Quick update - 26.2... DONE

What a busy time!

For now I'm feeling good about a great Thanksgiving 5K Turkey Trot with my daughter.  Her first race and she did great running with her Dad.  We had a blast and I think she enjoyed it.

Three days later I completed my first marathon - it went well and I'll opine more in the next couple of days.  The summary:  pleased to have finished, was a bit disappointed with my time, had nasty weather, had fun, will do another... all good and grateful for strong legs, lungs, heart, and mind to be able to accomplish 26.2 miles!  Celebrated with a blue cheese bacon cheeseburger at Red Mill burger with my faithful "fan"/wife.  Life really is good and I am a blessed man.

  

Run Doug, Run!

I believe I've posted in the past that may company is being acquired and we are now in the final weeks leading up to the closing.  The closing is targeted for 11/30 and of course I'm registered for my first marathon which is on 11/27 - I guess I "missed the memo" back in August :)  Well, the last week and the next two are going to be difficult balancing work and training.  I did pay the price this week, only logging 39-miles and missing a mid-week 10 to 11 miler.  I did get an easy/long run in today for 12-miles which felt good but I do want to get a solid 45+ training miles in this coming week so I have an element of confidence going into the race.  OK - I'm hearing you say "keep your perspective" and you are right!  This is just a long run that happens to be a race, I've trained adequately over the last 3-months and at this point of the game, the fitness work is done, now I need to stay healthy and strong and then go out on the 27th and do the best I can.

I've also been fighting a cold this week so I had 2-workouts on the treadmill - which is self inflicted torture in my book, the only joy in treadmill-land for me is listening to podcasts.  I enjoy Louie Giglio of Passion City Church (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/passion-city-church-podcast/id400379025) and I heard two messages on grace (Aug 14 and Aug 21) - they were great messages and I was overwhelmed by the sense of God's great mercy to me/us.  For me, I realized how easy it is to forget the mercy that God shows me each and every day.  The bible is full of examples of God's mercy and how deep and all-encompassing it is - can't believe I'm not on my knees every day thanking Him for his love and mercy - hard to put into words except "wow, wow, wow" - if you don't know what I'm referring to here you are really missing out and that's not good - post a comment or email me and I would love to explain this further.

Back on the road tomorrow for some miles - "But as for me, it is good to be near God." Psalm 73:28b

Count-down to race day

Well, I'm now a bit less than three weeks from running my first marathon.  The training has been tougher than I anticipated averaging 50-miles per week but it has been really interesting to learn how and where I can push my body.  I was able to get three long runs in (20-21 miles) and each one was progressively better.  I learned how to pace myself, manage nutrition, and balance the hydration during these 3x20mile runs.  I was disappointed with my times on these runs, each run was slightly better than the last but I didn't break a 9 min mile.  There is part of me that says that's ok, long runs are supposed to be 30-45 seconds per mile than the goal race pace, I know from experience my race times are faster than training times, and I know the course ascent will not be close to the 4,000 ft I experience running on the Island - BUT adding another 5-6 miles...  I think this might all be pre-race psychology/jitters and I do have confidence that I will be able to finish and will be able to finish near my initial time goal of 4:00 or less.  Well, there is the technical side.

On the personal side, this training has been incredible!  I've learned a lot about myself and have done all these runs without music - I spend my time while running praying and conversing with God.  These have been times where God has further revealed Himself to me and provided wisdom and encouragement to me in the various life circumstances I'm experiencing.  He has specifically been speaking to me through the passage in I Peter 5:6-7 which says "Humble yourself, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."  This verse coupled with Micah 6:8 which says "He has shown you what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."  What great promises!  If I humble myself - God's mighty hand is upon me (this is a really good thing!) and that God wants to take on my anxiety, He does not want me to carry them, He wants to take them... I just have to let them go (cast them).  So, over the last 2-3 weeks this is what God is showing me, my part is to humble myself in the sight of the Lord.  As I look back over my life I can attest that the promises in these passages have been fulfilled and will continue to be fulfilled, God is so faithful - amen.

Training Groove

I can feel that I've hit the groove in my race preparation, and that feels good with 51 days to go.  I'm back on track with my weekend long runs and have a 20-miler slotted for either Saturday or Sunday, just depends which day looks like it will have the better weather.   I got a nice 10-mile run in tonight along the Seattle waterfront and up onto Magnolia, it's such a blessing to run on a flat course versus on the Island.  Last weekend on my "short"- long run of 13 miles the total ascent over the course was of 3,000 feet - I know it's good for the legs and lungs but not so good for the mind, especially for a first-timer like myself.  So the training is going well and I'm grateful each day for health that allows me to go out and run and enjoy it.

