Singing Off

Thank you so much for reading this blog which detailed my preparation for my first ever marathon and also fundraising for Haiti effort. I raised over $1000 for Haiti by runnning that marathon, which was very gratifying. Of course, the need for assistance in Haiti remains constant. Many people are still living in tent cities more than 2 years after the earthquake. Currently, (April, 2012) Haiti Allies is raising funds to sustain a feeding program at an elementary school in Cite Soleil and to move an entire tent city to the site of a new village created by the government. With just $200 each family receives a safe, strong, secure home along with a small plot of land for gardening. To donate to the ongoing efforts of Haiti Allies, go to

http://www.haitiallies.org

After the marathon in May, 2010, I took some time off from writing on my blogs in order to take a sabbatical June-August, 2010. During that sabbatical, it became abundantly clear that I needed to focus time and effort on developing my singing voice and pursuing singing publicly in and around Madison.

In January, 2011 I began taking voice lessons and shortly thereafter met a pianist with whom I've been doing fundraising concerts for Haiti Allies and also for other non profit groups in the Madison, WI area. So far, our concerts have raised more than $6,000 for Haiti! This has been an incredibly fulfilling experience so far. If you are interested in learning more about our musical efforts, you can find us in my website http://www.tishabrown.com

Again, thank you for reading. I hope to see you on my website or even at a concert sometime soon!

Tisha Brown

Marathon Day

I did it! I ran a marathon! It took me 5 hours and 8 minutes (roughly). By the time I was done it was close to 90 degrees and the Marathon course had been closed because of the high temperatures. Fortunately, they let us finish but encouraged us to walk. Ice and water and the incredibly faithful support of Cindy and Hollis, Julie and Avis, Martha and Marcella, Lois, Chuck and Jean, the Ono family, Paul and Cindy, Ed, Tami, Grace and Ben, and LuAnn and so many others carried me through. It was an incredibly tough but exhilerating experience. As soon as I entered the chute for final two or three blocks of the race I almost began hyperventilating with the emotion of the day. I ended strong and proud of my accomplishment and so grateful for all of the support I've received along the way.

The first 13 miles or so of the race I managed to stick with the pace group that would have completed the race in 4:45. That's a pace of 10:53 per mile. When I reached the 13 mile mark I was 2:22 into the race and the temperature was really starting to climb. Unfortunately, shortly after that the course took us around Warner Park and along Sherman Ave. where there was little to no shade and lots of pavement and traffic. I really started to feel tough as I could feel my body temperature rising. It was a struggle to keep going. No amount of water was enough during this stretch and it was toward the end of that time that they closed the course and started to encourage people to walk. I did take many more walk breaks than I might have otherwise but I was determined to finish the race as strongly as possible.

Hollis and Cindy stuck with me throughout the race and were so incredibly helpful getting me ice and gu and water and encouragement right when I needed it. I truly couldn't have done this without them and also without Julie and all the other supporters who seemed to show up at just the right time to cheer and shout words of encouragement. It was an incredible experience of the community of love and support that surrounds me and that was invested in this effort. I am humbled and grateful.

My favorite radio program is "This American Life" and I had decided to download an episode of this program to my MP3 player to listen to during the race. When I went to the website I discovered that one of their most recent shows was titled "Island Time" and was a series of stories about life in Haiti after the earthquake. How perfect! And so as I approached 3:30 into the race I turned on my MP3 player to listen to this program. It was so well done - thoughtful and interesting. They had an in-depth report of the challenges of trying to navigate the complex network of Haitian government organizations and NGOs and Haitian culture and history in order to provide support to the Haitian people that would empower them and actually be helpful. I found the reporting sensitive and insightful. It was really wonderful to listen to this program for an hour of my run and remember that although I was struggling for a few hours to complete a challenge it was a challenge I chose and it had a specific ending point.

There is no specific ending point to the struggles and challenges of life in Haiti. The opportunity to raise money through this marathon effort to support people in Haiti that I've met and that I know are doing good things with the funds we provide to them fills me with gratitude and also humility. I lift up prayers every day to the people in Haiti who are trying with such faithfulness and ingenuity and hope for their country to make a difference for the good and I feel honored to be a small part of this work. I also pray for all the people around the world who with generally honorable intentions are involved in Haiti also trying to do good. I pray for humility, compassion and the wisdom needed to do as much good as possible. Thank you all for your generous support of this effort and for lifting me and the people of Haiti in your prayers. Soon, I will be able to report how much money was raised for Haiti through this effort and properly thank all of you for coming along on this journey with me.

