Running and Praying

Following a Plan

2011-08-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

Praying

Psalm 27:4 - "I ask only one thing from the Lord. This is what I want: Let me live in the Lords house all my life. Let me see the Lords beauty and look with my own eyes at his temple."

What does my heart desire most? Love. I want to feel loved by God (which I know he does), by my wife, kids, family and friends. When I leave this world to be with the Lord, I want people to remember me for who I was and what I did in life.

Today is a rather unique day because there is a big event taking place here in Houston called The Response. There is a lot of attention on it because the Governor of our State organized it. I prayed today that it would not be viewed as a political event. Of course the press makes it out to be that. As I have listened to some of it there has been no political messages. Instead it has focused so far on praying to our Lord for forgiveness of our sins. I think I mentioned last week that in our day and age we get way too wrapped in the false idols of the modern day. I am just as guilty as anybody else. So many times we concern ourselves with how much money we make, what kind of cars we drive and how big our house is. I admit it, I want nice things and everyday I have to fight what is more important? The Love of God or what I have on this earth.

The World is a tough place right now. There are a lot of economic problems. There are wars and millions of people are starving to death. I pray for my sons that they will be safe. It's scary but I know my Lord will watch over them and listen to their prayers. I know I'm kind of going on a tangent today but it just seems like things are so crazy right now. What keeps me at peace is in Matthew Chapter 6:

Matthew 6:33-34 - Seek first God's kingdom and what God wants. Then all your needs will be met as well. So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Running
Week two was tough. Tempertures are hotter than last week. Running for 30 minutes feels like an hour. It's physically draining!! I know it's going to make me stronger a few months away but man it's hard to stay motivated but I have to follow the training plan if I am to be successful. I think I am making gains but because of the extreme heat it's hard to see the benefits. I read somewhere last week that God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. Everything happens for a reason, he is not going to waste our time. So I know he is testing me and making me stronger so I will be successful in 6 months.

The week in review
Sunday 6 miles in the morning with very humid tempetures. It was tough.
On Tuesday, I did track and the workout was 3 sets of 2 minutes hard, 1 minute easy, 1 minute hard, 30 seconds easy and then 30 seconds hard. I felt pretty good through this workout because it was fairly quick. On Wednesday, I visited my massage therapist. I am a huge believer in deep tissue massage, I compare it to a oil change. Everything is made fresh. On Thursday despite being sore, I ran 30 minutes at a tempo pace. This was the hardest run of the week because the temperture was 104. Today we did hill repeats, at the start of the workout it was 83, the first part felt pretty good and the hill workout went well, but going back to the start of the run was tough. I'm not looking forward to the 7 mile run tomorrow because I know the temps will test my physical strength again.

Gaining Strength

2011-07-30T10:46:00.000-05:00

Praying

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 - "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage you and strengthen you in everything good thing you do and say. God loved us and through his grace he us a good hope and encouragement that continues forever."

Wow, what an amazing verse. To me it says that God and his son Jesus strenghten and encourage us in all good things we do and say. But even when we fall short, and we all do, just know that you have eternal life and you will someday catch up. When you have this feeling pray for God's help because he will be there to help you through the tough times.

As it was said in Dueteronomy 31:8 - "The Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you, he will not leave you or forget you. Don't be afraid and don't worry."

We all experience fear at times, fear is good because if your not afraid than your not humble and being humble is so important in this day and age. There are so many people out there who all they do is boost about how they accomplished this, or how big their house is or how nice their car is. So what!! I tell my boys that if they work hard at something good things will come.
So fear is good, because once you conquer that fear you are a stronger person.

Remember this, God will always be bigger than the challanges in your life!!

Running
Week 1 of my training program is almost over. The tempertures so far have been pretty high. I can't remember the last time it was this hot. But, I believe that in the long run, training in these tempertures will pay off in the fall races and final preperation for my two goal runs.
Sunday I did about 5.5 miles on a fairly flat course. It was pretty humid out but I did ok. Tuesday nights are track workouts which can be especially difficult in 98 degree tempetures. I ended up doing 8x400 at my R-Pace which is a fairly quick pace for me. For the most part I averaged about 1:41 per 400. I was suprised with that result. On Thursday, I went to Memorial Park and did a loop which is about 3-miles. For mile 2, I picked up the pace and ran at Tempo pace which for now is about 9:00 per mile. My split for mile 2 was 8:50.
So far I think I'm doing better than normal. I'm going through the usual issues, tight muscles and some soreness but I'm trying to take care of that by stretching after every run and also with trips to my massage therapist and chiropractor.
Next week is going to be real interesting because I saw that tempertures are to be 100+ almost everyday. Oh well, it's all about faith and hard work..see you next week!

