Race Day Part 2

Mile 13 - 5:37 (the last 0.1 - 0:33) - the final 1.1 miles of the race was run through Epcot Center.  This mile reminded me a little of the Magic Kingdom Mile....tight turns, curves, wet pavement/concrete, etc, but also scenic, and a big crowd.  Running through the park, I pretty much knew that barring disaster, I had second place sewn up.  I almost couldn't believe it.  My time was 3:36 slower than my best half marathon time, so I wasn't necessary thrilled with that.  I know the heat, humidity, and darkness slowed everyone down at least some.....but 2nd place though?.....an absolute product of God's Grace and God's Faithfulness.
     I have heard of runners that have still run well despite little to no sleep.  However, throwing in the warm temperature, the humidity, and the all the events leading up to the race, I know for a fact that God's Grace sustained me through the entire ordeal.  This was just another way that God had shown that nothing is too difficult for Him, and nothing is impossible with Him.  He kept my heart at peace through everything.  I began to doubt a couple of times whether I would even make it to the race, but panic never really set in.  In fact, I felt more mentally and spiritually prepared for the race sitting in the DC airport less 6 hours before the race than I did at the starting line.  For whatever reason, when we actually landed in Orlando, I felt kind of flat.  I was neither excited for the race nor dreading it.  It was almost as if I was a walking zombie.  I didn't have much feeling or emotion for anything.  This is obviously not the state I wanted to be in before the race.  I wanted to be focused and locked in on God and His Goodness.  I wanted to be full of joy, ready to run for Him and His Glory.  To be honest, although my mental and spiritual state improved somewhat as we got closer to Donald Duck sending us off, I was still pretty 'off'.  I was still in more of a daze than I was focused on Jesus.  Ya know what though?  God just showed me how faithful He is, how good He is, and how merciful He is....even when my heart is not where it should be.
     In the weeks leading up to the race, I figured I had a great shot at finishing in the Top 10; a good shot at finishing in the Top 5; and if everything was clicking on all cylinders, possibly a shot at the Top 3.  If someone would have told me everything that was going to happen the day before the race, and that I was going to get no sleep.....THEN beat Clint Verran, Hunter Kemper, and Michael Wardian to finish 2nd place......come on!!....only if God Himself stepped in......
.............wow...............He really did.
     What is so much more important though than the result of this race......is why the result occurred, and why I run to begin with.  My heart's desire is to point people to Jesus.  I want everyone to experience the true freedom that comes with a surrendered relationship with Him.  The 'peace' I felt and experienced through the entire process can belong to anyone.  Jesus is for EVERYONE.  He went to the Cross for every soul.  He knew you before you were born, and fearfully and wonderfully knit you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139).  He wants to fill the longing that is deep in all of our Soul's.   Despite what we have ever thought, done, or believed, He wants to meet us where we are, and make us new.
      If there is anyone reading this that is thinking 'I don't believe all this God and Jesus stuff'....or you are thinking, 'this God and Jesus stuff is just not for me.'.......I would challenge you to do a simple, but very courageous thing........ask God.....or even if you do not believe in God ask this......."God, if you are real, please show me....if this 'Jesus' is the Way, please show me.....somehow, some way.....please show me."
    My prayer is that through this blog, through this race and/or races that I run, that God touches hearts.  It's not about me, or my experiences....it's ultimately about pointing people to Jesus.  If I have not done that, then it's all in vain.  God Bless....and to Him be the glory.