I do believe I have been carried through this effort by God and by all the people who gave money to Haiti Partners MCC in honor of this effort and who have offered prayers and words of encouragement along the way. I owe a major debt of gratitude to Dr. Dawn at Pro Health Chiropractic who was instrumental in keeping my body healthy and to Kristen at Orange Show Gym for being my personal trainer and fan. And last but certainly not least, I am so grateful to my dear, sweet Cindy who put up with all these hours of training and who was right there every moment when I needed her and when I didn't. She is the best partner a girl could ask for. Thank you.

Amen.

Ready for the Race

It's friday afternoon before Sunday's marathon. I've completed my final run - 2 miles yesterday morning - and my final cross training class - Push-N-Pull at the Orange Shoe Gym this morning. Now I rest and carbo load. I'm ready and getting excited about the actual race.

It's been amazing to receive all of the encouragement and support that has come my way in the past week. So many people have wished me well, said they'll be thinking of me on Sunday, expressed their pride in this effort, shared promises to appear along the route or hold me in prayer on that day. I wonder if my feet will even touch the ground I feel so held up by the wonderful community of folks that surrounds me and has contributed to this effort in a wide variety of ways. Thank you all!

If you're planning to show up along the race route, which you can find at www.madisonfestivals.com you will know it's me by looking for the bright yellow hat. On the front the hat says "Runnin 4 Haiti" and on the back it says "runnin Rev." I have Cindy to thank for this wonderful surprise. She's such a sweetheart.

Thank you all for supporting me in this effort but thank you even more for supporting the people of Haiti through Haiti Partners MCC. The road to recovery for the people of Haiti is long and complicated and I will continue to find ways to promote the small but somehow significant efforts of the Madison Christian Community's Haiti Partners Ministry. Please remember on Sunday to not only pray for me and encourage me but also to pray for the people of Haiti and for all of the people from all over the world who are somehow involved in or connected to Haiti for better and for worse. Let us pray for the best possible good to be done in every situation.

Until after the race...

Tisha

Weeks 13 & 14

Well, I did it. On Saturday, May 8th I successfully completed the 20 mile run. It took me 3 hours and 45 minutes. The popular thinking in training for a marathon is that if you can run 20 miles then you can certainly run 26.2. After getting this long awaited milestone under my belt I do believe that since I did run 20 miles I will certainly be able to run 26.2 miles.

I was initially really nervous about running this distance. I wondered, how would I get enough water, what if I needed a bathroom, how long would it take, what would I feel like after it was over, what if I got injured 10 miles from home, how would I occupy my mind for that whole distance? Early in the week prior to the run I was having really strange dreams clearly stemming from my anxiety. But then I had some friends loan me their camel back and I decided on a route and I downloaded some stuff from NPR, watched what I ate that week to minimize abdominal stress and by Saturday morning I was ready to take the plunge.

I actually really enjoyed this run. I took my time. I heard some cool stories on the radio and listened to some great music. The temperature was pretty cool but I was comfortable most of the time as long as I kept my gloves and ear muffs on and it only started spitting rain toward the end. I took a couple of short walking breaks to get my mid-run nutrition in and I really think those walk breaks made the run more successful in the end. I'll definitely be doing that for my nutrition stops during the marathon itself. I can't even describe the feelings of accomplishment and pride that rushed over me after finishing this run. I can't wait for the actual marathon now!

Earlier today I looked back at my first post way back in February when I started this adventure and remembered again how fresh and painful the news of Haiti's earthquake was at that time. I recalled having hopes that by now there would be significant progress in the recovery efforts but I'm afraid that everything I've read and seen indicates that while some things have gotten better and some rebuilding is taking place things in Haiti are very dire and serious.

One of the bloggers I follow said in a recent post that Haitian farmers are having a hard time selling their crops because there is so much free food available to the people of Haiti from government relief efforts that they don't buy food if they don't have to. This is obviously not sustainable and re-creates a culture of dependency that is not healthy for Haiti's long term growth. What a complicated situation - people don't have money or jobs or resources and to survive they need help but the very help they receive causes hardship for others and ultimately ends up being detrimental. It seems every knot that gets untangled reveals another knot somewhere along the line.