Here we GO!!

2011-07-23T11:42:00.000-05:00

"The Lord says forget what happened before and don't think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do, it is already happening, don't you see it?" Isaih 43:18-19

It's important to forget the past, to forget about previous failures and things or people who hurt you. All you can really do is focus on the now. You can't change the past and you cannot worry about the future. I'm the kind person who really believes that if you do the work everyday that you will meet your goals, because that is God's plan for all of us. He wants good to happen for us.

"So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have it's own worries. Each day has enough troubles of it's own." Matthew 6:34

So I need to forget about the past and remember to look at NOW and its power. We miss the moment over and over because we are too focused on the barriers. One thought I read the other day said this, "Lord use my failures to help me make adjustments in my life that strenghen my faith."

And one thing I have to remember is that everything I do going forward I have to turn it over to God and use his power.
"You will not succeed by your own strength or by your own power, but by my spirit says the Lord All Powerful." Zechariah 4:6

Running
Day 1 of the training program. My plan for this year will be broken down into two phases. The first one will concentrate on getting my speed and endurance for a distance up to 13 miles. The test for that phase will be at the end of October. In previous years I have run my "A" race earlier in that month, but this year will be a little different.
Phase 2 will focus on training for the two marathons I am running in January and March. A lot of long mileage and the week workouts will be a little more intense. I plan on really sticking to the schedule this year because I am going to have to be stronger to accomplish this goal.
Right now it's really tough training because it is warm out. The main thing I hope to be able to do is control my diet better and really focus on staying hydrated on my workout days. Next week I would also like to try and get my physical assessment done at my company so I can begin mixing in some weight training.
It's all about getting stronger because towards the end of this adventure I'm going to need it.

New Season and New Challanges

2011-07-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

July 2, 2011

"Trust the Lord with all your heart and don't depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do and he will give you successes." Proverbs 3:5-7.

Well it's that time again to start the training season for 2011-2012. As the reading above states we can't have a relationship with God if we only trust him part time. We we trust God and open our hearts completly, he will make himself known to us in amazing ways.

"Those who know the Lord trust him, because he will not leave those who come to him." Psalm 9:10

This verse says it all. Part of knowing the Lord is reading the bible and praying everyday. I have figured out over the last 2 years that doing these things in the morning before I start my day, gives me a peace and confidence that NOTHING can get in my way when trying to accomplish something. My job going forward in a lot of ways is to spread this message to all my friends and family.

Running has been tough because we have had triple digit tempertures for the last two weeks. I'm a little out of shape but I know that will change over the next six weeks as I begin to prepare for 10 Miles for Texas in October. This is a big season for me as I am planning on running Houston in January and the 1st Annual Woodlands Marathon six weeks later. In order to accomplish this goal there are three things I would like to do in order to complete this successfully. First, I need to pay strict attention to my diet by eating more fruits and vegetables and protein. Second, I would like to incorporate some strength training on my off days and finally I really need to follow the training schedule more closely.

I think if I do all those things than I will complete this goal. Hopefully the other thing I will do is keep my blog up to date as well.

A New Beginning - June Week 1

2010-06-06T00:03:00.000-05:00

"Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times. Share with Gods people who need help. Bring strangers in need into your homes." Romans 12:12-13

It's a new season of running. My last big competition was in March when I ran the Texas Independence Relay, the total mileage was just over 18 miles. I did really well and helped the team out a bunch. After that I decided to dial it down some and focus on other things. I got the opportunity to watch my boys play baseball again. They did great!! I was one of the coaches on Davis's team and that was a real experience. It was awesome to see them improve over the 6 weeks of playing. I also tried to spend more time with the family and just be there for my wife Ginger.

Over the last couple of months I have also been more disciplined in my bible studies. Every morning I have tried to read the bible. Just recently I finished the book of Romans which has a ton of good versus.
This is a good one that I will carry with me throughout my training.

