Palo Duro 20K

I recently signed up for the 29th annual Palo Duro 50 Mile - 50K - 20K Run/Walk. Fortunately, I was sane enough to register for the 20K event (~12.5 miles). I will be camping with a friend from college and his brother. The event will be on Saturday, October 16.

I will confess, I have not been running as much as I would like or need for the level of health I prefer. I have now registered for my first trail run and a marathon (which are two weeks apart) in October. As mentioned in a previous post, I also talked Jacinda into running as part of a 6.55 mile x 4 person relay. I have a lot of training and teaching to do in the upcoming months. I am nervous that I may have filled my exercise plate too full, but I am inspired because I know that now I have paid for it, I will be there! Let's just hope I am ready!!

If you are interested in joining me for my first trail run or you just want to know more about what Nathan and I will be doing in October, click here.

Marathoning for Miracles

Yesterday, I registered for a marathon in Abilene that will benefit the Children's Miracle Network to be run on October 30. The last full marathon I ran was in February (Austin Marathon). I ran a 3:42. This is not my best time, but it was a fun race with a lot of support. Since then, I have allowed other things (sleep mostly) to take place of my running routine. My hopes are to train well enough that I run under 3:30. It is going to take a lot of work!

My wife Jacinda has decided to train for the 4-person relay (26.2 miles/4 people). Let us know if you are interested in joining her marathon relay team! We will keep everyone updated throughout the training process.

Learn more about Marathoning for Miracles!

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

I ran in my second marathon this past Sunday. Sometimes I feel "like a runner" and am ready to attack whatever road is in front of me and the rest of the time I feel like a fat junior high kid trying out for the USA Olympic Track Team. For the first 22 miles on Sunday, I ran like a runner! And actually if it weren't for the final 6 miles being uphill and windy (up to 40 mph gusts), I feel like I would have torn up the entire thing! I finished with a time of 3:35:11 and 96th out of a field of 2407 finishers. I am really proud of my time (even if I did miss my goal by 5 minutes) due to the condition and that I beat my first marathon's time by over an hour!

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is special, though! The memorial is really inspiring and pretty spooky at 5 am! Prior to the race, the race director calls for 168 seconds of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the very unfortunate bombing in the mid-1990s. This silence is so different than the energizing bells and whistles so many other directors choose to use in order to begin their races. I loved feeling like I was running for a purpose: to let others remember that good defeats tragedy!

In the meantime, I am going to train to attempt a Boston qualifying time and get two marathons in by next February.

Not My Brightest Moment

Okay, so I don't think some decisions through all the way. Earlier this week I told my running partner that I was cool with getting the Saturday 5K (see the "He looks like a runner" post) in as long as we ran a 20 miler later in the weekend, as well. We decided to run the 20 miler this morning prior to our 9:00 worship. So we got up at 4:15 to begin our run at 5 am. We got a little bit of a late start, but started pretty close to 5:15 and finished our run in 2:51:57. Here is the part where I didn't think the decision through: I'm a minister - I shouldn't be late to church. We ran at a park which is a 20 minute drive from my house. With a few breaks for water, bathroom, snacks, etc. we finished our run at 8:12 am. I got home at 8:37 am. I try to be at church at 8:45, which obviously wasn't going to happen today! I got home, just trying to crawl into the door due to my cramped and worn out legs trying to figure out how on earth I was going to make it to church even close to on time.

Let's just say that my wife rocks! I walk in to the aroma of hot pancakes in the kitchen (she knows I'm cranky without my food :)) with an ironed dress shirt and a suit, shoes, and socks laid out ready to wear, and the bathroom is ready for me to "jump" into the shower. At 8:55, we are ready to go out the door because of J's kind preparations, but we can't find my black belt (I still haven't been able to find it). She looks up from a drawer in the closet and says, "you can wear suspenders!" I guess wearing suspenders was my "punishment" for making a silly decision to run 20 miles prior to Sunday morning worship and Bible class. For those of you who were wondering, I stayed awake during worship and class. Thankfully, I was the one teaching this morning - I may not have made it, otherwise!

The point is that I am very grateful for my incredible wife! She helps "brighten" me up!