At the same time, I have also heard and read amazing stories of ingenuity, creativity and community that are touching and hopeful including the story of a nurse from Haiti who came to Madison to learn basic surgical skills from a local surgeon so he could take those skills back home to help more people and to train other nurses. I guess the best thing to do is pray and trust and focus on doing the few small things we can do through our Haiti Partners ministry to support the wisdom and dreams of our Haitian partners as they rebuild their lives on a small scale. Will we know when or if we've gone too far, when our efforts have crossed the line between support and dependence? I pray we will and that if that happens we will act responsibly to restore balance and integrity to our work.

I've been memorizing Psalm 148. It was on the lectionary a few weeks ago and really caught my attention. I've decided to memorize the whole thing so that I have two Psalms to focus on during the marathon. Psalm 148 is a song of praise and gratitude for all the ways God has helped and guided God's people. It reminds me to be thankful even for the rain that made last weeks short runs less than enjoyable and to look around me to see how all of creation, by its mere existence, is praising God. It is in God's creativity and power and ability to make a way out of no way that I surrender to when I get worried about Haiti or about the oil spill or the wars or my own particular life challenges. This doesn't excuse my responsible action but it does take the burden off my shoulders - I'm not alone, God is in it, too and God is amazing!

Psalm 148
Praise God!
Praise God, from the heavens;
praise God in the heights!
Praise God all you angels;
Praise God all you host!

Praise God sun and moon
Praise God all you shining start
Praise God you highest heavens
and you waters above the heavens!

Praise the name of God,
for God commanded and you were created.
God established you forever and ever;
God fixed your bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise God from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling God's command!

Mountains and all hills
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!

Let them praise the name of God
for God's name alone is exalted;
God's glory is above earth and heaven.
God has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all her faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to God.
Praise God!

Week 12

I can hardly believe that I'm in my final month of my training for the Madison Marathon! This past Sunday I ran 18 miles and give great good thanks to my friend Deborah and to Cindy for riding along with me and talking me through the 3 hours and 21 minutes it took me to go this far.



This was by far the hardest run I've done so far in terms of how I felt when it was done. It's taking me much longer this time to recover to the point where I'm walking without pain our stiffness. But thanks to my chiropractor, Dr. Dawn at Pro Health Chiropractic in Sun Prairie, and lots of time spent with a foam roller (my new best friend) and stretching, I'm feeling much better today (Wednesday).



This coming Saturday I run 12, the week after that it's the famed 20 mile run, then another 12 and then it's time to taper down for the race. I still find it hard to believe that I'm actually going to do this. I also am somewhat amazed that every week I eventually get to the point where I'm LOOKING FORWARD (?) to that long run. It's crazy but there it is. I like doing this and I still can't believe I can say that.



This week I decided to memorize Psalm 23. I wanted to have at least one complete Psalm under my belt as a resource for the marathon itself but also just to have some scripture memorized for the times in life when words of scripture running through my mind might come in handy.



I've also been thinking that even though my marathon training is winding down the people of Haiti have only really just begun the marathon of recovery and rebuilding. I pray that all who have followed these efforts of mine will continue to remember to send good thoughts to Haiti, to the people of that nation, their government and to all of the world community that is involved in that country. I pray we involve ourselves with humility, with a desire to cooperate and share resources with one another and with as few of our own agendas on the table as possible.



And so I pray Psalm 23 for myself and also with the people of Haiti in mind.



You, O God, are my shepherd, I shall not want.

You make me lie down in green meadows;

You lead me beside still waters;

You restore my soul.

You lead me in right paths for your name's sake.



Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil;

for you are with me

your rod and your staff they comfort me.



You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy

shall follow me all the days of my life

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long. Amen.

Weeks 10 & 11

Cindy and I have been on vacation for the past two weeks. We traveled to Germany to visit friends we've met over the years. We were in Freiburg in southwestern Germany for 4 days with Martin and Ursula and in and around Bonn and Cologne for 5 days with Wiebke, Udo and Katrin. In order to stay on track with my marathon training I did training runs in Freiburg, Bonn, Monchen-Gladbach and Dusseldorf. My long run for that week was a 17-miler, which I ran along the Rhein river in Bonn. Cindy and Katrin rode their bicycles along with me for the 3 hours and 10 minutes it took me to run that far and Katrin ran the last 3 miles with me, which was great for my motivation. I felt great when we finished that run and continue to be amazed that I'm actually doing these runs at all.