Race Day Recap - Part 1

January 11, 2014....Thankful that this is a race day recap instead of a night at the airport recap (see previous posts for details on that :-P).  To pick up where my last post left off, we finally boarded our new plane around 11:45 pm, and took off around 12:30 am.  It felt good to be off the ground actually heading to Orlando.  With the start of the race about 5 hours away, my goal was to get any possible sleep I could on this little over 2 hour flight...like maybe fall asleep, and the next thing I know we are pulling up to the gate in Orlando.  Well, it didn't exactly happen that way.  After having a brief conversation with the nice man sitting next to me, I leaned my head straight back, closed my eyes, and listened to airplane noise practically the whole way.  In all honesty, I just could not get comfortable.  Even though I ended up in first class, I had no pillow, and there was a large enough gap between my seat and the window, where I could not lean on it without feeling like I was breaking my neck.  I tried to fold up the thin blanket they gave me and use it as a pillow, but to no avail.  It is possible that I dozed off a few minutes here or there, but I never got the feeling of any solid sleep whatsoever.
         When we finally landed, part of me was glad to be there, but part of had me had lost a little enthusiasm for the race.  I was really tired.  In fact, as I was walking through the airport trying to follow my mom's instructions to get to their van, I went the wrong way.  I knew I had to get to baggage claim, so I started following signs.  The signs went from 'baggage claim' to 'Baggage Claim A' and 'Baggage Claim B'. Great....I had to make a 50/50 decision on virtually no sleep.  This was somewhat of a big decision because these baggage claim areas are not that close together.  I went with 'Baggage Claim A'.......bad decision.....I wasn't thinking very clearly and reasoned that I had to keep going down to get where cars can pick you up.  I was starting to see signs for parking garages, and there were no doors to the outside.  I did finally conclude that I had to be heading in the wrong direction (believe it or not, I'm pretty good at following signs in the airport when I'm awake and alert).  I decided to give my mom another call.   When telling her about the baggage claim predicament, she informed me that Baggage Claim 'B' was where I needed to go (hmmm....maybe I should have addressed that earlier).  Well, after turning around, all I could see were signs for baggage claim 'A'......nothing for 'B'.  I'm thinking...'why are there no signs for 'B'?   This makes no sense at all.  Being after 3:00 am, the airport was like a ghost town.  Anyway, I finally figured it out and arrived at my parent's van at around 3:15 am.
       Ok, it was time for some conversation with God.  After all of the delays and doubts about even getting to the race, sleep or no sleep, I should be excited for the race.  To be truthful, I was stuck in neutral.  I didn't have much of a feeling one way or another.  I had run races before on very little sleep (4-5 hours), but never on a few minutes of dozing here and there.  I needed a little jolt...my heart needed changed.
      After being dropped off, it was about a 30 minute walk to the starting line. This was after going through a security check, a bag drop-off area (which I did not utilize...another story for another time) and following thousands of people about another half-mile to the starting line area.  With the bib number I had, I was able to start in the first corral, and actually worked my way up to the front line right before the gun was to go off.  As the start of the race drew closer, I wasn't feeling an adrenaline rush, but my spirit was calm.  I was excited for the race, but it was a very 'relaxed' excitement.  In fact, during the National Anthem, I closed my eyes for a little bit to meditate on God, and get focused.  The longer I kept my eyes closed, I felt the more difficult it would be to open them.  Believe it or not....here we are just a couple of minutes away from the start of the Disney World Half-Marathon, and I had the slightest difficulty opening my eyes at the end of the National Anthem!  I was thinking....ok God...this race really is yours.  Ok, here is how the race went down (from what I can recall). :-)

Mile 1 - 5:12 (actually faster than I thought I would run the first mile in.  Although I felt pretty decent, sweat was dripping already (it was 67 degrees with 100 percent humidity....a little warm for me since I had been training in much colder weather).  I think I was in 5th or 6th place at this point.  The three lead runners had a pretty sizeable gap already, and I knew maintaining my current pace in the heat and humidity would probably mean crashing and burning later in the race.  Therefore, I ran with a second pack of runners where my pace felt relatively comfortable.

Mile 2 - 5:18 - just hanging with Clint Verran of the Hanson Brothers (4-time Olympic Trials Qualifier - finished 5th at the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials) and a few other guys....feeling decent.

Mile 3 - 5:23 - not much has changed.  Clint and I have a slight lead over the rest of our pack, and we are closing on the guy running 3rd (Hunter Kemper - World Class Triathlete - former Olympian)

Mile 4 - missed this one for some reason.

Mile 5 - miles 4 and 5 combined to be 11:00, so we have slowed to 5:30 pace.  Even slowing down, Clint and I have passed Kemper, and gapped our pack slightly more.

Mile 6 - 5:37 - much of this mile was run inside the Magic Kingdom.  There were several tight turns and curves through this part along with wet pavement/concrete.  This slowed us down, but this was arguably the most fun part of the course running underneath the Disney Castle, and enjoying the lights and large crowds throughout the park.  Also during this mile....while Clint and I are enjoying the sights and the crowds of the Magic Kingdom, world class Ultra-Marathoner Michael Wardian tracks us down, and surges past us.  Clint says, "What's up Mike?"  Mike quickly responds, "Just trying to beat you guys."  I think this woke Clint and I up a little.  We both picked our pace up in an attempt to keep up with Mike.