"He looks like a runner"

For the past 26 years, the Galaxy men's social club at ACU has hosted the Kirk Goodwin 5K. Kirk Goodwin was a student at ACU, a member of the ACU track team, and a member of Galaxy. While at ACU, Kirk was involved in a car accident and passed away due to the accident. The run was initiated to help the Goodwin family pay for the overwhelming medical bills. Currently, the run helps families of ACU students with high medical bills.

Well, I ran the Kirk Goodwin 5K today! But this post is actually about the registration process. Before I get to that, though, let me brag on the race director, Wilson Rotenberry. Wilson is a student at ACU and put together a VERY organized run this year. The KGR (Kirk Goodwin Run) was timed by Champion Chip, the registration process was easy, and the atmosphere was very fun! While I was waiting at the registration table, a few of the Galaxy men were waiting to be used as volunteers. I could kind of hear what they were saying but wasn't really listening to their conversation. Then I heard one of them say, "yeah, definitely, he totally looks like a runner." I looked at them to see who they were talking about AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ME! I couldn't believe it. Now, I've relayed this story to two people and they've said, "yeah, well, you are a runner." That may be so, but I'm still a guy who has lost 35 -40 pounds (depending on the time of day!) in the last 19 months and isn't used to people saying, "you look like a runner." I'm telling you, that made my day! I ran with confidence and held my head high because I look like a runner!

What Pumps Me Up

You know those things, that no matter what is going on, they instantly make everything better? I mean, they can be little things or life changing. Sometimes the things that make the biggest difference in our lives are the ones that often go unnoticed. This is my list so that the wonderful things that make my life happy don't go unnoticed (in no particular order):

• Hershey's Chocolate Bar with Almonds
• A good run
• Jacinda's smile
• And how her nose wrinkles when she laughs
• When I see a heavier person running ... and working hard at it
  
• I always want to cheer them on, but then I think that they may think I'm patronizing them.
  
• Receiving cards of appreciation
• Writing cards of appreciation
  
• 24
• When my youth group, or members of such, do something completely selfless and Christ-centered.
• My water bottle during a run
• When I go back home and my mom makes me dinner (AND HER BUTTERMILK PIE FOR DESSERT)
• When I witness someone doing the right thing, even if it screws them over.
  
• When the Yankees lose
• When someone acknowledges that Christ is their Savior.
  
• Waking up next to Jacinda in the mornings
• Christmas morning

Other than Hans and Franz, what pumps you up?

Top 10 Things I LOVE About Running

I began running in January of 2008 because a friend, Yancey House, asked me to run a marathon with him. We ran the White Rock Marathon in Dallas, TX on December 14, 2008. The picture to the left is of Yancey and me and was taken immediately following our finish. Since White Rock, I have continued running and am up to about fifty miles per week. I am currently training for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon to be held on Sunday, April 26. I have a larger goal in mind, too: qualify for the Boston Marathon within the next two years. Thanks for my continued running is due to Abilene Runner's Club (Bob Taillon and David Lantrip) and my new running partner Kevin Kehl. Yancey, however, is the one who needs the most thanks because he got me back into it. I wouldn't be able to run without these guys because they encourage me to actually get out there and do it. Thanks!

The following list, in no particular order, contains the top ten things I love about running.

The TOP 10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT RUNNING

1. Maintaining a healthy weight level
   
2. The surprised feeling I get every time we finish and I think, "that wasn't too bad!"
   
3. Waking up and seeing the sunrise
   
4. It's my therapy. When my dad passed away, it was the only thing that calmed me down and allowed me to focus. It's still the best place for me to focus.
   
5. Conversation. Your running partner kind of turns into a counseling partner.
6. Hills. I love the sense of accomplishment I feel after conquering yet another hill.
   
7. Getting to eat more chocalote and greasy food than I would get to otherwise!
   
8. Smiling at the people who look at me (from their cars) like I am the craziest person in the world to be running ... in the rain, snow, ice, 100 degree temps, etc ... at all!
   
9. Learning weird things like how to: blow snot rockets out of one nostril with no hands, tie your shoes with gloves on, calcuate min/mi in your head, differintiate mi/km without doing any math (ie 25k = 15.5 mi), etc.
   
10. The Finish Line

What do you love most about running?