Truly Humbled! I am not sure I can give you a word that is better to describe my feelings about yesterday's Chicago Marathon. I would love to tell you all that it was easy and fun and truly awesome but I can't. Why? Because I have never done anything in my life that was this tough.
The day began at 5:00 AM when I got up to get ready for the event. I spent the first hour up with stomach issues. I think I must have been nervous about the day's happenings. At 6:30 AM we took off for the starting line which was about a mile from the hotel. We walked over, only to find mass confusion in the Grant Park area. After a bit of scrambling we found our way to the start corrals just before they closed the gate behind us. The National Anthem played and off we went!
As we were all lucky enough to have qualified for a starting corral, we started the race in front of 30,000 unseeded runners. With that being said, it still took us 4 minutes to get across the starting line. When we first started out all was going great. We (Dale, my two brothers-in-law, and I) were moving right along at our expected race pace. The energy from the crowd was amazing, as 1.7 million spectators lined the course all the way throughout the race. In some places they over took the runners and were even on the course.
By about mile 5 everything started to settle down and we were able to find some room to get into a rhythm and enjoy a bit of the course. At this point we were heading north toward Wrigleyville. With people everywhere cheering us on, I told Dale that at that point I felt like I was floating. I could start to detect at this time that Dale was not feeling that well and his day would be a tough one. However, we continued on.
Leaving Wrigleyville we head back south toward the downtown area and toward the half-way point. Around mile 12 I was expecting to see my awesome wife and two wonderful daughters. This was my motivation at that point - to make it to see them and feed off their energy. At about the 12.5 mile mark I was running with my brother-in-law Greg when off to the right I heard them yell for me and I was renewed! Greg went off to slap hands and I continued on, thinking he would catch up to me.
It was at the mid-point that it all began to go astray. I was confused because I had lost all of the guys that were running with me; I was running alone and therefore I began to over-think things a bit. I wondered if I had fallen off the pace or if I had been pushing too hard too soon. I continued on my own through mile 14,15,16,17,18, and 19. At mile 19 I began to feel the gorilla on my back. At this point I began to walk through a couple of water stops, and around mile 20 they caught up to me. Only I lost them once again, which at that point was a big blow to my mental state of mind.
Around mile 22 Greg caught up to me and asked me if I needed someone to run with me. Boy did I ever! At that point I was spent and needed someone to help get me through the last 4.2 miles. Greg is an experienced marathoner who had run a 3:19 marathon last year to qualify for Boston; he was exactly what I needed at that point.
The games I played in my head and the emotions I felt are not truly describable. It is something you need to go through to understand, but let's just say that I wanted to cry and smile at the same time. The pain was intense and the thought of finishing was intoxicating. I told Greg at that point I wanted to make it to the last 5K and then see what I could do.
We hit the 23 mile mark and entered into the Nike finishing zone. This is where the TV cameras were, as well as the race photographers. (I can't wait to see a picture of me at that point as I was pretty close to out of it). Greg commented that it was a dumb place to take pictures and I concur! At that point Greg told me that we were in the last 5K and asked if I was ready, to which I replied NO! He talked me off the ledge and convinced me to give him 3 good 10 minute segments to finish. I just looked straight forward and began to push to the finish line.
At the 24 mile mark my right calf and my left hamstring were taking turns pulsating to almost cramping status. I mentioned it to Greg and he encouraged me to take different running positions, which I did to little relief, but I was determined to finish the race. I had worked way too many hours and run far too many miles to quit.
The heat in the second half was taking its toll on everyone, including me. By the time I hit mile 24 I would say the heat was 82 degrees and people were dropping like flies. It was at this point that I was truly humbled and began to fully appreciate all those that had gone 26.2 before me. People were falling over, being held up, and being carted off in wheelchairs. It was chaos!
At this point I saw a girl in front of me with a shirt on that said "All things are possible with Christ Jesus." This is where I began to realize that God gave me Greg and the crowd to get me through to the finish. Mile 25 came and went and we came to the last 800 meters.
I began to think of my training at this point and I remembered all of the 800's I had done in training and how I hated them. I kept my head focused on the finish and listened to Greg as he called out the remaining distance. Mile 26 came and just beyond it I heard my wife and kids rooting me on to the finish. This was the only point in the last 13.1 miles my head was thinking clearly as I pointed to the sky and was revived with their energy.
As I turned the corner to head to the finish I was greeted by a hill which was small, but after the previous 26 miles it seemed like Mount Everest. I put my head down and went up the hill, made the left hand turn, and I could clearly see the finish line. Greg was working the crowd to get them to cheer for the finishers and I tried to feed off them. As I crossed the finish line I wanted to collapse.
My immediate thought as I finished was that I would never do this again! I was spent and I was mentally beaten. As I worked my way to the water, Gatorade, and food I began to rebound a bit, but my feeling was still that I had to be nuts to do this! I was also disappointed that I missed my goal of finishing in 4 hours or less.
As I begin now to reflect, I can truly see that I gave all that I had yesterday. I am not sure I could have pushed much harder if at all. I was cramping, it was hot, and I was a first time marathoner. My finishing time of 4:06:49 was in the top 1/3rd of the finishers which proves to me that the weather was an issue to all involved.
Today I have already determined that I will do another marathon. I am not sure where or when, but I will come back more experienced and determined to do better. I am proud of the accomplishment as only 1% of all Americans run a marathon. I am part of the 1% by the grace of God!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Akron Marathon Summary
This picture tells the whole story of the Akron 1/2 Marathon! The first one I have run where I enjoyed the whole event from the beginning to the end. It sure makes a difference when you are not worried about finishing in a certian time. In the end I did improve my time by over 7 minutes from last year to this year.Special thanks to Nick Billock for taking this picture, I would rather have had you on the roads with us but recover quickly my friend!
Friday, September 24, 2010
My True Inspiration!
The eve before the Akron Marathon. One year ago this same day I was wondering if I could make it 13.1 miles and finish this one goal that I thought would never be possible for me. Sure enough, when I put my focus on the right things and put all my heart into it, 13.1 proved to be no problem. This year as I started to train for a full marathon (which I will run in Chicago 10-10-10), I made sure that a trip to the Akron Marathon was able to be made. Once again in the morning I will set out to journey the 1/2 marathon.
As I set out, my mindset is much different from last year. This year I am running this race for the fun of it! Last year I ran it to prove I could do it. This year I am running this race because my hometown has put its heart and soul into making this marathon one of the best in the nation. This year I am running to be a part of the joy and happiness of the event. This year I am running in celebration of the event anniversary that changed the way I look at what is possible.
As 10-10-10 is fast approaching , the funny thing is that I find myself feeling the same doubts and thoughts I was thinking last year preparing for the Akron Half. In fact, 13.1 miles is a long way - just think about getting in your car and driving from Wedgewood Drive (in Ellet) at Route 91 all the way up 91 to route 303 in Hudson. That is 13.1 miles! How about running 52 and 1/3rd laps around a standard 400 meter high school track. (For my brother Jim, this is like going from your house to the 271/480 split on your way to work.)
All I need to do is simply double that distance on 10-10-10 (Jim - you are still not at work yet!) Simple enough, right? Wrong! Although I have had 4 training runs that went 20+ miles and I completed all of them feeling pretty good, 26.2 miles is a bit of a daunting task. How do you prepare for this type of journey?
In my training runs I have played many games. For instance, when I first start out and I am fresh I pray, not only do I pray for the run but I pray for many of you reading this post. I pray for your health, joy, peace, happiness, encouragement, etc... I also pray for those I pass on my journey. As time goes on and mentally I am not all there, I recite scripture, sing, and play silly games.
One of the silly games I play is Dora, Dora! Yes, for those with kids that have watched Nickolodeon you are correct - this is Dora the Explorer. I break down the run into segments and recite them in my head. For example on my run on the Stow Hike and Bike Trail it would be "Stow Road, Hudson Drive, Route 8!" Once I get to Route 8 I call out three more points. Along the way I pretend that I come across Swiper and the grumpy old troll. It is stupid but it keeps me focused on not getting too far ahead of myself.
One last thing I am going to use for the first time when I go to Chicago is visual motivation. I am going to take my favorite race day running tech shirt, the one I am wearing in my blog picture at the top of the screen, and I am going to do something special with it. Anyone that has encouraged me along this journey, anyone that has sacrificed something for me to obtain this goal will be named on the shirt. For those (my wife, kids, mother, and brother) closest to me, I am asking them to write a note of encouragment on the shirt.
When I am getting to the tough moments of the race I will look at these names and remember all the ways others have sacrificed for me. I will remember the words of encouragement, the words of joy, the words of humor, and most of all I will remember that I am not running for my glory. I am running because others have sacrificed for me. I am running because I can and because (to steal a line from Eric Little) when I run I feel the glory of God.
My hope in this blog post is that all of you reading (and then some) will see that your every step, every word, and every action has an impact in this world. Whether it encourages me or it helps someone else to just get up and walk down the street, it means something. Even the simplest of words like hello or goodbye make an impact. A simple note of thanks means so much! Purely your presence in a room or event can impact others, so choose your words and actions carefully. Enjoy your life, live in peace, joy, and happiness. Do not let troubles, anxiety, or fear rule your thoughts. Focus on all that is positive and keep up the great work you are doing! Thank you for your encouragement and I will report the results from both Akron and Chicago!
As I set out, my mindset is much different from last year. This year I am running this race for the fun of it! Last year I ran it to prove I could do it. This year I am running this race because my hometown has put its heart and soul into making this marathon one of the best in the nation. This year I am running to be a part of the joy and happiness of the event. This year I am running in celebration of the event anniversary that changed the way I look at what is possible.
As 10-10-10 is fast approaching , the funny thing is that I find myself feeling the same doubts and thoughts I was thinking last year preparing for the Akron Half. In fact, 13.1 miles is a long way - just think about getting in your car and driving from Wedgewood Drive (in Ellet) at Route 91 all the way up 91 to route 303 in Hudson. That is 13.1 miles! How about running 52 and 1/3rd laps around a standard 400 meter high school track. (For my brother Jim, this is like going from your house to the 271/480 split on your way to work.)
All I need to do is simply double that distance on 10-10-10 (Jim - you are still not at work yet!) Simple enough, right? Wrong! Although I have had 4 training runs that went 20+ miles and I completed all of them feeling pretty good, 26.2 miles is a bit of a daunting task. How do you prepare for this type of journey?
In my training runs I have played many games. For instance, when I first start out and I am fresh I pray, not only do I pray for the run but I pray for many of you reading this post. I pray for your health, joy, peace, happiness, encouragement, etc... I also pray for those I pass on my journey. As time goes on and mentally I am not all there, I recite scripture, sing, and play silly games.
One of the silly games I play is Dora, Dora! Yes, for those with kids that have watched Nickolodeon you are correct - this is Dora the Explorer. I break down the run into segments and recite them in my head. For example on my run on the Stow Hike and Bike Trail it would be "Stow Road, Hudson Drive, Route 8!" Once I get to Route 8 I call out three more points. Along the way I pretend that I come across Swiper and the grumpy old troll. It is stupid but it keeps me focused on not getting too far ahead of myself.
One last thing I am going to use for the first time when I go to Chicago is visual motivation. I am going to take my favorite race day running tech shirt, the one I am wearing in my blog picture at the top of the screen, and I am going to do something special with it. Anyone that has encouraged me along this journey, anyone that has sacrificed something for me to obtain this goal will be named on the shirt. For those (my wife, kids, mother, and brother) closest to me, I am asking them to write a note of encouragment on the shirt.
When I am getting to the tough moments of the race I will look at these names and remember all the ways others have sacrificed for me. I will remember the words of encouragement, the words of joy, the words of humor, and most of all I will remember that I am not running for my glory. I am running because others have sacrificed for me. I am running because I can and because (to steal a line from Eric Little) when I run I feel the glory of God.
My hope in this blog post is that all of you reading (and then some) will see that your every step, every word, and every action has an impact in this world. Whether it encourages me or it helps someone else to just get up and walk down the street, it means something. Even the simplest of words like hello or goodbye make an impact. A simple note of thanks means so much! Purely your presence in a room or event can impact others, so choose your words and actions carefully. Enjoy your life, live in peace, joy, and happiness. Do not let troubles, anxiety, or fear rule your thoughts. Focus on all that is positive and keep up the great work you are doing! Thank you for your encouragement and I will report the results from both Akron and Chicago!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Inspiration of a Mother!
Vacation! Where did it go and when can I get another one? This past July my family and I took off on a trip to the beach. Typically every other year my brother's family, my family, and my mom head somewhere on a trip. This year's trip was to Ocean Isle, NC.
I love that feeling knowing that for a whole week that you are not responsible for any work! You know that during the week ahead you will have a week to catch up with others, enjoy your kids, and spend time in a different place far away from your everyday stomping patch.
Well this last vacation was a special one for my family and me. You see a couple years ago my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Our last vacation two years ago was right after she had undergone chemo and radition therepy together. She was tired and easily exhausted during the vacation and my thought was that this could be my last vacation with her! Going this time I was able to reflect on her still being with us.