"If God is for us, no one can defeat us. He did not spare his own son, but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things." Romans 8:31-32

So over the last couple of months I have to realize even more that God will never leave me and that he will watch out for me.

I hope to do the marathon again this year but it will only be better. I came so close last year to having a great run. When I look back at it now, if I would have followed through on the training schedule I probably would have finished pretty well. On marathon day I'll be 47, I want to make a statement.

I started running hard again this week. My runs mainly consisted of short ones totaling 25 to 35 minutes. This morning I ran 5.5 miles. I probably won't start back on track until July. I want to establish my base before I jump back into that. I also want to eat and drink better. I will try and drink more fluids and take in the right balance of fruits and vegitables.

Finally I hope to record my adventures in here at least once a week. I hope people will read it, but if not that's ok to.

What's Next - February 13, 2010

2010-02-13T13:31:00.000-06:00

"Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see. Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past. It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God's command so what we see was made by something that cannot be seen." Hebrews 11:1-3

"Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him." Hebrews 11:6

I finally have the chance to update my report from the Houston Marathon. The reason I used the bible versus above for this posting is in the later stages of the race, my faith was truely tested. As you'll see below everything was going as planned until disaster struck.

Marathon Story
The weekend was awesome as it started out by celebrating my 46th birthday on Saturday and then getting to stay at the Hilton Americas. Friday night we went to Buca de Peppa for dinner. I had lasagna, salad and bread. All day Friday and Saturday I made sure and drank water (about 72-90 ounces each day, if not more). I felt pretty good going into Sunday.

On Saturday night after going out and eating a Chicken Sandwich, I sat down and made out my race plan. It was simple. Run the first 13 at a 10 minute pace, miles 13-20 at 9:30 to 9:45 pace, and depending on how felt 9:45 to 10 for the last six miles. I figured for the last six miles, I would probably be closer to a 10 minute pace. If I stuck to that plan my time would be around 4:10.

I also spoke to my sister Kellye, she was so excited for me. She reminded me of how proud she was of me. Most importantly she told me to not to forget about Dave, my father in-law who passed away in 2007. He had suffered with MS for over 30-years. My inspiration was so high. Now it was time to focus.

Sunday, I woke up at 5 AM, drank 16 ounces of Accelerade and ate a Snickers Marathon Bar. I dressed for warm weather which was shorts and short sleeve shirt. I started with the first wave.

So for the first mile as I planned I ran a 10:30, but on miles 2-3 I ran a 9:40 pace. When I first looked at my watch at those splits I was surprised and I told myself to slow it down or "your going to pay for it later on."

But, I couldn't slow down and my splits after that for miles 5 through 7 were 9:25 to 9:30, miles 6 through 12 the splits stayed between 9:10 to 9:25. The thing is, I did not feel like I was pushing it, it still felt like I was running slow. I came through the 10K at 1:01 and the halfway point at 2:06.

From 13 to 17 my pace picked up to between 9:00 to 9:20. Still did not feel like I was pushing it. I came through the 30K mark at 3:03. Which for me was ahead of my goal. But, right before 18, I felt a twinge in my left calve, uh-oh. But I figured that after I met my wife at 18 and picked up a new bottle of Accelerade, popped 4 electrolyte tablets and re-stocked my Gu..(I was using Kaboom Electrolyte Gels and the Accelerade Gels, which do not have the high sugar content that other gels have.) I would be ok.

Then it happened and the rest of the run would go down hill. At Mile 19, my left calve cramped up. I walked and jogged until 21, and then started to feel better. My pace at 19 was 14:09, but for miles 21, 22 and 23, I was able to run 10:30, 10:39 and 11:13. I figured that everything I had done at 18 was starting to kick in.

Up until this moment I wondered where God was. Why was he doing this me? I had trained so hard for this. All the long hours away from my family, the hot morning runs in 80 degree weather and the cold long 20 mile runs in a icy wonderland came to mind. I felt like he had abandened me.

But as usual I was wrong. God puts adversity onto us to make us stronger. So that is why he did this to me.

At mile 23, my prayers were answered. A friend of mine saw me and she knew I was in tough shape, but her words of encouragement helped me to carry on. It was at that moment that God told me what I needed to do. He was telling me not to give up and that my friend was there to pass on that message. It was amazing, and the tears flowed, I realized that God was truely amazing!! He would never leave me and the whole time he was right there with me.

