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.

Bittersweet

January 28, 2015: Overall, the week started out pretty well training-wise.  On Monday, I did 11 recovery miles on the treadmill.  On Tuesday, I wanted to do a track workout, but had to move it to the treadmill after an inch or so of snow blanketed the area tracks.  I once again did 11 total miles, but within those miles, I did 6 x 1/2 mile at full treadmill speed (12 mph) with about a 2 minute recovery jog between each half-mile.  

Today was the bittersweet surprise.  The sweet part was the fact that I felt as good or better today than I have for any training run during the past several weeks. I felt pretty strong and fit.  I ran 16 miles in about 1 hour and 38 minutes. That is an average of around 6:07 per mile.  Although I was working pretty hard through different parts of the run (mostly the uphills), I never felt like I was straining.....I was training....not straining. 💪😉.  

Now the bitter part:  another blister....this time on my left arch. 😩.  The last time I ran in the shoes I wore today, I had a foot sleeve on along with a pair of socks.  Therefore, I had to loosen my shoes up a little bit so they would not be too tight.  I did not wear my footsleeve today.  My foot was moving around a little bit in my shoe, but it did not feel uncomfortable, so I did not tighten my laces back.  After about 11 or 12 miles, I felt the familiar 🔥 burning sensation.  This time on my left arch.  Although I was running very well, I had this sinking feeling inside me knowing what was happening on my foot. I had just gotten to the point where I didn't have to put a bandage on my right foot because that blister had healed. Now I was imagining the painful shower I was going to have to take when I got home, and the fact that I would have to start wearing a bandage on my left foot, while this next blister heals.  It's almost like finishing a tough, difficult task then being told soon after to do it again.  The feeling of relief and accomplishment soon dissipates into dread and despair.  During the first 10 miles of this run, I was relishing in my pain-free, blister-free feet that I had struggled with the previous week.  Now I feel like I am practically back to the drawing board.

I guess my left foot was jealous of my right foot for getting to experience a blister, and felt it needed to experience one as well. 😏

Although I feel a bit despondent about it, this does not surprise God, and with His strength I need to persevere through this.  It's not the end of the world; just another little mountain to climb on the journey. 

 I am thankful to be running, and I'm thankful that I am His.  Gotta think back to 1 Peter 5:10. 

32 until Race Day

January 26, 2015:  After starting last week on the rough side (with a nasty blister, slower runs, and compensation pain), the latter part of the week definitely improved.  I went from so-so runs early on to at least 'solid' runs on Friday and Saturday.  I ended up running 92 miles for the week (the most since summer), and by the end of the week, the blister pain was significantly lighter.  The compensation pain lightened up as well.  Although I am not running my training runs as fast as I did for the Chicago buildup, I am extremely thankful to get through a higher-mileage week (for me) pretty healthy, and still feeling pretty good.  I want to continue to give everything to God.  I want my heart to be steadfast and fixed on Him....not on training run times.  He has a plan, and I want to surrender my thoughts and plans to Him.

I plan to run a 10K race in Charleston this coming weekend.....weather pending.  The temperature will not affect my decision, but road conditions will.  As long as I'm healthy, and the roads are clear, I plan to run.  I have not run a race since Thanksgiving Day (my slowest 5K in years), so it will be interesting to see what happens if I get to run in Charleston.  The plan is to hopefully run around 80 miles this week.  I would also like to provide a brief post each day from here all the way to the marathon.

To God be the Glory.

Blistering Runs Lately....

January 19, 2015:  After taking Wednesday off last week, and having a 'pain-free' run on Thursday, I resumed my normal training plan.  On Friday, I did a total of 10 miles including a 3-mile warm-up; 4-mile tempo run (in 21:26); and a 3-mile cool down.  I followed this with an 18-mile long run on Saturday.
This is where the 'blistering' part comes in.  The run was coming along pretty-well......until around the 12 or 13 mile mark.  At this point, I started to feel an irritation on the arch of my right foot.  It didn't take long for me to realize that a blister was forming with each 'foot-strike' to the ground.  Being about 5-miles from the end of my run, I was about 5,000 'foot-strikes' away from home......oh....the damage that can be done in 5,000 foot-strikes.  What was I to do though?  If I slowed down, that would be more time, which would likely equal more damage.  Although the pain from my blistered skin was increasing with each passing mile, it wasn't totally intolerable.  I was able to finish the run without compromising my stride much.  However, when I was finished, I decided to fore go my customary 1-mile jog following my long runs.  Once I stopped, I knew that what was a 'slightly' tolerable pain would become 'intolerable' to the point of limping through a jog.
I just went straight inside to assess the damage.  Not surprisingly, the bottom of my sock was red.  I immediately took my sock off and saw evidence of the pain that I only felt before.  The skin was basically ripped off at this point, and there was nothing but raw, bright red skin.  I WAS NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO MY SHOWER. :-P
My wife took our daughter to an 'all-girls' birthday party, so I told my 6-year old son to not worry if he heard daddy screaming in the shower...it would only be because of my blister.  Here is what was interesting though.....when the time came for my foot to come into contact with the warm water from the shower, I decided to focus on God, and try to praise Him through the pain.  I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but what came out was something I had not heard in YEARS....LIKE MAYBE 15 OR 20 YEARS.  It was the old-fashion chorus, "Praise Ye the Lord, Hallelujah".  I probably said/sang it about 20 times or so before the pain started to subside.  Believe it or not, the pain was not quite as intense as I expected it to be.
Since that time, I have kept anti-biotic ointment, gauze, and medical tape on my foot.  My two runs since have been painful, but tolerable.....the showers.....pretty intolerable. :-P  I'm hoping as the days go by, the pain subsides, and my runs and showers become more enjoyable. :-)  

