Running into the wind
By Rae Francoeur
Running along the Hudson River in Manhattan is always exciting. Sometimes you pass celebrities and their personal trainers, sometimes it's the extraordinary view — like the Statue of Liberty — that surprises you.
I don't know what sailors do to pass the winters on the New England seacoast, but runners can keep running. I've got cleats to help stabilize me on the ice, polypropylene base layers to wick sweat and keep in warmth, and a micro-fleece neck warmer to pull up over my nose. If you prefer the outdoors to a treadmill, it's do-able with the right clothing.
I cannot understate the allure of severe weather. If you run along the water, as I do, the probability of severe conditions is all the more likely. But running in perilous conditions is hard to resist. It's a personal badge of courage that feels good.
Once I ran by the new USS New York, made with steel from the collapsed Twin Towers. I boarded, halfway through my run, and toured the ship.
I have two "Rave Runs" — what Runner's World magazine refers to as runs in gorgeous settings — that I take all the time. One is along the Hudson River in Manhattan and the other is around the back shore of Rockport. Depending on where I am, I either run along the ocean or the river. When you make a run in a locale, even just once, you lay claim to it. It becomes so much a part of you that one blink of an eye or one association can put you back there.
Both of my "everyday" runs are beautiful. But both can be tough in winter because of the wind off the water. One time I bailed on a run off Marmion Way in Rockport because the wind off the Atlantic was so strong I felt as if air I didn't want or need was being rammed down my throat. Other times along the Hudson River, the wind gusts have tangled my feet or shot me sideways. You quickly learn to run into the wind on the first leg of your run so you can have the wind at your back for the return trip when you are more tired. I am sure you burn twice the calories running in winter because of the exertion it takes to face down the wind.
Running along the water is dramatic, electrifying and challenging. Sometimes I'm one of the only ones out in inclement weather whereas in summer, I battle crowds of runners, cyclists and skaters on roller blades. On the other hand, I've seen runners in NYC pass me wearing shorts when it's below 20 degrees and the winds are gusting over 30 mph. Their flesh is purple but their faces are impossible to read. They are in the zone.
Today I just finished reading Kittery, Maine, author (and boat-builder) Rodman Philbrick's new e-book, "Listening to Kids in America." He says that he wrote his bestselling "Freak the Mighty" at a time when he was in despair over the "genteel poverty" his writing life afforded him and his wife Lynn. After publishing 12 books with modest sales, "Freak the Mighty" has so far sold more than 2 million copies.
In this new e-book, Philbrick talks about the importance of persistence and stubborn will. We writers all know that talent is important but talent isn't necessarily the key to getting published and making a living as a writer. It's being there every day, in some fashion, and doing it over and over again. It's pulling on the wool cap and heading toward the water, regardless of how you feel.
Rod Philbrick, at his home in Marathon Key, where he boats, fishes and writes each winter.
Rod's story, told in "Listening to Kids in America," is remarkable. He persevered in extreme times, again and again, and it paid off. His book was made into the movie "The Mighty" starring an amazing cast including Sharon Stone and Meatloaf, and he went on to write many more award-winning young adult novels. He replies in Rilke-like fashion, and with wit and wisdom, to the heartbreaking and hilarious letters he gets from kids who have been deeply touched by his work. Writers and sailors will love this gift of inspiration.
Writing to publish, like running along the windswept waters of the Northeast in winter, requires a certain fortitude and no small amount of blind faith. There are always payoffs and it's nice to be reminded of them, especially when there's yet another nor'easter bearing down.
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