Here is her story. About 3 years ago my mom went to the lung specialist for some routine check ups. She has suffered for a few years with breathing issues, but as she had been losing weight and excercising it all seemed to be getting a bit better. During this visit she was sent to have a scan done on her lungs to see what they looked like. At the reading of the scan there was a spot on her lung and also on a few of the nodes.
Needless to say this alarmed the doctor and scared the pants out of my mom. In the time to follow they did numerous tests and found out that it was indeed cancer and that the only true options for treatment were chemo and radiation therapy. As my mom's lungs were not very strong the surgical option came with too many risks, of which the major one was that she would not make it through.
With the reality of her condition in mind, my mother did as much research on her situation as possible and sought the advice of the best doctors that she could find. She also went through a whirwlind of emotions and thoughts, but the one thing that comforted her most was when she read her Bible and saw that God loved her and that she was in His hands.
I had many conversations with her at this time and even though she was secure in her relationship with Christ, she still had a hard time dealing with everything. She has a lot of grandkids that are young and her thought was that she did not want to miss anyone of their wedding, graduation, kids, etc... This tore her up and caused many times of tears and heartache.
To that end she began to pray and seek others who would pray for her. I know in my prayer group many people lifted her up to the great physcian and ask for Him to heal her. In most cases (approximately 70%) the person diagnosed with lung cancer is dead within one year. To this extent the prayers were desperate and literally cries to the Lord. I know in my prayer life I had to deal with a lot of questions that I wanted to ask of the Lord.
These questions were items like this:
Why did you allow this to happen? Will you heal her? How will I deal with this with my kids? Will you be her comfort through this all? How can I best help her? And the hardest one was what do I say or do for her?
As we continued to pray, God answered our prayers one by one. First He really showed that He would comfort her. During her first round of chemo she showed up and a friendly face was present. The nurse was the sister of one of Julie's close friends. As my mom must have been trembling with fear and anxiety this must have been a comfort for her. Later in the process (which by no means am I trying to make it out like it was easy) the doctor told her to get a wig because they have never had anyone go through these two treatments back to back and not lose their hair. My mom got the wig, but guess what? God spared her hair as she did not lose any of it.
God also gave Julie and me wisdom in telling both my kids what Grandma was going through. When they heard they were devastated, but they committed to being Grandma's joy and strength by encouraging her and just plain being themselves. The same was the case for my other brothers' and sister's kids. They all became Grandma's special supply of hope!
It totally broke my heart to think of the pain that my mom was going through, not the therepy but the mental task this was taking on her! As I prayed to God, I asked: what do I tell her? What scripture will give her peace? What can I do? God answered me through a song that I was listening to at the time. It was a song by the Casting Crowns entitled Love them like Jesus.
The lyrics are truly inspiring and gut-wrenching at the same time. Click on the video below to see a video of the song being performed live.
I love that feeling knowing that for a whole week that you are not responsible for any work! You know that during the week ahead you will have a week to catch up with others, enjoy your kids, and spend time in a different place far away from your everyday stomping patch.
Well this last vacation was a special one for my family and me. You see a couple years ago my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Our last vacation two years ago was right after she had undergone chemo and radition therepy together. She was tired and easily exhausted during the vacation and my thought was that this could be my last vacation with her! Going this time I was able to reflect on her still being with us.
Here is her story. About 3 years ago my mom went to the lung specialist for some routine check ups. She has suffered for a few years with breathing issues, but as she had been losing weight and excercising it all seemed to be getting a bit better. During this visit she was sent to have a scan done on her lungs to see what they looked like. At the reading of the scan there was a spot on her lung and also on a few of the nodes.
Needless to say this alarmed the doctor and scared the pants out of my mom. In the time to follow they did numerous tests and found out that it was indeed cancer and that the only true options for treatment were chemo and radiation therapy. As my mom's lungs were not very strong the surgical option came with too many risks, of which the major one was that she would not make it through.
With the reality of her condition in mind, my mother did as much research on her situation as possible and sought the advice of the best doctors that she could find. She also went through a whirwlind of emotions and thoughts, but the one thing that comforted her most was when she read her Bible and saw that God loved her and that she was in His hands.
I had many conversations with her at this time and even though she was secure in her relationship with Christ, she still had a hard time dealing with everything. She has a lot of grandkids that are young and her thought was that she did not want to miss anyone of their wedding, graduation, kids, etc... This tore her up and caused many times of tears and heartache.
To that end she began to pray and seek others who would pray for her. I know in my prayer group many people lifted her up to the great physcian and ask for Him to heal her. In most cases (approximately 70%) the person diagnosed with lung cancer is dead within one year. To this extent the prayers were desperate and literally cries to the Lord. I know in my prayer life I had to deal with a lot of questions that I wanted to ask of the Lord.
These questions were items like this:
Why did you allow this to happen? Will you heal her? How will I deal with this with my kids? Will you be her comfort through this all? How can I best help her? And the hardest one was what do I say or do for her?
As we continued to pray, God answered our prayers one by one. First He really showed that He would comfort her. During her first round of chemo she showed up and a friendly face was present. The nurse was the sister of one of Julie's close friends. As my mom must have been trembling with fear and anxiety this must have been a comfort for her. Later in the process (which by no means am I trying to make it out like it was easy) the doctor told her to get a wig because they have never had anyone go through these two treatments back to back and not lose their hair. My mom got the wig, but guess what? God spared her hair as she did not lose any of it.
God also gave Julie and me wisdom in telling both my kids what Grandma was going through. When they heard they were devastated, but they committed to being Grandma's joy and strength by encouraging her and just plain being themselves. The same was the case for my other brothers' and sister's kids. They all became Grandma's special supply of hope!
It totally broke my heart to think of the pain that my mom was going through, not the therepy but the mental task this was taking on her! As I prayed to God, I asked: what do I tell her? What scripture will give her peace? What can I do? God answered me through a song that I was listening to at the time. It was a song by the Casting Crowns entitled Love them like Jesus.
The lyrics are truly inspiring and gut-wrenching at the same time. Click on the video below to see a video of the song being performed live.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV0BC042Rv4&feature=related
God's answer to me was do nothing, say nothing, quote nothing! Just love her the best way you know how! Love her like Jesus has.
The two toughest prayer requests were still unanswered. Why did He let this happen and would He heal her? Well, first of all the first question of why is not an easy question to answer and to this day I am still trying to digest the answer. For the most part the answer was for His glory! I say this because the answer to my prayer if He would heal her was YES! As of my mother's last scan the spot they found was so small they are considering it scar tissue.
Lung cancer is never said to cured as it is an extremely nasty diasese, however, to have it shrink to scar tissue is a major miracle. Also to have her with us 3 years later is incredible and a blessing to all of us.
To all of us that were in Ocean Isle it was a joy to watch my mom interact with her grandkids! She is like no other when it comes to putting on a show for the kids. Her imagination and desire to marvel our kids is awesome. She set up a story of a lost treasure and sure enough tricked the kids into believing they had found this long lost treasure. The joy in their faces was amazing and in turn to watch my mom enjoy her grandkids was priceless.
For now I will always remember this vacation for all that it was, a blessing from God. My hope in writing this post will be to encourage all of you to find your joy and hope in this world. I know for my mom this event has been life-changing and difficult ,but through it all she has clung to her joy and hope, Jesus and her family! Thank you Mom for fighting the good fight and for going through the tough in hope of inspiring us all to much much more.
Monday, August 23, 2010
18 Miles, Am I crazy? What am I thinking?
Well, it has been a while since I last wrote. In short I have been at the ocean, in the mountains, and just plain busy trying to keep up with all the chores of everday life. With numerous things to write about from this past time period, I thought I would start off with my 18 mile long run this past weekend.
The past couple of months I have been struggling with running. I am still keeping up but my body and my legs in particular have been bothering me. I set out a few weeks ago on a 14 mile run and only made it 12. The week before last I set out on a 16 mile run and only made it 15. So not only was I struggling physically, I was struggling mentally.
In preparation for this long run I took every precaution I could. I tried to give my legs maximum rest, only running 2 miles and swimming from Thursday to Friday. I watched my diet to make sure I was getting good nutrients. I went to bed early enough to ensure a good night's sleep. Finally, I got up at 4AM on Saturday and spent some time preparing mentally for the run ahead.
My pastor has been preaching from the book of Philippians and in particular chapters 3 and 4. As I was preparing for the run I reflected on chapter 4. In this chapter Paul is thanking the people for their continued support in his ministry. He recently received a package from the Philippians and was expressing his joy with it. He made it clear that he was not in need but was thankful. In verse 13 he states that he can do all things through him who strengthens him.
He goes on to close this subject in verse 19 by telling the people that his God will meet all their needs according to glorious riches in Christ Jesus. In other words, the only thing that is needed is Christ to save us from ourselves.
So for 18 miles, this is what I was thinking about! What does it mean that I can do all things through him who strenghtens me? And if Christ is all I need, why do I feel like I have to do more? Both are great questions and for 2 hours and 35 minutes I contemplated the answers.
First let me say that I am not a theologian and that I am not sure if there is an answer that will make sense to everyone, but here are my thoughts. First off, as I was anxious about the run ahead my thought was to meditate on the words "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." By this Paul was saying that it is the One that created him and gave him talents that gives him the strength to go forward, so for me it was assurance that if He wanted me to make it 18 miles he would give me the strength to go forward.
One of the other issues I have is that when I run longer distances and fall short I see it as failure. It is logical that if you set out to accomplish one thing and it does not happen, you failed in your attempt. Ryan Hall, my favorite runner, always talks about running free. As I contemplated what Paul was saying about all my needs being provided in Christ Jesus, it hit me what it meant to run free.
Running free means that if I do not finish that is ok! It is not only ok, it could and may happen and that is ok becuase all that I need is to know that Christ died for me so I could have eternal life. Therefore, to fall short by a mile is not important! To not finish in a certain time is not important! To make a mistake is not important! The only thing that matters is that I know Christ and trust in Him!
With this going through my head I was on the Towpath at 6 AM and was running north toward 303. As I was getting started it was still dark and I could only see about 10 yards maximum in front of me. I could not see my watch so I did not worry about pace for the first 3 miles or so; I just ran with joy in my heart.
As light started to come out I started to be more conscious of my pace and the beauty that surrounded me. People were now starting to come by me on the trail and I was able to focus on praying for them and praising God for the beauty on the trail. As I past mile 6 I started to think about the turn around about 3 miles ahead. I continued to meditate on those two verses from the morning and my body felt really good.
I hit the turn around and at that point I felt really good. I wanted to make sure and not go too fast on the way back so I focused on a couple of guys in front of me and tried to maintain their pace. For the next 4-5 miles I followed them and stayed stride for stride with them. At around mile 15 they turned around and headed back to 303. At this point is where the spiritual and mental battle began.
I started to worry about not completing another run and only having 8 weeks until race day. I was scared and frustrated. However this is where the verse I can do all things through Him who strengthens me came in handy. I just kept reciting this verse and thinking if He wants me to complete this He will provide me the strength and the perserverance to go on.
This kept me going until mile 17. At this point my legs were hurting pretty bad. My hamstrings were getting tight, my calves were starting to cramp, and my lower abs were sore. I thought to myself and even prayed out loud to God, "Do you want me to complete this run? Do you want me to walk the rest or do you want me to run?" As I prayed God led me to run the last mile. As He led me this way I quickly said to Him, "If you want me to finish I need you to give me strength, wisdom, power, and perserverance to complete this."
And in true God fashion He did not fail me! As a matter of fact, He gave me more than I could have imagined. I turned my watch from time to heart rate and took off for the last mile. I wanted to just focus on finishing and give any and everything I had left to finish strong. As I was reaching the place where my car was parked and the end of the last mile I looked down at my watch and saw that my heart rate was 170bpm. I was exhausted and struggling to make it the last 500 feet.
When the last mile was finished, I looked down at my watch and checked the pace on the last mile. Wouldn't you know it was the fastest mile I ran all day? Not just by a second or two, but by 20 seconds. After 17 miles running each one somewhere between 8:30 to 8:50, I ended up running the last one in 8:08!
As I reflect on this run I think about my motivation and preparation for it. I think that if I tried to sustain myself I would have quit around mile 15. But my focus was not on myself it was on what God's will and plan was for me in that moment. It was not pain free! It was not what I wanted to go through! It was not easy one bit at all. What it was, was God's plan for me, and as I focused on Him my strength rose and I completed the run.
I challenge each of you reading this; I challenge you to analyze yourself and ask these questions. Do I believe in God? Do I believe that He is real? Do I believe He loves me? Lastly ask yourself ,what is the only thing that I need? If you could only have one thing what would it be? At the end of this week I will embark on a 20 mile run and I will do so with my heart and mind free that I already have the only thing that I need! Thank you Jesus Christ for all you have done for us!
The past couple of months I have been struggling with running. I am still keeping up but my body and my legs in particular have been bothering me. I set out a few weeks ago on a 14 mile run and only made it 12. The week before last I set out on a 16 mile run and only made it 15. So not only was I struggling physically, I was struggling mentally.
In preparation for this long run I took every precaution I could. I tried to give my legs maximum rest, only running 2 miles and swimming from Thursday to Friday. I watched my diet to make sure I was getting good nutrients. I went to bed early enough to ensure a good night's sleep. Finally, I got up at 4AM on Saturday and spent some time preparing mentally for the run ahead.
