Len Joy's Blog, page 2
July 13, 2021
Dry Heat: Coming March 2022
My new novel, DRY HEAT, will be published March 2022. Check out the book trailer!
June 25, 2021
Everyone Dies Famous - The Book Trailer
Check out the new book trailer for Everyone Dies Famous: https://youtu.be/_GtXmYJimbA
June 20, 2021
"Where Your Treasure Is..."
This is a piece I wrote for Father's Day a few years back. I thought I would recycle it here in memory of my father and father-in-law, both Veterans of World War II.
On a spring day in 1970, a Japanese-American girl sends a frisbee whirling across the university quad...
Shinsaku Sawada came to America in 1918 and settled in Seattle with his wife and three children. In 1928 he lost his wife to tuberculosis. His eldest son George, writing to his father in 1943:
"…you told us she’d gone away. That we mustn’t cry. You smiled at us, but not from the heart. How sad you looked when you thought we were safely tucked in bed, and your pretenses dropped like a heavy load."
Shinsaku built his tailoring business and saved for his children’s education. Again from his son’s letter:
"Then came the depression and overnight we were poor. Your business and the college fund were lost. I wanted to leave school and go to work...
“No,” you said with quiet doggedness. “You shall continue your education.”
George had graduated from the University of Washington and his younger brother Fred was a private in the U.S. Army, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
"We were sent to relocation centers. I could not understand why you attempted to restore my faith in the government which had denied you the right of citizenship... I did not realize the love you bore for this country, made more dear because here it was that mother had been laid to rest: “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”
"Wisely you said, “This is your sacrifice, accept it and you will no longer be bitter.”
On the 5th of July, 1943 Sergeant George Katsuya Sawada was killed by a sniper while serving as a Medic in the 442 Regiment in Italy.
Fred Sawada idolized his older brother. George was studious while Fred was hardheaded, impetuous and fearless. Wounded on five separate occasions, the following is from his citation for the Silver Star:
"While moving through a sparse vineyard Sawada motioned his comrades to stop. As the enemy prepared to take up positions, Sawada opened fire… the enemy patrol of seven men was killed or wounded."
Fred made it home and married his high school girlfriend Susanne Matsumura. They raised two children, Suzanne, who became a corporate attorney, and Stephen, a noted cardiologist.
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Stephen Joy and Lillian Mackey were married in 1910. They lived on a small farm in upstate New York. By the time their third child, Kenneth, was born, they knew that rocky farm would condemn them to a life of poverty. They gambled and bought a one hundred fifty acre farm – on contract.
Ken’s first memory is his bedroom filling up with smoke on a chilly October night. The farmhouse was on fire. Neighbors rushed to help. Big Clifford Hunt jumped down from the burning roof, pumped his heart out when it looked to all like it was hopeless. They saved the farm and the world Ken came to know was much different than it might have been.
Ken finished high school, with no plans for college until a teacher named Leonard Palmer showed him how he could work his way through Cornell. He was the first member of his family to get a degree. While waiting on tables he met a teaching student named Jean Burr and fell in love.
During the war, Ken became a pilot and his job was to fly home the wounded. In August 1944, he took off from the island of Kawajalien headed for California with forty-four wounded servicemen.
At one thousand feet the plane rolled sharply to the left. Joy tried to right the plane, but the bulky C-54 continued its sickening roll, spiraling towards the ocean. From out of nowhere, flight engineer Harry Hilinski, raced to the flight deck and opened the hydraulic valve. The plane leveled off, and Joy, his crew and the forty-four soldiers were saved.
He returned home, married Jean Burr, and together they raised four children.
One of them was me.
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On a spring day in 1970, a Japanese-American girl sends a frisbee whirling across the university quad, and as she lets it fly, Suzanne Sawada yells to me, “Len! Catch it,” which I do, amazed that she knows my name. We were married three years later and last December our three children took us out to dinner to celebrate our 38th anniversary. (now 47th)
Shinsaku Sawada, a sophisticated, educated man, traveled halfway around the world to build a home for his family. Fred Sawada, inspired by his father’s grace and his brother’s sacrifice, fought bravely for his comrades and his country and returned home to become a devout Christian and a devoted husband and father.
Stephen Joy had an eighth grade education and never traveled more than fifty miles from his farm, but gambled everything he had to give his family a better opportunity. Ken Joy took that opportunity and flew all around the world. A leader in his community and his company, he was always there when his family needed him.
What I have learned from these fathers is that what endures is not our possessions our or careers or even our reputations, because in time those will all fade away. How we live our life, the good things we do – the acts of kindness and the sacrifices, large and small – for our family, our friends and even for complete strangers, those things will live on in ways we cannot imagine.
June 7, 2012
May 24, 2021
Countdown to Tuscaloosa: Race Day #2
My countdown is now officially over. I got lucky with this race photo – my race number is on more or less straight, my running form is okay, and I don’t look like I’m about to collapse.
I had some moments of magical thinking in the weeks before this race that I might be able to take 1st place in my age group of 70 to 74. I considered just focusing on this sprint race and not doing the Standard Duathlon (twice as long as the sprint) the day before, but I decided I wanted to compete in both races.
It was a good decision. The top finisher in our age group was Keith Woodward and he was eight minutes ahead of the rest of us. Even if I had rested on Saturday I couldn’t touch his time. He’s an elite athlete.
I was in 2nd place, coming off the bike,but I had a poor transition time (struggled to get my shoes on) and two athletes who were right behind me beat me out of transition and I couldn’t catch them so I finished 4th.
It was fun to be able to race again. The USAT did a great job of organizing the event and I enjoyed my weekend in Tuscaloosa.
The pets and Suzanne were excited to see me when I returned.