Mile 7 - 5:27 - another runner has joined us (not sure who it is), so we have a pack of four now that is trailing the two lead runners (not within sight).

Mile 8 - 5:31 - although I slowed a little on this mile, I have taken a slight lead on the second pack, and the second place runner is within sight (the darkness definitely made it hard to see him though. :-)

Mile 9 - 5:29 - I'm quickly closing in on 2nd place, and putting a little more distance on the pack.  I move into second place before reaching the 10-mile mark.  I am now following one of the lead bicycles because the first place guy is way ahead.  I'm thankful they did this.  It allowed me to concentrate just on Jesus and running and not have to worry about what direction I needed to go.

Mile 10 - 5:29 - It was during this mile that I made a mess.  With the exception of one earlier water stop where I fumbled away three different cups of water without getting a drop, I had been able to successfully down some water at some of the other stops.  Well, this water stop had a little different story to it (keep in mind that I do not literally stop at the water stations.  I slow down only slightly and grab the water on the run).  I think some of the race volunteers were still sleeping at this one.  As I was approaching the station, I ran past the Powerade, and began calling for water.  It looked as if there was next to no one at the water tables, and the few that were there were either sleeping or not paying attention.  I quickly realized there was going to be no one to hand me water.  Therefore, I ran right next to the tables, and grabbed a cup of water myself.  During this process I probably knocked at least 10 cups of water down making sure I had a good grip on the one I grabbed.  I hope that didn't hurt anyone later in the race. :-P

Mile 11 - 5:29 - ya know what? Now that I think about it, what I wrote about in mile 10....I think it actually happened in this mile.  I think during mile 10 is when I moved into 2nd place....oh well.  I think the recollection of events is generally accurate.  I know at least my splits are accurate because I actually have them saved on my watch.  Some of the race I remember distinctly, and some of it is definitely a blur.  Due to a little sleep deprivation, I'm not sure my brain was working at full capacity....or even half.  :-P.   I do know that I continued to widen the gap on the runners behind me (according to the guy on the bike).

Mile 12 - 5:22 - this mile had a nice little downhill section.  There was also a not so nice little up hill before this, but I can't remember if it was actual within this mile or in Mile 11.  This was a good mile though.  I knew I wasn't anywhere close to first place, but I didn't care to be honest.  My goal at this point was to run as hard as I could with whatever was left in me, and hold 2nd place.

To be continued.......(it's 2:15 am)...I'll think more clearly tomorrow. :-P


   

6 hours to go.....still in DC

Wow.  Mechanical problems on the 10:10pm flight.  We just got off the plane and we were directed to gate C27.  Still waiting to board.  The good news.....there is a plane to board.  There was a chance the flight would have been cancelled, which would have meant sleeping in the airport and missing the race.  At this point, even getting to the starting line would be a victory in itself.  Nothing surprises God.  Stay calm, cool, and collected, because God is not affected.  To Him be the glory.

10 hours to go......

I certainly didn't expect to post 10 hours before the race; especially still being 881 miles away (I checked google maps :-)).  I should be boarding a plane in about 2 hours.  I did want to share some cool things that have happened today.  These are relatively small things that I believe are God's way to show me......"I got your back."

        After I found out about the delay, the first thing that happened was when I went to United.com to put in my reservation number (which is AYPTL3) to make sure my connecting flight was changed.  As I was putting in my number '77' popped up in between my letters, and I wasn't even on the number screen of my iPad!  In case some may not know, seven is often considered God's number....a number of 'completeness'.  Another cool thing happened on my flight from Clarksburg to DC.  First of all, the flight attendant said I could sit in any row from 7 on back to balance the plane, so I sat in seat 7B. :-). After reaching cruising altitude, she started with me and asked if I wanted anything to drink.  I asked for water, and she did not have any.  She said she would have to go to the front to get some.  After the guy behind me asked for water too, she went ahead and snagged a BIG bottle of Dasani water, and proceeded to come back and fill my 4oz. Cup.  On her way back down the aisle I glanced back and saw there was a 'tiny' bit of water left in her bottle.  When she reached me, I had planned to ask her if I could finish it off to wash down the remnants of the bagel and cream cheese taste lingering on my taste buds.  Well, right before she reached me, I heard her ask the gentleman behind me if he wanted some more water.  I knew there wasn't enough water in there for both of us, so I was hoping he would politely decline.  He didn't.  He politely accepted.  I then wondered if she would even ask me, since she just poured the last few drops of water.  To my surprise, she DID ask me.  I accepted her offer, and she said she would have to get more water from the front (for the second time in less than 10 minutes.  As she was walking back with another 1 liter bottle of Dasani, I happily prepared my cup for the refill.  Instead of refilling my cup, she handed me the entire bottle and said "here, you might need this."  Earlier, she commented how prepared I was as I was spreading cream cheese on my bagel.  I told her how I was running the Disney Half-marathon in the morning, so I was trying to stay carbed up.  I guess she remembered that and decided to give me the entire bottle.  I had planned on buying bottled water when I got to DC, but I believe 100 percent that as she was reaching for that second bottle of water, The Holy Spirit put the idea in her mind to give me the whole bottle.  I'm not sure, but even if it was protocol to throw away open bottles on a last flight (therefore she decided to give it to me), I believe God worked the circumstances out to bless me with that water.  Another way to say, "I got your back."