My pastor has been preaching from the book of Philippians and in particular chapters 3 and 4. As I was preparing for the run I reflected on chapter 4. In this chapter Paul is thanking the people for their continued support in his ministry. He recently received a package from the Philippians and was expressing his joy with it. He made it clear that he was not in need but was thankful. In verse 13 he states that he can do all things through him who strengthens him.
He goes on to close this subject in verse 19 by telling the people that his God will meet all their needs according to glorious riches in Christ Jesus. In other words, the only thing that is needed is Christ to save us from ourselves.
So for 18 miles, this is what I was thinking about! What does it mean that I can do all things through him who strenghtens me? And if Christ is all I need, why do I feel like I have to do more? Both are great questions and for 2 hours and 35 minutes I contemplated the answers.
First let me say that I am not a theologian and that I am not sure if there is an answer that will make sense to everyone, but here are my thoughts. First off, as I was anxious about the run ahead my thought was to meditate on the words "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." By this Paul was saying that it is the One that created him and gave him talents that gives him the strength to go forward, so for me it was assurance that if He wanted me to make it 18 miles he would give me the strength to go forward.
One of the other issues I have is that when I run longer distances and fall short I see it as failure. It is logical that if you set out to accomplish one thing and it does not happen, you failed in your attempt. Ryan Hall, my favorite runner, always talks about running free. As I contemplated what Paul was saying about all my needs being provided in Christ Jesus, it hit me what it meant to run free.
Running free means that if I do not finish that is ok! It is not only ok, it could and may happen and that is ok becuase all that I need is to know that Christ died for me so I could have eternal life. Therefore, to fall short by a mile is not important! To not finish in a certain time is not important! To make a mistake is not important! The only thing that matters is that I know Christ and trust in Him!
With this going through my head I was on the Towpath at 6 AM and was running north toward 303. As I was getting started it was still dark and I could only see about 10 yards maximum in front of me. I could not see my watch so I did not worry about pace for the first 3 miles or so; I just ran with joy in my heart.
As light started to come out I started to be more conscious of my pace and the beauty that surrounded me. People were now starting to come by me on the trail and I was able to focus on praying for them and praising God for the beauty on the trail. As I past mile 6 I started to think about the turn around about 3 miles ahead. I continued to meditate on those two verses from the morning and my body felt really good.
I hit the turn around and at that point I felt really good. I wanted to make sure and not go too fast on the way back so I focused on a couple of guys in front of me and tried to maintain their pace. For the next 4-5 miles I followed them and stayed stride for stride with them. At around mile 15 they turned around and headed back to 303. At this point is where the spiritual and mental battle began.
I started to worry about not completing another run and only having 8 weeks until race day. I was scared and frustrated. However this is where the verse I can do all things through Him who strengthens me came in handy. I just kept reciting this verse and thinking if He wants me to complete this He will provide me the strength and the perserverance to go on.
This kept me going until mile 17. At this point my legs were hurting pretty bad. My hamstrings were getting tight, my calves were starting to cramp, and my lower abs were sore. I thought to myself and even prayed out loud to God, "Do you want me to complete this run? Do you want me to walk the rest or do you want me to run?" As I prayed God led me to run the last mile. As He led me this way I quickly said to Him, "If you want me to finish I need you to give me strength, wisdom, power, and perserverance to complete this."
And in true God fashion He did not fail me! As a matter of fact, He gave me more than I could have imagined. I turned my watch from time to heart rate and took off for the last mile. I wanted to just focus on finishing and give any and everything I had left to finish strong. As I was reaching the place where my car was parked and the end of the last mile I looked down at my watch and saw that my heart rate was 170bpm. I was exhausted and struggling to make it the last 500 feet.
When the last mile was finished, I looked down at my watch and checked the pace on the last mile. Wouldn't you know it was the fastest mile I ran all day? Not just by a second or two, but by 20 seconds. After 17 miles running each one somewhere between 8:30 to 8:50, I ended up running the last one in 8:08!
As I reflect on this run I think about my motivation and preparation for it. I think that if I tried to sustain myself I would have quit around mile 15. But my focus was not on myself it was on what God's will and plan was for me in that moment. It was not pain free! It was not what I wanted to go through! It was not easy one bit at all. What it was, was God's plan for me, and as I focused on Him my strength rose and I completed the run.
I challenge each of you reading this; I challenge you to analyze yourself and ask these questions. Do I believe in God? Do I believe that He is real? Do I believe He loves me? Lastly ask yourself ,what is the only thing that I need? If you could only have one thing what would it be? At the end of this week I will embark on a 20 mile run and I will do so with my heart and mind free that I already have the only thing that I need! Thank you Jesus Christ for all you have done for us!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Fire Cracker 4 miler!
How many times have you set out to help others and found that you really learn a lesson for yourself? This was the case for me today (July 5, 2010). I set out this morning to encourage my sister-in-law and nephew in the Fire Cracker 4 mile run in Stow. As it turned out, my sister-in-law and nephew truly inspired me.
My sister-in-law has been talking about doing a 5K for many months if not even a couple of years. She truly desires to be healthy and wants to set a quality example for her son. Like many, though, taking the leap out and believing she could do it always stopped her just shy of accomplishing this goal.
People in her situation have many excuses. Things such as I do not want to look bad in front of all those people, I don't want to be the last one, I am afraid I cannot finish, and many more. I am not sure what the issue was on her part but finally the other day she just made the decision and decided to register for the race.
Part of her decision process was asking her son to run the race and be a part of this event. My nephew has struggled through his life with asthma and although he excels in many sports, running is not a passion for him. However, he agreed to run.
Knowing how tough it is for a person to step out in faith and try this task I surely wanted to be a part of the event, so I set out that morning to meet them for the race. When we got together I could sense the excitement and nervousness in my sister-in-law. On my nephew's end I could sense a bit of excitement but plenty of nervousness.
We took off down to the starting point and waited patiently for the race to begin. After a bit of socializing with some of her friends we got onto route 59 and soon the siren sounded. My nephew and a few of his friends started out in front of us and headed out a bit faster than we wanted to go.
As we started out, my sister-in-law began running and was filled with excitement and seemed to be very joyful. This I thought would fall away sometime in the next two miles once the reality of the task came into full focus. Boy was I wrong! She ran the first mile and a quarter without stopping. She did not complain nor did she seem to be losing her joy or excitement. She just kept moving forward focusing on two things.
The first thing she was focusing on was how her son was doing in the race. The mother instinct always seems to take over and even though this event was something she wanted to do, she still found herself wanting to root on her son. The second thing she was focused on was getting to the finish line.
As we started to get to the half-way point which was right around the Kohl's and Target on route 59, my sister-in-law began to get worried about her son because she had not seen him coming back yet. About a quarter mile from the turn her son came by us and was doing just fine. At that she seemed to put her concern for her son to the side and continued to focus on the task of finishing the race.
As we hit the turn around, the adrenaline that helped her through the first two miles had worn off and she was purely working on any and all fuel that was left in her tank. This is where I truly expected to her to lose the joy and excitement of the event. At this point I was truly inspired! She did not lose her joy nor her excitement. She continued to just move forward anticipating finishing the event.
We continued to walk and run past the 3 mile mark, having a great conversation and enjoying the fact that we were running down 59 in a race. About the 3 and a half mile mark I noticed my nephew ahead of us and I suggested that we catch up to him and encourage him. We did so and found out that he was struggling. He was discouraged and a bit out of kilter. As we were only about a half mile from the finish, I encouraged my sister-in-law to finish and I stuck with my nephew to help him to the end.
As she took off I started to talk with my nephew and try to distract him from the race for a bit. I could see that running was not something that he enjoys at all. This left me to ponder why he would agree to run a 4 mile race when he had not run much more than a mile in his life and, further, he never trained for this event.
I learned that the only reason he was on the course was to encourage his mother in this event. He knew this was something she wanted to do and he knew that she would be encouraged if he would be in the same event. However, he was beat - but quitting never crossed his mind! He just silently kept moving forward and was just counting the steps until he finished the race.
At that point I was completely inspired by my nephew as he was truly doing something in service to another. Where do you find this type of mentality in today's generation? I can tell you where - my nephew's house! He was not doing this race for himself but to help inspire his mother. The greater thing is that he inspired more than his mother, he inspired me, something I am sure he never thought about in the process.
As we came down the stretch my nephew and I found a spot to start running to the finish. Coming to that point we targeted my sister-in-law ; she was there and she was cheering us on as were a couple of his friends. As we got to the finish he got out in front of me and beat me to the finish line!
At a time when I will be going into the heart of my training for the Chicago Marathon, a point where the races will subside and the mundane hard work will have to take over, I have been blessed agian. My sister-in-law and nephew taught me a couple great lessons. First my sister-in-law helped me to see the joy and excitement in running. She helped me to see it is all about attitude. On the other side, my nephew helped me to see that serving others is far more important than anything I could do for myself!
Thank you both for your inspiration!
My sister-in-law has been talking about doing a 5K for many months if not even a couple of years. She truly desires to be healthy and wants to set a quality example for her son. Like many, though, taking the leap out and believing she could do it always stopped her just shy of accomplishing this goal.
People in her situation have many excuses. Things such as I do not want to look bad in front of all those people, I don't want to be the last one, I am afraid I cannot finish, and many more. I am not sure what the issue was on her part but finally the other day she just made the decision and decided to register for the race.
Part of her decision process was asking her son to run the race and be a part of this event. My nephew has struggled through his life with asthma and although he excels in many sports, running is not a passion for him. However, he agreed to run.
Knowing how tough it is for a person to step out in faith and try this task I surely wanted to be a part of the event, so I set out that morning to meet them for the race. When we got together I could sense the excitement and nervousness in my sister-in-law. On my nephew's end I could sense a bit of excitement but plenty of nervousness.
We took off down to the starting point and waited patiently for the race to begin. After a bit of socializing with some of her friends we got onto route 59 and soon the siren sounded. My nephew and a few of his friends started out in front of us and headed out a bit faster than we wanted to go.
As we started out, my sister-in-law began running and was filled with excitement and seemed to be very joyful. This I thought would fall away sometime in the next two miles once the reality of the task came into full focus. Boy was I wrong! She ran the first mile and a quarter without stopping. She did not complain nor did she seem to be losing her joy or excitement. She just kept moving forward focusing on two things.
The first thing she was focusing on was how her son was doing in the race. The mother instinct always seems to take over and even though this event was something she wanted to do, she still found herself wanting to root on her son. The second thing she was focused on was getting to the finish line.
As we started to get to the half-way point which was right around the Kohl's and Target on route 59, my sister-in-law began to get worried about her son because she had not seen him coming back yet. About a quarter mile from the turn her son came by us and was doing just fine. At that she seemed to put her concern for her son to the side and continued to focus on the task of finishing the race.
As we hit the turn around, the adrenaline that helped her through the first two miles had worn off and she was purely working on any and all fuel that was left in her tank. This is where I truly expected to her to lose the joy and excitement of the event. At this point I was truly inspired! She did not lose her joy nor her excitement. She continued to just move forward anticipating finishing the event.
We continued to walk and run past the 3 mile mark, having a great conversation and enjoying the fact that we were running down 59 in a race. About the 3 and a half mile mark I noticed my nephew ahead of us and I suggested that we catch up to him and encourage him. We did so and found out that he was struggling. He was discouraged and a bit out of kilter. As we were only about a half mile from the finish, I encouraged my sister-in-law to finish and I stuck with my nephew to help him to the end.
As she took off I started to talk with my nephew and try to distract him from the race for a bit. I could see that running was not something that he enjoys at all. This left me to ponder why he would agree to run a 4 mile race when he had not run much more than a mile in his life and, further, he never trained for this event.
I learned that the only reason he was on the course was to encourage his mother in this event. He knew this was something she wanted to do and he knew that she would be encouraged if he would be in the same event. However, he was beat - but quitting never crossed his mind! He just silently kept moving forward and was just counting the steps until he finished the race.
At that point I was completely inspired by my nephew as he was truly doing something in service to another. Where do you find this type of mentality in today's generation? I can tell you where - my nephew's house! He was not doing this race for himself but to help inspire his mother. The greater thing is that he inspired more than his mother, he inspired me, something I am sure he never thought about in the process.
As we came down the stretch my nephew and I found a spot to start running to the finish. Coming to that point we targeted my sister-in-law ; she was there and she was cheering us on as were a couple of his friends. As we got to the finish he got out in front of me and beat me to the finish line!
At a time when I will be going into the heart of my training for the Chicago Marathon, a point where the races will subside and the mundane hard work will have to take over, I have been blessed agian. My sister-in-law and nephew taught me a couple great lessons. First my sister-in-law helped me to see the joy and excitement in running. She helped me to see it is all about attitude. On the other side, my nephew helped me to see that serving others is far more important than anything I could do for myself!
Thank you both for your inspiration!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Running through History!
One of the nice things about losing so much weight and being in good shape is that you can take time and really visit those places that are from your childhood. With all the hard training I have been doing, last Saturday I decided it was time to slow it down a bit and go for a run through the old neighborhood.
My mother still lives in Ellet and she graciously took my wonderful children for the night on Friday so I could run my awesome wife to the airport on Saturday morning. After I dropped off my wife, I headed straight for my mom's, packed up, and took off on a beautiful 11 mile run.
