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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

Excitement Builds!

As I take a break this week from my bland diet and live a bit, I am filled with excitement for the next step in my journey. I am not sure if any of you have ever set out to accomplish a goal that seems a bit out there, but for me to run a marathon seems a bit much. I am confident, however, that I will not only complete it but I will run it strong. With that being said ,I am excited to go and do it now!

Slow down, Matt! You are not ready today to go out and run 26.2 miles strong! But that is what I want to happen - I just want to show up and complete the task. Maybe some could go and do a 5K or 10K that way, but running a marathon that way is not very smart. See, I feel this is the way we all look at a task. We see something that we want to do, we explore all about it, we realize and visualize the euphoric feeling after completing the task, but we often glance over the pain and hard work that leads to the end results.

Last year when preparing for the Akron Half Marathon, I ran 275 miles in a 11 week period. I also did somewhere between 3-4 hours of swimming and I maintained a 2 day a week weight lifting program pretty much right up until a week or two before the race. I can honestly say that I felt like I was ready for that race, but as I reflect on the work I am amazed at what my body went through and at times I am on the verge of tears and overwhelmed by the blessing that God put into my hands.

What will that mean for this year's journey? I am plotting out the 16 weeks leading up to the race and I am enjoying doing it. Putting the journey down on paper helps me to make sure I do not look too far ahead. It helps me to keep my eye on the prize, which is to glorify Christ with every step on race day. It helps me to be accountable to my training! (note: I will be posting my workouts on my blog in the upper right hand corner to share with you all and to hold me accountable for the training)

In the meantime I will begin to build a base of mileage and strength for the next 16 weeks leading up to the week of June 1st when countdown begins. Will that mean 500+ miles, 8-10 hours of swimming, and weight training? I will let you all know, but one thing is for sure - I plan to enjoy it and work intensely in the process. Besides, what else can I do for a few hours to glorify the one who poured out His blood for me?