My motivation has been pretty low as of late. For whatever reason, the fall marathon isn't motivating me to log the miles I need to. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep, the grind of travel, the poor eating habits stemming from the boredom of eating grilled chicken salads time after time, and the lack of a balanced diet. Anyway, that is where I'm at the time of this post.
Perhaps I need to do another race, but my recent runs have been mindless slogs on tired legs. Four mile runs have been punctuated by walk breaks and wishes that I was back in bed.
I posted once that there were temporary motivators and motivators that get you through these tough times. I got a reminder this week.
One of my local managers after a couple weeks of "not feeling right" went for a stress test. Result was 100% blockage in one of his arteries, emergency surgery to install a stint. AGE = 36.
Running doesn't guarantee me a long life, but it ups my chances, or at least I figure it does. So tomorrow morning we start fresh, buckle down on my slipping dietary practices and keep logging some miles.
22 June 2008
17 June 2008
Your Will, Not Mine
Found this when reading a story online about the flooding in Iowa.
A lot of wisdom in his words. I pray his prayers are answered.
Brian Wiegand, 48, of Oakville, was sandbagging the levee Monday evening near a drainage pumping station. He was concerned about more flooding as water began lapping to within a foot of top of sandbag wall.
"The Bible says the prayer of one man, God hears," Wiegand said. "Here's my prayer: I ask for the strength of God to fight this flood, and I ask for the grace to accept whatever happens."
A lot of wisdom in his words. I pray his prayers are answered.
Brian Wiegand, 48, of Oakville, was sandbagging the levee Monday evening near a drainage pumping station. He was concerned about more flooding as water began lapping to within a foot of top of sandbag wall.
"The Bible says the prayer of one man, God hears," Wiegand said. "Here's my prayer: I ask for the strength of God to fight this flood, and I ask for the grace to accept whatever happens."
13 June 2008
One last lesson from the '08 KDF Marathon
When things fell apart around mile 18, I was done. My legs were shredded, my will power was fading, and I wasn't sure I was going to complete the race.
I decided to ask God for a little help. No nothing like fresh legs or instant relief, I figured he had more pressing issues. I just asked him to run the last 8.2 miles with me and when given the opportunity I'd make sure folks knew I didn't do it on my own.
The silliness is that God has been walking with me daily since I accepted Christ as my Savior as a child. He's led me down some blessed roads and he's tagged along when I've taken walks I shouldn't have, never leaving me. I know this, but there I stood asking him to finish the race with me, as though he hadn't already logged every mile with me.
It has taken me some time to write this post because I just couldn't seem to string the words together to say what I wanted to say, then somewhere between New Orleans and Atlanta, somewhere around thirty three thousand feet, I remembered another time that God pulled me through.
The marathon was the second time my own physical abilities and self motivation weren't enough to see me through the task at hand. The other occurred almost exactly three years earlier.
With twins on the way, we sold our house, bought an old rental property who's mortgage payment would allow my wife to stay at home, and I began to gut it for a two month remodel. At around 11 pm, April 12th, 2005, my cell phone rang as I was working to tear out the old kitchen cabinets. My wife called from her mom's, where we were living during the remodel, to tell me her water had broke. Wait a second, I thought I had another month and a half. The twins arrived early and my two month time frame became two weeks. I had to have some place to bring the boys home to, and my mother-in-laws small house was already over burdened (space wise) with the addition of Jina, myself and our oldest.
I called work and informed them I would not be returning for at least two weeks and fully understood if they needed to suspend my salary (I was working under contract to a client), they didn't. I began putting in 20 hour days, bouncing between two hospitals and the remodel, yet I can't remember fatigue ever being an issue despite nearly two weeks at this pace. My friends stepped up and put their skills to work. My friend and his wife delivered a professional grade paint job in a couple of rooms, and that isn't his profession, he's a pastor. Another friend put his "jack of all trades" skills to work to help me complete the kitchen, insisting on laying the new kitchen floor himself for fear that I might screw it up. My family stepped up to help with other tasks and with helping get Jina back and forth to the hospitals for visits. More blessings than I deserved or deserve.
You see, I can nail a nail, cut a board (just don't expect it to be straight), and in general work my way through many projects, but to remodel that home in two weeks took more than my skills, more energy and drive than my internal motivators could generate, and even more than the skills and talents of my friends. It took God's help, because there is honestly no explanation or rationalization for how the house got gutted and renovated in such a short time. I've done the calculations, replayed the whole thing in my head, and know my own skill levels. It shouldn't have come together like it did, but then again, Jesus was a carpenter.