I left my mom's place and headed up Leeds, then onto Tyro toward Dorset. The first stop on my route was the old Pratt house. Many a day was spent watching the Simpsons and plotting out numerous attacks on the poor innocent enemies we had. Then I went down the hill and turned right on to Newton, moving toward the Goodyear Metro Park. The Metro Park in the winter was the main site for all my sled riding excursions.
Once I was at the Metro Parks I ran through the trails past Adler Pond; I headed up to the Brooklands and down to visit my best friend from high school, Douglas Bruce Harrison! Doug is still single and was out the night before so I felt obligated to stop by and wake him up! Well the joke was on me because he was already awake and had his awesome dog Alex out back playing.
I took off from Doug's and went down Congo to route 91 and followed that up to Eastgate. Going up Eastgate I approached Windemere School...the place it all began for me. It was the place I went to 1st through 6th grade and where I met some of the greatest people. It was torn down last year and a new building is being put up in the same spot.
Down Emmons and on to Edgehill to Dougie's childhood home. This is a place that I played a lot of catch with baseballs and footballs we even jumped over a few bushes in the process. After leaving there I went down to East Market Street past the EBA hall and on to Gleason Avenue.
This is the home of the Gleason Ave Gang. John Jarvis, Jeff, Dan, and Julie Conner, Jim Dudones, and me. A few others were also residents like the Sarver family, Aaron Plum, Scottie and Chrissie Miller. The memories on this street were fun to think about. Playing softball day and night on the street, football in the yards, and my favorite memory, playing kick the can at the Conners' house.
I went down Gleason, onto Cramer, and then up Hillbish to Wedgewood and to Hyre Park. If you lived in Ellet and do not have a memory of Hyre I would be shocked. Many a football game, practice, baseball, and soccer games were played in this park. Today they are building the new middle school there so no baseball fields are there.
I ran up to the old junior high school's front doors and started to think about some of the times I had at this school. I looked into the lunch room and could remeber the mornings we would wait in there for school to start. The benches where we would huddle around and socialize with friends. I looked to the end of the parking lot and I could see the entrance to the woods.
Hyre Woods and the Hyre Pond! I entered the woods for the first time in about 25 years. Boy I immediately started thinking about the many walks I had through these woods to school, to football and baseball practice, and to the pond itself. This was a pretty cool run!
Through the woods and down into Lions Park I went. They really had spent a lot of money in the woods putting steps in and grooming the path. The same could be said for Lions Park. They had put in a path to walk around the field and also a fence to close in the field. Across the bridge I went looking at the creek I used to wade in and catch crayfish in. I continued up the hill and down toward the corner of Bender and Cramer.
I started to crack up at this point because I could remember the numerous times we had stolen the Bender sign. The funny part (and I could never explain this well enough) is my buddy Dougie trying to climb the pole to get up to the sign. Doug was never very good at climbing and this pole proved that point completely. He would jump up on to the pole and then try to pull himself up. However, he would not make any progress and would slowly start to slip down the pole until he was back on the ground. I could go on but I will leave the rest to the imagination.
I went down Cramer, to Benton, and then up Benton to Ellet High School. I ran around the back and into the stadium for a few moments. Boy I had a lot of memories in this place. From Football games as a spectator to football games as a player and the same in soccer. During the season I do not think one person practiced and played more on that field than I did. I was a place kicker and I would spend 2 hours a night kicking balls through the post there. Ahhhhh, good times!
Out of the stadium and down the hill to Highgrove I went. I took it to Davenport and ran down it toward Mogadore Road. Along the way I went past so many old friends' houses, Jenny Young, Jenny Sudler, Danny Hammer, and of course, Davenport Park or the home of Ellet's youth baseball league. This is where I learned to play baseball. Coaches like Mr Schultz, Mr. Beard, Mr. Harrison, Mr Givens, and Mr. Casalonova went through my head. Park games, playing hoops and meeting with friends there was just the tip of the events that took place. Davenport Park is full of some of my best memories.
Back out of the park and down Davenport to Mogadore Road I ran. Once on Mogadore I was reminded of Steve Melton, a friend that lived right off the road. I continued down Mogadore and back up Canton Road to the end of my run. In the end I ran 11 miles and what I thought would be an easy day I ended up running at a much faster pace than I wanted to keep.
It felt pretty good to be able to run this area and it surely distracted me from the mundane task of just running for speed. Memories are pretty cool and being able to go and relive them a bit is fun as well. It really helps you to see all that you have done and further helps you realize that the Lord was by your side through it all. Maybe next time I will run the Hatton neighborhood and include more of the Betty Jane and Ritzman area!
If you have memories of this area I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment here or on my Facebook page. Pictures of this are in an album on Facebook marked neighborhood run.
My mother still lives in Ellet and she graciously took my wonderful children for the night on Friday so I could run my awesome wife to the airport on Saturday morning. After I dropped off my wife, I headed straight for my mom's, packed up, and took off on a beautiful 11 mile run.
I left my mom's place and headed up Leeds, then onto Tyro toward Dorset. The first stop on my route was the old Pratt house. Many a day was spent watching the Simpsons and plotting out numerous attacks on the poor innocent enemies we had. Then I went down the hill and turned right on to Newton, moving toward the Goodyear Metro Park. The Metro Park in the winter was the main site for all my sled riding excursions.
Once I was at the Metro Parks I ran through the trails past Adler Pond; I headed up to the Brooklands and down to visit my best friend from high school, Douglas Bruce Harrison! Doug is still single and was out the night before so I felt obligated to stop by and wake him up! Well the joke was on me because he was already awake and had his awesome dog Alex out back playing.
I took off from Doug's and went down Congo to route 91 and followed that up to Eastgate. Going up Eastgate I approached Windemere School...the place it all began for me. It was the place I went to 1st through 6th grade and where I met some of the greatest people. It was torn down last year and a new building is being put up in the same spot.
Down Emmons and on to Edgehill to Dougie's childhood home. This is a place that I played a lot of catch with baseballs and footballs we even jumped over a few bushes in the process. After leaving there I went down to East Market Street past the EBA hall and on to Gleason Avenue.
This is the home of the Gleason Ave Gang. John Jarvis, Jeff, Dan, and Julie Conner, Jim Dudones, and me. A few others were also residents like the Sarver family, Aaron Plum, Scottie and Chrissie Miller. The memories on this street were fun to think about. Playing softball day and night on the street, football in the yards, and my favorite memory, playing kick the can at the Conners' house.
I went down Gleason, onto Cramer, and then up Hillbish to Wedgewood and to Hyre Park. If you lived in Ellet and do not have a memory of Hyre I would be shocked. Many a football game, practice, baseball, and soccer games were played in this park. Today they are building the new middle school there so no baseball fields are there.
I ran up to the old junior high school's front doors and started to think about some of the times I had at this school. I looked into the lunch room and could remeber the mornings we would wait in there for school to start. The benches where we would huddle around and socialize with friends. I looked to the end of the parking lot and I could see the entrance to the woods.
Hyre Woods and the Hyre Pond! I entered the woods for the first time in about 25 years. Boy I immediately started thinking about the many walks I had through these woods to school, to football and baseball practice, and to the pond itself. This was a pretty cool run!
Through the woods and down into Lions Park I went. They really had spent a lot of money in the woods putting steps in and grooming the path. The same could be said for Lions Park. They had put in a path to walk around the field and also a fence to close in the field. Across the bridge I went looking at the creek I used to wade in and catch crayfish in. I continued up the hill and down toward the corner of Bender and Cramer.
I started to crack up at this point because I could remember the numerous times we had stolen the Bender sign. The funny part (and I could never explain this well enough) is my buddy Dougie trying to climb the pole to get up to the sign. Doug was never very good at climbing and this pole proved that point completely. He would jump up on to the pole and then try to pull himself up. However, he would not make any progress and would slowly start to slip down the pole until he was back on the ground. I could go on but I will leave the rest to the imagination.
I went down Cramer, to Benton, and then up Benton to Ellet High School. I ran around the back and into the stadium for a few moments. Boy I had a lot of memories in this place. From Football games as a spectator to football games as a player and the same in soccer. During the season I do not think one person practiced and played more on that field than I did. I was a place kicker and I would spend 2 hours a night kicking balls through the post there. Ahhhhh, good times!
Out of the stadium and down the hill to Highgrove I went. I took it to Davenport and ran down it toward Mogadore Road. Along the way I went past so many old friends' houses, Jenny Young, Jenny Sudler, Danny Hammer, and of course, Davenport Park or the home of Ellet's youth baseball league. This is where I learned to play baseball. Coaches like Mr Schultz, Mr. Beard, Mr. Harrison, Mr Givens, and Mr. Casalonova went through my head. Park games, playing hoops and meeting with friends there was just the tip of the events that took place. Davenport Park is full of some of my best memories.
Back out of the park and down Davenport to Mogadore Road I ran. Once on Mogadore I was reminded of Steve Melton, a friend that lived right off the road. I continued down Mogadore and back up Canton Road to the end of my run. In the end I ran 11 miles and what I thought would be an easy day I ended up running at a much faster pace than I wanted to keep.
It felt pretty good to be able to run this area and it surely distracted me from the mundane task of just running for speed. Memories are pretty cool and being able to go and relive them a bit is fun as well. It really helps you to see all that you have done and further helps you realize that the Lord was by your side through it all. Maybe next time I will run the Hatton neighborhood and include more of the Betty Jane and Ritzman area!
If you have memories of this area I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment here or on my Facebook page. Pictures of this are in an album on Facebook marked neighborhood run.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Race Day Part 2 HOF to ND Race
On race morning I woke up at 4:30 AM and started the morning listening to Christian music and spent time reading the Bible and praying. I prayed that God would be seen through me. Why, you might ask? Because God made me and gave me the ability, strength, and heart to accomplish this goal, so I think it is only appropriate to give Him the praise He deserves. Picture this when an MVP is given the honor - he typically gives the credit to his teammates as they were a big part of the award. Well, the same is true here - God played the biggest role in giving me the ability to finish this event, therefore, I believe He deserves the glory (Not me)!
I took a shower, ate, and began to take my stuff down to the car. During most of my runs a song runs through my head but during this race it was different. The scripture I was studying that morning was Ephesians 3:20-21 and John 15. The Ephesians verse I detailed in one of my last blog posts and John 15 is when Jesus tells the parable of the vines and branches. The key here is that if we remain in Him, He will remain in us! I was learning that God is working within me and all I have to do in order to get His power is remain in His Word, Prayer, and Worship.
As I arrived at the starting line I was fairly focused on just running free and running with no worries, including the thoughts about fear of failure or pain. As I lined up I was at peace. Just a few months before the race I had a shirt made up with the Ephesians verse on it to wear in this event, and as I was standing there with my shirt on another runner tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I love your shirt." I said thanks and turned back around. A moment later I looked back behind me and this same guy was on his knees in prayer! Pretty Cool! The National Anthem was played by a Trumpet player from the area and then the gun sounded.
The first mile was extremely easy and went down Michigan Street and over to Lafayette Street, heading North toward the Saint Joseph River. I looked at my watch about a 1/2 mile into my run and noticed I was going at 7:40 pace. This really seemed easy as my adrenaline was flowing. I thought to myself, I need to slow down, but as the first part of the course was downhill and I was constantly being passed, I thought I would be just fine.
I continued at this pace and then headed west on to Riverside Drive. This street takes you right next to the Saint Joseph River and is a beautiful area. Across the river you can see the campuses of Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College. The River also hosts the famous East boat race. As I was running west up the river, as this is an out and back course ,about mile 5 I could see the leaders passing me heading down the trail right next to the river.
This was really encouraging as I was only about 2 miles off the leaders and this told me I was in the front of the pack. My pace remained at about 7:40 and I continued to feel really good. As I went through the water stops I got water, took a drink and poured the rest of it on my head and down my back. At race time the temperature was 70 degrees with 90% humidity. By mile 5 or 6 it was even hotter. This strategy would come back and bite me in the end!
As you come up on mile 6.25 you hit the turnaround and start down the trail toward the University of Notre Dame. At this point I was on a trail that was right next to the Saint Joseph River. It was at this point I started to spend plenty of time running by myself. This is the point where my scripture reading from the morning came into the picture. I was still averaging 7:40/mile pace and felt good, but I feared the pain that was going to hit me in the final few miles. I would constantly recite in my head the Ephesians verses and tell myself He is at work within me.
Around mile 7 I came up to a gentleman that was a little bit older than me and had a brief conversation. He mentioned that he was 45 and that he began running about ten years ago as a way to stay in shape. I told him I was 38 and that I began my journey in December of 2008 at 311 pounds. He told me he had a nephew that was overweight and he has tried to encourage him. I gave him this blog site and offered to help if I ever could and carried on my way to mile 8.
I was still running strong through mile 8 and 9, and then came mile 10. Somewhere in my thoughts I got mixed up and thought mile 9 was mile 10 and mentally I thought to myself, I have an easy 5K left to run. Imagine my anguish and surprise when I figured out I had a 5K plus 1 mile left. However, I continued on pace through mile 10, continuing to take water at the stops and pouring on my head.
