invest myself to run (like in a game or something), I'm running around the WHOLE time and it's almost like I can't stop; I've entered that state of 'running'. Question for thought: might children more easily enter that state that people older than them?

Anyway, I've found that often I will say to people "I'm going for a run" or "I'm going to do my run", but that seems odd to set aside time during the day to run, when running is just a way to get somewhere quicker, whereas I might not normally be attempting to go anywhere, but rather just get faster. As soon as I start running, I'm in that state of 'running', and I'll stay there until I'm done. Even when we get back I'll be more inclined to jog around to fetch things (like something from the locker room). 

So running morphs into this weird part of me that allows me to enter a different state of being/mind (note: I don't use drugs if that's what this is sounding like). I think about different things. Time moves at a different pace. The countryside can be explored. My worries can disappear for a time. I may even find some time to pray. This leaves me looking for more. The reason injuries are so hard to get through is because I miss running during that time. 

Some days are hard and I wonder why I keep running, but it's weeks like this last week that remind me of why. On Wednesday I had a workout, and I made my way to the gravel roads outside of town. To get there I was running through the ATV tracks in the ditch along the highway, and that coupled with my body feeling great and the weather being amazing, got me smiling and laughing. It was fun! I'm sure I looked like an idiot to all driving past, but I was having a great time!

The next day I was in Fargo where I was running with two NDSU distance guys that I knew in high school, and later that afternoon I ran with a former high school teammate of mine. It was incredibly satisfying to share this gift with others, and it added to my joy. 

Then last night at something running related the speedway races in Grand Forks I was watching the sprint cars race on the dirt track. As soon as the green flag comes out, they are flying all-out 100% racing. They give each straightaway and turn everything they have, and they'll do everything possible to pass somebody. Until the race is over or caution comes out, they are giving it their all. I couldn't help but think of racing in track being similar- once that gun goes off it's everything you can give until you cross that finish line. The race might be hard, but the peace that comes from training and accomplishing a goal- that's why I run. 

Blessings for the upcoming school year!

Last Camp Post

I sit beside a cornfield, looking across the prairie pothole landscape. On such a warm day, the breeze moves hot air from one place to another, picking up the dusty air from wheat harvest and making a haze across the terrain. The sun is slowly setting off in the horizon, bouncing brilliantly off the valleys and sparkling through the haze. I look across from my spot and see all of the camp staff sitting in a circle, preparing for the evening festivities. It's our last night as a staff for the summer, and soon we will all separate ways, some to high school, some to college, and others to work full-time. This being my fifth year on summer staff, only one person here outranks me in tenure, that being my roommate who has worked here 6 summers. Another summer comes to an end. Because I am entirely unsure as to whether or not I'll be able to come back to the Bible Camp next summer, I reflect.

I remember the first time I came to the camp as staff was immediately after state track my senior year of high school. I mean, I literally left the Bowl in Bismarck, hopped into my car that my parents brought, and drove up to the camp for the weekend. That first summer changed me thoroughly. That summer was the first time I realized that God really did have the best intentions for my life, as I had always learned growing up but had never experienced. For the purposes of this blog however, my first summer at camp was when I truly fell in love with running.

I recall an evening, likely a Friday night after campers had left, when I was doing a 7 mile run. Now this was a long distance for me, because I spent the entire summer before my first year of college building up to 40 miles a week, which is what most decent high-schoolers run. It was a tought challenge for a guy who barely ever cracked 30 miles a week in high school! This particular night in late summer, the sun was setting on a beautiful day, and it was beginning to get cool out. The gravel road was quiet, and nobody was out and about. I was running on the tire tracks of the road to avoid the scratching sound of shoes on rocks, and I was bouncing on my toes to minimize sound. The result was that I was moving running and yet I could not hear myself. I sped up because of how amazing it was. I remember looking up and smiling, being thankful for something that wonderful. From that moment on, I was hooked on running in the country, where peace can come even from exercise.

I recall hot summer days where I would go for a run in the afternoon during my break prep time and would barely have enough time to stretch before I had to go pick up my campers. I would show up to the canteen still wearing my running shorts, with sweat still coming down my back. I'll tell ya- campers make quite a fuss when seeing a college-age male in 'shorty-shorts'.

