Great Day

4-days and counting to the “big day”, my first Half! I’m pretty sure I’m not doing this “taper thing” right but I don’t want to go into the race without some training miles for the week under my belt. So for better or worse I did 3.5 miles last night on the treadmill in 25 minutes – my thinking was to get some intensity (yes, all things are relevant and that pace is ‘intense’ for me) while still getting the workout. I also did 25-minutes on the elliptical so not a bad workout for that day.

Today (Tues) was just too beautiful a day not to run – skipped the 6:20 ferry for a nice run in the sun along the waterfront – pace felt good, legs felt good, and got 6.5 miles at an 8:19 pace – if I can do the race on Sunday at that pace, which feel is do’ able, I’ll be happy. That aside, wow! What a beautiful evening and a great reminder that when the weather is good in Seattle, the weather is GREAT in Seattle.

Much blogging these days on the runs and build up to the race but God is doing some great things in my life and in my family – we are really blessed. I continue to pray for wisdom and perseverance in my walk with God and He remains so very faithful to me each and every day. A quick example, yesterday morning I was prompted to call and pray for my wife during my ferry ride into the office – I called her and prayed with/for her, some relationships she is working through, and her day with homeschooling our kids. It was good but God had a real blessing in mind for both of us – about an hour later she called at the office to say that they had just read a chapter in their morning book and it had confirmed and affirmed what I had prayed for her. Some might say, hey – what a great coincidence – NOT ME, God is faithful in meeting our needs and I know that He prompted me to call her and pray with her knowing that these words would be confirmed for her shortly thereafter. He is a good God and he “knows the plans He has for you/me” – we are just blessed to be able to participate in His plans when we are obedient to his directions and promptings.

Had a good finish to the week with some treadmill work on both Thursday evening and Friday at lunch. Friday I was working on this side of the pond and had time between meetings to hit the gym versus eating lunch and got 50-minutes of running in for 6-miles. Doing those mid-day runs sure helps my productivity the rest of the afternoon! Saturday ended up being sunny and humid versus the forecasted rain so I hit the roads in the morning and got 5.5 miles in – I did my 5-mile loop in reverse and added a bit but was amazed at the different workout it provided. Total elevation didn’t change but the hills I typically go down are steeper and shorter than the ones I usually run up – really did change the feel of the workout. Today, got 8-miles in on the Island with only a little rain drizzle, overall a cooler and less humid day so the run felt good – it helped to mentally knock these runs out feeling strong at the end of each - good preparation, I think for my first ever Half next weekend. Starting to get a bit nervous and although I’ve told myself it’s not about the time, I just want to finish, I’m still looking for a sub-1:45 in the back of my mind. It will help next Saturday to drive the route and see what the elevation changes look like.

Church was really good this morning with the message from James 4:1-10 – overall the message was on conflict and I was reminded that conflict stems from competing desires; either between people, countries, or even within myself. James reminds us that we are called to seek after God and His desires become our desires as we grow and mature in our relationship with him. If God’s desires become my desires and other believers have God’s desires as their own, conflict goes away – we still have personal preferences and opinions but conflict should be mitigated. It was a very good reminder to me that I need to seek God, always, and pursue the desires He has. Well, it was a good weekend and ready for the week.

Cool/Wet Running

So I can’t tell you how good it feels to be back on the road and getting some miles logged! After my “bummer run” on Sunday I took Mon and Tue off completely and was determined to get back in the routine today. All was looking good until about 3:30 when I look out the window and the clouds had rolled into Seattle and the drizzle rain started coming down – hmm, great excuse to skip today, plus I’m late getting away from the office and I don’t want to hit the gym and do treadmill work… So I fought the "evil wimp" and made up my mind to run, rain or dry at the ferry – boy I’m glad I did. Put on a rain jacket, left the iPod in the gym bag and headed out and it was a great run in the rain, really just a good generic Seattle drizzle with spouts of rain! Got 7.5 miles done in 1- hour so my pace was good and I felt really strong at the end (actually ended up chasing the ferry back so my last mile was the 3rd fastest split). That’s where the only bummer comes in – missed the 7:20 boat so I had to sit in the car, wet and stinky, for the 8:10. Makes for a late night and I miss the time at home with the family but a good run today and I’m mentally back in the game for the Sept 26th race.

Parting comment – I admit I’m a bit of a fair/dry weather runner, which is really hard to do in Seattle in the winter, but I get my “weekday winter miles” done at the gym on the treadmill and do road work on the weekends. That being said – I really enjoyed the peacefulness of the rain tonight – still lots of bikes and runners out but there was just a prevailing “calmness” in the city with the rain, it was very enjoyable. I think I’ll do more of this.

Weekend woe's

Today was a bummer of a run. After getting a good 8.5-miles in on Saturday I headed out this afternoon shooting to get 10+ miles in since it was a sunny afternoon and the Seahawks appeared to have the game under control. I arranged for my wife to pick me up at my Poulsbo office and headed out for the run. I knew I was in trouble early as I just didn’t feel “in synch” but thought I would push through it and get the miles down. I got to the bridge and was feeling pretty tired and at the 7.5 mile mark, my wife went driving past with a quick “honk-n-wave” – I waved and then quickly adapted and changed the "wave" to a “flag down” hoping she was looking in the rear view mirror. She kept on going so I stepped back up and headed down the road another ½-mile when I saw her car coming back towards me, oh happy day! I gave up the ghost at that point which was 8-miles, well shy of what would have been an 11.3 mile run. Don’t know what the issue was, too much lunch, not hydrated, etc, etc but it was a deflating run. I guess that happens and 8-miles was better than 0-miles but it shook my confidence a bit leading up to my first Half Marathon in 2-weeks.

