Joan Reinhardt-Reiss, Running Around! Barbara Lindemann, Reflections on Retirement, Eight Years I

Lindemann, Barbara

Reinhardt-Reiss, Joan

English

SAS Open Journals

	  	  History	  of	  Women	  in	  the	  Americas,	  4	  (2017)	  [Special	  Issue:	  Older	  Women’s	  Narratives]	  http://journals.sas.ac.uk/hwa/issue/view/348/	  	  48	  Chapter	  5.	  Realising	  a	  Dream	  	  Joan	  Reinhardt-­‐Reiss,	  Running	  Around!	  Barbara	  Lindemann,	  Reflections	  on	  Retirement,	  Eight	  Years	  In	  a	  Raft	  (2013)	  	  	  	  Running	  Around!	  Joan	  Reinhardt-­‐Reiss	  	  Years	  before	  Title	  IX*,	  athletic	  girls	  were	  classified	  as	  tomboys;	  my	  badge	  of	  pride.	  In	  sixth	  grade,	  I	  was	  a	  top	  handball	  player.	  We	  played	  against	  a	  concrete	  wall,	  and	  our	  gloveless	  hands	  whacked	  a	  deflated	  rubber	  ball.	  	  As	  a	  California	  adult,	  competitive	   tennis	  was	  my	  game.	  However,	   the	  social	  mores	  of	  country-­‐club	   tennis	   never	   suited	  me,	   and	   at	   age	   forty,	   I	   began	   running	   around	   the	   block	   –	   in	   tennis	  shoes.	  When	   I	   described	   this	   to	   a	   horrified	   jogger	   friend,	   he	   exclaimed,	   “Joan,	   you	   need	   real	  running	   shoes!”	   Who	   knew?	   That	   footwear	   led	   to	   “fun-­‐runs,”	   half-­‐marathons,	   and	   my	   first	  marathon.	  	  Unbeknownst	   to	   me,	   this	   race	   was	   a	   “cherry	   pick”	   meaning	   a	   small	   event	   with	   no	   serious	  competition.	   As	   I	   ran,	   a	   spectator	   occasionally	   shouted	   “Third	   woman!”	  	   Convinced	   that	   by-­‐standers	  confused	  shorthaired	  females	  with	  men,	   I	  was	  shocked	  to	  cross	  the	  finish	   line	  as	  first	  woman!	  	  Hooked	   on	   the	   sport,	   a	   dedicated	   coach	   trained	   some	   of	   us	   aspiring	   females.	   I	   became	   a	  nationally	   ranked	   female	  marathon	   runner	   in	   the	   forty	   to	   forty-­‐five	   age	   group.	   The	  New	  York	  marathon	  was	  a	  particular	  joy	  since	  my	  hometown	  parents	  drove	  to	  different	  vantage	  points	  to	  watch.	  Mother	  always	  told	  me	  not	  to	  beat	  the	  boys,	  but	  her	  tune	  changed	  quickly.	  She	  knew	  all	  my	  sub-­‐three	  hour	  finishes	  and	  quickly	  pulled	  those	  numbers	  out	  at	  cocktail	  parties	  much	  to	  the	  chagrin	  of	  other	  guests.	  	  When	  my	  marathon	  times	  decreased,	  I	  decided	  to	  increase	  miles.	  Endurance	  was	  my	  strong	  suit,	  so	   training	   focused	   on	   ultra-­‐running	   events.	   “Ultra”	   refers	   to	   any	   distance	   beyond	   the	   26.2	  marathon	  miles.	  First	  came	  fifty-­‐mile	  trail	  runs	  where	  I	  often	  won	  my	  age	  group.	  Then	  I	  decided	  to	  enter	  the	  athletic	  event	  of	  my	  life	  –	  the	  Western	  States	  Endurance	  Run	  –	  a	  100-­‐mile	  trail	  run	  from	  Squaw	  Valley	  to	  Auburn.	  	  