So there I was three years later, standing on the side of the road, asking God to help me see this thing through to the finish. I was physically spent, emotionally drained, and any pride I had left perished with the cramps that threatened to wreck my quads. Guess who was there with me. You knew I finished the race, but now you know the rest of the story.
Psalm 38 (New International Version)
...8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart...10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes... 15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God...17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me...21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.
I decided to ask God for a little help. No nothing like fresh legs or instant relief, I figured he had more pressing issues. I just asked him to run the last 8.2 miles with me and when given the opportunity I'd make sure folks knew I didn't do it on my own.
The silliness is that God has been walking with me daily since I accepted Christ as my Savior as a child. He's led me down some blessed roads and he's tagged along when I've taken walks I shouldn't have, never leaving me. I know this, but there I stood asking him to finish the race with me, as though he hadn't already logged every mile with me.
It has taken me some time to write this post because I just couldn't seem to string the words together to say what I wanted to say, then somewhere between New Orleans and Atlanta, somewhere around thirty three thousand feet, I remembered another time that God pulled me through.
The marathon was the second time my own physical abilities and self motivation weren't enough to see me through the task at hand. The other occurred almost exactly three years earlier.
With twins on the way, we sold our house, bought an old rental property who's mortgage payment would allow my wife to stay at home, and I began to gut it for a two month remodel. At around 11 pm, April 12th, 2005, my cell phone rang as I was working to tear out the old kitchen cabinets. My wife called from her mom's, where we were living during the remodel, to tell me her water had broke. Wait a second, I thought I had another month and a half. The twins arrived early and my two month time frame became two weeks. I had to have some place to bring the boys home to, and my mother-in-laws small house was already over burdened (space wise) with the addition of Jina, myself and our oldest.
I called work and informed them I would not be returning for at least two weeks and fully understood if they needed to suspend my salary (I was working under contract to a client), they didn't. I began putting in 20 hour days, bouncing between two hospitals and the remodel, yet I can't remember fatigue ever being an issue despite nearly two weeks at this pace. My friends stepped up and put their skills to work. My friend and his wife delivered a professional grade paint job in a couple of rooms, and that isn't his profession, he's a pastor. Another friend put his "jack of all trades" skills to work to help me complete the kitchen, insisting on laying the new kitchen floor himself for fear that I might screw it up. My family stepped up to help with other tasks and with helping get Jina back and forth to the hospitals for visits. More blessings than I deserved or deserve.
You see, I can nail a nail, cut a board (just don't expect it to be straight), and in general work my way through many projects, but to remodel that home in two weeks took more than my skills, more energy and drive than my internal motivators could generate, and even more than the skills and talents of my friends. It took God's help, because there is honestly no explanation or rationalization for how the house got gutted and renovated in such a short time. I've done the calculations, replayed the whole thing in my head, and know my own skill levels. It shouldn't have come together like it did, but then again, Jesus was a carpenter.
So there I was three years later, standing on the side of the road, asking God to help me see this thing through to the finish. I was physically spent, emotionally drained, and any pride I had left perished with the cramps that threatened to wreck my quads. Guess who was there with me. You knew I finished the race, but now you know the rest of the story.
Psalm 38 (New International Version)
...8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart...10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes... 15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God...17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me...21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.
12 June 2008
Work Stinks...
Well it does when you really want to be consistent in your training and your job requires travel. While I'm whining, let me just say that I don't sleep well in hotels, no matter how nice. It's hard to eat balanced meals consistently when you're eating out, and boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo.
OK I'm done whining. It took two runs, but I think I've shaken off my vacation rust and the last two runs have, despite coming after short nights of sleep, felt pretty good.
I've also made it since Sunday without any soft drinks. I'm still drinking ice tea, but trying to get away from the carbonated stuff.
OK, not much of a post, but that's where we're at today. Hopefully I get back into the swing of running while traveling, since I've got a ton of it on the agenda.
OK I'm done whining. It took two runs, but I think I've shaken off my vacation rust and the last two runs have, despite coming after short nights of sleep, felt pretty good.
I've also made it since Sunday without any soft drinks. I'm still drinking ice tea, but trying to get away from the carbonated stuff.
OK, not much of a post, but that's where we're at today. Hopefully I get back into the swing of running while traveling, since I've got a ton of it on the agenda.
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