LAUNCH

JIM MILLS has run around White Rock Lake more than most, but who’s counting? Oh yeah — he is. There’s a certain level of compulsivity that goes hand-inhand with long-distance running, and Mills is no exception. About 12 years ago, after a good 20 years of looping the lake regularly, Mills ran the numbers and then started keeping track of his treks. On July 30, at age 64, he made his 2,000th 9.2-mile trip, and the Advocate was there to cheer him on.

Do you remember the first time you ran around White Rock?

It was July 25, 1977. I had just finished two rounds of tennis at Samuell Grand. I was going to train for the White Rock Marathon that December, and I wanted to see what it felt like to run the 9-mile loop. During that first run, I remember there were swimmers at the Bath House and people sunning themselves on towels on the grass. That was the last time I saw swimmers — before my next run, the city had put an ordinance in place that outlawed swimming at the lake.

What else has changed since that run?

There are a lot more people out there, for one thing. That was a long time ago. The marathon itself has changed. In 1977, the runners — about 600 of them — went down and back a lakeside stretch. A few years later, they started running around the lake twice, and now they have about 10,000 runners and start Downtown [before looping the lake].

HOW DID YOU DO IN THAT 1977 MARATHON?

I ran a 3-hour, 26-minute marathon, but I kept training and I went on to run a 2-hour, 59-minute marathon in Galveston. If you know anything about running, breaking that 3-hour mark is pretty tough. I quit running marathons years ago, but every Monday and Thursday morning, I run the loop, no matter what.

DO YOU EVER SKIP A DAY?

I never miss. I might go out of town and have to run the 9 miles somewhere else — then I just don’t count it. About 12 years ago, Marci Novak [For the Love of the Lake volunteer group founder] noticed my consistency and suggested I start counting, so I made a conservative estimate of how many times I’d done the loop. I came up with 808, and from then on, I’ve been keeping track. It never crosses my mind not to do it — I wake up, and my feet find my shoes. It runs me; I don’t run it.

DOES IT EVER GET BORING TRAVELING THE SAME PATH DAY AFTER DAY?

My compulsiveness goes beyond my counting the loops — I also keep my mind busy counting the regulars I see out at the lake. Right now, there are 59 people I have pinpointed who are regular lake users — some are fellow runners, others are walking their dogs or biking. I know only some of them by name. I’ve been out here for 33 years, so the “regular count” changes.

WHAT KEEPS YOU RUNNING?

I don’t really know how to answer that. I did once have a therapist ask me, many years ago, if I was running to or away from something. Back then, I think I was running from but today I am running to.

CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

Caught in the web

thegoodmuse.Com

Raegan Payne, a Woodrow Wilson High School alumna, launched the website thegoodmuse.com after a friend turned down an invite to volunteer at a soup kitchen. “I think she said ‘no’ because she was afraid, since she had no idea what the experience would be like, and it made me wonder if fear of the unknown prevents people from volunteering.” So Payne, who now lives in California, set out to give the world an inside peek at a wide range of charity opportunities by journaling her adventures in volunteerism. Her online journal, which is quite user friendly, details experiences cleaning a veteran’s home on Memorial Day through the nonprofit Rebuilding

Together, peacefully protesting puppy mills with an organization called Best Friends Animal Society, and working with We the Children to teach kids to read and write. She describes the practical as well as intangible aspects of each effort in a no-nonsense voice and with a sense of humor. She even offers up “insider tips” such as, “If you are going to be volunteering at a kitchen organization bring a baseball cap — some, though not all, will let you tuck your hair into a hat instead of a sexy hairnet.” It’s easy to believe that her colorful tales will grab the attention of would-be altruists and encourage them to get involved. For Payne, this is no casual endeavor — she aspires to complete and document 50 assignments before 2010. She started in December, following her grandfather’s death. “He was the best, most admirable man, a World War II vet and one of those loving, caring, giving people that never drew attention to how generous he was.” So far, Payne’s blog entries seem to have encouraged her readers — one 49-year-old woman vowed to do 50 hours of charity work before her 50th birthday, and the project is helping Payne grow in myriad ways.

“I’ve learned how to correctly plant a tree, nurse a kitten back to health, test water quality, use a power saw, and so much more. I’m pretty handy to have around now.”

Christina hughes BaBB

“Project runway,” featuring Louise Black, is on the Lifetime Network Thursdays at 8 p.m. this fall.

There was no diet Melanie Childress hadn’t tried—and failed. Then she tried the only weight loss tool that works. Knowledge.

Our dieticians taught her how to eat right. Our personal trainers taught her how to exercise. And progress taught her to keep going. She learned how to lose, and became a success.

Primetime Design

Louise Black has one foot in the Gothic past, but she looks to a bright, shining future. She’s one of sixteen contestants in the sixth season of “Project Runway”, the popular show that pits women’s fashion designers against each other for the ultimate prize of $100,0000 to start their own fashion line. Each week the contestants create an ensemble based on a quirky challenge. In previous seasons, for example, designers created unique looks using only deconstructed jeans. Her unique style, a mixture of playful and Gothic, landed Black on the show. She takes inspiration from centuries-old styles intricate beading, flapper silhouettes or vintage fabrics — and mixes in unexpected elements such as antique ceramic doll parts or a mock window displaying a whimsical drawing on a corset. “Doll parts creep people out to a certain extent, but I think the way I work them into the pieces that I make are more frilly and girly, so they kind of cancel each other out,” Black says.

With her husband and business partner, Eric Jackson, Black moved to East Dallas from the New York City area. “Old houses really appeal to me and my husband, and that’s specifically what we were looking for when we moved here — an old turn-of-thecentury house with hardwood floors and great mouldings. I want to be surrounded by a home that inspires me.” She counts fellow contestants Irina and Malvin, and Tim Gunn among her favorites on the show. Black brightens when talking about meeting Gunn, the sharp, upbeat mentor of the contestants who critiques and encourages each design mid-construction. “He’s just as sweet in person as he appears on TV.” Black shares a season highlight for her. “He said to me ‘Louise, I’m your number one fan!’ I don’t know if he was just saying that to be encouraging, but I hope they show that bit on-camera.” Among her clients, Black counts a few celebrities, including raucous comedian Margaret Cho.

—Alex KnesniK