Living	   in	   Sacramento,	   I	   was	   close	   to	   the	   Sierra	   trails	   and	   with	   others	   spent	   weekend	   hours	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	   	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  *	  Refers	  to	  Title	  IX	  of	  the	  Educations	  Amendments	  of	  1972,	  20	  U.S.C.	  §1681.	  This	  is	  a	  federal	  law	  prohibition	  discrimination	  on	  the	  basis	  of	  sex	  in	  any	  federally	  funded	  education	  programme	  or	  institution.	  	  	  History	  of	  Women	  in	  the	  Americas,	  4	  (2017)	  [Special	  Issue:	  Older	  Women’s	  Narratives]	  http://journals.sas.ac.uk/hwa/issue/view/348/	  	  49	  running	  sections	  of	  the	  race.	  Western	  States	  run	  began	  at	  5	  a.m.	  with	  a	  Squaw	  Valley	  mountain	  climb.	   The	  goal	   is	   to	   run	  under	   twenty-­‐four	  hours	   and	  win	  a	   silver	  buckle.	   In	   the	  process	   you	  climb	  mountains	  and	  even	  cross	  a	  river.	  Your	  friends	  come	  to	  various	  points	  with	  favorite	  food	  and	  drink,	   although	   there	  are	  also	  numerous	   “aid”	   stations	  with	  nourishment	  and	   libation.	  As	  the	   temperature	   reached	   110	   degrees	   Fahrenheit	   	  	   in	   the	   deep	   canyons,	  my	   quadriceps	   were	  struggling.	  At	  sixty-­‐two	  miles,	  each	  runner	  is	  allowed	  a	  pacer	  since	  aside	  from	  the	  early	  winners,	  most	  of	  us	  finish	  in	  darkness.	  My	  friend	  Howie	  met	  me,	  but	  I	  was	  off	  the	  twenty-­‐four-­‐hour	  pace.	  We	  struggled	  through	  the	  night	  and	  finished	  at	  25:32.	  	  Knowing	  my	   time	   could	   improve,	   I	   entered	   and	   trained	   the	   next	   year.	   At	   age	   fifty-­‐one,	   I	   ran	  23:44	  earning	  my	  silver	  buckle!	  Howie	  and	  I	  cried	  at	  the	  finish	  line.	  My	  physical	  self	  was	  pushed	  to	  the	  edge,	  but	  the	  exhilaration	  flooded	  my	  fatigued	  body.	  	  Joan	   Reinhardt-­‐Reiss	   sports	   a	   renaissance	   resumé	   -­‐-­‐	   walking	   and	   sometimes	   running	   on	  overlapping	   paths:	   writer,	   athlete,	   public	   interest	   advocate	   in	   environment	   and	   health,	   NPR	  commentator,	  traveler,	  and	  grandmother.	  At	  sixty-­‐one,	  she	  completed	  the	  124-­‐mile	  bicycle	  event	  in	   the	   Sierras	   known	   as	   the	   Death	   Ride.	   Now	   seventy-­‐six,	   she	   still	   cycles	   and	   downhill	   skis.	  Additional	  details	  are	  available	  at	  jrreisswriter.com.	  	  	  	   	   	  	   	  Photo	  credit:	  Gay	  Wiseman	   Joan	   Reinhardt-­‐Reiss	   in	   2014.	   [Photo	   credit:	   Nancy	  Rubin]	  	  Reflections	  on	  Retirement,	  Eight	  Years	  In	  Barbara	  Lindemann	  	  My	  children	  expected	  me	  to	  fail	  retirement.	  	  Now,	  eight	  years	  into	  it,	  I	  give	  myself	  an	  A+.	  They	  would	  probably	  agree.	  I	  loved	  all	  of	  my	  thirty-­‐four	  years	  teaching	  U.S.	  History	  at	  Santa	  Barbara	  City	   College.	   My	   children	   knew	   how	   much	   satisfaction	   I	   derived	   from	   the	   whole	   teaching	  	  	  History	  of	  Women	  in	  the	  Americas,	  4	  (2017)	  [Special	  Issue:	  Older	  Women’s	  Narratives]	  http://journals.sas.ac.uk/hwa/issue/view/348/	  	  50	  process,	   and	   even	   the	   committee	   work	   was	   not	   something	   I	   found	   burdensome.	   