      After arriving in DC, I was thinking about going to customer service and requesting a first class seat due to my circumstances.  I decided to first go to a kiosk to print my boarding to see where I was going to be seated (or IF I was going to be seated.  On the flight to DC I had already played out several scenarios in my mind if I the next flight was full, and I was bumped.  In my head I was practicing the speech I was going to make to all the passengers at the departing gate hoping to inspire someone to volunteer their seat).  Thankfully this was not necessary.  When my boarding pass came up on the screen, the seat number was 2A.  2A!!??  Did this mean what I thought it meant??  I proceeded to look at the seating chart, and sure enough this is the second row on the entire plane!!!....First class!!!!   Another blessing from God!!!  Would I have survived in coach????  Of course!!  With the exception of one time in my life, I've always ridden in coach (or I think it's called economy these days). This was another way God said, "I got your back."  Even if it was the only seat left on the plane, God knew that ahead of time, and had that seat reserved for me. I might be the only one in first class with a t-shirt (with a little stain on it), sweatpants on, a NIKE Track & Field shoe bag, and maybe munching on some frosted mini-wheats; but that is fine with me!  I plan to enjoy my 2-hour stay in first class!....hopefully I won't remember most of it checking out the inside of my eyelids!  Oh, and the gate number for my new flight to Orlando..........7D.    God Bless!!!  :-)

1.......

January 10, 2014.....4-miles - Maple Lake - no watch.  As I sit here typing, the race is less than 15 hours away, and I am still sitting in the Clarksburg, WV Airport over 900 miles from the starting line.   My flight has been delayed...even to the point where I will miss my connecting flight in DC to Orlando.  I have been re-booked for a 10 pm flight, which would put me in Orlando around 5 hours before the start of the race.  I can tell you this........the Peace of God is priceless.  There is part of me that is obviously disappointed b/c getting there after midnight is not ideal before a 5:30 AM race.  However it's better than getting there AFTER the race.  I would not trade Him for anything.  My life is in His hands.  Nothing surprises Him.  I heard a saying from a friend in college that I will never forget.  He told me...."stay calm, cool, and collected, because God is not affected."  In some ways the adversity excites me.  I'm excited to see what God is going to do.  Even if I had to miss the race, deep down, it would be well with my soul.  Don't get me wrong, there would be some disappointment and frustration, but having Christ as my anchor, it's just a bump in the road.  In fact, there are thousands of people in West Virginia, and countless millions (maybe billions?) in the world that don't even have clean water right now.  I have it pretty good.
     My prayer heading into the race is still for my heart to be right before God.  I still want to run as a worship to Him.  I want His light to shine through me.  A dream come true would be even for one person to be drawn to Christ through all of this.   I want my life to point to Him.  To Him be the glory.

3, 2....

January 9, 2014.....6-miles with 8 x 20 second strides - Maple Lake.  I felt a touch stale the first four miles.  I then changed into racing flats and did a mile with the strides and a 30 second jog in between each stride.  I then jogged the final mile.  The legs felt good for the strides, which is encouraging.  I still need to stay on top of the little things such as staying hydrated, and getting plenty of rest.  The runDisney crew has called for a 'heat advisory' for the races due to warmer than expected temperatures.  As of right now, it is supposed to be 66 degrees with 100 percent humidity at the start of the race.  That is around 30 degrees warmer than what I ran in today.  Nothing is too big for God.  I certainly do not want to worry about race conditions.  No matter what, I want run courageously and wisely with a heart fully trusting God and resting in Him.  There is no time or energy to be wasted worrying about things that are in His hands.  No matter what......He is good.