At 24, my world came crashing down when my right calve locked up, from there on in I walked, skipped and jogged in to finish in 4:37:35.

I don't know why I cramped up. Some people have told me that I probably suffered from a Potassium shortage or maybe a lack of Sodium. I was hydrated, I drank at every stop. Water for the first 6 miles and after that water and Accelerade. I didn't take in Gu until 1:15 in to the race and after that it was every 35 to 40 minutes.

I do know this, as disappointed as I was with the results I walked away feeling proud of my effort. I had given it all I could give. Which is what God expects from us. And I the one verse from the bible still sticks with me.

"For God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
What's Next
The first weekend in March I will participate in the Texas Independence Relay which is a 24-hour relay that goes from Gonzalez to Houston, Texas. I will be running with 11 other people, but most importantly it will be with one of runners from Woodlands Fit - Andy Sullman. Andy is an amazing story and before that weekend I will share it.

After that, I will run a few short races. Work on building my speed and endurance and prepare for the beginning of the Marathon training cycle which will start in July. I hope to run the Houston Marathon in 2011. It will be my 10th Houston and #14. Next year, I won't make the same mistakes.

Below are some pictures from that great day.

God is Great!!

It's Time for the Big Day

2010-01-16T21:56:00.000-06:00

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree and even more. You will be able to say to this mountain, 'Go fall in the sea,' And if you have faith, it will happen. If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21-22

Praying
There is nothing like the power of faith and belief. Tomorrow will be a monumental test for me, but I know that through my faith and belief that God will fullfill my desires which is to finish the marathon. I have run 12 marathons and the last nine, before every one of them I was freaking out. I seemed so unsure if I could finish. But this year is different because for the first time ever I will have God running with me every step of the way. As it was said in Matthew 19:26
"for God all things are possible."
This applies to everything in life!! It says many times in the bible that this is true. All you have to do is ask. That is so amazing!! So I know that tomorrow will be a success, I have no doubt about it!!
Tomorrow I'm going to move the mountain.

As it was said in Romans 8:31 "If God is for us, no one can defeat us." I will not be defeated tomorrow!!

Kellye and Others
I learned tonight how different MS can affect different people. I spoke to Kellye tonight and I started to tell her what I was wearing tomorrow in the race and she stopped me. You see, she couldn't comprehend it and an hour later she would barely remember our conversation. Imagine if you couldn't remember conversations or movies or television shows that you had watched an hour ago.

Now with my father in-law Dave, I never saw those symptoms. It was more physical for him. Of course he lived with MS for 30+ years, and I never heard him mutter one time "why me?" Instead, he loved his family and lived like a true man. He was the kind of father/grandfather that I want to be. He was a mans-man.
I miss him and I will also be thinking about him tomorrow. When I finish I'm going to look up at the clear blue sky and say "this one was for you Dave."

Running
Well this is it. Tomorrow everything that I have worked for over the last 27 weeks will come together. I did it right this time. I feel pretty good both physically and mentally. I want to thank my wife and kids for putting up with me. It's been tough for them because I've been gone a lot. I now understand why I only do a marathon a year if not less, it takes a lot of time to train for it.
As for my goals tomorrow, I want to try and run a 4:15, but that is really going to depend on how I feel late in the race. The weather is going to be perfect so maybe it will be perfect. I believe I can finish by 4:30 anything more and I'll be disppointed.
But it is a marathon and not everybody can do one. Every marathon for me tells a different story. The very first marathon I did was at 17. It was the Summit Marathon and went from Los Gatos to Soquel which is just south of Santa Cruz on the Northern California coast. It was 13 miles up, 4 miles flat and 9 miles down. The down hill was what did me in. But still I finished in 3:30.
The most memorable marathon for me was the 1997 Houston Marathon. It was 28 degrees out, with a windchill of -30 and raining. All I can say is I did it.
The marathon is a test. It lets us know how alive we are. It shows us that if you work hard at anything you can accomplish that goal.
I told my wife Ginger this morning that's the message I hope my sons will understand when they see me finish tomorrow.

Thanks be to God for all his Glory!! See you on the other side.

