February 27, 2015: Time certainly flies. It seems like not long ago at all when I was in the last few weeks training for the Chicago Marathon. It then came to a crashing halt with a calf injury. Now here we are......less than 14 hours away from the Phoenix Marathon. Although I have been battling a cold the last few days, the training leading into Phoenix has gone seemingly well.....injury free, and feeling pretty fit.
My biggest battle right now is combating doubt. Confidence can sometimes be a fragile thing; especially if you are putting confidence in yourself. When I started my easy 4-mile jog today, my legs felt on the stale side. They gradually loosened up, but still did not feel fantastic. I sometimes then wonder how this translates to hopefully running a PR marathon tomorrow. It will be interesting to see. It is a point to point race, and looking at the course map and weather forecast, we look to be facing semi-moderate cross-winds for much of the race with some relatively significant stretches of head-winds, and fewer sections of tail-winds. The forecast calls for temperatures in the mid to upper 50's for about the first 2-2.5 hours or so, then working it's way through the 60's then into the low 70's for the rest of the race. I am hoping to finish while the temperature is still in the 50's.
I am at a place right now where I have to put my total confidence in God. He's the only way to go. I want to step to the starting line knowing that with God All Things Are Possible. I want to have a spirit of wisdom, courage, and faith. I want to expect God to do something big. I want to be in tune with Him, and go out running the race He has marked out for me. I want God to fill me with His Spirit so I can reflect Christ to others. Although I struggle with both at times, there truly is no place for worry or doubt. There is nothing tomorrow that is too big for God, and nothing that will surprise Him. He is bigger than this race, and bigger than the result. I want to run to honor Him. My desire is to run faster than even I think I can run. I want God to do something greater with this race than I ever could. I pray that His Grace be over these last several weeks of training....that His Mercy would cover any possible mistakes that I made. I pray that just like he took 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to feed 5,000......that He would take what I have, and do something huge with it.
It's all up to Him though. His thoughts are above my thoughts, and His ways are above mine. Whatever He does.....it is well....and He is good. I just want to have fun and run free for Him, and hopefully reflect Him to others. To Him be the Glory.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Less than 2 Days
February 26, 2015....On a plane right now....according to the in-flight map, we are currently approaching the northwest corner of Mississippi with 3 hours to go before landing in Phoenix.
God has already blessed my wife and me on this trip. We were originally scheduled to land in Phoenix at 10:35 pm. Once we got off the plane in Atlanta (from Charleston, WV) we proceeded to find the big screens to see what our departing gate would be for our 7:55 pm flight to Phoenix. We were in no rush as it was only about 3:40 pm....more than a full 4 hours before our departure. As we spotted Phoenix on the screen, we noticed a 4:20 departure time from Gate A29. We thought, 'Hey, let's get there as quickly as possible to see if we could hop on that flight.' We approached the desk at the gate and the clerk placed us on a standby list. We noticed on a flat screen at the gate that it said 2 seats available. We thought, 'there we go....just for us.' However, as the last passengers were boarding the plane, they called two people up to the desk.....not us. Both of us were disappointed, and Stephanie said, 'should we go?' I said, "let's just wait it out until they shut the doors. We have no place else to go for now." A moment later they called another name, and the screen said 0 seats available. The final boarding call was then made for the flight, and we still just sat there...kind of hoping against hope. Well, our ears perked up as they called the names of 2 more would-be passengers....and no one came up....hope was alive again! A third name was called.....again....no one. Then we heard it...."McCollam party of two...."McCollam party of two".....just like we were eating at our favorite restaurant. :-). We walked up to the counter and they said they may have seats for us, but we would probably be sitting apart. This was ok with both of us if it meant getting to Phoenix at 6:30 instead of 10:30! As we approached the door of the plane, they told us to wait, as they were not positive that there were seats. As we waited, we were told it looks like there is one seat and asked if we would we be willing to travel on separate flights. We told them no. We wanted to be on the same plane.
The next words we heard were 'hold on....we have 2 seats'. Thank you Jesus! Instead of spending 4 hours in the Atlanta airport, and probably not getting to our hotel until close to midnight, we should be landing in Phoenix around 6:30 pm. This is a true blessing considering how important 'rest' is leading into the marathon.
Tomorrow I will post some final thoughts heading into the race. In the meantime, as we are currently flying over Arkansas, I long to rest in the peace and presence of God. He is so faithful.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
14 days to go
February 14, 2015.....Happy Valentine's Day Everyone. :-) I have had the same wonderful Valentine for the past 13 years....4 years as my beautiful girlfriend/fiancee, and the past 9 years as my beautiful bride. :-)
It also marks 5 years since my marathon PR (2:29:30) in Birmingham, AL.
With 2 weeks to go until Phoenix, I believe the potential is there for a new PR. How much of one? I'm not sure. If it's a hot morning, or if there is a stiff head-wind, the chances could be slim. If it's a cool morning with relatively light winds.....we will see. I want to believe God for the best race possible. With Him, ALL things are possible. I just want to surrender these last couple of weeks all to Him. I want Him to be the focus, and I want to leave results to Him. Above all, I want Him to accomplish His purpose and plan.