January 8, 2014......6-mile recovery run - home treadmill.  This was a relatively uneventful run....thankfully.  I was surprised to get another day off of school.  Training-wise, this allowed me to get a little extra rest and also get my run in around 9 am instead of the originally planned 4 pm run after school.  It also allowed extra time to prepare for a lesson I was teaching at my church's Wednesday night Discovery Rangers class.  This is a fun, energetic group of 8-11 year old boys that I had the joy to hang out with.  Although they have to be reeled in at times, they are GREAT kids that God has awesome plans for.  I definitely would rather have to harness a surplus of energy than spend my time and energy prodding kids to stay awake.  We had a good time learning about the armor of God.  I just now need to make sure I am physically and spiritually equipped to run well on Saturday.  God is my Source and my Strength.  May His purpose and plan be accomplished!

Four......

January 7, 2014......The plan today was a treadmill workout in which I warmed up 4-miles with some strides then run 2-miles at half-marathon goal pace, and finally cool down for 2-miles.  The warm-up was fine.  The 2-mile tempo did not go as planned.  I have talked about in past blogs how for some reason it is much harder for me to run the same pace on my home treadmill as I would on the road or track.  I have done workouts on the treadmills at the YMCA in which paces felt similar or even easier than running on the road or track......but not my home treadmill.  I wanted to complete the 2-mile tempo at 11.3 MPH (or 5:18 per mile pace).  To me, this sounded reasonable since I just ran a 5K last week and averaged under 5:00 per mile.  Well, I basically made it to 1.5 miles and my heart rate was WAY up, and breathing was labored.  I was trying to decide whether to gut it out for another 1/2 mile, or back off.  Knowing that workouts do not increase fitness the week of a race, I felt the best decision was to back off.  I lowered my speed to 8.0 MPH (7:30 pace) for 1/4 mile, then ran at 12.0 MPH (5:00 pace) for 1/4 mile before easing into my 2-mile cool down.  I have to admit that part of me felt like I wimped out when I slowed at the 1.5 mile mark.  My confidence in my fitness took a little hit.  Of course, this could be a good thing.  When I toe the starting line before sunrise (way before) on Saturday, I want my confidence to be in God, and His plan.......not myself or my current fitness level.  I want it to be in Him alone.  I want to walk(not during the race :-) ) and run(during the race :-) ) in His Spirit, so He accomplishes His plan through me.  My desire is for Him to be lifted up.  To Him be the glory.

5 to go!

January 6, 2014.......8-miles (Home treadmill) 60:00.   I never really considered running outside today with the slick roads, single digit temperatures, and below zero wind chill factor.  I was amazed how good I felt for this run on the treadmill.  My legs felt fresh, and my breathing was controlled.   I plan to do a relatively light workout tomorrow (again on the treadmill).
     Even though I know that God is always with me, I have sensed His Presence in a special way the last few days.  It's heartbreaking to think that the majority of people in this world have never sensed God's Presence or even the 'inner peace' and feeling of 'completeness' that comes from knowing Him.  So many people go through their daily live's with such a 'void.'  Some wonder why it is there; some try their best to ignore it; and some try in vain to fill it with whatever the world has to offer (money, drugs, relationships, hobbies, sex, success, religion, etc.).  Filling it with anything other than Christ is like pouring water into a bottomless glass........you can pour all you want into it.....your soul still comes up empty.  Jesus is the ONLY one that can fill it.

6 days to go

January 5, 2014......Rest.  :-)

One week to go!

January 4, 2014......16-miles (15 miles in 92:21, then a 1-mile shag).  What a gorgeous day today!  When I woke up this morning it was around 8 degrees, and by the time I got out for my run at 1 pm, it was up to 41 degrees, which almost felt like 61!  The run itself went really well.  I hadn't planned on running as fast as I did, but I felt so good, and so strong, I just let it rip a little bit.  The good news is that I never felt like I was straining.  I was definitely working hard on the uphills, but never felt strained or weak.  From here on out, the longest run I will probably do will be about be around 8 miles.  I will need to make a strong effort this coming week to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest.  I want to do everything I can to do my part in preparing for the race, and leaving the results up to God.  I'm just really believing that He is going to do something with this race that I could never achieve on my own.  To Him be the glory.