The greatest adventure of my running efforts in Germany was the morning I got lost in downtown Freiburg. I was trying to get in an 8 mile run and I took a few too many twists and turns and couldn't retrace my steps. Fortunately, I had the address and region of the city where I was staying written down on a piece of paper so that the people I asked for help were able to steer me in the right direction. Miraculously, I arrived back at Martin and Ursuala's just as my GPS unit indicated 8 miles. I was really proud of myself for remaining calm in an unfamiliar place despite a language barrier and no identification or money to take a cab or make a phone call. I learned an important lesson, too, about running in unfamiliar places - always take a little money, a phone number and your passport just in case!

When I got home I found an email from Bryan Sirchio with links to some videos showing the efforts that have been underway in Cite Soleil to rebuild the Community School of Cite Soleil. Funds that we've collected through Haiti Partners, MCC were used to help with the rebuilding of the school so I'm including the link to those videos in case you're interested in seeing how your support of my marathon efforts is being used. Thank you, again from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and support for me but most importantly for the people of Haiti. Here's the link:
http://www.haitipartners.org/2010/04/school-in-session-cite-soleil-community-school/ (You may have to cut and paste this into your browser since I'm not technologically advanced enough to actually make it into a link!)

This past Saturday, my long run was only 13 miles so I planned to just run through the Arboretum twice and add a final mile on at the end. As I ran through this Madison treasure I realized how grateful I am to live in such a beautiful place and to have such a wonderful, peaceful, amazing place to run in and enjoy year round. While I ran and enjoyed the beautiful spring morning I chanted these words:

"You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever." (Psalm 30:11-12)

As I meditated on this text I realized that the process of training for this marathon has awakened something in me - a level of confidence, a sense of joy, a desire to give thanks and praise for the wonders of my body and the beauty of the world in which I live and move, run and breathe. As I enter the decade of my 40s in the best shape of my life and with a growing sense that if I can run 26.2 miles on May 30 I can just about do anything, I am looking forward to continuing to see what God has in store for me and my life.

Thanks be to you, O God, for this amazing, beautiful world in which we live - Madison and Germany, Aruba and Haiti and so many other wonderful places. Thanks be to you, O God, for the joy of running and training and learning and growing. Thanks be to you, O God, for the love and care of so many bringing hope and new life to the children of the Community School of Cite Soleil, to their families and the wider community. Thanks be to you, O God, for life and for love. Amen.

Week 9

This week I watched an episode of Frontline on PBS called "The Quake." It aired on Tuesday, March 30 and gave a pretty good description of the events and dynamics that surrounded the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12. I highly recommend watching this show - you can access it on Frontline's website - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/

Frontline and Planet Money and the BBC are all doing their best to keep Haiti in the news and to cover what is happening there honestly and fairly. I've appreciated their efforts so far. Of course, as my friend Bryan reminded me, there are always parts of the story that don't get told, those things that the governments or the corporations don't want us to know. As with all things it's best to get the news and information from multiple sources if possible in order to get a well rounded picture of what is happening and how we can be voices for justice in an unjust world.

This week's long run was 16 miles. When I finished it I wanted to shout out to anyone within ear shot "I JUST RAN 16 MILES! I felt great - sore and tired and achy, of course, but emotionally great, so proud of myself I could hardly stop grinning. When I got home I gave Cindy a big hug and got tears in my eyes. I still can't believe I ran that far. It took me 2 hours and 56 minutes. And, to top it all off, I also feel like a made a new friend. LuAnn, a woman I've been running with on Saturday mornings for the past few weeks and who is a much stronger runner than I am, accompanied me on 11 of my 16 miles. I really enjoyed our conversations and talking with her made the run go by really fast. I'm very grateful to her for sticking with me.

Next Saturday, it's a 17 mile run and I'll be in Germany. The plan is to run along the Rhein River. I can't wait!

The Prophet Isaiah said: "For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered or come to mind." Indeed, on this Easter Sunday and every day a new heavens and a new earth are being created by our loving God if only we have eyes to see, ears to hear and the will to choose new life.

And so, new heavens and a new earth are possible for Haiti and they are possible for those who take risks and try new things and they are possible for everyone who chooses to embrace hope and possibility. Thanks be to God. Amen.