Today was my last "Long" run before the marathon. Originally, I had planned to run a race today in Pittsburgh, but the weather nixed those plans. Instead, I ran harder than planned yesterday, then came back with my last long run today. My legs are pretty tired. I think it is combination of a speed workout Tuesday, a pretty hard 12-miler on Wednesday, and a pretty brisk 8-miler yesterday. I was pretty happy with today's results considering this past week.
Now it's time to put more emphasis on recovery than on miles and speed. Not that I will be running 'easy' from here on out. There will be days when I try to run a little harder, but my mileage will be decreasing relatively significantly leading into the marathon, and 'recovery' days will be happening a little more than usual.
I am going to post a song by Matt Maher that has really resonated with me lately. I hope you listen to it, and are blessed. We live, because He lives. :-)
It also marks 5 years since my marathon PR (2:29:30) in Birmingham, AL.
With 2 weeks to go until Phoenix, I believe the potential is there for a new PR. How much of one? I'm not sure. If it's a hot morning, or if there is a stiff head-wind, the chances could be slim. If it's a cool morning with relatively light winds.....we will see. I want to believe God for the best race possible. With Him, ALL things are possible. I just want to surrender these last couple of weeks all to Him. I want Him to be the focus, and I want to leave results to Him. Above all, I want Him to accomplish His purpose and plan.
Today was my last "Long" run before the marathon. Originally, I had planned to run a race today in Pittsburgh, but the weather nixed those plans. Instead, I ran harder than planned yesterday, then came back with my last long run today. My legs are pretty tired. I think it is combination of a speed workout Tuesday, a pretty hard 12-miler on Wednesday, and a pretty brisk 8-miler yesterday. I was pretty happy with today's results considering this past week.
Now it's time to put more emphasis on recovery than on miles and speed. Not that I will be running 'easy' from here on out. There will be days when I try to run a little harder, but my mileage will be decreasing relatively significantly leading into the marathon, and 'recovery' days will be happening a little more than usual.
I am going to post a song by Matt Maher that has really resonated with me lately. I hope you listen to it, and are blessed. We live, because He lives. :-)
Monday, February 9, 2015
Taper Time!
February 9, 2015: I just finished up 3 straight weeks of 92, 91, and 92 miles, respectively. I am pretty sure this is at least close to the most mileage I have done in a three week period. Also, because I ran long on Sunday of last week, and long again this past Saturday....over a 7-day period, I logged 104 miles....again, I'm pretty sure that is the most I have done over 7 days. Now it's time to start tapering (reducing mileage). Heading into the taper, all I can do is thank God. His Grace and Mercy have kept me healthy and strong.
I don't know exactly what this means for the marathon, but I am going to believe God for great things.....first of all....to accomplish His purpose. I don't believe His purpose is for me to simply run a fast time (which is relative depending on who you talk to), or have a good race. Running well is hopefully part of the plan, but I believe He has greater things in mind. I want to be Christ's ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20) in Phoenix. In some way, I simply want to reflect Him. I don't want to force anything, but be led by the Spirit and accomplish His purpose. My flesh will fight this, but I pray that God's Spirit overcomes my flesh. It still amazes me how much God's loves us and wants to move in us and through us even though we fall short everyday. Whenever we stumble or fall short, we must repent, get back up, and keep moving forward. We don't want to miss out on God's best for us.
I don't know exactly what this means for the marathon, but I am going to believe God for great things.....first of all....to accomplish His purpose. I don't believe His purpose is for me to simply run a fast time (which is relative depending on who you talk to), or have a good race. Running well is hopefully part of the plan, but I believe He has greater things in mind. I want to be Christ's ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20) in Phoenix. In some way, I simply want to reflect Him. I don't want to force anything, but be led by the Spirit and accomplish His purpose. My flesh will fight this, but I pray that God's Spirit overcomes my flesh. It still amazes me how much God's loves us and wants to move in us and through us even though we fall short everyday. Whenever we stumble or fall short, we must repent, get back up, and keep moving forward. We don't want to miss out on God's best for us.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
23 Days to Go
February 5, 2015: I am in awe of God's goodness. First of all, He is good no matter what. It certainly does not hinge on how well training is going. However, I want to thank Him for a better than expected race this past Sunday, and a much better than expected Medium Long Run yesterday (Wednesday).
Going into the Sunday race (a flat 10K), I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. With no taper and minimal speed work, I was thinking anything under 32:00 would be great, and I would be ok with low 32's. I felt okay during my warm-up, but nothing spectacular. When the gun went off, I quickly settled in to a relatively comfortable pace. I could tell I did not have blazing speed in my legs, but I felt pretty strong. I wanted to run my mile splits pretty evenly, or if possible, run progressively faster as the race went on. My splits were as follows: 5:06, 5:05, 5:05, 5:08 (cone turnaround), 4:59, 5:01, and the last 0.2 in 1:02. My relatively comfortable pace became considerably less comfortable the last couple of miles. I really had to concentrate to maintain pace. With the out and back nature of the course I was able to pass the rest of the runners coming in the opposite direction. Typically when people cheer for me, I like to wave, give a thumbs up, or at least smile at them. I could muster nothing. However, I certainly appreciated each word of encouragement I received on the way back. One thing that helped keep me going was thinking about my family standing at the finish line. I wanted to finish strong for them. Even before I reached the finish line area, I could hear in my mind, "Go Daddy! Go!." Sure enough, I heard just that as I approached the line. There is nothing like hearing that coming from the sweet voices of my two kids.