Down to 8!.......Days and Degrees!! :-P

January 3, 2014....6 miles recovery....home treadmill.  I had thoughts today of breaking out the Yak Trax (a piece of rubber with metal coils to help with traction) and running easy in the snow.   After thinking about it though, I felt the best decision was to stay off the ice and snow...the last thing I need right now is to slip and fall, or get some weird soreness or injury from running in conditions I'm not accustomed to.  Also, running at 70 degrees inside the house would probably do more to prepare me for the possible warm conditions at Disney.     
         Speaking of competing in possible adverse conditions, I can't help but be intrigued by Sunday's NFL playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers.  I believe the high temperature in Green Bay is supposed to be around -5 and the low is around -20 with the wind chill a mind numbing 20 to 50 below zero.....ouch!  I cannot imagine competing well in such conditions and certainly cannot imagine sitting outside and watching a football game in these conditions.  Sitting inside and watching a game like this is intriguing though.  I guess only a cheesehead would understand exposing themselves to such adverse conditions.  I would imagine almost every square inch of your skin would have to be covered with something.
          When thinking about equipping and preparing yourself for adverse conditions, I can't help but bring up what God has been stirring in my heart bringing in the new year.  As we pull out our winter jackets and layered clothing almost daily in the winter to prepare for the mostly frigid temperatures outside, it's almost as if God has been reminding me that there are much more than physical adverse conditions that we must prepare and equip ourselves for.  There is also a spiritual battle that we all face each and every day.  In the Bible, Ephesians 6:10-18 adequately explains this battle, how to prepare for it, and how to fight it.  It's a battle we cannot fight in our own strength or ability.  The battle exists whether we acknowledge it or not.  To not acknowledge the battle is to lose it, while winning the battle takes the full armor of God.  Turn on your sound and check out the video I posted from youtube.

         

THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD (Ready Yourself For Battle)

9 Days to Go!

January 2, 2014.....The last few days of training have gone pretty well.  On Monday, I did 10-miles with 6 x 30 seconds hard (but relaxed) w/1:00 recovery jog between each one.  I felt some 'pop' in my legs on the 30-second intervals, which was very encouraging.  On Tuesday, I did an 'easy' 6-mile run on the treadmill.  Our family then loaded up in the car and headed for Charleston for a family New Year's celebration.  This was a lot of fun and definitely worth staying up until 1:00 am.  Later in the day (2 pm) was a New Year's Day 5K run in St. Alban's, WV.  This was to be my last tune-up race before Disney.  In my 2 previous 5K's, I had run 15:57 (Shinnston Turkey Trot on Nov. 28th), and 16:01 (Ryan Jobes Memorial 5K in Williamstown, WV on December 21st).  I wasn't too happy with my time in Williamstown, but was encouraged that I ran 15:28 in St. Albans.  My mile splits were 4:51, 4:57, 5:04, then 37 seconds for the last 0.1.  Although, my miles were progressively slower, I felt relatively strong throughout the race.  My first 2 miles probably would have been close to even splits had there not been a nasty little uphill right before the two mile mark.  That sucked a little of my momentum, and I had a difficult time getting it back.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day for the race (50 degrees and sunny). 

Today, I ran a relatively easy 12-mile run on the treadmill.  From here on out though, I plan to cut my mileage back in hopes of freshening up for the Disney Half.  As of right now, the long range forecast calls for a high of 78 and low of 64 the day of the race.  I would be thrilled if between now and then, each of those numbers drop about 15 degrees....at least the low.  The race starts at 5:30 am, so the temperature will probably be on the low end anyway.  However, mid-60's is pretty warm; especially when most of my training has been in the 20's and 30's.  I can't worry about it though.  It's all in God's hands.  Whether it's a perfect 45 degrees at the start of the race, or a sweltering 75 degrees, NOTHING IS TOO BIG FOR GOD.  He can change the weather and/or provide strength to prosper no matter what the weather.  I want to believe God for BIG things for HIS GLORY.  Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He lives inside of me!  I really want to lock in on Him.  He can do soooo much more with the race than I could ever do on my own.  I want to live in daily surrender to Him and His purposes.  I often get in the way of this, which is frustrating, but I am thankful for His mercy and grace.  He's not going to give up on me........nor will He give up on you.