Work is busy and a bit crazy with the merger closing coming up the end of November - that coupled with a closing FDIC exam starting next week keeps the old stress level at max RPM's - keeps me trusting in God for strength and wisdom and also makes me grateful for the healthy habit of running to manage stress.  God is my strength each day and His faithfulness to me is so amazing.  God continues to reveal Himself to me in new and exciting ways and I'm so thankful for his pursuit of me each and every day.  I'm learning that when I surrender to His will, setting aside my will, it is a peaceful, exciting, and rewarding process.  It's almost like getting out of bed in the morning and having God anxiously waiting for me to come into relationship with Him so He can lead me into all the great things He has planned for me on this day.  What a great picture that is - to be eagerly awaited for with a new and exciting adventure each day... "Lord, give me the discipline and desire to meet you first thing each morning and thank you for allowing me to participate with you in the plans you have prepared for us. - amen"

Life & Training

Just on the recovery side of a stomach bug or touch of the flu - not sure which but I can say it has put a serious wrinkle in my training!  As the Nov 27th date starts to loom larger on the calender it's been hard to watch the days go by and know I should be getting some long run in.  So in spite of a marginal forecast tomorrow, I'm slotting a 3-hr run (targeting 18-miles) and that should help get me back on track. 

Training aside, life has been pretty hectic the last 3-weeks, my bank announced a merger and although I was involved in the preliminary due diligence, now that the public announcement has been made time demands and balancing running the bank and coordinating transition has made each day very busy.  So a full plate right now, trusting God with each day and relying on His strength. 

PS - really thankful for my wife and children

August running

I haven't posted in a while - but hey it's summer and who wants to be inside or sitting in front of the computer?  In addition, life has been crazy busy between work and family.  Both my son's are going into special forces in the military, one Air Force - one Navy and our Navy guy was scheduled to 'ship-out' in late January, got a call this week and he may go Sept 12th!  He's ready to go but Mom and I are not emotionally ready, rapid adjustment needed on our part.  We continue to trust God in both His plans and purposes for the boys and now add His timing.  We know that God loves these young men more than we do, which is hard to imagine, so we are learning to trust and rely on God in ways we have never had to before - God, grant us more faith!

The months of July and August have been great running months, logged 143 miles in July and have about 150 in August, just gotta love the summer weather and running conditions.  Might also be the motivation of having registered for my first marathon, yikes! My goal is under 4:00/45 - I turn 45 on 11/16 and my time goal for the marathon is 3:50 so, yes, that's goofy but hey it works for me.!  All set for the Seattle Marathon on 11/27 - I'll be going light on the pumpkin and pecan pie at thanksgiving though (save mine in the fridge).   The boys and I ran in the Seattle Torchlight 8K on July 31 and had a fun time, over 2,500 runners and a sunny evening.  A bit warm for me (80-degrees) but fun, the guys did great and beat me easily but it was a good time, here's a pre-race pix of the runners and the "herd" on the Viaduct.

Finally, I think the part that I've enjoyed most of my summer runs is the time in prayer I've had with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He has been encouraging me and teaching me a lot this summer.  I'm reminded of the old song "he walks with me and talks with me along along life's narrow ways" - very true and I'm thankful for His interest in me and the details of my life.  I pray that we are all encouraged in the days to come and that we learn to see and hear God's calling and direction "with the eyes of our heart".

Vacation on the coast

I haven't posted for almost 30-days now and between work and life in general had been really burning the candle at both ends.  We have been down on the Oregon coast for the week at the Cannon Beach Conference Center and have had a great week.  It's been restful and a great time to enjoy my family - coffees with my wife, individual lunches with my son and daughter, and 6:30am runs on the beach.  As I've previously posted, my weekly mileage had slipped a fair bit due to my work schedule and so this week has been a great chance to get solid daily runs in - most runs 8-plus miles, did 12 miles on Thur and a shorter 6-mile run this morning - logged 34 miles so far and still have Saturday to get one more in. 

The mileage bump is good but the best part of this running schedule is that I've had a solid hour of running each morning, enjoying the scenery of Haystack Rock, the beach, and the coves south of CB - all why spending time with my God in prayer.  Although there are many "stressors" in my life right now, I've been so very grateful to God for His faithfulness and it's been in that overwhelming sense God's protection and provision that I've been singing and speaking praise to Him.  I believe God has given me this week to "rest in him" to almost "frolic" in the peace and joy of His mercy and grace - almost as if He is saying, Doug, it's good to just hang-out with you".  That my friends is a really, really good place to be!