What	   was	  getting	  me	  down	  was	  the	  constant	  pressure	  of	  grading	  papers.	  Besides,	  I	  wanted	  to	  retire	  while	  I	  was	  still	  feeling	  successful	  in	  the	  classroom.	  The	  curious	  part	  is	  that	  I	  have	  never	  regretted	  the	  decision	  nor	  have	  I	  missed	  college	  teaching.	  	  First,	   I	  had	  to	   justify	   this	  new	  free	   time.	  Saying	   I	  had	  earned	   leisure,	  as	  people	   liked	  to	  assure	  me,	  did	  not	  work.	  Leisure	  would	  be	  boring.	  Rather,	  it	  was	  like	  a	  recent	  college	  graduate	  asking,	  “now	  what?”	  or	   a	   full	   time	   homemaker	   seeing	   the	   children	   leave	   home	   and	   asking	   the	   same	  question.	  	   However,	   in	   this	   transition,	   unlike	   those,	   there	   was	   wonderful	   freedom	   —	   no	  economic	   pressures	   and	   few	   social	   pressures.	  I	   could	   make	   of	   these	   remaining	   years	   what	   I	  wanted.	  	  What	   I	   wanted	   was	   community	   involvement,	   more	   time	   with	   my	   friends,	   intellectual	  stimulation,	  and	  opportunities	  to	  enjoy	  the	  rich	  cultural	  life	  of	  Santa	  Barbara,	  if	  not	  the	  world.	  I	  found	  all	   those,	   and	  now	  know	   that	  within	   and	  beyond	   these	  activities	   I	   need	   challenges	   and	  growth;	  piano	  lessons	  fill	  that	  need.	  	  Fortunately,	   I	  was	   and	   continue	   to	   be	   healthy	   and	  maintain	   good	   exercise	   habits,	   yoga,	   hand	  weights,	  bicycling	  twenty	  to	  forty	  miles	  with	  good	  hill	  climbs,	  and	  rigorous	  hiking.	  	  Most	  of	  these	  activities	  I	  do	  with	  friends	  and	  family	  members.	  	  A	  rich	  cultural	   life	  was	  here	   for	   the	  taking.	   I	  have	  travelled	   (separately)	  with	   friends,	  husband,	  and	   daughter	   to	   Asia,	   Europe,	   North,	   Central	   and	   South	   America.	  	   I	   attend	   concerts	   by	   the	  world's	   best	   musicians	   as	   they	   come	   through	   Santa	   Barbara	   on	   tour.	   	  I	   belong	   to	   a	   Spanish	  language	   book	   club	   that	  meets	  weekly	   to	   discuss	   Latin	   and	   Spanish	   literature	   in	   Spanish,	   and	  another	  that	  meets	  monthly	  to	  discuss	  contemporary	  and	  classic	  novels	  in	  English	  	  	  It	  was	  more	  difficult	   to	   find	  a	  good	   fit	   from	  the	  many	  options	   for	   community	  volunteer	  work.	  Among	  other	  things,	   I'm	  on	  two	  boards	  and	  work	  as	  a	  docent	  with	  the	  Community	  Arts	  Music	  Association,	  teaching	  music	  appreciation	  units	  to	  fifth	  graders	  in	  local	  public	  schools.	  	  	  	  Which	   brings	  me	   to	   the	  most	   important	   part	   of	  my	   retirement:	   resuming	   piano	   playing	   after	  forty-­‐	  some	  years	  of	  barely	  touching	   it.	  	   I	  was	  a	  fairly	  advanced	  player	  by	  the	  time	  I	  graduated	  from	  college.	  