Thankful

January 15, 2015: Today was a bit of a judgment day as far as Phoenix preparation.  After the sore calf night before last, I scratched my scheduled 15-mile run yesterday, and took the day completely off (from running….I still went to work. :-P ).
My plan today was to run easy around the lake (staying around the lake would mean I would never be more than 2/3 of a mile away from my house) to test the calf out.  If it felt good the entire way, I was going to run 8-miles at a comfortable pace (6 laps around the lake).  If it flared up like my left calf did while training for Chicago, then I would obviously stop and walk it in, and probably take at least 1-2 weeks off putting aspirations of running the Phoenix Marathon on life support (I think the last sentence was way too long). :-P
So, how did it go?  Well, during the day today, my calf felt great walking around……….and…….it felt  just as great during my 8-mile run!  In fact, I ran the 8-miles faster than I thought I would.  Staying comfortable, I ran it in 52:00, so I lightly jogged 1 more mile as a cool down to get a total of 9 miles in.
This truly lifted my spirits.
As I contemplated the possible outcomes of this run at various times throughout the day, my thoughts were all over the place.  On the positive end of the spectrum, I felt it could go well, and training could resume as normal the next day.  On the negative end, I was already taking several weeks off of running with the sun setting on my race in the Valley of the Sun…..that would be Phoenix in case you're not up on city nicknames. :-P
I am extremely thankful and relieved at this point.  I know I need to continue to submit to God and trust Him day by day.  This is a daily battle as my 'flesh' and periods of 'unbelief' try to pry in and derail God's best for me.  I am so thankful that He sticks with me through it all.  He's the best. :-)

From Above--Burlap to Cashmere

It's Ok.

January 14, 2015: Ok... Here's the situation. I did a workout on the treadmill yesterday, and felt pretty good.  A couple of hours after the work out, my right calf felt a little bit sore and tight.  The good news........the pain level was pretty low.  But the not so good news….The pain reminded me a little bit of the pain I felt when I strained my left calf in September.... Which by the way, put me on the shelf for a few weeks.

Here's where I stand: I have scratched my planned 15 mile run today.  Instead, I'm going to take the day off.  I plan to run a few easy miles tomorrow to see how it feels.  If I can get through a few easy miles without increased pain, that would be a good sign.  This is truly what I'm hoping.

However, no matter what happens, God is still good.  I trust Him no matter what.

Burlap to Cashmere sings a song called "From Above".  Near the beginning of the song there is a line that says "if I had no feet to run, it would be a blessing."

Like I said before, I'm truly hoping this calf soreness is no big deal and I can resume regular training soon.  However, whether I can run, or not run, I am very blessed.  With Jesus, I can be content deep inside my soul no matter what the circumstances.  I would not trade anything in the world for this contentment and peace.

The song by Burlap to Cashmere will be posted next.  It's a good tune. :-)

New Race.....New Place Part 3

January 8, 2015:  As I mentioned in the last post, the marathon I would be training for would be the Phoenix Marathon on February 28th.  Even though I had pretty much decided on this one, marathon training still did not sound overly fun.  This needed to change soon, because after my 47-mile week (around mid-to late November), I was only about 2 weeks away until the start of my "12-week" training cycle to prepare for Phoenix.  The two weeks that followed included a 52-mile week (with my slowest, but 6th straight Shinnston Turkey Trot 5K win (16:44), followed by a 61-mile week.
     Going into the upcoming 12-week training cycle, I certainly wasn't 'out-of-shape', but not as 'in-shape' as I have been heading into other marathon training cycles.  This has been evident by the fact that although I have built my mileage back into the 80 to 85 miles a week range, my runs have not been as fast as in recent training cycles; especially not as fast as the training leading up to the "Chicago Marathon That Wasn't."  
     This is okay though.  I have to go back to "His thoughts are higher than my thoughts, and His ways are higher than my ways."  God knows what He is doing, and he was NOT surprised by the injury that kept me out of Chicago.
     One thing I do know is this:  the journey to Phoenix, and the marathon itself is NOT about me.  It's about running and living my life for Him.  It's still about lifting Him up and sharing Jesus with others.  There is absolutely NOTHING that compares with knowing Jesus, and having a relationship with Him.  With Him there is ALWAYS HOPE.  There is ALWAYS something to look forward to (Jeremiah 29:11).  As long as we are still breathing, We ALWAYS have purpose through Him; and when we stop breathing, WITH JESUS, we have eternity with Him to look forward to.  
     Therefore, I want God to take these next 7 plus weeks, and do what only He can do with them.  Even though I may not be training as fast as I have been in the past, He can make up for it.  My mantra coming off of my injury comes from 1 Peter 5:10:  "And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you, and make you strong, firm, and steadfast."  He has answered prayer #2.

