Local Running around Asotin

Let's start with some fun news. The Seaport Striders held their annual fundraiser in Asotin Friday evening. The temperatures stayed up a bit, probably in the mid-80's, but that didn't stop Brady McKay from clocking a 16:30-ish time (I forgot the actual time, sorry). Brady's headed to LCSC later this month to run for Mike Collins and the Warriors. One of Coach Potter's kids from Lewiston was hot on his heels.

Mike Halverson organized the proceedings, with a major assist from Asotin coach Tim Gundy. They took an informal poll at the beginning of the race to see how many liked the evening race. About a third put up a hand. How many would prefer a Saturday morning race? Another third. How many didn't care? The rest. About average for a running group.

Tim Gundy set up the course for 3 miles, rather a full 5K. No one complained about the .1 difference, and most folks had a smile when they got to the finish. With the exception of some of the speedsters up front, the participants treated it as the fun run/walk it was.

I did not run. I timed, which makes me the lazy one for the event. Two of my daughters, my wife, and a couple of friends walked. The daughters pushed strollers with the little ones. I did pony up an entry fee, though. A good cause and the Striders match the entries and donate the proceeds to the three local high school programs. Not sure how much ultimately made its way to the schools, but every little bit helps.

Many thanks to the Striders!

Also on the good news front, I've had an article accepted by Like the Wind magazine. Not sure when it will come out, but tickled about the whole thing. For the runners out there, if you want a chance to publish an article, check out Like the Wind's contributor pages. They're open to a variety of writing styles and topics. Something to consider . . .

There's a whole lot of less cheery news on the running front. I think I'll tackle that on Tuesday, plus an update on the Kenyan adventure.

Like the Wind Magazine

Like the Wind Cover, Volume 4

Several months ago, I ordered a shirt with my middle daughter's favorite Pre quote. The only one that I found that looked as though it was of decent quality shipped from the UK, so I ponied up the money via Paypal. Not long after, the shirt arrived, along with a hand-written note of thanks.

Hand-written. I was surprised and pleased. The card was crafted from one of the Like the Wind magazine covers - another surprise as I didn't realize that they were publishing a magazine, too. Junkie that I am, I ordered a slew of their back copies, which sat on my table begging me to clear time to read them.

Yesterday, my first day off in three weeks, I read Volume 3.

First, it's not a slick, glossy magazine along the lines of Running Times or Runner's World. Using sustainable materials, Like the Wind delivers a beautiful journal with original artwork and stunning photography. The pages have weight to them and each edition a sense of heft.

Where Like the Wind also diverges is that the articles inside are not written in the usual bombastic "5 Tips to Improve Your 5K" format so familiar to us. Instead, each is a thoughtful drop into the running experience, some from the perspectives of incredible runners like Jillian Kornet or Lizzy Hawker, but there are articles by more mortal types, charity runners explaining why they run in 'fancy dress' (British for costumes) or the pleasant surprise one runner encounters in a 15K she had planned as a time trial before discovering that it was an old-fashioned trail run with a couple of hundred runners and no marching bands to generate the excitement.

The range of voices are diverse, some of the articles written by professional scribes, while others rely on the emotion running, and their individual reasons for running, evoke on the page.

The magazine first published in 2014 and clearly stands as a work of devotion, not just to the running community as a whole, but to the idea that there is more to running than a PB. By approaching the sport as a way of life rather than simply a competition, they give credit to the vast majority of runners that seek a voice that talks to them.

If you would like to contribute to Like the Wind, here's the page to their information. If you want to subscribe, here that link. If you live nearby and would like to borrow a copy to read, let me know. I do want it back, however. These are keepers, to be kept on the shelf next to my favorite running books.