As mile 11 started we departed from the Saint Joseph River and headed north to Notre Dame. This section of the course began with a hill that seemed to go for ¼ mile straight uphill. It was probably only 1/8th of a mile, but after 11 miles everything seems like Mount Everest! I started at this point to lose pace and I went to a 8:15/mile pace
As that mile continued I found myself feeling more and more fatigued. I thought, here we go, this must be the end of my endurance. Until this point I was on pace to run the race in 1 hour and 40 minutes, so to lose pace did not surprise me but it seemed like it happened quickly. I came up to mile 12 and just before it was a water stop. In my head I thought, I will walk through this water stop and get a good drink and continue on. My body at this point was starting to cramp as my calves were contracting like a grape when it is being turned into a raisin, so I did walk through the water stop and continued to walk for about 1/10th of a mile.
At that point I picked back up and started running again. Soon my running turned into a slow shuffle using only my heels as the push off point of my foot so as to keep my calves from cramping. I turned left onto Eddy and started directly north toward the stadium. At this point I could see the stadium in the distance, which energized me.
As you run down Eddy you run past some shops and then they had 3 bag pipe players entertaining the runners. What would a good Irish Marathon be without bag pipers? Soon on my right I was running up on the Legends of Notre Dame Restaurant which is in the parking lot of the stadium and I could clearly see my destination.
As I ran up Eddy and crossed on to Moose Krause Circle, I remembered my run the night before. I had already run this section and knew exactly what to expect. An overwhelming feeling came upon me and I forgot the pain that was in my legs. I started to look around and enjoy the run once again and I anticipated the moment that would be directly ahead of me, the moment I would look to the north and see Touchdown Jesus! As is tradition for me when running a race I looked to the sky, raised my hands, and told the Lord, "Thank you for this day and for your presence."
I turned right and headed to the tunnel of the stadium; I could hear the sound of the crowd. It was not the marathon crowd but the organizers had the sound of the crowd playing through the tunnel as you entered the field, and soon after that they had the Notre Dame Fight song playing. As I went through the tunnel this experience went through my head like highlights you see at the end of a show when the person puts all the parts of the puzzle together. I realized at that point that my prayer for the morning was answered! He was with me and stayed with me through the whole race!
I took a shower, ate, and began to take my stuff down to the car. During most of my runs a song runs through my head but during this race it was different. The scripture I was studying that morning was Ephesians 3:20-21 and John 15. The Ephesians verse I detailed in one of my last blog posts and John 15 is when Jesus tells the parable of the vines and branches. The key here is that if we remain in Him, He will remain in us! I was learning that God is working within me and all I have to do in order to get His power is remain in His Word, Prayer, and Worship.
As I arrived at the starting line I was fairly focused on just running free and running with no worries, including the thoughts about fear of failure or pain. As I lined up I was at peace. Just a few months before the race I had a shirt made up with the Ephesians verse on it to wear in this event, and as I was standing there with my shirt on another runner tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I love your shirt." I said thanks and turned back around. A moment later I looked back behind me and this same guy was on his knees in prayer! Pretty Cool! The National Anthem was played by a Trumpet player from the area and then the gun sounded.
The first mile was extremely easy and went down Michigan Street and over to Lafayette Street, heading North toward the Saint Joseph River. I looked at my watch about a 1/2 mile into my run and noticed I was going at 7:40 pace. This really seemed easy as my adrenaline was flowing. I thought to myself, I need to slow down, but as the first part of the course was downhill and I was constantly being passed, I thought I would be just fine.
I continued at this pace and then headed west on to Riverside Drive. This street takes you right next to the Saint Joseph River and is a beautiful area. Across the river you can see the campuses of Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College. The River also hosts the famous East boat race. As I was running west up the river, as this is an out and back course ,about mile 5 I could see the leaders passing me heading down the trail right next to the river.
This was really encouraging as I was only about 2 miles off the leaders and this told me I was in the front of the pack. My pace remained at about 7:40 and I continued to feel really good. As I went through the water stops I got water, took a drink and poured the rest of it on my head and down my back. At race time the temperature was 70 degrees with 90% humidity. By mile 5 or 6 it was even hotter. This strategy would come back and bite me in the end!
As you come up on mile 6.25 you hit the turnaround and start down the trail toward the University of Notre Dame. At this point I was on a trail that was right next to the Saint Joseph River. It was at this point I started to spend plenty of time running by myself. This is the point where my scripture reading from the morning came into the picture. I was still averaging 7:40/mile pace and felt good, but I feared the pain that was going to hit me in the final few miles. I would constantly recite in my head the Ephesians verses and tell myself He is at work within me.
Around mile 7 I came up to a gentleman that was a little bit older than me and had a brief conversation. He mentioned that he was 45 and that he began running about ten years ago as a way to stay in shape. I told him I was 38 and that I began my journey in December of 2008 at 311 pounds. He told me he had a nephew that was overweight and he has tried to encourage him. I gave him this blog site and offered to help if I ever could and carried on my way to mile 8.
I was still running strong through mile 8 and 9, and then came mile 10. Somewhere in my thoughts I got mixed up and thought mile 9 was mile 10 and mentally I thought to myself, I have an easy 5K left to run. Imagine my anguish and surprise when I figured out I had a 5K plus 1 mile left. However, I continued on pace through mile 10, continuing to take water at the stops and pouring on my head.
As mile 11 started we departed from the Saint Joseph River and headed north to Notre Dame. This section of the course began with a hill that seemed to go for ¼ mile straight uphill. It was probably only 1/8th of a mile, but after 11 miles everything seems like Mount Everest! I started at this point to lose pace and I went to a 8:15/mile pace
As that mile continued I found myself feeling more and more fatigued. I thought, here we go, this must be the end of my endurance. Until this point I was on pace to run the race in 1 hour and 40 minutes, so to lose pace did not surprise me but it seemed like it happened quickly. I came up to mile 12 and just before it was a water stop. In my head I thought, I will walk through this water stop and get a good drink and continue on. My body at this point was starting to cramp as my calves were contracting like a grape when it is being turned into a raisin, so I did walk through the water stop and continued to walk for about 1/10th of a mile.
At that point I picked back up and started running again. Soon my running turned into a slow shuffle using only my heels as the push off point of my foot so as to keep my calves from cramping. I turned left onto Eddy and started directly north toward the stadium. At this point I could see the stadium in the distance, which energized me.
As you run down Eddy you run past some shops and then they had 3 bag pipe players entertaining the runners. What would a good Irish Marathon be without bag pipers? Soon on my right I was running up on the Legends of Notre Dame Restaurant which is in the parking lot of the stadium and I could clearly see my destination.
As I ran up Eddy and crossed on to Moose Krause Circle, I remembered my run the night before. I had already run this section and knew exactly what to expect. An overwhelming feeling came upon me and I forgot the pain that was in my legs. I started to look around and enjoy the run once again and I anticipated the moment that would be directly ahead of me, the moment I would look to the north and see Touchdown Jesus! As is tradition for me when running a race I looked to the sky, raised my hands, and told the Lord, "Thank you for this day and for your presence."
I turned right and headed to the tunnel of the stadium; I could hear the sound of the crowd. It was not the marathon crowd but the organizers had the sound of the crowd playing through the tunnel as you entered the field, and soon after that they had the Notre Dame Fight song playing. As I went through the tunnel this experience went through my head like highlights you see at the end of a show when the person puts all the parts of the puzzle together. I realized at that point that my prayer for the morning was answered! He was with me and stayed with me through the whole race!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Hall of Fame to Notre Dame Part 1
Last week I wrote that I was feeling weak and that I was a bit worried about how I would do at the race on Saturday. In the end I determined that God would provide all I needed and the Bible even says He will work through our weaknesses. Well, He did not disappoint on Saturday!
It all began as I entered into South Bend on Friday night and checked into my hotel; I made my way to pick up my packet in downtown South Bend. Once I got my packet I headed back to the hotel and got on my running clothes and headed out to Notre Dame to take a 2 mile run to loosen up. I went to the stadium and ran around the athletic facilities. I went around Moose Krause Circle and simulated what the ending would be like. What a cool place to explore!
Right next to the stadium is the Joyce Center where the basketball team plays, then across the street from there is the holy grail of college football. Prior to 1930 when Notre Dame Stadium was built, Cartier Field was the stadium that Notre Dame played in. This is now part of their practice facility, but when running around this area you cannot help but think of the greats like the 4 horsemen, Gipp (The Gipper), and Knute Rockne. In the 23 years this field was open, the Irish never lost a home game.
Just running around the stadium itself was an incredible experience. As you run counter clockwise from the south side of the stadium, one of the first statues you run into is one of Ara Parseghian on the shoulders of his players. Ara was born in Akron, Ohio and was head coach of the Irish from 1964-1974. His teams compiled 95 victories, 17 losses, and 4 ties. Along with this, his teams won 2 national championships. As you keep running north you see a wall on the concourse inside the gate. This wall is filled with helmets and plaques for Consensus All Americans.
As you turn the corner of the stadium, you look up to the right and you see Touchdown Jesus! What an amazing site to see a mosaic of Jesus with his hands up as if to say come one, come all to me and I will provide! It was named Touchdown Jesus because it looks as if He is signaling touchdown and can clearly be seen from inside the stadium when looking north.
Then as you turn to the left, you see the tunnel to the field and of course a Knute Rockne Statue. As you look down the tunnel you can see the north end zone and goal post. What a place to see the Knute Rockne statue. Next to crosses and Jesus himself, Knute Rockne’s memory is the next most preserved on campus. Knute Rockne, of course, is the famed head coach of Notre Dame from 1918 to 1930 where his teams had 105 victories, 12 losses, 5 ties, and 5 national championships, including 5 undefeated seasons without even a tie.
Turning the corner and heading back south you run with the campus to your west and you can see the beauty of the campus. They keep this place immaculate. Soon you come to another staute, one with which you would be very familiar if you are from the Kent State area. It is a statue of Lou Holtz. Holtz is a Kent State University graduate and the Irish coach from 1986 to 1993. He is noted with having the players' names taken off their jerseys to emphasize the team part of the game. His teams had 64 victories, 9 losses, and 1 tie with 1 national championship.
It all began as I entered into South Bend on Friday night and checked into my hotel; I made my way to pick up my packet in downtown South Bend. Once I got my packet I headed back to the hotel and got on my running clothes and headed out to Notre Dame to take a 2 mile run to loosen up. I went to the stadium and ran around the athletic facilities. I went around Moose Krause Circle and simulated what the ending would be like. What a cool place to explore!
Right next to the stadium is the Joyce Center where the basketball team plays, then across the street from there is the holy grail of college football. Prior to 1930 when Notre Dame Stadium was built, Cartier Field was the stadium that Notre Dame played in. This is now part of their practice facility, but when running around this area you cannot help but think of the greats like the 4 horsemen, Gipp (The Gipper), and Knute Rockne. In the 23 years this field was open, the Irish never lost a home game.
Just running around the stadium itself was an incredible experience. As you run counter clockwise from the south side of the stadium, one of the first statues you run into is one of Ara Parseghian on the shoulders of his players. Ara was born in Akron, Ohio and was head coach of the Irish from 1964-1974. His teams compiled 95 victories, 17 losses, and 4 ties. Along with this, his teams won 2 national championships. As you keep running north you see a wall on the concourse inside the gate. This wall is filled with helmets and plaques for Consensus All Americans.
As you turn the corner of the stadium, you look up to the right and you see Touchdown Jesus! What an amazing site to see a mosaic of Jesus with his hands up as if to say come one, come all to me and I will provide! It was named Touchdown Jesus because it looks as if He is signaling touchdown and can clearly be seen from inside the stadium when looking north.
Then as you turn to the left, you see the tunnel to the field and of course a Knute Rockne Statue. As you look down the tunnel you can see the north end zone and goal post. What a place to see the Knute Rockne statue. Next to crosses and Jesus himself, Knute Rockne’s memory is the next most preserved on campus. Knute Rockne, of course, is the famed head coach of Notre Dame from 1918 to 1930 where his teams had 105 victories, 12 losses, 5 ties, and 5 national championships, including 5 undefeated seasons without even a tie.
Turning the corner and heading back south you run with the campus to your west and you can see the beauty of the campus. They keep this place immaculate. Soon you come to another staute, one with which you would be very familiar if you are from the Kent State area. It is a statue of Lou Holtz. Holtz is a Kent State University graduate and the Irish coach from 1986 to 1993. He is noted with having the players' names taken off their jerseys to emphasize the team part of the game. His teams had 64 victories, 9 losses, and 1 tie with 1 national championship.
Turning east on Moose Krause, you head back toward the south end of the stadium where you run into the last statue around the stadium. It is of Frank Leahy a player who, next to Rockne, was probably the most notable coach of Notre Dame. His teams are thought to have been the most successful of Irish history. His teams had 6 undeafeated seasons, 4 national championships and were unbeaten in 39 games. As you look into the concourse at this point you see that they have banners of their national championship team coaches.
When I was done running, I walked the campus a bit and admired the beauty and reverence they had to God. What a place to run and reflect on all God has done! After this, I headed out for a pasta dinner and then settled into the hotel for the night, knowing the next day would be awesome and I could not wait to hear the chanting and the crowd when I reached Notre Dame Stadium in the morning.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Thoughts for this Weekend
Well, it is two days before my first fitness test of the new year. On Saturday at 7:30 AM the Hall of Fame to Notre Dame 1/2 Marathon will start and I will be at the starting line. So what will go through my mind prior to the race on Saturday?