I recall learning about how wonderful it is to stop sometimes during a run and just appreciate the quiet. Every now and again I would be absorbed in my thoughts and I would suddenly realize how quiet it was, so I would stop running and simply look and listen. Nobody was there to worry about me standing in the middle of the road, and it was bliss.

I recall learning about how terrible it is to stop sometimes during a run simply because the heat was overtaking me. I've learned many more life lessons from the days that I couldn't do it than the days when I could. The length of my prep time doesn't change, no matter if I can or can't get up that hill while the sun is beating me down. It doesn't matter if I get a sideache- I need to get back! I learned how to stay disciplined even when the day gets tough.

I recall the times where I learned how to be humble. There's nobody watching here. When I'm running, I'm on my own. It doesn't matter how fast or far I run- nobody cares because they can't see it and they don't hear about it. I get back from a run and the campers first question isn't how my run was, but rather what time supper is. Over the summers I've had some weeks where I literally cannot run my miles due to time constraints. I remember one specific week where I struggled to get in 20 miles in one week even though I was completely healthy. I was stressing out about it, but it was at those moments where I really had to put faith and trust in Him to provide for me whatever I needed if the track team at UND was a place I was called. So far every year he has in some way, and it helps me in my walk.

I recall the many days when life was made better simply because I ran. One would think that running is more tiresome than energizing, but I disagree. Not only does it give me a little boost for the day (no I don't use performance enhancing drugs- it's a figure of speech), but it allows me to so much more appreciate everything going on around me. I become more in tune with the weather, the scenery, my body in general, people around me, and everything else. I see when the boats come in; I see when the deer and rabbits are out; I get a feel for what all times of the day feel like.

It has dawned on me this summer how intimately connected running and working at a Bible Camp are to me. With one of them missing, I feel a hole inside of me. Camp has transformed me into who I am today- more loving, less angry, and more appreciative of all that I had been given, but it has also turned me into the runner I am today. I never would have predicted that I would be staying for another year of school to chase records and qualify for regionals, but God has the power to do that- don't ever forget that.

My last memory that encapsulates everything I've talked about has to do with my freshman year of college where I came into the cross country program fresh off of my first summer of camp. I would babble during the runs about camp and North Dakota and how awesome they are, and repeatedly I would be reminded to stop talking. 4 years later and I still can't. Praise God!

Have a Great Rest of the Summer!

The Journey

Yesterday I returned back to Camp of the Cross following my first-ever week of camping in the beautiful North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We stayed there Monday-Friday, and the weather was beautiful pretty much all week. We brought 6 campers with us, and we spent all week either hiking, swimming in the Little Missouri, or playing cards (I'm serious- we played more than 10 hours of cards).

Of course we had ambitious ideas of long, difficult hikes coinciding with overnight backcountry camping under starry skies, but we first had to asses the abilities of the campers. They were grades 8-12, with five guys burgers and fries and one girl. The first day we were at the park, we hiked a nature trail and off-trail up a medium-sized butte. It was clear from the get-go that four of the guys and the one girl were going to be fine. It was also clear that one of the campers was going to struggle on any of the more difficult hikes, because he had a lot of trouble climbing up hills. We eventually decided that differentiating hikes was our best option, because we all walked the Caprock Coulee trail on the second day, and we had to split up during the rugged parts because we were simply holding some kids back (and we needed to get back to move out of our single campsite by noon so we could go to the group campsite).

On the third day we were planning on hiking the Buckhorn trail to the northeast Prairie Dog Town. It was a couple miles of uphill hiking out, lunch at the Prairie Dog Town, and then we would head back. We split up into two groups, one of which immediately started plowing down the trail, the other staying back and taking it nice and easy, with plenty of breaks in the shade along the way. I was with the latter of the two, and I brought along some informational supplies a local Pastor (hat-tip to Pastor Paul for the books) gave us, and I spent quite a bit of time identifying different prairie plants.