After taking 2 recovery days after the race (8 easy miles Monday; 11 easy miles Tuesday), it was time for my medium long run on Wednesday. Originally, I had planned to do a speed workout, but I still had lingering calf soreness from the race. Therefore, I opted for a run that would keep me off my toes. I expected a decent run, but not one as fast as last week's Wednesday run. Well, to make a long story short, I ran the 16 miles faster than last week....even with a slight headwind. I felt possibly as strong as I ever have on a run of that distance in a marathon training cycle....and unlike last week, no new blisters formed, so I was able to jog an easy mile as a cool-down.
I can't help but feel excited for the upcoming marathon. Normally, at this point in the training cycle, I am feeling pretty fatigued, and my legs feel relatively 'dead'. During this training cycle, it's not the case. I feel stronger now, and have just as much or more bounce in my legs than at the beginning of the cycle. With my taper starting next week, I want to continue to surrender everything to God, and run for His Glory. I feel absolutely blessed. I want my heart and eyes to be focused on Him. I want to be the person, husband, father, and runner that God desires me to be.
Going into the Sunday race (a flat 10K), I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. With no taper and minimal speed work, I was thinking anything under 32:00 would be great, and I would be ok with low 32's. I felt okay during my warm-up, but nothing spectacular. When the gun went off, I quickly settled in to a relatively comfortable pace. I could tell I did not have blazing speed in my legs, but I felt pretty strong. I wanted to run my mile splits pretty evenly, or if possible, run progressively faster as the race went on. My splits were as follows: 5:06, 5:05, 5:05, 5:08 (cone turnaround), 4:59, 5:01, and the last 0.2 in 1:02. My relatively comfortable pace became considerably less comfortable the last couple of miles. I really had to concentrate to maintain pace. With the out and back nature of the course I was able to pass the rest of the runners coming in the opposite direction. Typically when people cheer for me, I like to wave, give a thumbs up, or at least smile at them. I could muster nothing. However, I certainly appreciated each word of encouragement I received on the way back. One thing that helped keep me going was thinking about my family standing at the finish line. I wanted to finish strong for them. Even before I reached the finish line area, I could hear in my mind, "Go Daddy! Go!." Sure enough, I heard just that as I approached the line. There is nothing like hearing that coming from the sweet voices of my two kids.
After taking 2 recovery days after the race (8 easy miles Monday; 11 easy miles Tuesday), it was time for my medium long run on Wednesday. Originally, I had planned to do a speed workout, but I still had lingering calf soreness from the race. Therefore, I opted for a run that would keep me off my toes. I expected a decent run, but not one as fast as last week's Wednesday run. Well, to make a long story short, I ran the 16 miles faster than last week....even with a slight headwind. I felt possibly as strong as I ever have on a run of that distance in a marathon training cycle....and unlike last week, no new blisters formed, so I was able to jog an easy mile as a cool-down.
I can't help but feel excited for the upcoming marathon. Normally, at this point in the training cycle, I am feeling pretty fatigued, and my legs feel relatively 'dead'. During this training cycle, it's not the case. I feel stronger now, and have just as much or more bounce in my legs than at the beginning of the cycle. With my taper starting next week, I want to continue to surrender everything to God, and run for His Glory. I feel absolutely blessed. I want my heart and eyes to be focused on Him. I want to be the person, husband, father, and runner that God desires me to be.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Enjoyable, Peaceful...A Nice Way to End the Month
January 31, 2015.....next to no traffic, 18 degrees, calm wind, not a cloud in the sky. My first run in Charleston since summer was 'glorious'. I felt the peace and presence of God. Although I am typically more of a fan of running on country roads...running along both sides of the Kanawha River in Charleston this morning felt special...almost like a small taste of heaven. I know many people do not associate running with anything heavenly, but strolling through the mostly flat streets of Charleston this morning just had a great feel. Effort-wise it was a recovery run with a planned 10K race tommorow afternoon. However, it was so nice being outside, that a planned 8-9 miler turned into an 11-miler (plus I slightly miscalculated a loop. :-P ).
I am excited about the race tomorrow. I have not tapered whatsoever as far as mileage goes. I have run easier the past 2 or 3 days, but mileage has not dropped. It's the first time in 2 months and only the second time in four months I have toed a starting line. My ultimate goal is for my heart to be right. I want to run as a worship to God, and be a reflection of Him. Do I want to run fast? Absolutely.....with my eyes fixed on Jesus...the author and perfector of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
No matter what happens....to Him be the Glory.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)