2009 June 28 « Dirty Shoes

Lawn Bowling With Ghosts

571px-Lawn_Bowling_-_Tim_Mason1 Team Training

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team In Training meets regularly on Saturday mornings. At 7:00 AM! With all the sane folks still asleep, we had Washington Park basically to ourselves. Small groups formed and split up to run the Park and the surrounding neighborhoods. I ended up running with Coach Rick, Sarah and Jackie, none of whom I’d met before the run began. Our long route (one-and-a-half hours) took us north from Wash Park to Cheesman Park through one of the oldest neighborhoods in Denver where large, well-maintained homes dominate. Washington Park is a great place to run. A gravel path traces the perimeter of the landscaped grounds and buildings, and many of Denver’s residents come here to get or stay fit. The park has everything you could ever want in a park-even lawn bowling. I would have played a dawn match, but I’d forgotten my shoes. Alas, there is a particular decorum one must observe when “taking the mat”… With the white-hot action of lawn bowling off the table, I resolved to make the most of the run and got to know my teammates and coach along the way. Sarah is a flautist studying a masters at Denver University. Jackie has a pilot’s license and works for a company that is widening airport runways throughout the West. Rick gave some great recommendations for running a marathon on the streets around Denver (stick to the middle).

Cheesman Memorial Pavilion

Researching Cheesman Park reveals a surprising history. It started as the Mt. Prospect Cemetery in the 1850s. After a period of neglect, city leaders urged the US Congress (it was on federal land) to turn the cemetery into a park. One catch though-the bodies. Families were given time to move their loved ones, but some (around 5,000) were left behind. A contract was given to a local undertaker to relocate the bodies. Shortly after the removal began, it was discovered that in a horriffic way to save money the undertaker was dismembering the adult corpses to fit into child-sized coffins. Often the limbs and other parts of the deceased went into separate caskets. The city withdrew the contract and some bodies were left in place. Cheesman Park was established on top of the remains. As recently as 2008, human bones have been unearthed during park projects. Visitors to the park, especially at night, report hearing voices and seeing apparitions. The most prominent feature of the park is the Acropolis-style Pavilion donated by the family of Walter Cheesman, an early civic dignitary. Today, many city events like the gay pride parade and summer movie showings contrast with the Park’s dark history. We avoided paranormal encounters ourselves and returned to Wash Park, weary but standing. In fact, Sarah and Jackie set personal records for time and length of run. Good times.

June 28, 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.