A few days before I am starting to think about the goal I set and it is scary thinking about how I will get there. My first goal is always to glorify God with every step. The second goal is to finish the race. Lastly, I have a time goal which is to maintain 8:00/mile pace for all 13.1 miles. This will have me finishing in 1:44:52.
The first two goals seem easy enough, however, the first goal will help me obtain the last 2 goals. As I have gone on my final training runs the last few days, I have been truly humbled and I hope that is because God is trying to show me how much I need Him to finish this race.
Sunday I did a 5 Mile run, but I had to stop about 3 miles into it to get a drink and cool off. On Tuesday, I did my last 6 miler at race pace and I must say when I was done I was spent! It took everything I had to run 6 miles at 8:00/mile pace! This morning I ran 5.6 miles at slightly over race pace as my final tune up.
So for a guy who leading up to this ran 10 mile runs like they were easy, you can only imagine that this week has been a bit worrying and humbling. This is not the first time I have felt this way and I can truly say that I feel good about this feeling. You know the feeling...like you are going to fall short or, better yet, like you are not going to finish at all.
Why do I feel good about that you may ask? My answer may trouble some ,but I can only speak from my heart here. I am not a true runner. I have never been much into running in the past, for that matter I have always been average in my athletic endeavors. I can hold my own in sports but when the going gets tough or the competition gets better, I am separated quickly as it is obvious I do not belong.
With this all in mind, I have set my sights on running a marathon. According to one source, last year 464,923 people in the USA finished marathons. This does not mean 464,923 different people but finishers. For instance, one of my friends ran and finished 2 last year. The US population as of 2009 was approximately 305 million, so less than 1% of Americans have finished a marathon. So, either I am a great athlete or I am accomplishing this with someone else's power.
If I were a great athlete I sure would be making more money than I am today and I would be playing a game everyday. Obviously you can see that is not true because I am not an athlete but a regular, everyday business man. That only leaves one way I can accomplish this goal. It is with the power of Jesus Christ in me. Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" as you read this, note that it says His power is at work within us! That is pretty cool!
So for me to be humbled shows me that 'I' cannot do anything, but if I let God's power work through me He can accomplish far more than I can ask or imagine!
In the end, what will be my thoughts on race morning? I will begin the day in prayer on my knees asking for His help, His power, and His presence in my run. I will begin focusing on God and will try to lessen my aniexty by putting all my goals on His shoulders. This way I cannot lose! I will be able to run free with a clear mind and a joyful heart. Please say a prayer for me!
A few days before I am starting to think about the goal I set and it is scary thinking about how I will get there. My first goal is always to glorify God with every step. The second goal is to finish the race. Lastly, I have a time goal which is to maintain 8:00/mile pace for all 13.1 miles. This will have me finishing in 1:44:52.
The first two goals seem easy enough, however, the first goal will help me obtain the last 2 goals. As I have gone on my final training runs the last few days, I have been truly humbled and I hope that is because God is trying to show me how much I need Him to finish this race.
Sunday I did a 5 Mile run, but I had to stop about 3 miles into it to get a drink and cool off. On Tuesday, I did my last 6 miler at race pace and I must say when I was done I was spent! It took everything I had to run 6 miles at 8:00/mile pace! This morning I ran 5.6 miles at slightly over race pace as my final tune up.
So for a guy who leading up to this ran 10 mile runs like they were easy, you can only imagine that this week has been a bit worrying and humbling. This is not the first time I have felt this way and I can truly say that I feel good about this feeling. You know the feeling...like you are going to fall short or, better yet, like you are not going to finish at all.
Why do I feel good about that you may ask? My answer may trouble some ,but I can only speak from my heart here. I am not a true runner. I have never been much into running in the past, for that matter I have always been average in my athletic endeavors. I can hold my own in sports but when the going gets tough or the competition gets better, I am separated quickly as it is obvious I do not belong.
With this all in mind, I have set my sights on running a marathon. According to one source, last year 464,923 people in the USA finished marathons. This does not mean 464,923 different people but finishers. For instance, one of my friends ran and finished 2 last year. The US population as of 2009 was approximately 305 million, so less than 1% of Americans have finished a marathon. So, either I am a great athlete or I am accomplishing this with someone else's power.
If I were a great athlete I sure would be making more money than I am today and I would be playing a game everyday. Obviously you can see that is not true because I am not an athlete but a regular, everyday business man. That only leaves one way I can accomplish this goal. It is with the power of Jesus Christ in me. Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" as you read this, note that it says His power is at work within us! That is pretty cool!
So for me to be humbled shows me that 'I' cannot do anything, but if I let God's power work through me He can accomplish far more than I can ask or imagine!
In the end, what will be my thoughts on race morning? I will begin the day in prayer on my knees asking for His help, His power, and His presence in my run. I will begin focusing on God and will try to lessen my aniexty by putting all my goals on His shoulders. This way I cannot lose! I will be able to run free with a clear mind and a joyful heart. Please say a prayer for me!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Just Do It!
Many of you have seen me post things on Facebook and in my blog about running longer distances. Typical weeks lately have me running 50+ miles in the week and typically I run them from a 7:50 to 8:30 per mile pace. However it has not always been that way and I would even say that it is not typical for most people to put in this many miles in a week.
The past couple of weeks, one theme has been coming to the forefront when I am talking with others that are struggling with health and fitness. Many of those that are struggling with fitness take a look at the workouts I am doing and they get discouraged. So as I thought about this I wanted share with you all a story about me getting started in running and where I came from. I hope to encourage you to just get started and work your way to a comfortable level of fitness for you.
Back a few years ago I struggled with how I could get some excercise in my life. I am not an early bird so the morning wasn't something I could do consistently. I worked during the day so during the day was out. I had two young girls at home and Julie needed my help with them so evenings were out. After the kids went to bed I was taking classes so I would do homework then. In the end the only thing I could see me being able to do consistently was spending my lunchtime on the track.
As it was, Chagrin Falls High School was right up the street from my office and it is open to the public for use. I decided one day that I would go to CFHS three days a week and run/walk a mile each time. So the first Monday morning came and I went up to the track.
For those that do not know, a typical track is 400 meters or 440 yards long. Four laps on a track equals 1 mile, so I set out to go four laps around the track. I started the first day just walking the mile. As a competitor I cannot do anything without challenging myself, so I set out walking and trying to keep a fairly brisk walk pace. The goal in the end was for me to finish the mile without stopping. Long term the goal was to run one full mile without stopping and to do it in less than 10 minutes.
As I took off I thought "This is easy!" and I went at it very briskly. Eventually after only 1/2 a lap I started to feel that this was going to be harder than I thought. My calves were burning fiercly and I was having trouble just taking each step. Remembering my goal to finish without stopping, I kept pushing forward.
I struggled through the rest of lap 1 and lap 2. By lap 3 I was hurting really badly; I was down to a shuffle of my feet and my calves started to feel like they were going to cramp up. I thought to myself, "How did I get to this point? How could I let myself get this far out of shape that merely walking 1 mile was beyond my reach?" I finished lap 3 and I had to stop for a moment. At that point I sat down on a bleacher that was on the track and looked up to heaven and asked God WHY? I was at a crisis of faith and I needed to make a decision!
That decision was whether I wanted to get up and finish this mile and work my way through the pain ,or did I want to accept that I was made to be fat and out of shape. As I looked up to heaven contemplating what direction I should go, I decided that God made me for more than I thought I was made for. When you are fat and out of shape you do not have very high self esteem; you tend to work in the here and now and not look to the future and how our decisions today affect what happens tomorrow. That Ho Ho tastes so good right now ,but in the long term it contributes to our long term health.
So I decided to get up and finish the mile - one last lap! I cried pretty much the whole last lap. Partially because of my emotional state but mostly because of the pain that I was having. In the end I finished the first mile in just under 20 minutes.
After this first time I started to add some running into the mile by adding a half a lap a week until I was running the full mile without stopping. Once the full mile was achieved I wanted to add another mile to my run and the goal was to run 2 miles without stopping in a 10 minute pace. I wanted to do double the amount of distance in the time that I finished the first mile.
Can I encourage each of you to not look at what I or any others are doing for their fitness, but to look at what you can do to improve your own? For me it was humbling to know that I could not walk one mile! But I did not look to others' workouts and think if I cannot do that then I will not do anything.
Too many times we focus on the here and now! We want things to happen overnight and we are a "results now" society! Remember these words I wrote in an earlier blog post, "You did not put it on in a day and it will not come off in a day." The same can be said for cardio fitness; it will not happen overnight but as I have found out if you stick with it and you want to go further you will do so in a short period of time. All you need to do is make up your mind that you want to be in better shape and have better health!
The past couple of weeks, one theme has been coming to the forefront when I am talking with others that are struggling with health and fitness. Many of those that are struggling with fitness take a look at the workouts I am doing and they get discouraged. So as I thought about this I wanted share with you all a story about me getting started in running and where I came from. I hope to encourage you to just get started and work your way to a comfortable level of fitness for you.
Back a few years ago I struggled with how I could get some excercise in my life. I am not an early bird so the morning wasn't something I could do consistently. I worked during the day so during the day was out. I had two young girls at home and Julie needed my help with them so evenings were out. After the kids went to bed I was taking classes so I would do homework then. In the end the only thing I could see me being able to do consistently was spending my lunchtime on the track.
As it was, Chagrin Falls High School was right up the street from my office and it is open to the public for use. I decided one day that I would go to CFHS three days a week and run/walk a mile each time. So the first Monday morning came and I went up to the track.
For those that do not know, a typical track is 400 meters or 440 yards long. Four laps on a track equals 1 mile, so I set out to go four laps around the track. I started the first day just walking the mile. As a competitor I cannot do anything without challenging myself, so I set out walking and trying to keep a fairly brisk walk pace. The goal in the end was for me to finish the mile without stopping. Long term the goal was to run one full mile without stopping and to do it in less than 10 minutes.
As I took off I thought "This is easy!" and I went at it very briskly. Eventually after only 1/2 a lap I started to feel that this was going to be harder than I thought. My calves were burning fiercly and I was having trouble just taking each step. Remembering my goal to finish without stopping, I kept pushing forward.
I struggled through the rest of lap 1 and lap 2. By lap 3 I was hurting really badly; I was down to a shuffle of my feet and my calves started to feel like they were going to cramp up. I thought to myself, "How did I get to this point? How could I let myself get this far out of shape that merely walking 1 mile was beyond my reach?" I finished lap 3 and I had to stop for a moment. At that point I sat down on a bleacher that was on the track and looked up to heaven and asked God WHY? I was at a crisis of faith and I needed to make a decision!
That decision was whether I wanted to get up and finish this mile and work my way through the pain ,or did I want to accept that I was made to be fat and out of shape. As I looked up to heaven contemplating what direction I should go, I decided that God made me for more than I thought I was made for. When you are fat and out of shape you do not have very high self esteem; you tend to work in the here and now and not look to the future and how our decisions today affect what happens tomorrow. That Ho Ho tastes so good right now ,but in the long term it contributes to our long term health.
So I decided to get up and finish the mile - one last lap! I cried pretty much the whole last lap. Partially because of my emotional state but mostly because of the pain that I was having. In the end I finished the first mile in just under 20 minutes.
After this first time I started to add some running into the mile by adding a half a lap a week until I was running the full mile without stopping. Once the full mile was achieved I wanted to add another mile to my run and the goal was to run 2 miles without stopping in a 10 minute pace. I wanted to do double the amount of distance in the time that I finished the first mile.
Can I encourage each of you to not look at what I or any others are doing for their fitness, but to look at what you can do to improve your own? For me it was humbling to know that I could not walk one mile! But I did not look to others' workouts and think if I cannot do that then I will not do anything.
Too many times we focus on the here and now! We want things to happen overnight and we are a "results now" society! Remember these words I wrote in an earlier blog post, "You did not put it on in a day and it will not come off in a day." The same can be said for cardio fitness; it will not happen overnight but as I have found out if you stick with it and you want to go further you will do so in a short period of time. All you need to do is make up your mind that you want to be in better shape and have better health!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Hall of Fame to Notre Dame Inspiration!
Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! or Matty! Matty! Matty! One of the most historical stadiums in all of college football is Notre Dame Stadium. Knute Rockne, Joe Montana, Jerome Bettis, Lou Holtz, Ara Paseghian, Paul Hornung, The Four Horsemen, and the list goes on and on. All of these people played for the Irish and all played on this historic field. One of the most known people to play at Notre Dame was a player that was not all that talented but is the last person ever carried off the field at Notre Dame. Rudy Ruettiger is best known for the movie about him called 'Rudy.' He played on the Irish practice squad for two years and in his final game his senior year he got the opportunity to dress for a game against Georgia Tech. At the end of the game the crowd was chanting Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! and he got the opportunity to get in the game and close the game with a sack of the quarterback.
The past few weeks I have been planning out my training plan for the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10. In the process I have been thinking about running a longer race to test my fitness and to help me determine my final goal time for Chicago. The Cleveland Marathon was sold out so I went looking for something to fit into my schedule. I finally came across the Hall of Fame to Notre Dame Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. When I read that the finish is at the 50 yard line of the stadium, I gave serious consideration to going to South Bend.