I must take a moment to say- it was BEAUTIFUL. We walking along the sides of the ridges, half of it through trees and brush in the shade, the other half of it in the open with stunning scenery all around. I know for a fact that if I would have been with the first group, I would not have enjoyed the hike as much, because I'd be spending more time watching my footing and less time looking up and around. In fact, at one point we were traversing a 300 foot climb with no switchbacks and halfway up we decided to sit down and rest for a little bit so the campers could catch their breath. We honestly just sat there in relative silence for ten minutes enjoying the amazing scenery.

When we had made it to the Prairie Dog Town, had lunch, and turned around to come back, the first group again took off. It took them 40 minutes to get back to the vehicles, and it took my group 90 minutes. On the way down the hill, the camper who was most struggling on the hike admitted that he enjoyed the slower pace. He said that he wouldn't want to walk as fast as he could anyway, because then he wouldn't enjoy the hike as much. "I mean, isn't that what hiking is all about anyway?" he said.

Woah.

I would imagine that sometimes people want to hike hard to see how far they can get, but I want to relate this to running because that's what I know. Often it's easy to ignore what's going on around me when I'm running and focus instead on the running itself. The road becomes an object to be conquered, and the weather is my enemy, forever fighting against my will. The sunshine is trying to cook me, and the sound of prairie disappears. I become a prisoner to my mind. What I need to remind myself at times is that life is too beautiful to simply run past it without looking. The road through the country is a beautiful means of my travel; the weather is different every day and can be learned from and appreciated; the sunshine is something we all need for life; I have ears to listen to the beautiful sounds of the prairie, too.

I would agree 100% with the camper that we need to slow down and enjoy what Creation provides for us, even when we are seemingly too busy to see it. I have two statements in the my running locker that each needs a 'yes' answer for it to be considered a good day:
1.) Did you do everything you could to be a better runner today?
2.) Did you have fun today?

I'll tell you what- this last week while I was slowly hiking through the badlands and thinking about everything I'm trying to do to shake off this IT band problem, I realized that both questions were answered with a 'yes'. To me nothing else can be done.

...well a little prayer can only help too :)

Take some time to enjoy your work today, because if you allow it to, the journey can be just as good- if not better- than the destination. Blessings!

Lessons From Children (2)

I was crawling on my hands and knees through the dew-covered grass, making sure to stay in the shadows of the trees created by the full moon. My body was covered with black clothing, and the searching campers couldn't see me. I didn't make a sound. I was moving slowly through the darkness towards my goal: making it to a staff station to collect a coveted number. 90+ campers were looking for a few staff members like myself running through camp under the cover of night. I had taken 15 minutes to go around the gaga pit, behind the PMG cabins, behind the retreat center, and down towards waterfront. I was getting closer to my goal.

I was curled up next to a tree because a group of older campers were walking past. They veered towards my tree (high school guys and girls trying to stay away from people so they could hang out), and it was only a matter of time before they would be able to see me. I became tense, ready to take off. When they got within about 5 yards of me, they said: 'is that a counselor? Yes it is!" and I took off. I started running towards the parking lot, but a group of kids appeared from behind the trees. I turned on a dime and started running towards the lodge, stumbling a couple times in low areas that I couldn't see.

For every camper I dropped, two more came out in front of me. Many were screaming 'counselor! counselor!' and as I came near the playing field and the lightpole, my movements were illuminated, and kids started to swarm. I knew I couldn't make it to the safe staff station at the chapel or amphitheater, so I scoured the area looking for stations. I saw three people sitting at a picnic table ahead of me. I continued sprinting that way until I finally reached it, avoiding being tagged the whole way. My breathing was heavy and my legs were tired, but I made it.

I looked up and saw three younger girl campers looking at me. I deflated. "This isn't a station?" I barely squeaked out. "Nope!" they said, and tagged me right there. I turned around and saw all the happy camper faces. WE GOT NATE! The girls were ecstatic as they brought me to the jail, telling me all about how they had tricked me into thinking that was a station.

At first I was angry. I, as the fastest person at camp, had clearly defeated all of the campers even though they were EVERYWHERE, and yet here I go to the jail. It was ridiculous.