Unable	  to	  imagine	  life	  without	  a	  piano,	  I	  bought	  a	  little	  upright	  when	  we	  moved	  to	  Santa	  Barbara,	  which	  sat	  unused	   in	   the	  corner	  of	   the	   living	  room.	  	  Career	  and	   family	   filled	  my	  days,	  and	  I	  didn't	  like	  fumbling	  through	  pieces	  with	  unpractised	  hands,	  nor	  did	  I	  have	  any	  energy	  remaining	   in	  my	  disciplined	   life	   to	   put	   in	   consistent	   practice	   time.	  	   I	   promised	  myself	   I	  would	  take	   it	   up	   again	   on	   retirement.	  	   But	  would	   I	   really	  want	   to	   by	   then?	  	   I	   gave	  myself	   a	   year	   of	  playing	  through	  old	  music,	  and	  decided,	  YES,	  I	  really	  wanted	  to.	  	  I	  bought	  a	  very	  good	  used	  grand	  piano	  and	   found	  a	  wonderful	  piano	   teacher	  who	   is	  around	   ten	  years	  older	   than	   I	   am	  and	  still	  teaching	  a	  full	  studio	  of	  students	  ranging	  in	  age	  from	  five	  to	  seventy-­‐two.	  	  I	  try	  to	  practice	  seven	  	  	  History	  of	  Women	  in	  the	  Americas,	  4	  (2017)	  [Special	  Issue:	  Older	  Women’s	  Narratives]	  http://journals.sas.ac.uk/hwa/issue/view/348/	  	  51	  to	  eight	  hours	  a	  week.	  	  I've	  done	  some	  chamber	  music	  with	  other	  amateur	  musicians	  and	  joined	  the	  local	  Piano	  Club.	  	  	  I	  don't	  enjoy	  performing,	  but	   I	   love	  the	  time	  alone	  at	  my	  piano,	  with	  endless	  challenges,	  goals	  seemingly	   always	   just	   beyond	   my	   reach.	  	   It	   is	   a	   wonderful	   mind	   stretcher	   as	   I	   struggle	   to	  understand	   the	   harmonic	   structures.	   It	   is	   an	   excellent	   way	   to	   keep	   in	   check	  arthritis	   of	   the	  hands;	  it	  engages	  all	  the	  senses	  and	  carries	  me	  away	  from	  ordinary	  cares.	  	  	  In	  my	   volunteer	   activities	   I	   enjoy	   a	   feeling	   of	   competence	   achieved	   through	   the	   years	   of	  my	  professional	   career.	  On	   the	   piano	   I	   am	   a	   slow	   learner	   and	   mastery	   constantly	   eludes	   me.	  Paradoxically,	  it	  is	  the	  latter	  that	  is	  the	  most	  fulfilling.	  	  	  During	  her	  teaching	  career	  at	  Santa	  Barbara	  City	  College,	  Barbara	  Lindemann	  introduced	  courses	  in	   the	   History	   of	   American	  Women,	   an	   interdisciplinary	   course	   on	  Women's	   Studies,	   and	   the	  History	  of	  U.S.	  Immigration.	  	  She	  was	  a	  founding	  member	  of	  the	  local	  chapter	  of	  NOW	  (National	  Organization	   for	  Women)	   in	   the	   early	   1970s	   and	   founding	  member	   and	   past	   president	   of	   the	  Santa	   Barbara	   Women's	   Political	   Committee	   (established	   1987).	  	   She	   currently	   is	   V.P.	   of	   the	  Board	  of	  the	  local	  Planned	  Parenthood	  Action	  Fund.	  	  	  	  	  Barbara	  Lindemann	  in	  2014.	  [Photo	  by	  permission]	  	  

Realising a Dream

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Realising a Dream

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