New Race.....New Place - Part 2

January 4, 2015 - Ok, I'm not off to a bad start with one of my new year goals: this is my 2nd post within a week!  I truly need the Spirit of God to help me work toward my goals.  The key to achieving these goals is consistency.   I will not be able to stay consistent without Him.  In and of myself, I'm a procrastinator.  However, if I surrender myself to Him and His ways, all things are possible.  I truly hope to remain consistent in pursuit of my 2015 goals.
     As you may (or may not) have read in a brief post back in September, I did not make it to the starting line of the Chicago Marathon.  A pretty significant calf strain put me on the chopping block for the race.  Although I had a peace deep inside me the entire time, I was still a little confused as to the why.  In fact, I still do not know why.  That's for Him to know, and for me not to worry about.           When it became apparent that I would not be running, I told my friend at church (the one who God prompted to finance the entire Chicago trip---you can read the details about this in a previous post).  I told him that I would be returning his money to him.  He responded by saying, "No.  Use it for another race."  I didn't bother arguing with him this time, because I knew he meant what he said.  At this point, I really had no idea what future race this could be.
   After taking approximately 5 weeks off from running, I began to slowly work back into training.  It was hard to think about training for another marathon.  In preparation for Chicago, I put in close to the most amount of miles I had ever run in marathon training.  For much of the summer, I averaged between 80-90 miles a week, with a shorter recovery week thrown in every now and then.  Based on a 1:09:32 Parkersburg Half Marathon, and a 1:12:30 Canton Half Marathon (this was a marathon-paced workout), I felt I was in the best shape of my life heading into a marathon.  I was ready for a BIG PR in Chicago.  After putting in all of this work, and not even make it to the starting line....this affected me mentally more than I thought it would.
     Although I was excited to begin running again after a long layoff, the thought of training for another marathon brought about a little sense of dread.  The thought of running 3-5 days a week, and maybe working back up to 30-40 miles a week (at whatever pace I felt like running) didn't sound too bad.  Working back up to at least 70-80 miles a week with tempo runs, speed workouts, etc. didn't sound too good.
    However, this mentality needed to change.  Here I had this HUGE blessing of a fully-financed marathon trip, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to train for another one.  Well, my first week back running, I ran 3 days for a whopping 10 total miles.  The weeks that followed included weeks of: 27, 35, 38, 45, and 47 miles, respectfully.  During this time I tried to stay prayerful about what marathon to train for, and for an increased desire and motivation to train for one.
    One evening as I was looking at marathonguide.com, I was scoping out a potential race that could potentially produce a PR, while being a good trip for my wife and me.  The race that seemed to leap off the computer screen was the Phoenix Marathon on February 28th.  It is a point to point race that drops around 800 feet in elevation from start to finish.  There are a few uphills, but it is mostly downhill and flat (according to the reviews and elevation chart).  Also, my wife has never been to Arizona, while I haven't been there in about 25 or 26 years.  We are planning a short trip to the Grand Canyon the day after the race.  So, prayer #1 was answered....I had another marathon to train for.  However, I was still struggling with prayer #2.
   
STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT POST......NEW RACE, NEW PLACE PART 3.  

January 2, 2015: New Race....New Place.....Part 1

January 2, 2015:  It's a new year, and for most people, it's a time for new beginnings.  We tend to make resolutions, set new goals, and/or strive to put ourselves in a better situation (whether it be health-wise, finance-wise, or spiritual-wise among other things).  In most cases, however, we tend to start off well only to fade or stray back into our old ways within a few weeks.

    I am hoping and believing that this year will be different.  A few of my goals for the new year are:

• Get back to running with a purpose, more specifically....God's purposes.  I feel like I've lost that a little bit in the last few months.

• to make a post in this blog at least 2-3 times a week

• to rid myself of my life-long procrastination problem (if anyone has advice here, please let me know)

• to live my life in total surrender to God.  His thoughts are above my thoughts, and His ways are above my ways (paraphrased from Isaiah 55:8-9).  I want to follow Him and His plan even more closely than I ever have before.

• I also want to update and keep up with my currently very amateur-looking teamrunfree.com website.  

I want to encourage everyone to seek God's direction and strength as you pursue taking yourself to a NEW LEVEL this year.  SETTLE FOR NOTHING LESS THAN GOD'S BEST! :-)

Stay tuned for my next post, as I will explain when and where my next planned marathon is.