Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Long weekend running

Thanks to Mr Washington and Mr. Lincoln for having their birthdays - that gave me a 3-day weekend which I extended to 4-days.  The foot continues to feel better and I've finally dialed in the heal cushion and molded in-soles for my shoes - works great.  Saturday I did some miles on the treadmill, Sunday out on the road for 6-miles and then Monday decided to go long and see how that felt.  Got 11.5 miles done in the morning and afterwards the foot felt fine - I did "ice-massage" it with a frozen water bottle which does seem to make a big difference in recovery.  It was great to be out and not certain what route I was going to take or how long I would stay out.  Meandered up towards the North-end of the Island and then cut across to the West and just worked my way home - that is truly what I love about running; the freedom to go!!  The long run felt good and helped my mindset towards the April and May races I'm signed up for, especially the Half-marathon in May.  I'll keep pushing distance up slowly and then start focusing on pace to see if I can do a sub 1:45half which would be my goal

I've been reading Ephesians chapter 1 the last couple of weeks and have been blessed by what God is speaking to me through this book.  I've summarized the chapter as AAA (triple A) Adoption, Acceptance, and Authority.  I led communion at church on Sunday and used this as some of my thoughts in my talk.  I think one of the great reminders to me is the gift and empowerment God has given to us in the Holy Spirit.  Holy Spirit has been given to us as "a mark for those that believe in Christ Jesus.  A deposit guarantying our inheritance as son's and daughters of the living God" - that in itself is awesome but then we read a bit later in the chapter that the Holy Spirit is a power within us, the "same power that was exerted in raising Jesus from the dead" - don't know about you but that is REAL power and it resides in me!  Now comes the convicting question, do I live my life as someone who knows, accepts and applies that power - or do I know it's there but am content to let it sit or go untapped?  Personally, there is a lot more I can, and should, be doing for Christ through the power He has provided me - I need to more fully accept my adoption. 

It was a good weekend of time with my wife, time in the Word, and time on the road.  My God is so very good to me and I am grateful.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Back on track

Well, I haven't been bloggin much nor have I been running much as my miles YTD show.  The foot is getting better and I was able to catch a "dry" hour this weekend and hit the road - logged 8.5 miles on Sunday and the run felt good and even more important - little to no pain later that evening or the next morning.

This has been an interesting time for me - I've relied on running to not only stay healthy but to manage serious stress.  The injury came right before a highly stressful 3-week period when the examiners were coming into the bank and as the Senior Credit Officer a large pice of the exam falls on me and my team.  That's the background so when I say it was a bad time to not be able to run, it appeared to be a huge understatement.  As I mentally worked through that and prayed for healing it became very clear to me and God responded and said to me that running is great and is a gift He has given me that I enjoy but it is not a replacement for His peace and provision.  The verse came to me that it is "not by might, nor by strength, but by my Spirit says the Lord" and that during this stressful 3-week period it will be the peace of God's spirit that will get me through, not my own "stress management" through running.  God was faithful and true to His word - it was a stressful time but He provided a true peace as well as discernement and wisdom - God is so very good and faithful, all the time.

I did manage to get some treadmill runs of 3-5 miles in at various times as well as the occassional 5-miles on the High School track but weekly mileage dropped to 9-miles and only slowly crept up to the mid-to-high teens.  With the start of 8.5-miles on Sunday looking forward to getting into the mid-20's and then next week hitting back in the 30-miles plus.  To self motivate I've registered myself and my son in two races.  In April there is The Seahawks 12-K in Renton and then in May the Snoqualmie Half-Marathon.  The Half will be my son's final exam (you know us homeschooling parents) for PE credit.  Getting registered is a good motivator for us both and we're looking forward getting on track for successful runs.  Glad to be back in the routine.