5 Days Left Until the Big Day

2010-01-12T22:04:00.000-06:00

"If God is for us, no one can defeat us. He did not spare his own son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things." Romans 8:31-32

So I look at this picture and think of good times. I think in this picture I was probably six or seven and Kellye was probably 4 or so. Every weekend we went down to my Grandma's house in Ecru, Mississippi. It was a great place to go as a kid. There was nothing but acres and acres of woods to play in. We could play hide and seek, have mud ball fights in the gullies and go swimming in the creek down by the railroad tracks. Back in these days the only plumbing was in the kitchen. The outhouse was 50 yards behind the house. And the house, was two bedrooms. There was the main bedroom which had two huge beds in it and there was the back room which had a small double bed in it. If you didn't get one of the beds you were on the floor in the living room. The front porch was where everybody typically hung out. It had a couple of rocking chairs and a porch swing. Whenever anybody drove by the house everybody waved. It was an awesome place and I'll never forget it.
I think of my sister and everything we had growing up. Granted we didn't always get along but we were kids.
What really kicks me about all of this is Kellye was a tomboy. She could hang with the toughest kids on the block and she never backed down from anybody.
In a lot of ways she fights MS with the same tenacity today. She will not let it beat her. She is the toughest person I have ever met. She is my hero!! So in a way the verse above describes it all. If God is for us, nothing can defeat us!!

Running
I sat down last night and figured out that I have done 8 Houston Marathons and 12 Marathons all together. This year seems different. I have trained hard for this race. 27 Weeks of running and over 400 miles logged on the roads. Man I need a break. But I love it and running has helped keep me feeling young. For some reason, so far this year I am not feeling nervous. Most of it is I know that God will be with me every step of the way and that with him I will finish this race. The other reason is I trained for this thing and really didn't have any distractions (no organizing or coaching Woodlands Fit). I felt like in order to do this I needed to be selfish so for the first time in 12 years that's exactly what I did.
So I'm not worried, I'm quietly confident. I know that Glory will be waiting for me at the finish line. And when I do cross it, I will raise my hands to the sky and yell out GOD IS GREAT!!

7 Days Left

2010-01-09T21:17:00.000-06:00

"God decided to let his people know this rich and glorious secret which he has for all people. This secret is Christ himself, who is in you. He is our only hope for Glory." Colossians 1:27

Today is such a great day because I realized today that we will all achieve one day Glory. But I have also come to realize that everyday we experience Glory in some form or fashin. It's so refreshing to think that when God sacrificed is one and only son that our sins were forgiven. We are not perfect, and I know I'm far from it. By reading the bible I understand what we need to do. We need to have mercy for others, be kind, express humility, gentleness and patience. We need to teach our children these very same ideas as well.

I really can't explain it, but today I am so happy!!

Kellye's Status
Since there is 7 days left until the marathon I think Kellye is more excited about the marathon than I am. We started a cause out on Facebook and so far we have over a 100 people have joined it or become fans of it. As for the Fundraising, it's still going a little slow but I hope it will pick-up as we get closer to marathon day. Right now we are just over $100. The goal number is $500 which I fully expect to reach.

Kellye brought home a few weeks ago an 8-year old Lab mix and they have really hit it off. I have always believed that Love can be such a powerful healing mechinism. With dogs they love us unconditionally. So Chance is really helping my sister out. He forces her to exercise and stay active, which I believe is so important to people with MS (or anybody). So I'm really happy for her. We have had a dog almost our whole lives so I couldn't see how we could do without one.

Running
We are at 7 Days until the Marathon. Today was my last long run which was only 6-miles. For the most part I felt pretty good. It was very cold. The thought did cross my mind at 6:00 AM this morning to stay in bed. Especially when the temperture was 21 degrees. But it really wasn't that bad after the first mile or so.

I really love running on Saturday mornings especially when the skies are clear. The sunrise is my favorite part of the day. But lately, and I know it's because of God, the runs in the sun have been heavenly!! This morning three quarters of the way through the run I realized the moment. Sing, Sing from Chris Tomlin came on the MP3 player. This song speaks about singing and worshipping Jesus, it's got a great beat and is perfect for running. Anyway, so the song comes on, I turn the corner onto one of the last streets, and the sun is just beating down on me. It's so bright it was like looking at heaven itself. I thought at that moment "This is what running is all about!" Everything in my body was working as one it was at the moment a total high for me. It's mornings like that keep me going and help me to realize why I run.

Everyday I thank God for giving me the ability to run, it's one of the true gifts that he has given me. That's why our God is so awesome!!