I’ll rest tomorrow and then get back into the drill – I also think I’ve over-trained and not balanced my work with too much straight running and not enough rest days. I’ll dial that in over the next couple of weeks and hope to get the Half done in 1:45 or less.

Rest tomorrow as we get to meet a dear friend for dinner here on the Island. God bless and may the wind be at your back!

Back at work & Seattle evening runs

Back in the saddle at work, it is good to be back and even better to have been missed (consider the alternative). Lot’s to do and the rapid pace does not take long to get back into but it is a great group of people I have been blessed to work with. Got Seattle runs in both yesterday and today. Only had 30-minutes for each but did 3.66 miles on Tues (8:18 pace) and 4.05 today (7:58 pace) – not bad for an old guy that is still working out the kinks from Sunday’s 13.1 mile run.

I’ll also briefly share, hoping it encourages others, that last week I ended up in a bit of a “funk” or some would say slight depression – don’t know why but I was there none the less. It was really great to see God’s faithfulness in drawing me back to Him. I went to the gym Monday to do a light workout on the elliptical and while doing that I listened to Chip Ingram, a podcast from early August – He spoke on depression and Psalm 77; it is a great reminder that we all hit “low points” in our lives and that a promise from God is that if we “willfully” seek to draw near to Him, even when we don’t feel like it, He is there. The Psalm also directs us to “remember” (verses 10-12) the things He has done for me. It actually walks us through the steps of (1) think. (2) remember the deeds, (3) remember your miracles, (4)meditate on your works, and (5) consider all your mighty deeds. I did actually walk through these and when I was done it was really clear that I have a big God who is more than able to handle my “big problems/concerns” – I need to trust and have faith. My God is able to exceedingly more than I can imagine when I trust and act in faith.

1,000 miles logged!!

Wow, hard to believe that in 8-months I’ve now logged over 1000 training miles!! I’ve now registered for the Bellingham Half-Marathon so I thought I would get a long run in on Sunday afternoon. When I left the house I thought maybe 9-10 miles but as I got going I thought, I bet I can do 13 miles in under 2-hours. The only other time I’ve run 13-miles was back in February and I was over 2-hours so the weather was good and the afternoon schedule clear so I went for it. Completed 13.1 in 1:53, which is slightly over an 8:35 pace – for me that was pretty good. My goal for Bellingham in 3-weeks will be to finish under 1:45. I was a bit sore and tired that evening but woke up this morning feeling pretty good so I've got my goal for the race on 9/26/10

Jumping back to the 1,000 mile marker. I think to myself that if that had been a goal in January, it may have been overwhelming. Not because I couldn’t math it up and break it down into manageable pieces but that is a lot of miles at 5-8 miles per run. This ties back to my Hebrews 12:1-2 verse (I have it as a daily reminder on my “RoadId” bracelet) that we are to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..” I’m reminded that when we fix our eyes on eternal things and approach each day with diligence and perseverance the bigger issues are accomplished and attained by being faithful in the smaller, daily, things. Large goals, or long-term plans, are reduced in size and don’t seem so overwhelming when my eyes are fixed on my Lord and Savior Jesus. I realize this is really simple, big deal, you ran 1,000 miles so far – I guess what I’m trying to say is that this is a great reminder to me to be diligent and obedient in what today holds -yes plan for the future but execute well the plan for today.

Vacation is a good thing!

Well, I’m certainly enjoying the second week of vacation. This week of vacation is at home spending time with the kids and friends over coffee – a pretty good life if you ask me!

Today the boys and I went out for opening day of grouse season, we had a blast (literally). No birds to cook for dinner but the weather was great, we flushed 7-birds and missed them all, but it was a good day together and we did get to shoot the guns, although we were all behind the bird every time, a bit rusty. Here are a couple of pictures that captured the day.

It is impossible to be out on a day like today and not be thankful to God, my heavenly father. His creation is so spectacular, from the rising sun to the fog nestled in the valleys it cried out His love for us and that He wants good things for His children and He wants us to enjoy the pleasures he has created and given to us. I think the greatest reminder that I saw today in His creation is that He is really big – much bigger than I frequently invision Him and the really wonderful thing is that this really big God is really, really interested in me. He hears my prayers, He hears my cry to Him, and He answers and speaks to me – that is just awesome.

I did get home and then got to the gym with my daughter. Logged 3.5 miles on the treadmill which helped loosen up my legs from all the hiking, and the n the 2-hour drive home. I was really surprised by the workout from the hiking, packing 10-15lbs (guns, boots, ammo, vest, etc) on rocky and un-even abandoned logging roads for 6-hours, I was really tired and it was hard to get those 3.5 miles done. Hoping to get a good long run in either tomorrow or Fri and then start to get dialed in for the Bellingham Bay Half Marathon on the 26th.