Then I was humiliated. I, as the fastest person at camp, had clearly defeated all of the campers even though they were EVERYWHERE, and yet here these 9 year old girls were escorting me to the jail. It was ridiculous.

One of the girls then said to me: "Why are you so quiet? Are you tired?" I snapped back to reality. These girls were enjoying themselves and excited, and here I was wrapped up in my selfish thoughts in a game that was relatively unimportant. I was so worried about my wasted time and tactics that I forgot the most important part of the game: the kids. I realized that for these kids, the invincible counselor image gets old after a while. The counselor that always wins at gaga, runs faster, and does everything better is not fun. For these girls, their day was made because they caught Nate. It was something for them to brag about, and they'll remember it. I realized that overall, the a good thing for camper morale is to see me escorted to jail, because it meant that they did it- they caught me.

Good life reminder today: often the best thing for another person is not the same as the best thing for you. Which will you choose?

Have a Great Day!

Meeting an Old Friend

Greetings,

I've noticed that you came to visit again, old friend. When you came into the room I was shocked at first, as I always am, and it took a while for me to realize that you were staying for more than just the night. I know I've told you this before, but you have caused me plenty of mental, physical, and emotional hurt over the years, and you seem to come at an inopportune time every time.

At first I ignored why you would be here at the camp now. You haven't visited me much at the camp in the past few years, which is fine because I see you enough during the school year. Most people would be touched that a friend would travel across the state to visit them, but I was actually quite content and peaceful here before you came along. You followed me around camp for a while until I couldn't really ignore you anymore.

At first I finally gave in and let you run with me for a little bit in the morning, but you are still annoying, so I had to cut the run short. Fortunately I was able to bring you along with me to VBS in Bismarck for a few days and we could simply hang out and rest up, getting plenty of time to sleep along the way. I suppose the only negative thing is that when you are around I think a little more about body image and how much I eat, so I scaled back a little on the calories and ate a lot more fruit. 

It was kind of fun to have you meet up with my teammate Cataldo. Though we were only able to do a short jog, didn't you see how nice of a guy he is? I thought it was kind of cool how he mentioned that he had met a guy just like you not too far back. 

After I acclimated myself to your arrival, I started listening to you. You can be annoying and frustrating, but you are also my greatest teacher. The advice you have given me is humbling and motivating at the same time. You always take time to sit down with me and allow me to think about what I want my life to be about. You make sure that I don't surround myself with unnecessary idols. You allow me to rest. You let me take more time to appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. You show me how to be grateful for everything I have. You motivate me to do more reading. You come with me to spend more time with friends and family. You give me time to allow my joy to flow and my excitement to come back after a grinding summer. 

I usually spend a lot of time fearing the fact that I will see you again. I know deep in my heart that you will come back again with your difficult lessons and struggles. But I learn through them how to take care of you; I learn how to take care of other people; I learn where my priorities are. So while once you leave me I would love to have some alone time to focus in on what I'm doing and get where I need to be, I also thank you for teaching me patience.

And so this is my thanks to, injury bug- my old friend. I know we have a love-hate relationship with all of the ups and downs. I'm sorry if I ever lose my temper at you, but I know that the lessons I learn from you are valuable and will help me down the road. For now I will allow you to keep teaching me, and when I have learned I hope you break the chains off for a while. 

Blessings until we meet again,

Nate

My Opinion on the UND Nickname (Part 2)

One interesting thing about being a student-athlete is the ability to travel for the University on a regular basis. I have run in cross country and track meets from California to Montana, and Missouri to South Carolina. Sometimes we drive (like our 16 hour one-way trip to Bozeman) and sometimes we fly. Everywhere we go we come across UND alumni, UND supporters, and people that are simply interested in us and our school. Often, seeing a large group of people all wearing the same thing, they will approach us and start up some sort of conversation.

I would imagine that for most schools the questions would be about important events going on and the education in general.
'How do you like it there?'
'How are classes treating you?'
'Anything new happening over there?'

This would be perfectly logical for anybody to ask. You'll never guess what people are interested in when talking to UND athletes: the nickname issue! For years I've had to field questions such as:
'Have you guys figured out what your new nickname is going to be yet?'
'Yeah, how is the whole process going?'
'Hey, didn't you guys have some nickname trouble or something?'

