2009 June 22 « Dirty Shoes

Downtown Recovery

Confluence Park

Here’s to Dad

I had a short run today-out the front door and down to Confluence Park. After yesterday’s intense racing, today’s run was just an easy half-hour jog. I decided to head to Confluence Park, thinking that the great weather and the holiday would bring out the crowds. Sure enough, families were out walking, picnicking, and swimming in the creek and the South Platte River. I looped around the concrete paths that link Confluence Park to Cuernavaca Park. Cuernavacas is one of nine Denver parks that commemorate our sister cities throughout the world. Cuernavaca, a city that sits about an hour south and 2,000 feet lower than Mexico City in the Mexican State of Morelos, has a population of roughly 300,000. This “City of Eternal Spring” has great weather year round and is rich in cultural and human history, with access to some of the most beautiful and archeologically historical regions of the country. Other sister cities of Denver include Axum, Ethiopia, Brest, France, Madras, India, and UlaanBaatar, Mongolia.

I naturally thought of my Dad today (as I do most days) and recalled a high school cross country race that he volunteered to marshal for. It meant a lot to have him there to cheer me on. Happy Father’s Day.

June 22, 2009 Posted by David | Running | Leave a comment

About

My Blog

images Welcome to Dirty Shoes. You’ll find details here about my training for the Denver Marathon and my efforts to support the mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Expect to find regular updates about my progress as well as features like my “Run of the Week”, sharing some of my favorite runs around the country, and “The Stamina Soundtrack”, a playlist of songs to keep you moving. I’ll also drop in tips and information about running, racing, and the landscape and phenomena that serves as the backdrop and inspiration for my running ambitions. This blog is an effort to give back to those who support my cause. I hope it will allow you to come along with me on this journey. Let me know what you think. Please share your thoughts and comments.

If you’d like to help me raise funds to research a cure for blood cancers and to support other families who are facing the challenges that these diseases bring, this link will take you to my fundraising page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/denver09/dbraun

My Dad

Paul David Braun (November 29, 1944-October 12, 2008)

I’m running the Denver Marathon in memory of my father. During a full life, my Dad modeled values that I make every effort to live up to each day. He exemplified integrity, character, honesty, and faith. When he was diagnosed with a rare leukemia in 2005, my family was badly shaken. But his strength, pragmatism, and demeanor throughout the course of his treatment comforted me in difficult times and his providence, love, and foresight help me move forward in his absence. I miss him everyday but his spirit persists in many tangible ways. He does not live in my mind with the illness he suffered but rather in the many long and happy years that preceded it. For visitors who knew my Dad, I hope this site recalls memories that make you smile.

Running has been a rare constant in a rambling life. I’ve spent much of my adulthood moving from one place to another seeking education, adventure, and experience. In each new place, running has provided an opportunity to refocus and to know that place well. I’ve run along dramatic mountain ridges snaking through vast wilderness, and along cracked asphalt alleys slinking through urban districts. I’ve run along palm-lined beaches and along graffiti-lined bridges. Whether bounding down desert canyons, or cranking miles out on pavement I’ve found great satisfaction. Running helps me stay centered in a life that has been, geographically at least, anything but. It has helped me find peace during times of upheaval and clarity during times of confusion. It has given me gladness in times of hardship and novelty in times of dullness. I’ve had friendships built solely around running. It has been a big part of my life. I’m grateful that something I have a passion for can be used to purpose. I hope that my commitment to run in memory of my father will inspire you to turn your own passions to something greater. Or at least to go for a run.