May 22, 2021
Countdown to Tuscaloosa: Race Day #1
It has been 18 months since my last multi-sport race and 11 years and six months since I raced in Tuscaloosa. That was my first USAT National Championship race and I didn't finish. The heat finished me instead.
Today was my 82nd multi-sport event (triathlons and duathlons) and that race in Tuscaloosa is the only one I didn't finish, so my primary goal today was to finish.
Now I'm the youngster in the 70 to 74 age group and there are not so many of us left racing in that age cohort. I'm grateful that I can still compete. I owe a big debt gratitude to my Coach Heather Collins who has worked with me for the last nine years.
She tailored training programs specifically for me that have focused on not only my run, swim and bike technique but more importantly on my flexibility, core strength, and mobility. I have had my share of aches and pains, but have been able to avoid any serious injuries.
When I started competing one of my goals was to some day have a podium finish in a National Championship. For the bigger races that would have been a top 10 finish in my age group. But for the Duathlon championships, which has a smaller field the podium is for only the top five finishers.
It was hot today, not quite as warm as that fateful race in August but coming from Evanston where our weather has been cool all month, I was worried about acclimating to the heat and humidity. And to add to my anxiety, in the last week, my right knee has been sore. Heather was almost annoying in her insistence that I do frequent stretching and activation exercises focused on the knee. When I got to the start line this morning, the knee didn't feel perfect, but it was much better than it was a week ago.
We had to wear masks in the corral, but could discard them as soon as we started. I took off too fast, caught in the adrenalin rush of the race. But I was also so very thirsty so at the first aid station at the mile mark I took a bottle of gatorade. In the pre-covid days they would just hand us a cup of gatorade or water, but now everything was bottled. The problem was that my bottle of gatorade still had the safety seal on the opening. I can't open those things easily when I am not racing. But I was desperate so I actually stopped and after much struggles, pried off the seal. That delay was helpful as it got me calmed down and back to running the pace I needed to run.
It was a well-organized race and the run along the Black Warrior River was scenic. I didn't really have a good idea of how I was doing against my age group but after I finished I had a text from Heather telling me that I was 4th in my age group. I was surprised and pleased.
It was a "podium" finish. But unfortunately they don't a podium in the Covid Era. But still I'm very pleased and now I must do a bunch of stretching exercises so I can be ready for tomorrow's draft-legal sprint duathlon (It's half the distance and we can draft on other bikes.)
May 21, 2021
Countdown to Tuscaloosa: 1 Day
Yesterday was the longest workout I've had: a 12 hour drive from Evanston to Tuscaloosa. It would have been under 11 hours but coach ,Heather and Dr. ,Damir strongly recommended that I stop several times to do activation stretches for my knee which has been acting up. It definitely helped.
This morning I got up by 5 a.m. and rode 90% of the bike course. My hotel is just a few hundred yards from transition so it was easy to get on the course quickly before the traffic picked up. It was really nice temp but it gets hot quickly. After the ride I did a mile jog over to the race venue and back.
Packet picket is different in the age of covid. Instead of the usual crowd, they staggered the times for pickup so there were no lines. Definitely a different vibe, but I am grateful that we can race again.
I miss my official photographer, Suzanne, as she stayed home to take care of Russell (who didn't want me to leave him).
I am in the last wave tomorrow so I will start at 7:37 and hope to finish by 10:30.
May 17, 2021
Countdown to Tuscaloosa: 5 Days
Just a few more days of workouts. Today we did a lot of stretching and flexibility work. This is a pike press exercise where I walk my hands out to a plank and then back to pike. The coach thought this was my best side.
Looks like it is going to be a hot and humid weekend in Tuscaloosa. They used to have the older groups go off first, but with the COVID protocols, I think we go off last so we don't get passed by the speedy youngsters.
May 15, 2021
Countdown to Tuscaloosa: 7 Days
Today is my 70th birthday and one week from today I will be racing at Tuscaloosa, so I thought this would be a good day to look back at the last ten years of training.
I’m slowing down, but my goal is to slow down slower than the competition.
Or to be the last man standing. Looking forward to Tuscaloosa.
May 11, 2021
Countdown to Tuscaloosa - 11 Days
It was a beautiful sunny day for my bike workout, except it was only 48 degrees, which is thirty degrees cooler than Tuscaloosa. The workout was repeat hills and we don't actually have any significant hills nearby. I rode up and down Sheridan Road from Maple to Tower Road. There is a lot traffic on Sheridan in the morning, and after reading about the tragic death of famed architect Helmut Jahn in a bike accident over the weekend just west of here, I was extra cautious.
Before the bike workout I had an early morning speed run workout. I didn't have my coach with me to keep me on track and by mistake I ran next week's workout - 8 200s - instead of this week's planned workout of 8 400s at race pace.
I'm doing an excellent job of getting all the stupid mistakes out of my system before the race. I'm sure my coach agrees.
May 7, 2021
Countdown to Tuscaloosa: 14 Days
In two weeks I'll be in Tuscaloosa getting ready for the weekend of racing. Yesterday's workout was a practice duathlon at shorter distances. The objective was to get use to going through the segments of Run - Bike - Run. It's an opportunity to practice the transitions and reacquaint myself with how to use the Garmin watch when it is set in Duathlon mode.
I ran and biked along the Evanston lakefront near Northwestern University. It was 41 degrees and slight rain, so not exactly Tuscaloosa conditions. Plus since there was nobody interested in watching my bike I had to put it in the trunk of my car when I was running.
Overall I was pleased with the results. First run was in range of what I want to do in the race and the bike segment was good, given the traffic and wet conditions. On the second run, my right hamstring felt tight at the start, so I took it easy and it loosened up. I felt strong at the finish.