There's no good way to describe how I feel answering these questions, but humiliated and embarrassed are the two big ones that come to mind. There are so many things going on at UND- successful programs, education, new buildings, record-breaking student-athlete GPA and service hours, but we instead have to waste our time talking about our nickname debacle. I would LOVE to talk about school, running, and what I do in my little free time, but I have to instead offer my ideas of a cool new nickname and how I feel about the NCAA. It's frustrating at best.

Is that how we want our university to be known? When UND gets brought up in conversation, do we want it to be the nickname issue or do we want it to be our success both academically and athletically? If you wish for the former, I'm sorry; there's not much for us to agree on. I'm sick of it and would love to shine forth UND to all, not be sidelined by this issue.

This brings me to my next topic: card games. Yes, card games. How many of you have ever played with somebody who changes the rules in the middle of the game? It's annoying. I've been on both ends before- the rule changer and the offended, and many a time we've had to clarify that rules can't be changed mid-game, and that's for EVERYBODY'S benefit.

Well I saw the rules changed today. I was working a Vacation Bible School in rural central North Dakota, checking my phone periodically for messages from camp (if any), and I had a text from my Dad telling me that President Kelley had entered further into this issue by suggesting that he might allow the 'no-nickname' option to come back into the discussion after public backlash from the removal of it. I remember that when the committee was first presented to the public, people seemed pleased that the group was so diverse in their UND interests and the consensus was that an agreeable solution could be reached. However, now that trouble is a-brewing the rules can be changed. Suddenly the committee's recommendations don't mean as much anymore.

Let me ask you this: you really think the committee has 'the fix on'? You REALLY think that they are throwing UND's best interests away just to piss off a few hundred folks? You REALLY think that keeping the attention at UND on the lack of a nickname is a good thing for the University moving ahead? You REALLY think threatening to go to a different college if we pick a new name is helping anything? I say we let the committee keep going with their decisions. They are courageous enough to understand what is best for the university long-term.

By the way, in my few years at UND I've never seen or heard anything about Devils Lake High School's former mascot. They were the 'Satans' until 2002, when they got rid of it (because it was offensive). Of course people fought it and claimed that it's not a problem in a town called Devils Lake, but I'm pretty sure people have moved on. So will we.

My Opinion on the UND Nickname

*Note: I didn't want to write this. But after scrolling through social media these last two days, I had to speak up.

My name is Nate Peterson and I'm a student-athlete at UND. I'm entering my fifth year of school so I can continue on and finish with my track and field eligibility. Track has been going great and occupies a lot of my time. I have finished a math major and am now working through a history major so I can teach both subjects in North Dakota.

Both of my parents are UND grads and I was raised in a Fighting Sioux household. Every year we tried to make it up to a Sioux game, and I remember checking the paper for women's basketball results because they would always be like 26-1 late in the season. When I narrowed my school search down to universities in North Dakota, the choice was easy: UND.

For years now I've been able to throw on that North Dakota jersey, and I've grown more in my pride for my school and state every year as a result.

My first semester of freshman year we were still the Sioux. Man it felt good to be in the huddle before a cross country race and hear 1..2..3 and yell SIOUX! But going into track that winter we had to get rid of the nickname, removing it from all parts of the team. We couldn't even have the logo on our water bottles. I was upset at this overreach and NCAA-brought injustice, so I cheered for the Al Carlson-led legislature when they forced, through law, the University to keep the nickname. Then, my sophomore year we didn't get invited to a meet at the University of Minnesota because of our name. Through that (and my Dad's wisdom) I realized that it was over. The Sioux nickname was gone. It still is. IT STILL IS. So you can retweet and repost all the UND hockey players you want, but the Sioux name is not coming back.

Eventually people moved on, because that's what North Dakotans do- they move on when awful things happen, just like we move on after bad storms. That brings up an interesting thought: what is the spirit of North Dakota?