I am not a Gold Domer, or even a Catholic, but the thought of visiting this historic site and better yet running into the stadium is extremely exciting. I have always been one to enjoy seeing the sites where history took place. The most exciting thing to me is to run through the tunnel on to the field that Rudy was carried off.
I happen to love the movie 'Rudy' and I think it is because Rudy would not accept what others were telling him. What better story to think about when running long distances than to think about the story of a 5'6", 165 pound kid who jumped through hoops to play for the 3rd winningest team in NCAA history. A person who overcame dyxlexia to get a college degree from a prestigious university. When they told him he did not have a chance to make the team, he gave it all he had and did so for the next 2 years in order to make the team better.
I often tell my daughters that you can be terrible at something. You can be terrible at singing, dancing, sports, school work, etc... I myself will be fine with that as long as you can look me straight in the eye and tell me you gave it all that you had. If you give all that you have, then you can rest knowing that you have nothing else to give. If you do not give all that you have, you will be stirred up inside thinking, "What if?"
Rudy's story is one that inspires me, and what drew out his passion and effort was the heritage and history of Notre Dame. I, too, am driven by history and others who have inspired greatness in people. I am inspired by those who are given little but use that little to be great. It is not talent that makes a champion; it is heart and effort that makes a champion.
The other night I bit the bullet and signed up for the 1/2 Marathon. The date of this event is June 5, 2010 and the start is at 7:30 AM. I can already hear it as I turn onto Moose Krause Circle and start toward the tunnel to enter the stadium Matty! Matty! Matty! only for me it will not be the crowd but the Lord leading the way and cheering me to completion! Pray for me please!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
What do you believe?
I am sure this posting will fume many people and it may strike a passionate response from others. I will just simply state my opinion, one I hope is grounded in common sense, so here it goes.
As many of you may know, I grew up in a lower income class family. I was taught that the Republican was a rich person who does not care about anyone but themselves, and that a Democrat was a compassionate person who is all about caring for the poor. I also have been and still am very critical of the former Republican administration (Bush). With this all being said, this will be the most that you will hear about my views on politics. Hopefully the rest of this blog will be focused on the way I see the world.
In the last four years of Bush's presidency, he panicked and started to spend money like a hungry man who had not eaten for days and was given $100 to spend on food. If he received a bill that was about spending he signed it and moved forward. When it came to stimulus he was right up front in supporting the bill. The deficit grew under his watch tremendously and the people in this world could not stand him. They hated him to a point that the Republicans would not even use him during the election year to endorse their canidate. (I do realize that this was not the only policy that the people hated him for.)
As we look forward, during his election campaign President Obama ran on change and on hope. He promised to withdraw our troops and correct our financial system. However, with that being said, he has continued the same policy of Bush's presidency. If a bill comes through with spending on it, he signs it. The deficit is projected and has already grown tremendously in his first year in office. Some people hate him so much that Democrats are picking and choosing when and where to have him campaign for the party.
Does this sound similar? I would make the argument that Obama and Bush are very similar in their policies. Bush was for spending and so is Obama. Bush was for the war and Obama, through getting into office and realizing that our security was at stake, has changed his tune and become more supportive of the war. Sure they have their differences in foreign policy, entitlement programs, etc... But on the issues that are of most importance to Americans today they have not changed a bit.
With all this being said, I want to bring a recent Facebook page to light. Recently a page has been brought out that is titled the following: "Dear Lord, This year you took my favorite actor Patrick Swayzie, my favorite actress Farah Fawcett, and my favorite singer Michael Jackson. I just wanted to let you know that my favorite President is Barack Obama. Amen!"
When this was first brought to my attention I thought to myself, "This is funny." Not because it was Barack Obama, it could have been George Bush (either one), Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, etc... What I thought was funny was the cleverness of the statement. However I feel as if I am in the minority on this issue. I also feel as if the world is full of hypocracy.
In the past 20 years of my life, no matter who has been the President, many people have taken humorous shots at the big guy! Bush's presidency was the fodder of tons of jokes, many of them being brought on by comments and actions of Bush himself. I laughed extremely hard at these jokes for the way the writer used his/her cleverness to bring a funny perspective to the Presidency.
I did not nor would I hope that any of you would think that Bush was as dumb as the comedy portrayed. Whether you think senior got junior Bush into Yale or not, he still had to take the tests in order to pass through. If you think he is dumb, then I would challenge you to think about how dumb that makes the American people. Why? Because he was elected twice!
With this being said my simple question is, why is it different when Barack Obama is the brunt of jokes like the one from Facebook? Do you really think that the vast majority of praying people (of any religion that believes in God) want Obama dead? There will always be a fringe group that believes that is a product of this fallen world.
As this came out the other day I said to my wife and some others that this will be construed in the media as being over the top. CNN (a group that the vast majority of typical Americans think is neutral) has reported on this as if to say that this is hate speech. The page has received greater than 600,000 members according to the article linked here http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/21/obama.facebook.prayer/index.html. Where were CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, and others when jokes were being made about George W. Bush in the same manner?
I believe the biggest issue in this world is not about politics or policies, it is about knowing what you believe in! It is not about talking points or regurgitating what your favorite source has to say. It is about forming your own opinion! This is what has made America great! You are free to think and believe as you please (obviously I am not referring to hurting others ). The question you must ask yourself today is, "What do I believe?"
I am not here to take a side but I am saying that you need to formulate your own opinion. Don't base your opinion on hearsay but base it on how you view the facts. Don't base your opinion on whether a Republican says it or a Democrat says it! Base it on what you know to be true and stay consistent! If you see a joke as a joke, don't change your tune 4 years later when the joke is about another person in the same position.
If you think that this world is a bad place and evil reigns you are correct. So do you just join in because you cannot do anything about it, or do you fight the good fight? Step out today and dare to be different, dare to take a stance on subjects and don't stand on another's view point. Instead, stand on your opinion and the facts that back them up.
As many of you may know, I grew up in a lower income class family. I was taught that the Republican was a rich person who does not care about anyone but themselves, and that a Democrat was a compassionate person who is all about caring for the poor. I also have been and still am very critical of the former Republican administration (Bush). With this all being said, this will be the most that you will hear about my views on politics. Hopefully the rest of this blog will be focused on the way I see the world.
In the last four years of Bush's presidency, he panicked and started to spend money like a hungry man who had not eaten for days and was given $100 to spend on food. If he received a bill that was about spending he signed it and moved forward. When it came to stimulus he was right up front in supporting the bill. The deficit grew under his watch tremendously and the people in this world could not stand him. They hated him to a point that the Republicans would not even use him during the election year to endorse their canidate. (I do realize that this was not the only policy that the people hated him for.)
As we look forward, during his election campaign President Obama ran on change and on hope. He promised to withdraw our troops and correct our financial system. However, with that being said, he has continued the same policy of Bush's presidency. If a bill comes through with spending on it, he signs it. The deficit is projected and has already grown tremendously in his first year in office. Some people hate him so much that Democrats are picking and choosing when and where to have him campaign for the party.
Does this sound similar? I would make the argument that Obama and Bush are very similar in their policies. Bush was for spending and so is Obama. Bush was for the war and Obama, through getting into office and realizing that our security was at stake, has changed his tune and become more supportive of the war. Sure they have their differences in foreign policy, entitlement programs, etc... But on the issues that are of most importance to Americans today they have not changed a bit.
With all this being said, I want to bring a recent Facebook page to light. Recently a page has been brought out that is titled the following: "Dear Lord, This year you took my favorite actor Patrick Swayzie, my favorite actress Farah Fawcett, and my favorite singer Michael Jackson. I just wanted to let you know that my favorite President is Barack Obama. Amen!"
When this was first brought to my attention I thought to myself, "This is funny." Not because it was Barack Obama, it could have been George Bush (either one), Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, etc... What I thought was funny was the cleverness of the statement. However I feel as if I am in the minority on this issue. I also feel as if the world is full of hypocracy.
In the past 20 years of my life, no matter who has been the President, many people have taken humorous shots at the big guy! Bush's presidency was the fodder of tons of jokes, many of them being brought on by comments and actions of Bush himself. I laughed extremely hard at these jokes for the way the writer used his/her cleverness to bring a funny perspective to the Presidency.
I did not nor would I hope that any of you would think that Bush was as dumb as the comedy portrayed. Whether you think senior got junior Bush into Yale or not, he still had to take the tests in order to pass through. If you think he is dumb, then I would challenge you to think about how dumb that makes the American people. Why? Because he was elected twice!
With this being said my simple question is, why is it different when Barack Obama is the brunt of jokes like the one from Facebook? Do you really think that the vast majority of praying people (of any religion that believes in God) want Obama dead? There will always be a fringe group that believes that is a product of this fallen world.
As this came out the other day I said to my wife and some others that this will be construed in the media as being over the top. CNN (a group that the vast majority of typical Americans think is neutral) has reported on this as if to say that this is hate speech. The page has received greater than 600,000 members according to the article linked here http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/21/obama.facebook.prayer/index.html. Where were CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, and others when jokes were being made about George W. Bush in the same manner?
I believe the biggest issue in this world is not about politics or policies, it is about knowing what you believe in! It is not about talking points or regurgitating what your favorite source has to say. It is about forming your own opinion! This is what has made America great! You are free to think and believe as you please (obviously I am not referring to hurting others ). The question you must ask yourself today is, "What do I believe?"
I am not here to take a side but I am saying that you need to formulate your own opinion. Don't base your opinion on hearsay but base it on how you view the facts. Don't base your opinion on whether a Republican says it or a Democrat says it! Base it on what you know to be true and stay consistent! If you see a joke as a joke, don't change your tune 4 years later when the joke is about another person in the same position.
If you think that this world is a bad place and evil reigns you are correct. So do you just join in because you cannot do anything about it, or do you fight the good fight? Step out today and dare to be different, dare to take a stance on subjects and don't stand on another's view point. Instead, stand on your opinion and the facts that back them up.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Running up a mountain!
It has been a while since I last wrote. However, God has not stopped working! This past week I spent time in Los Angelos and San Diego. I set out Palm Sunday on a long run of about 12-13 miles. I went out of the hotel thinking of just running up a hill on the city street and running around a few neighborhoods, but God had a different plan in mind for me on that run. As I got toward the top of that hill, I stopped to take a picture of the mountains in front of me. I was taking the picture to text to a friend to make him jealous of my view on my run. I even thought how cool it would be to run to the peak of that mountain.
Well, God surely knows the heart's true desire and thus about 1/2 half mile up the road from that point was an entrance into a national park full of trails. I was a bit scared to enter as I knew nothing about the trails or where they took you, but I did enter with hesitation thinking of just running on the main trail for a while.
Not very long into the run I came up to a few runners out on a morning run. I asked them where they were from, and they were locals so I said, "Where does this trail lead?" One of the guys I met was Scott and he was the director of the San Deigo 100 mile race; he told me that one of the trails led to the peak of the the mountain. Immediately I recalled my thought about a mile back when I was taking the picture. I thought, "WOW that would be cool!" Scott told me to follow them as they were on that same route. I texted Julie to tell her I would be longer than I thought but that I had an opportunity to go to the top of a mountain.
With that in mind I started up the mountainside. The trail was a switchback trail used to keep the incline to a minimum, and as I started I had my road runner's mentality and tried to keep up an 8-9 minute mile pace. That was short lived as I soon realized that with the increase in elevation keeping a steady and slower pace was in order!
As I continued to climb higher and higher I stopped periodically and admired the view. How beautiful and perfect the world looked from that perspective! I would look out over the land and I could see for miles around me. From that perspective I felt really, really small and I got a better perspective of just how truly big God is! Suddenly I realized that everything in the world was under God's control and truly a rather large burden seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. I realized at that moment that all I had to do was be myself and give my best and God would take care of the rest.
I reached the first plateau of the mountain where there was a lake called Lake Poway. Instantly I thought of Psalm 104 where the Psalmist writes that God held the waters above the mountains and at His rebuke released them to flow down the mountains into their place. I was in the middle of the mountains, none of them were above 5000 feet so no snow was there to keep the lake full - only rain and God's right hand!
I said to myself, "Self, how great is our God?" And my self replied, "Too Great!"
As I continued from that point I noticed a ton more hikers and runners on the trails, all of them admiring the beauty and awesomeness of this incredible creation. I thought, "I wonder who these people think created all of this? Do they believe that God is the creator of all things or do they believe that all this happened by accident?" These are questions that baffle me and to many that may read this, I am sure you will give me your scientific proof (that is not complete), however, I choose to believe that God is the creator.
Coming from Ohio it is not typical that you get an opportunity to run in the mountains and I wanted to take in this whole experience. I stopped many times, one to rest but more often the stop would be to take in the view and spend a few momments with God in prayer. My prayers were for so many things. I prayed for friends and their family members, I prayed for my wife, my kids, my dad, I prayed for all those that do not know or cannot give their heart, mind, and soul to God. From my perspective nothing seemed impossible for God, so my prayers were BIG! It was not the "blessed be with" prayers. You know the ones where you ask God to bless Bobby and be with Joey? No, my prayers were for things to change and to happen!
