Boston Marathon Verified for Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon

It's official!  The Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon in Southwest Iowa is Boston Marathon certified!  Competitive runners, new and seasoned, numbering 450, give or take, will be celebrating September 12th, the Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon's new status as being Boston Marathon verified.  Thanks to the decision of the USA Track and Field Road Running Technical Council, this 26 mile marathon gives a renewed prestige and vigor to Southwest Iowa, particularly for Imogene and Shenandoah.

This trail is truly unique, as is the opportunity to have such a profound organized event take place on it.  It is a privilege to host runners from around the world as they consider it an honor to trek it.  To many, and now officially, completion of this marathon will be another feather in their hat relative to even the famed Boston Marathon.
All Proceeds to Wabash Trace Marathon
Recognition like these afford communities the opportunity to reflect and reinvest in new traditions and focus of pride.  As the Wabash Trace Marathon winds down to the finish line in Shenandoah, Iowa, runners enter a promising city with people ready to welcome them.  I would challenge all Shenandoah residents to view this new "blue ribbon" for the Wabash Trace as being Boston Marathon certified and consider your future participation in the event.  This doesn't mean you have to be a runner, but there are a host of functions you can donate your time to in order to make the marathon as great a success as it can be.

I'm not a good salesman or advocate, but in this case I will express my encouragement to embrace the Wabash Nature Trail and the marathon that takes place on it.

It is hardly my nature to engage in fitness with a positive and motivated mood.  Yet, for the past few years I have been active in fitness whether it be lifting weights or cardio workout.  For quite some time now I've been running the Wabash Trace after my time at the Shenandoah Community Fitness Center.  I run the length from the old depot in Shenandoah to Highway 59 and back.  It's probably a little over 4 miles round trip.  Still, I admire the determination of even the newest to the fitness world.  Where I lack they tend to succeed, but at least it gives something to strive for.  Anyhow, I've found the Wabash Trace very therapeutic not only for the body but also for the mind as well.  That silent quality is what makes this area and marathon different in a special way.

Take it as a promise from me that if you endeavor to walk or run the Wabash Trace with a small degree of open mind, you'll find nature's remedies for whatever ails you.  The promise don't apply where the body is concerned except for good exercise, but the Trace is a great place to go and hash things out from within.  Heck, its a good reason to enter the marathon if for no other reason than peace of mind!

Here are a few things I've noted along this small stretch of the Wabash Trace during my morning runs in solitude:

• Right outside of Shenandoah you have this stretch where there's no trees on either side.  Though sometimes windy, it is a great nature scene to view soybean and corn crops just a few feet away.  
• Also at the end of this small stretch you get a gentle cool "tunnel" breeze as you enter the highly wooded part of the Trace.  This comes as the air is compressed through the "tunnel" made by the greenery on both sides.
• It's weird.  Right before you hit the first bridge (small tributary to the Nishnabotna River) there is a brief open spot that makes me feel like someone is right behind me.  I don't know how, but your shadow is magnified right there and it makes it seem like someone is following you.  Needless to say it is a good motivator to - go faster!
• The Nishnabotna River bridge is the capstone of the trek!  It is very scenic and refreshing.  It has been a great source for inspiration and a great "halfway point" on my journey.  As pictured above the bridge is nicely built.
• Beyond the river to the north there is another very brief spot where you can clearly hear highway traffic from a distance.  Perhaps it is how the trees there are situated.  I don't know, but that peculiar clarity isn't evident even as you draw closer to the highway.  

These were just some of my thoughts on the Wabash Trace.  If you are considering entering the marathon I would highly suggest it.  You won't regret it.  Furthermore, I would encourage people in the area to donate your time to its success or at least come out and wish the runners well.  Positive reinforcement is helpful in all fashions.  

Wi-Fi Disconnect Awakening and Wificolonitis

Are you frequently on the Internet?  Do you watch Netflix on your Roku or use Wi-Fi for your entertainment?  Is your home office or employment heavily dependent on the Information Superhighway?  Is your child or yourself forever on the smartphone?  If your answer to any or all of these questions is yes, then you are probably suffering from a condition I call Wificolonitis.  Excess dependence on the "online" experience may warrant a painful withdrawal procedure called a Wifiectomy.  In all seriousness, our time willingly spend on the Internet is increasing exponentially.

Recently, many people in my geographic area went without the Internet for about 24 hours.  Whether it was due to service maintenance or towers down really doesn't matter.  For most people, myself included, this became annoying from the start.  Where's my news!  Where's my entertainment!  Did Hillary convert to ISIS?  Did Donald play the Trump on national news?  Did Ms. (or Mr.) Jenner take a miracle pill and decide to go back to the manly life?  Did the Kardashians join the Amish community?  It was an immediate withdrawal that almost left the individual in a hungered frenzy for satisfaction.

However, once you get past the contention in your heart there was a valuable lesson to be learned in this experience.

Looking back on my own childhood I remember adventures walking the train tracks or building forts in the woods.  Heck, in grade school my buddy (Jesse) and I used to crawl up the old fire escape tube of our school.  To demonstrate our manliness we scaled the bricks all the way around the building.  I miss going to a nearby hay barn and jumping around on hay bales thirty feet up.  As a teenager, well, let's just say that I was a complete angel without any complication or desire for mischief......

By and large these active youthful activities are becoming extinct due to the addiction of the online experience.  During this 24 hour period people got bored and went to bed early that first night.  However, gradually there was an increase in outdoor traffic as people were awakened to the reality that there is sun outside and that the grass is really neat to walk on.  Still annoyed, whether we admit it or not we realized our over-dependence on the Internet and silently was grateful for the opportunity to "reset."

This will be a short post.  I found this experience important and interesting.  When we come across inspired occasions we should be willing to record it and share it.  As we grow the callous on our thumbs while texting or develop carpel tunnel while typing on our laptop or Chromebook, let's do so with a degree of responsibility and moderation.  The human body was designed for activity and growth and not to veg endlessly in search for useless dialogue and satisfaction.

Ok, now to post this on Twitter and Facebook......