Long Runs are great

What a great day today was!  Attended an 8:00 meeting at the church, ran a few errands, and then got home in time to get a run in - no where to be until 4:00 so I laced up the shoes and hit the road.  Got 12.25 miles in and the weather was perfect, mixed clouds and sun and temps in the mid-60's.  The only challenge was traffic was heavy for the island since it was graduation day for Bainbridge High School.  Tried to stay off the main roads and being around the High School and managed to have have a great and safe run.  Overall, a great run with decent pace at 8:40 (total ascent was almost 2,000 feet - ouch) and the knee is feeling better.  I've realized the knee pain is tied to my quads so a bit of stretch before and during the run seemed to keep it under control - post run feels good too.

Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday-rejoice in God's gift to each of us of the Holy Spirit and let's take on the boldness of Peter!  (Acts 2)

Big Weekend - No run (Grad & B-day)

Today was my first day back on the road after 4-days of celebration.  My son turned 18 on Friday and graduated High School on Saturday.  We were blessed in having family come in from Southern California and Canada to help us celebrate and honor his accomplishments.  The weekend weather was awesome which made the weekend events that much easier.  We had 18 for dinner after the graduation and then 25+ on Sunday for his birthday.  It was great for guests to be able to be out on the deck and the kids in the yard - even warm enough that a water-balloon fight broke out.  It was a very special weekend with family and friends.


I took today off to get my parents to the airport and catch my breath after going non-stop of the last four days.  Got on the road for a run around 2:30 and logged 8.5 miles in another sunny and 70-degree day.  Feels good to get the legs working and it was helpful to work off all the good food we ate during the celebration.  A big week at work but want to get weekly mileage back over 30-miles per week (only got 16-miles in last week running Sun thru Wed) and starting today with 8.4 is a decent start.

Quick run (literally)

A long day full of events I won't go into.  On the boat now and about to dock in Bainbridge but a highlight of my day was my quick run.  Got down to the boat late so didn't have a lot of time but REALLY needed to run.  Set off to see what I could sneak in and ended up with a short 3.4 miles but the highlight was that I logged an average 7:46mpm- yahooo.  That's a first for me!  As a typical runner I'm just glad to have gotten a run in - helped settle my mind and clear out the events of the day - perspective and trust in the only one who is trustworthy, my savior Jesus Christ.

Long weekend - Long Run

Blessed with a nice day here in Seattle and after two days of no-run, I was getting "grumpy & moody" like the shirt says that my daughter purchased for me.  Wasn't sure how far I was going to go, thought I would just head out and see how I felt.  After 3-miles I was feeling good so I thought I would stretch it out and blended into my 10-mile loop.  It was a good run and I felt really good all the way through, could have kept going but with the 3-day weekend ahead thought I would hold at 10-miles today and then shoot to get a longer run in on Sunday or Monday.  I am fighting a patella issue in my right knee though, it showed up about 1-week ago and really flares up on the downhill portions of the run.  I've had a patella strap that works on my IT band when it starts to "whine" and as long as I keep the strap good and tight it is helping my right knee.  Will do a bit of research online to see how I should be treating it post run.

Missed running 3-days this week but still managed to get 31-miles in total - not too bad.  Looking forward to a coffee with my wife this afternoon and a relaxing evening.

Hitting Stride

A beautiful Seattle evening and the family was scattered all over so I skipped a ferry and parked under the viaduct to take advantage of the sunshine and get a good run in.  Headed north along the waterfront and was not looking at my pace, just looking to run for a solid hour at a comfortable pace and I had a great time getting a workout in.  Ended up logging 8-miles in just over an hour and ended up a very respectable (for me) pace of 8:06.  I actually shocked myself by logging the first two miles at 7:45 and 7:23 respectively.  I honestly didn't know I could hit a 7:23 mile!  Maybe this weekend I'll do some work on the track and see how fast I can run a single mile, never tried that and it would be fun to know.

So a good run, enjoyed getting 8-miles in during the week and I'm grateful for many blessings in my life.

Family & Running

Had one of those days, you know - standing at the door thinking of all the ways I could justify NOT going for a run today...  Then finally suck-it-up and head out for a short run, at least.  Once I got going, heart rate up, a sweat broken, felt really good and just kept going.  Ended up at 8.4 miles and would have gone longer if I had the time.  That's what I love about running, once I get out on the road it usually ends up being a really good thing.  Yes, there are days that I'm excited and looking forward to the run and other days I know "I should run" but don't feel like it - there are no bad runs.

What made the run today especially great was my time in prayer during the run - some days I can spend the whole time talking to, and hearing from God - today was one of those days.  God is so very good and it is so awesome to know that He is intimately interested in me and what I need.  In short I had two significant take-ways from my prayer time on the run.  (1) When I'm tempted to take on troubles of others and/or the world around me, if it's important enough for me to pray and fast over then that is where God wants my energy, if not, then it is for someone else to pursue/support.  (2)   I find my acceptance and value only through God - He has gifted me to provide encouragement to others and I need to use that gift, even when the encouragement is not returned or even acknowledged.  People like to be pursued and encouragement doesn't have to be a two-way street.  In short - I need to use my gift and not be concerned or focused on the "return" but only to being obedient to God's directing and gifting. It is these times of communion with my God that make running so enjoyable.  The running puts me in a place of quiet and solitude.  If I can empty my head and not get distracted it is a place where I love to seek and hear the voice of God.

Tomorrow my daughter turns 14!  We will celebrate her and the joy she is and brings to our household.  What a blessing and gift she is to me.  Happy Birthday sweet girl.

Spring sunshine

A great evening run today along the waterfront.  The sun was out and it was a great 4.3 mile run - just me and half of Seattle (a little sunshine in Seattle makes the population grow!).  It is wonderful  to have the physical ability to run and push myself, something that is too easy to take for granted, but man - what if that went away in an instant...

So now that I completed the Snoqualmie Half, starting to poke around looking for a summer race and then possibly a full marathon in the fall.  Haven't picked either race yet but looking for fun runs to participate in and have a goal to shoot for and train towards.  I've really enjoyed the race environment and the people, it is a fun setting and the people are all nice, not a lot of conversation but a real sense of common focus and goal. 

I would love to find a way to mix my enjoyment of road races with my faith and I've been praying about how and what that might look like.  There is a great website and group in Tenn that is doing just that, I found their ad in an issue of Runner's World and took a look at their website - neat organization, take a look at the following link www.runforgod.com  I'm convinced more and more that we need to be more vocal and engaged in our society, showing the love and power of God in ways that truly honor Jesus.  I believe the "church" in America is too content to hunker down behind it's walls and welcome those that come in but show little faith in stepping out to the neighborhood in which it is placed.  What is there about Christianity today that would make someone "desire" what we have.  Scripture is full of the promises that God has sent Holy Spirit and through Him we have ability to cooperate in His work and supernaturally impact peoples lives.  I want to step into that and since I know God give us interests, desires, and abilities, we have the gift of "cooperating" with God and Holy Spirit in testifying of Jesus grace, love, and mercy.