I find that being in these situations helps me take God out of the box I tend to put Him in and helps me see Him for who He is! The creator, provider, healer, and friend.
As you can imagine my prayers that day were a bit large and right away He answered one of them by getting me to the top of the mountain without injurying myself. As I reach this point I took a moment to let it all soak in and a tear came to my eye. I was filled with awe and wonder just thinking about the place I came from: 311 pounds, high blood pressure, on the verge of a heart attack, and yet this day God made it possible for me to climb this mountian! Why? Did I do anything to deserve His favor? Am I not a sinner? Nope, I did nothing He blessed me and hopefully I will glorify Him! That to me is amazing grace!
As I came down the mountain I fully started to realize the height from which I was coming down. It was hard to keep running as my body was being thrust down the mountain side and at times I thought I was going to trip! I kept saying to myself, "Pick up your feet..." As I started to get to the bottom, I once again worried about getting out of the trail area without getting lost. I ran into a fork in the road and was a bit confused, but within a few seconds a group of hikers came by and steered me in the right direction (another indication that God was with me.) As I exited the park and ran back down the hill to the hotel, I was moved to tears once again just thinking about how this run started off. I just wanted to get in 12-13 miles on the road. I ended up with 16 miles and a trip to the top of the mountain!
Well, God surely knows the heart's true desire and thus about 1/2 half mile up the road from that point was an entrance into a national park full of trails. I was a bit scared to enter as I knew nothing about the trails or where they took you, but I did enter with hesitation thinking of just running on the main trail for a while.
Not very long into the run I came up to a few runners out on a morning run. I asked them where they were from, and they were locals so I said, "Where does this trail lead?" One of the guys I met was Scott and he was the director of the San Deigo 100 mile race; he told me that one of the trails led to the peak of the the mountain. Immediately I recalled my thought about a mile back when I was taking the picture. I thought, "WOW that would be cool!" Scott told me to follow them as they were on that same route. I texted Julie to tell her I would be longer than I thought but that I had an opportunity to go to the top of a mountain.
With that in mind I started up the mountainside. The trail was a switchback trail used to keep the incline to a minimum, and as I started I had my road runner's mentality and tried to keep up an 8-9 minute mile pace. That was short lived as I soon realized that with the increase in elevation keeping a steady and slower pace was in order!
As I continued to climb higher and higher I stopped periodically and admired the view. How beautiful and perfect the world looked from that perspective! I would look out over the land and I could see for miles around me. From that perspective I felt really, really small and I got a better perspective of just how truly big God is! Suddenly I realized that everything in the world was under God's control and truly a rather large burden seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. I realized at that moment that all I had to do was be myself and give my best and God would take care of the rest.
I reached the first plateau of the mountain where there was a lake called Lake Poway. Instantly I thought of Psalm 104 where the Psalmist writes that God held the waters above the mountains and at His rebuke released them to flow down the mountains into their place. I was in the middle of the mountains, none of them were above 5000 feet so no snow was there to keep the lake full - only rain and God's right hand!
I said to myself, "Self, how great is our God?" And my self replied, "Too Great!"
As I continued from that point I noticed a ton more hikers and runners on the trails, all of them admiring the beauty and awesomeness of this incredible creation. I thought, "I wonder who these people think created all of this? Do they believe that God is the creator of all things or do they believe that all this happened by accident?" These are questions that baffle me and to many that may read this, I am sure you will give me your scientific proof (that is not complete), however, I choose to believe that God is the creator.
Coming from Ohio it is not typical that you get an opportunity to run in the mountains and I wanted to take in this whole experience. I stopped many times, one to rest but more often the stop would be to take in the view and spend a few momments with God in prayer. My prayers were for so many things. I prayed for friends and their family members, I prayed for my wife, my kids, my dad, I prayed for all those that do not know or cannot give their heart, mind, and soul to God. From my perspective nothing seemed impossible for God, so my prayers were BIG! It was not the "blessed be with" prayers. You know the ones where you ask God to bless Bobby and be with Joey? No, my prayers were for things to change and to happen!
I find that being in these situations helps me take God out of the box I tend to put Him in and helps me see Him for who He is! The creator, provider, healer, and friend.
As you can imagine my prayers that day were a bit large and right away He answered one of them by getting me to the top of the mountain without injurying myself. As I reach this point I took a moment to let it all soak in and a tear came to my eye. I was filled with awe and wonder just thinking about the place I came from: 311 pounds, high blood pressure, on the verge of a heart attack, and yet this day God made it possible for me to climb this mountian! Why? Did I do anything to deserve His favor? Am I not a sinner? Nope, I did nothing He blessed me and hopefully I will glorify Him! That to me is amazing grace!
As I came down the mountain I fully started to realize the height from which I was coming down. It was hard to keep running as my body was being thrust down the mountain side and at times I thought I was going to trip! I kept saying to myself, "Pick up your feet..." As I started to get to the bottom, I once again worried about getting out of the trail area without getting lost. I ran into a fork in the road and was a bit confused, but within a few seconds a group of hikers came by and steered me in the right direction (another indication that God was with me.) As I exited the park and ran back down the hill to the hotel, I was moved to tears once again just thinking about how this run started off. I just wanted to get in 12-13 miles on the road. I ended up with 16 miles and a trip to the top of the mountain!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Truly Humbled
Well as I wrote last week I finished my crash diet and started my first week of the rest of my life. Maintaining my weight is going to be a challenge, and as I found out last week it can be truly frightening. Along with the last day I was able to take an "after" picture at the gym, and I am honored that they have made up the flyer below. 
My thought going into this journey was not about the impact the end result would have but on getting myself healthier. In the process I am finding that my story is like so many others out there. Unlike some of our athletic heroes today, I want to come straight out and let everyone know that my results are completely NATURAL. I did not take any drugs and did not have any surgeries.
What is the true key to my success? When I asked for help I listened and did what the person I asked told me to do. I am not saying follow someone blindly, but once you ask and the person gives you solid advice you have no other excuse but to just do it. What is the saying..."Anything worth having is going to cost you something"? Why is this any different?
My thought going into this journey was not about the impact the end result would have but on getting myself healthier. In the process I am finding that my story is like so many others out there. Unlike some of our athletic heroes today, I want to come straight out and let everyone know that my results are completely NATURAL. I did not take any drugs and did not have any surgeries.I tell you all this because I have heard so many people who are desperate and talking about surgery as an option. Although I am not a doctor and cannot speak to the dangers or complications from a surgery, I can say that everyone can do this without surgery. It takes faith, trust, and plenty of listening skills.
What is the true key to my success? When I asked for help I listened and did what the person I asked told me to do. I am not saying follow someone blindly, but once you ask and the person gives you solid advice you have no other excuse but to just do it. What is the saying..."Anything worth having is going to cost you something"? Why is this any different?
Many say, "How can you give up so much or how did you do this?" My response is that I wanted to feel better about myself, I wanted to be the Father, Husband, Brother, Uncle, and Friend that God designed me to be. I was tired of turning down my daughter when she wanted to play. I was tired of not helping my wife around the house, I was tired of telling my friends I would love to do that but I am tired. I was plain tired of letting down the people around me.
To me it is not about me at all! If God wants to take me to Heaven, I say let's go! He has me on this earth for a purpose and that purpose is giving myself to bring Him praise. If that means being the best I can be, then I have to give it a shot.
In the end I set out to do something for others and somehow God is using it to encourage, inspire, and challenge others! That, my friends, is Truly Humbling!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Perspective
Well, today is the beginning of the rest of my life. Back in December of 2008 I started with this crazy idea that I would change my lifestyle and become more fit and healthy. As of this afternoon I am officially done with the losing weight portion of this program. I have lost 102 pounds and only have 14.2% body fat. That is a far ways away from the 311 pound start with 35% body fat.
To me it was a lot like climbing a mountain. Mount Everest sits at 29,000 feet high, and if you stood at the base of that mountain you could not even see the peak. When I started on this journey I stood at the base and went after something I could not see or touch. I merely set out to be healthier. In the process I would climb bits of the mountain day by day. Some days would be good days and I would make it further up the mountain than others. Some days I would hit some loose slate and slip down a little bit. But like any good climber I would reset myself and start back up the mountain. Well, this past week I stood at the point in the mountain where I could see the peak. Today I am on top of the mountain looking at all of creation!
What does the view look like? It is very scary! At the peak of mountain you get very volatile weather and things can change in a moment's notice. I am reminded that a lot of mountains shut down during the peak winter period due to the danger of being at the top then. For me it is scary because I have spent the last 20 years trying to lose weight! Now I move into a period of my life where I can go into maintenance mode. And in case you are not keeping track, the last time I was in maintenance mode things got out of hand and I ballooned up 100+ pounds!
As I was on the treadmill the other day I was looking down from the peak and noticed many people that are in the position I was once in. Now I look at them and want to encourage them! They can and you can do it, you just need to take the mountain one step at a time. I am reminded of one of my favorite followers' words a few years back, "You did not put it on in a day and it will not come off in a day." I wonder as I move forward, how will God use me to help others struggling to be the person that they were made to be?
From the peak I am also encouraged and excited. As I look down I can see so much more that I can do. I have set some lofty goals that for the first time I believe I can and will achieve. I will be running the Chicago Marathon in the fall. I am planning on training for an Ironman Triathlon for sometime in 2011 or 2012. I am able to play sports at the highest level in my life (including High School and College).
From the peak I see perhaps the most important thing that I can see. I see that God can do more than all I can ask or imagine! I know many that are reading this do not understand what I mean here, but all of this was not done by me. You say, what does that mean? Are you telling me you did not do the work? Are you saying that you did not run the miles? Are you saying you did not lift the weights? My answer? Yep, that is what I am telling you. The key, I believe, is my last blog posting on identity. Who are you? I am a Christ follower and with that I have died unto myself and now He lives in me! So, yep, the Christ that lives in me did all the work and gained all the results. I was just the passenger that got to watch it all happen and what a ride it was!
I cannot tell you how many mornings I woke up and went to the gym wondering how I was going to get the energy to workout that day. When I finished I knew that all God needed me to do was to show up and He would take care of the rest. Energy flowed through me during the workout and He accomplished all that He intended on those mornings.
The peak of the mountain is a cool place. It is a place not many people make it to and those that do can get knocked off pretty easily. So I will keep my head down and continue to humble myself! I want to encourage you all to climb a mountain that you see is too high or too tough to climb. Whether it is losing weight, running a marathon, getting your PHD, or something of that ilk, pray about it! Ask God if this is what He would want to accomplish through you! Wait for Him to confirm the answer, then pursue it with passion! Trust that if God gives you a direction He will see you through the process. All you need to do is show up and get in the passenger seat - the ride will be awesome. And the view? Well, it is breathtaking to say the least!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Identity
A couple weekends ago I went down to Huntington, WV to watch my oldest daughter perform in a show choir competition and stayed just down the street from the campus of Marshall University. Being a big sports fan, I love to watch movies that are about sports and in particular I love watching true stories about real events in history.
The movie We Are Marshall is a story about a day in November of 1970 when the football team of Marshall University was coming back to Huntington from Greenville North Carolina when the charter jet they were flying in crashed, killing all who were on board.
The few players and coaches that were not on board took on the task of rebuilding the program and struggled mightily with losing all of the members of their football family. One of the biggest things they struggled with was their identity! They knew that they went to Marshall but they struggled trying to understand why they were spared from death. In the end they realized that it was not something they could control and they began to chant 'We are Marshall'!
Since I was in Huntington and I was only about a mile from the campus, I thought what a cool place to take a morning run! As I took off, the movie was playing in my head and I was wondering things like, did they film the movie here? I wonder what the area was like back when the tragedy hit? I wonder how the University remembers this group of people. Quickly I came up to the football stadium and ran across the athletic facility. On the side of the wall is painted 'We Are Marshall.' The rest of that run I pondered the meaning of this phrase...
What does it mean? Why did it resonate with the people of the time? Why is it so known and understood now? I came back to my room and posted the pictures on my Facebook page and wondered how long it would take for someone to comment with the 'We are Marshall' phrase.
I uploaded them at 8:35AM and at 8:50AM I had already had one 'We are Marshall' comment. So what was God teaching me on this run? I think I figured it out on my way home on Sunday. He was telling me it is not about me! It was not about those that were killed! It was not about those that survived! It was not about a movie or a city! It is all about our identity.
I think one of the biggest things that I get out of a long run is a true understanding of who I am and what powers me. When I set out on a long run, I plan to run out so far and then run back. On the way out all seems good as I am fresh and still excited about running. The way back is a different story. Many times I am truly humbled and begin to cry out to God for help on my journey. With no other way to get back home, I have to rely on my legs to get me there!
Paul tells us in the book of Romans that if we are truly believers of Christ that we have died with Christ and He now lives in us. So what does that mean to me when I run or do anything? It means that it is not me that is running but Christ's spirit running in me!
So to me if God is good, powerful, strong, wise, and never fails or fades, then I can depend on Him to get me through anything that He puts on my heart. Notice the subtle difference here! I did not say that He would get me through anything I want to accomplish, He will get me through anything HE wants to accomplish through me. Further, He states in His word that He has begun a work in me and He will see it through to an end! Praise Him!
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