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.

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.

Injury sidelined :(

The foot pain got worse and worse so I opted to "rest" for 1-week.  I've been in the gym on the elliptical and/or stairmachine - enjoyed getting the heart rate up and a sweat going but man, it's just not the same.  So tonight I finished a meeting at 4:40 so headed down to the ferry and parked - determined to get a run in.  Made up my mind that slow was ok and didn't care about the distance, was simply going to run at an easy pace and let the foot tell me the right pace.  So off I wnet and although the foot was "sore" I didn't have any shooting pain.  I fought the pace and when I got going too fast the foot started "speaking" and I slowed - a couple of times actualy moved down to a walk and then gently flexed the foot as I walked to stretch out the muscle.  So not too bad for a first run, probably pushed the distance a bit hard ending up with a 6-mile run but was ok on the run/walk/stretch.  Time will tell as the evening goes on, I've been using a foot roller to massage while sitting in the car and I'll ice it tonight when I get home.  It was great to be out and running the legs, even if it was at a slower pace.

Good to be back in the game and looking forward to a regular trining week and some real mileage.

Slow start to 2011

No posts in the last few weeks and that's been a combination of work demands, family schedule, and some foot pain.  The foot pain is somewhat concerning since 2-years ago I had plantar fasciatis and I DO NOT want to go down that road again.  Been hitting the gym more than road work so I can be on the treadmill and then pivot off that to either the stairs or the elliptical  -  all boring indoor work but trying to allow time for the foot to heal and not get any worse.  I must be a true runner since I'm highly concerned about "what will I do if I can't run"... especially with a very stressful schedule in January and February.

On top of the issues above, January has been difficult, lost two friends in the last 10-days to cancer and that certainly is sobering and causes pause to ponder and look at priorities.  One friend I know had claimed Jesus as his Lord and Savior so I'm at peace for him.  The other friend I don't know.  He passed away sunddenly and unexpectedly Saturday and I had spent 50-minutes Saturday morning on the treadmill praying for him - only God knows where the heart was - I hope he is in the loving care of God.

Ferry is docking and I'm off the gym for some treadmill and elliptical work - based on the above I am grateful and thankful for strong legs, lungs, heart, and body - I have much to be grateful for.  God's blessings are new every morning

New Years day 10-K

2011 is here and underway.  The mileage tracks roll back to zero and we start adding again and the year is full of hope and opportunity.  The year started for me with a New Years day 10K down in Gig Harbor, WA.  The race started at 9:00 so we left the house at 7:30 to get there and get checked in, at race time the temp was 23-degrees, chilly for this Western Washingtonian!  It was a small race which made it really fun but also very hilly, over 1,000' total ascending according to my trustee Garmin.  It was a fun run and I was pleased with my time and pace right under 8:00/mile, especially with the hills.  My wife said I was a bit frosty at the finish and when I saw the picture I agreed - sunny but cold!  After the race we celebrated with a Starbucks coffee and a donut and then drove to Bellingham to pick up my daughter who had spent the week with her cousins.  It was a nice day to be with my wife and just have time together and starting the year with a race is a good thing I've decided,  Sunday was also sunny and cold so I got a run in at home which worked out some of the kinks from the race and sitting in the car for 7-hours right after the race.  Here are a couple of pictures from the race;

 


Frosty finish



Happy New Year

No run today but a quick post to say Happy New Year! As 2011 is now here I pray that in this coming year I will spend more time in prayer and learn to better live each day surrendered to God.  I claim Jeremiah 29:11-13 for my 2011 verse - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart"  This is my hope and prayer for this new year.  What a great promise this holds - God has plans for me, which are hopeful.  He promises to listen to me and to be found when I seek Him... with all my heart (surrendered) 

I'll end the year with a blessing on my family and friends "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit"

PS - 10-K in Gig Harbor tomorrow morning - hoping to be under 8:00 per mile avg pace

1,500 mile glide path

Hard to believe but I'm only 6-miles away from logging a total of 1,500 miles for the year.  Don't know what that looks like compared to others but it is more miles than driving from Seattle to San Diego, ok so it took me a year to do it but still - not bad I'm thinking.

Got a nice run in tonight while waiting for the ferry, although the forecast is for snow tonight and Wed, the evening was dry and mildly cold.  Got 3.5 miles (best estimate since my Garmin battery was dead) - pace felt good and the total time was 32-minutes so I'm guessing the miles conservatively.  Anyway, a good run and certainly mind clearing. 

Will register tonight for a New Year's Day 10-k in Gig Harbor - it's a fund raiser for Fire/Police and I thought this would be a great way to start off the new year.  After the run we'll grab brunch and then meander back home or to the indoor soccer fields in Bremerton where the boys will be playing in a fund raising tournament which benefits the Children of the Nations Orphanage - the boys and I have played in this for the last 6+ years, I'll do the 10-K and leave the multi-game soccer tournament to the young bucks.  A good weekend ahead and only 6-miles to go to attain 1,500