Two hundred and thirty two years ago today, 56 men from 13 states signed a document known as the Declaration of Independance. These men ranged in age from 26 to 70 years old. The content of that document related mainly to the action of separating from England and becoming a new independant nation. However, in that statement came the essence of what freedom was determined to mean...... "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" While the goal was "freedom", the cost has been anything but free. Scores of our sons and daughters have risen to fight and shed their blood to give and maintain the freedom that we have as the greatest nation in the world (with great respect to other nations that are represented by the fellow runners who share on this site). To the soldiers and people who have literally given of their lives to provide for us the freedom that we enjoy, I stand in awe and offer a heart felt "thanks". Fate did not allow me to serve in the military of my country, but this was not from a lack of pride or a desire to serve. So today, with many challenges facing our country, I stop to say "Thanks" to our forefathers and to the defenders of our liberty. I also pause to celebrate the freedom that we enjoy and sometimes take for granted. One of the times when I realize "freedom" is during my opportunities to "run". There is something about this activity that seems to speak of freedom. Sometimes it is the location where we run that seems to give that feeling. Spareribs and CNYrunner enjoy the opportunity more than most of us, to run in various parts of the country and to see the different regions that our country offers. Standing at the start line of a race with several thousand other runners as the national anthemn is played or sung is another time when this freedom hits me. Not only do I have this experience, but all of these other people do too and now we "unite" to compete on that day. Whatever your day includes (and I hope it is a wonderful day), may it include a reflection on what we enjoy and therefore are able to offer to our children and grandchildren. Rabbi Sherwin Wine said: "There are two visions of America. One precedes our founding fathers and finds its roots in the harshness of our puritan past. It is very suspicious of freedom, uncomfortable with diversity, hostile to science, unfriendly to reason, contemptuous of personal autonomy. It sees America as a religious nation. It views patriotism as allegiance to God. It secretly adores coercion and conformity. Despite our constitution, despite the legacy of the Enlightenment, it appeals to millions of Americans and threatens our freedom. The other vision finds its roots in the spirit of our founding revolution and in the leaders of this nation who embraced the age of reason. It loves freedom, encourages diversity, embraces science and affirms the dignity and rights of every individual. It sees America as a moral nation, neither completely religious nor completely secular. It defines patriotism as love of country and of the people who make it strong. It defends all citizens against unjust coercion and irrational conformity. This second vision is our vision. It is the vision of a free society. We must be bold enough to proclaim it and strong enough to defend it against all its enemies." HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!!

Vista, thanks for the thoughts on Independence Day. I must say though that I disagree when the author talks about "allegiance to God" and ends the point with this being a threat to our freedom. Following the Lord (if Christian) and God leads one to God's Love and universal inclusion - totally opposite to lack of diviersity, contempt for others, etc. Happy Independence Day everyone! Please don't eat so many Hot Dogs that Kobayashi gets nervous! (Or you get sick). 7 miles at MP, right at an hour. The HR was higher than I'd like but the H&H is high. I just didn't feel like running slower today. 9:28, 8:35, 8:23, 8:27, 8:35, 8:14, and 8:46. Good luck at the Races for all you who have them! Bill

Vista, thanks for the thoughts on Independence Day. I must say though that I disagree when the author talks about "allegiance to God" and ends the point with this being a threat to our freedom. Following the Lord (if Christian) and God leads one to God's Love and universal inclusion - totally opposite to lack of diviersity, contempt for others, etc. Bill

I would agree with you. I THOUGHT he was saying that being patriotic was viewed by some as being in allegiance to God. The real result of following Christ WILL be a concern for others and hopefully strengthen our country. This may be an over simplification of what I have seen, but it appears that church going people are more passionate about freedom and the direction of the country. This falls in line with what you are saying for sure. Joey

four jet lagged miles by the swedish fjord, happy fourth! susan

Happy 4th of July! Re the doctor yesterday: I liked him a lot. He listened carefully, put me through a complex range of movements, and spent a long time discussing the situation with me. He didn’t rush me out the door in 2 minutes. He took another x-ray, which was happily normal, but spent a long time going over it with me and discussing interesting features. Great news – NO signs of arthritis in my hip joints so far. He thought the problem might be twofold: slight tears in my gracilis (Dg – exactly what you suggested) and in my lateral hamstring. He said I could go ahead and run, but to be moderate in pace and distance and stop if the pain became acute. YIPPEE! The rest of the advice was pretty much what I expected: take ibu, stretch carefully and ice, try some PT, but at least I can run! {{{Erika}}} Teresadfp – that’s awful about your DS. I’ll have to relate your story to my DS, who has a problem brushing his teeth, too. Every night I ask him, “Have you brushed your teeth?” and when he says yes I say, “let me see them,” and he says, “I’ll go brush them again first.” 6 slow and gentle miles for me today, outside again instead of the treadmill. I started to have pain at about the six mile mark, but I wasn’t far from home at that point so I walked the rest of the way. Tomorrow’s long run may be rather short, but I’m okay with that. I’ll play it by ear. Much cleaning and weeding to do today, so off I go. Enjoy the day!

...Happy 4th....... ............vista//.......You are Very Deep and Complex..... (probably from all those Nacho's) =========== but I digress..... ..........60min trailrun........70s when I started, 80s when I quit..... .....came off in what I call ''A State of Grace''.....Total Tranquility..... (not 2nd Wind, but ALMOST as good) ........................good running guys............enjoy the day......

Happy 4th everyone & thanks for the great start Joey! Well I did a race day registration for a 4 miler this morning. My 1st race of less than a half marathon in 9 months. With no speed work it is tough out there. Happy with my 31:08 (7:47). Did this race in 2001 in 26:10 I've slowed down quite a bit but I'm a happier runner now I never pressure myself anymore. 1st mile 7:27 some downhill, 2nd mile 8:02 I relaxed a little too much, 3rd mile mostly uphill in 8:10 but I passed most of the runners I wanted to pass, last mile is flat done in 7:29. Finished 230 out of 840, I remember I got #99 out of 680 in 2001. Now for hot dogs, apple pie & umpiring baseball for a All-American Day Enjoy your freedom & health!!!

Happy birthday Peter. You run like a 40-year old; what a great athlete you are! I had the same kind of run I had yesterday, just over a mile of walk/jog. It's about all I can do. I would say that there are a number of people who are church going and passionate about their country and its direction, but also unfortunately are wrong about what they would like to do with it. The Founding Fathers did one thing entirely correctly, and that is to declare in the constitution a separation of church and state, and I believe we need to work harder to keep it that way. More lives have been lost over issues of faith and religion than politics. DickyG, you gave it a game try, and I'm sure if it was a race any less prestigious than the Peachtree you would have been more conservative. Now you have a chance to heal as you like without the pressure of a race to prepare for. Spareribs