Lilac Memories and Rituals

The Arb lunch run.  It has become a ritual.  Growing up Catholic, rituals are ingrained deep in my psyche.  I cling to them and am repulsed by them.  I love their sense of comfort and try to break them down.  Some of my favorite composers are the minimalists like Philip Glass, who intoxicates you with repetitive melodies and rhythms, so when he breaks the cycle even in the smallest way, it sounds monumental.

My Arb run is 1 mile through UM central campus to the entrance, and then 3 miles of single track trails with tons of steep, 50-100 foot climbs.  And now that everything is blooming, I can go there every single day and experience new smells and sights.  It's practically like running in a new place each time out.  A ritual I can consistently break down.

Today I ran by some lilacs that took me on a trip back to the Lilac Festival in Rochester that I went to frequently while growing up.  The Festival was right at the end of the school year, and my friends in our high school's jazz band would play the festival, so I'd skip my last few classes and go listen to them play.  After a long Rochester winter, the Lilac Fest was the signal that summer was about to begin and school about to end.  After they played, we'd wander through Highland Park in a cloud of lilac scent, wrapped up in the chase for girlfriends and some good laughs.  It's not often I have these memories of high school, but this one came on strong during today's run.

Highland Park lilacs in bloom

In other news, today I received this email from USAT, the governing body of triathlon.  Kinda cool.



"USA Triathlon would like to take a moment to congratulate you for your outstanding performance in 2011. All American status is earned by those who: have an active annual membership; compete in three sanctioned Triathlon events, or two sanctioned Duathlon, Aquathlon, Aquabike, or Off-Road triathlon events between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011; and are within the top 5% of their age group. You have met these high standards skillfully, and have been ranked as an All American."