The natives were obviously here first, some settling calmly near the Missouri in agriculturally-based permanent settlements, while others were more nomadic and travelling around (and much more prone to fighting). They were resourceful and came up with stunning ways of defeating both the winter cold and summer heat of Dakota (remember: no heat or AC back then).

The white settlers: first trappers, then military, and finally homesteaders, all had to endure the similar climate, unforgiving loneliness of the prairie, and ruthless exploitation by outside railroad and grain interests. They endured. Through an insistence on the strength of family and community coupled with a 'God will provide but you must also work' mentality they fought out a living here. Hail would destroy crops, droughts would scorch the land, and floods would wash life away, but they endured. They were able to move on and not dwell on the past. Things change, and we understand that in a state where storms can rise up in a matter of minutes.

North Dakotans are hesitant to embrace change initially, especially in government and politics, but we eventually get there. People can set aside their own interests for others as they always have and move towards a common good. That's the North Dakota spirit. What isn't the North Dakota spirit? Refusing to let go of something that's gone; downright insulting those whom you do not agree with; making outrageous claims to show anger. Here are two examples from facebook:

"The solution? If UND Fighting Sioux Hockey has the nerve, a petition of names of people who will NOT attend a und sport activity under any name other than North Dakota. I will stand right at the door refusing to cross that elitist, non participating yet knows what best for us, name making boards threshold. Of course it will hurt the Ralph, but I can imagine him barring the door with his own arms crossed."

"We should destroy the REA. It should go down with the Fighting Sioux. That's what Ralph would want all the f***** whiny a******* can go build another arena themselves with their crazily stupid new name."

STOP. Just stop. You are not helping anything. You are making all of us look bad to the nation, but you are also poorly representing North Dakotans and hence the University of North Dakota. If you truly love the University, you help them through this tough time, not act like a child.

My honest opinion? IT'S JUST A NICKNAME. Tomorrow  the sun will rise and set. Winter will come and spring will follow. People will do great things that they never believed they could do. The Earth will even continue to orbit around the sun. If we continue to dwell on the past and refuse to move on, at some point down the line we will go through this entire process again. It's absurd to keep fighting. When fighting an enemy, you keep fighting if the only other alternative is to lose. What is the loss here? Are the new nicknames really that bad?

Fighting Hawks: The Fighting Hawks captures the North Dakota spirit. Their sharp eyes and piercing talons are perfect for the open rolling prairies here. Often you can see them perched upon a fence post or hay bale, waiting and looking for their next meal. Even in a land without trees, hawks have adapted. That's the ND spirit. I would support this nickname.

Sundogs: For those of you who don't know, a sundog is a halo of rainbow that you see in the sky on frigid cold and clear days in the winter. Normally this kind of cold is what we receive after some kind of blizzard or we are in some kind of cold spell. Nevertheless, sundogs are a beautiful sight that only endurance of some kind of harsh weather can bring about. The North Dakota spirit has a lot to do with enduring hardships and finding beauty in the aftermath. Also, sundogs are beautiful! I would support this nickname.

Roughriders: This is an obvious reference to Theodore Roosevelt and is already a nickname for Grand Forks Red River high school, but what's the problem here? Roosevelt fell in love with western North Dakota and its rugged beauty. The calm and peacefulness of the spectacular landscape affording him enough courage as to even say that he would not have gotten as far as he did had he not been in North Dakota. Even so, if you think about a more literal meaning of the word, there are so many folks in the state that enjoy riding horse, and especially out west there are plenty of rough areas to ride. That's the North Dakota spirit. I would support this nickname.

Nodaks: Kind of rolls off the tongue, eh?

North Stars: Too much of a Minnesota thing, so I'll pass.

My recommendation is this: MOVE ON. We will not be the Sioux again. I honestly don't care about the injustice the NCAA committed to UND by telling them their nickname was offensive. It's in the past and can't be changed. We can either wallow in self-pity and anger, looking bitterly on the past, or we can look forward to a new future. If you truly love this university, THIS STATE, you need to realize that you are giving it a crutch by continuing to beat this dead horse of not having a nickname. Being nickname-less sucks. Every other school has some kind of cool mascot and logo except us. It's time to move to the next stage of UND's life. Are you ready?