I hate block breaks. I know that might sound crazy, but hear me out. I love CC, and the block plan, but I probably chose the wrong school. I crave routine, so seriously switching it up once a month kind of messes with me. I still get nervous on first Mondays.
26.2 Miles
The first person to ever run a marathon died. After Pheidippides completed his famous 26.2 mile journey from Marathon to Athens to report the defeat of the Persian Army, he gasped out his famous last words: “Rejoice, we conquer!” Death is the least likely on the long and painful list of potential injuries that long-distance runners face. Most of these injuries don’t go away on their own, and require expensive physical therapy or surgery—and that’s only for immediate treatment. And yet, we live in a society where exercise is thrust upon us as the answer to all of our physical and mental health problems.
The WWExperience
Letter from the editor - Faith
No One Dies Alone
I pray on airplanes.
Two times—once right before takeoff and once after landing. I say one Hail Mary and one Our Father. I cross myself the way I was taught, the way I have since I was young. I don’t believe in God anymore, at least not in the proper, liturgical sense. I don’t know exactly when it changed. Maybe after I watched Sister Beyeman march to the squirming eight-year-olds during Mass to scold them. Maybe it was the triumphant anger on her face when she caught them giggling to each other as the fumbling priest shakily bowed to the altar, a wrinkled hand gripping the edge of the wood.
What Remains
My mom had bought me new sneakers the day before, and in gym that day, I felt like I was running so fast I wasn’t touching the ground. First grade gym class wasn’t a competition, but I thought it was. And then Mr. Wilson blew the whistle and we gathered in a circle. Something had happened, and our parents were coming to pick us up.