Aaron Copeland - Fanfare for The Common Man
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It is a story written in days long gone, highlighted on the yellowed pages of our forefathers. A story of brute force and stubborn boldness. In short, it is the Story of Man. On the battlefield of life, this story is repeated again and again. While the times, the climate, and the terrain changes, the heart of man must remain steeled against that which makes us all feel weak.Like the Gladiators of ages past, man has struggled to overcome the toughest of odds, and the most challenging of foes. But in this world where man can overcome, the breath of life is sweeter by the challenge, and the sweat of the man's brow is the nectar of success. In the fight to win, his will becomes equal to the task. His spirit becomes god. The challenge, once daunting, becomes yet another notch in man's belt of victory.
Today we salute the middle-aged, the overweight, the athletes of days gone by who take on the bold ascent of physical condition with the determination of warriors who have preceded them into history. On the battlefields of Suburbia, these veterans of the pavement stretch, walk, run, and beat the physical odds that mock their age and size. Truly these are modern-day warriors, men and women pushing against their boundaries to achieve greatness on the fields of war in whatever form. In time the denier becomes the defeated. Man wins, and with him mankind triumphs.
The spirit of the Gladiator lives on in his heart, while it burns in his legs and lungs. Victory, however thrust upon him, becomes his sweet dessert. History, however it has been dictated, has been rewritten to include his conquest and the ultimate freedom from the force that keeps him in servitude. The fight reaps glorious rewards for all who command its reigns. Forever it has been, and forever it shall be.
-----------------------------------------------------All this just to say "I beat Northup Hill!" I wrote about this hill a while ago - Open Letter to Hill That Kicked My Butt. At that time I was only able to beat it by descending. Today I went the other way. Something just told me, "go for it." So, I pushed forward with instrumental guitar music playing. The run was about 1100 feet long, but gained at least 40 feet in height over the stretch. I tried to figure it out based on terrain maps for the area, but 9% grade just doesn't sound right. I'd say the grade is lower than that.
Did my lungs feel like they were going to explode? Yes indeed. And my legs? Mostly they were okay, with the exception of the muscles on the outside of my calves - which hurt like crazy when I was done. Did I do more running? I sure did. And 70 Lunges. I'm crazy. It's true. How else am I going to get back to 120 pounds?
Just kidding...
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Music Link 1: http://www.last.fm/music/Aaron+Copland/_/Fanfare+for+the+Common+Man
Music Link 2: http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/53749
Blog Link: http://www.clarkblog.net
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