Tiny Anthem

Since getting injured in April, running’s role in my life has changed dramatically. I went from intense training to medical visits to rehab and now the slow road of recovery. As much as I would have loved to PR in the Eugene Marathon with “Eye of the Tiger” playing as I crossed the finish line, it turns out a different type of anthem was meant for me instead.

Enter Mike Long, a Portland songwriter. After reading an article about his $2 anthems (or however much you choose to donate to Friends of Noise), I pitched an anthem for Racing the Hare. As a fellow runner, Mike connected with my story and wholeheartedly said yes. The Tiny Anthem he created is ridiculous, bizarre, unpredictable, and entirely charming. What better way to embrace this winding road of recovery than with my very own anthem.

Enjoy:

“Kate, Flecti Non Frangi By Life’s Detours (Pages From the Boss’s Handbook)”

Intro

If you have a dream,

You should probably get crackin’

Cuz these dreams ain’t gonna come true themselves

Verse

Sinew, muscle and bone,

Take you where you need to go,

Doesn’t matter if you’re slow.

And you might as well enjoy the race course,

Cuz the finish line will come for us when we are dead as a race horse.

Verse 2

Oh,

Kate Ellingsen is a runner with fleet feet,

Training for Eugene, which is where she would compete,

But as the finish line to the starting line got close,

There would be no gold medal, just a pain near her toes.

And isn’t that the way that it goes, I suppose?

You are looking for a straw and you get a fire hose.

But if you only focus on the path you’re off,

You’re bound to miss out on the one you’re on.

(Intermission)

I’m speaking in Metaphor!

Can you be more clear?

I’ll explain.

Verse 3

The shortest distance between two points is a real straight line,

But in my time, I have never seen a road trip without a detour,

So if you’re broken down in Idaho, you can say “sure!”

Cuz the Boise area has a lot to offer you,

Even if you envisioned yourself in Portland by noon,

With a drink in your hand and the sun on your face,

The fact is, the finish line’s a fictional place!

Everybody in this place is a runner!

And everybody wants to set a new PR!

But it’s not a measurement of where the hell you think you’re going,

But your ability to be where you are.

Musical Break

(Oh I’m sorry, would someone mind to hand me that microphone? It appears there was a very serious “mic drop”)

Tie your shoes,

Enjoy the birds

The finish line ain’t goin’ nowhere,

It will be there when you’re ready.

Cuz the will gets bent, but it will not be broken,

with a map in your hand you leave the race course smokin,

Cuz there’s a fire in your feet and it won’t go out,

Even if you have to take a detour to your own couch.

OUTRO

(Spoken Word)