The Countdown Begins

2010-01-06T22:51:00.000-06:00

"So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit side is made new everyday. We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles. We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Praying
When I look at this verse it's amazing on how it speaks to me. I'm not the young buck that I once was. I found Jesus when I was 17-years old, ironically that is the same year that I discovered how much I loved running. Isn't it amazing how God already knows what your talents will be. Granted, I'm never going to be a World Class runner, it's just not in the genes. But, I am part of a small faternity of people who run marathons.

I'm not getting any younger and yes the body does hurt and I know that next Sunday it's really going to hurt. But my sprit is stronger than it has ever been and I've realized that I will attain eternal glory someday and that my troubles will all go away. It's hard sometimes to ignore our troubles and problems, but one thing I have learned is you have to let go and turn it over to God. When I have done that, whatever is bothering me always seems to resolve itself. Don't get me wrong, I have to work at managing my life, but I don't worry as much as I used to, life is good.

Update on Kellye
Kellye is doing great. She just picked-up a new dog, Chance is keeping her real busy. Because of him she is exercising everyday, whether its walking him or working out on Wii Fit. I'm so proud of her!! She is still not on any medication, which is an amazing feat itself. I pray for her everyday, and as I get closer to next Sunday my thoughts about her will be even stronger!! Love you Sis!!

Running
We are now less than 10 days away from Marathon day. Getting some runs in over the next few days may be a little tough because of some very cold weather coming in. I also ordered a new pair of shoes since my current pair has over 400 miles on them. I'm really not that nervous about running the marathon but I'm sure that as we get closer the anxiety is going to increase. For now, it's time to taper and start resting my body.

It's amazing how fast time has flown by. It seems like yesterday when I started training for this thing. I'm excited because I know that when I finish (and I will finish) it's going to be an awesome feeling. I don't want to get my hopes up about my goal time because I know that in the past I have been disappointed.

This time is going to be different. You know why? Because God is going to be with me every step of the way.

"With God All Things Are Possible."

Good-Bye 2009, Hello 2010

2009-12-31T22:49:00.000-06:00

"I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

When people ask me, was 2009 a good year or a bad year for you? I pause for a moment to think about how I want to answer that. I look back at where I was a year ago on the eve of 2009 and I was a very scared man.

I was about to lose my job, there were no immediate opportunities and the doom and gloom being broadcast on the news was that it was only going to get worse. And at the time, I thought I could do it all by myself that I didn't need anything or anybody to help me overcome this problem. I was afraid!!

I was disconnected with my family, my wife, my two sons and my parents. I never spoke to my sister. I was alone.

But then something happened. I started to pray to God. I needed help and he was the only one I could turn to. In late January, I was attending a Between Jobs Ministry meeting and I heard the following verse.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to GOD. And the peace of GOD which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillippians 4:6-7

From that moment on, my life changed. I came back to Jesus!! I turned everything over to him. The guilt and anguish was washed away. Hope came back into my life. And yes even though money was tight, we still managed to pay our bills and put food on the table. He provided for my family and took care of us. All I had to do was Love him and try and become a better man.

So the story of 2009 is this; God got me back on the road to him. He helped me see that the most important things in life are not how much money I make or possessing the latest and greatest gadgets. No, I realized that the most important thing in Life is my family and that I am here on this earth to Love people and spread the Good News about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And yes there are still things in my life that make me nervous about 2010, but I also know this.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

So if you ask me if 2009 was a good year and my answer is YES, because I have one thing back that I had not had for a long time, HOPE..

Happy New Year!!

Rich

The Day After Christmas

2009-12-26T14:00:00.000-06:00

"With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21.

Praying

The Christmas holiday was so awesome!! It started by attending Christmas Service at our church Fellowship of the Woodlands. All I can say is WOW. This was the first Christmas for me where I realized the true meaning. I understand now that if it wasn't for God sending his one and only son to earth that we would be living a life without hope.

Can you imagine that? A life with no hope. I shudder at the thought. Millions of people out there who live with sickness or disease have to have hope that someday they will be cured. God provides us with that comfort. You see by sending his son to Earth to live among us, it gave Jesus an understanding of what it was like to live in this World without Hope or Grace.

