I Almost Quit Saturday

I am not a fast distance runner. I compete with few people except me. But the Lexington Race Against Hunger Saturday was a new challenge. I wondered, as my son-in-law David and I drove through hard rain on Saturday, Do they postpone races due to rain? Do the laws of baseball take effect? Unsafe playing surface, terrible playing conditions, bad for the fans . . . yada, yada, yada.

The runners ran in driving rain, 6.2 miles, up and down wet hills. The man in me could not walk away (because David drove). This was my first race since October. I was not in great shape.

The first 3 miles were labored but okay. Then, it happened, the 1000 lb. guerrilla jumped on my back. He has jumped me before, don't get me wrong. All 1000 lbs. hitched a ride this time. I wanted to walk so badly. Maybe not quit but walk. The muscles in my legs screamed for mercy.

Now, in honor of the late Paul Harvey, the rest of the story. David, would normally beat me by a mile in a competitive 10K. Literally, a mile . . . between 9 -10 minutes. In running, that is a long way. David, for some unknown reason came back and met me at the 3 mile mark. He escorted me, running along side, to the finish line. We ran identical crummy times. We laughed, I yelled at him, he waved me forward, I struggled.

Remember, I almost quit, but did not. Why? Because someone came back. I would not have noticed if he didn't. He could have run the race for himself. He probably should have. He would have been out of the rain 10 minutes earlier. He could have (as he often does) placed in his age bracket. He gave it up. I am not sure why, but I am glad he did. Because he did, he multiplied his effort.

Slow down for someone else today. Your bottom line results will be increased most likely. In the Saturday's race, David's results literally doubled. Many have done this for me over the years. I hope I have returned the favor, but could not possibly have done it as much. I run too many races for myself.

201st Place in the Lake Murray 10K! Front Runners

Nice run on Saturday. I am not a runner yet. I am a person who runs to try to beat the chubby monster. I have made this point before. Some of you may feel it is humanistic - get over it!

No question the really fast runners (let's say the top 50) make me a little uncomfortable. The 40 year old and above guys (69 of those beat me including a 72 year old man named Henry) particularly make me wonder about my commitment. I still don't like it when my legs hurt really bad and I struggle to breathe. Getting up at stupid o'clock in the morning to dodge cars before daylight does not necessarily ring my bell either.

The front runners do have a purpose. They exist to make me ask myself the question: Am I really doing my best? Sometimes, however, the front runners can discourage me. Front runners can overwhelm me. But, I can't let them excuse me from the table. In most cases, they will always be there, smiling, and waving their trophies.

I don't resent the front runners. In fact, I admire them. They will always remind me I have another level to go. But my target must be my next level. I ran 6.2 miles in 55.36. The winner (a 40 year old, Eric) finished in 31.42. If my goal is to beat Eric, I quit. If my goal is to beat Dino, that is worth getting out of bed for!

Hip Talk - By Dr. Suarez

Impressed by my tough guy doctor, Dr. Suarez, who is not worried about my ailing left hip. Hip bursitis is the diagnosis. I have been released to be a 40 something, still in search of, whatever I am running after at 5:00 a.m. in the morning.

He suggested four things that should work regardless of the condition of your left hip:

1. Preparation (stretch - don't get in too big a hurry).

2. Don't run on the same side of the road everyday (avoid mindless routines).

3. Have the correct equipment (worn running shoes are killers). Where is an upgrade or update needed?

4. When all else fails, call in the ice and anti-inflamatories (know thyself, swallow thy pride, along with 2 of deese, and a bag of dis)

Headquarters and Camden today. This weekend included an encouraging funeral - sounds weird, but it is possible if life after death with Jesus is settled. Dan Fagg's funeral was one of the best I can remember. I needed it, no kidding.

Also, I went shopping with Abby at Justice (our new favorite store). River Springs http://www.riversprings.org/ with Tim and Gloria Shull (great missionary planters btw) on Sunday morning. I was encouraged by the passion and worship of the RS family. The best is yet to come. Midtwown and Dustin were on yesterday too. Chaotic Joy series included a message just for me (glad the others could be there too) www.midtowncolumbia.com .

Race Revisted III - Happy Birthday Yvette (Yesterday)

5) Celebrate with the Winners - my son-in-law, David won his age class in the Resurrection 5K. I do not get high marks in the rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep category. Generally, I am a bit too self-absorbed for that. But for my rock star son-in-law, I think I came close. For a moment when they called his name as the winner in the 20-24 year class, I felt like they called mine. That made my apparent short comings seem insignificant for them moment. Who do you need to celebrate with today?

In the midst of the preaching (Willow and Hurricane Baptist) and paint this weekend, I celebrated. Yvette, my bride of 25 1/2 years had a birthday on Sunday. Yvette is solid as a rock. She is low maintenance to a fault. That is why celebrating her birthday is so very much fun. I often tell people in stores ,who help me shop for her, she is so easy to please it presents a challenge. She is going to like anything I get her, so I really want to knock her socks off. Her big birthday thrills - Copper River Grill, a lamp, end table, fresh ground coffee from Port City Java, Subway on Sunday, and cheese cake. As a rule in our house we celebrate you the entire month so she has more love to come. She will never, however, get all the love she deserves! Happy Birthday, Sweetie! You are so beautiful . . . 2 meeeeeeeee!

Hey, great opp today at White Oak with Jim Putman and Avery Willis. Two straight weeks of discipleship process stuff. I will keep you posted.

The Race Revisted

I set a personal record and beat frogman, so why was I disappointed? I ran in the Resurrection 5K Easter weekend with my favorite son-in-law, David. A little hard to talk about, but I learned a few things.

1) Plan your preparation. I worked out hard the evening before the race. Not too smart. Race day is only part of a total process of fitness. What is carefully planned and executed before and after the race helps you win. Are you only about game day? If you are, you probably aren't too good.

2) Don't let the jack rabbits pace you. I knew I could not beat the fastest runners. I thought I could let them, however, help me increase my overall pace. I was wrong. I was in trouble the first mile of the race. Who are you trying to keep up with? Why?

3) Don't be afraid to stop a minute. The hard part is that I had to stop, for the first time ever. I am not sure how long I stopped, but I was devastated that I did. Was my bar not to stop, or to finish well? Finishing well may be tied into knowing when to stop. Is there something you need to stop? Do you just need to stop, period, for a few minutes? Catch your breath and regain your focus. I did finish, btw. More race news tomorrow.