I know my sister Kellye lives with Hope everyday that someday a cure will be found for MS. I live with that hope as well. The Myelin Repair Foundation is working through its research to help cure MS. One thing I have learned about them is that all their doctors doing the research are working with each other and not competing to see who comes up with a cure first.

I spoke with Kellye yesterday and she sounded great!! In fact, it was the best she had sounded in a long time, not being on the drugs has really helped her regain some of her life back. God is watching after her and taking care of her needs.

Running

It was tough to get out of my warm bed this morning. The temperture at 6:30 was 32 degrees but I knew that running in the cold weather would not be a problem. I had laid out my cloths the night before and made sure that I had a few layers to keep me warm. My biggest concern was how I would feel physically since I had just done 21-miles a week ago. Of course the big Christmas meal from yesterday would provide me with plenty of fuel for the 12-mile run.

I finished in 1:53.49 which was a pace of about 9:26 per mile. I am very suprised with that pace because it didn't feel like I was running that fast. I started out slow and for the first 6 miles or so I think I was running a lot slower, probably more like a pace of 9:45. But for the second half of the run I wanted to push it a little bit and try and run at my goal pace which is now around 9:30 or so.

I am really feeling pretty good right now, my form and balance are there and running seems to be effortless. This week I will push it one more time and then begin to taper for the big day on January 17th. Tuesday and Thursday's workouts will be especially important. I'm not sure how far I'll run next Saturday, but I'll probably end up running between 10 to 12 miles.

Catching up

2009-12-24T00:22:00.000-06:00

"When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers." Galatians 6:10

Good evening to all on this fine day. It has been awhile since I posted to my blog but timing is running short.
First, I would like to update everybody on how my sister Kellye is doing.

As many of you know Kellye has had multiple sclerosis (MS) since 2003. As of today for the first time in a few years she is no longer taking any medication. She has stopped taking the pain meds and the other drugs that can really cause some nasty side affects. Not only that, she quit smoking just over a month ago.
My sister is such a strong person and I'm amazed at how brave she is. Her faith in God never waivers. He is always with her and helps her through her bad days.

When we were growing up, Kellye was the strong one. If somebody picked on me or bullied me, she was the one who stuck up and fought them. She always had my back. If I needed my bike fixed, Kellye did it.

Before she had MS she was very active. She enjoyed snow sking, playing softball, kayaking and many other activities. She was always doing something. And every Thanksgiving and Christmas she spent time at her Church mentoring the young teens. BUT, by not being on the drugs she is making a comeback!! She is making it a point to exercise everyday and next week a new addition to her family will arrive. She's adapting a nine year old chocolate lab named Chance.

In July of this year, I decided to run the Houston Marathon for my sister and to raise funds and awareness for the Myelin Repair Foundation. Their mission is to accelerate the discovery of myelin repair treatments to improve the lives of people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), and to establish the Accelerated Research Collaboration™ (ARC™) model as a new paradigm for medical research.

What's really cool about them is that 85% of the funds they raise goes to this research. In this day and age that is totally amazing!! So please support my effort next month and donate to this cause.

Running Update
"You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win! All those who compete in the games use self control so they can win a crown. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time, but ours will never be destroyed. So I do not run without a goal, I fight like a boxer who is hitting something - not just the air. I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to other." 1 Corinthians 24-27.

The last couple of months have been filled with ups and downs. All of the races I have competed in so far have not really produced impressive results. My Half Marathon in October was one of the worst ever. I didn't run PR's in any of the races I competed in over the Thanksgiving weekend. But, I have trained hard the last 22 weeks. In the month of November, I logged over a 110 miles on the road. That is most I have run in over 5 years. It's been tough on my wife Ginger, she has put up with me training but I know she can't wait until this thing is over. My reasoning for doing this is that my sister lives with pain everyday, so putting myself through 4 and a half hours of pain is nothing.

Things have started to turn though and especially at the right time. Last week I did a 3.1 mile time trial and finished in 23:18, the second fastest time for me in over 4 years. And last Saturday, I ran 21 miles in just over 3:31, which is under a 10 minute mile. What was so cool about that is I was getting stronger as the distance progressed. In the past it's usually been the opposite. So we are now four weeks away from the Houston Marathon and I'm pretty excited about it.
Finally, my running is inspiring my sister to exercise everyday. God is with us in our walk to Glory!!

My goal until that faithful day is to continue to add posts to keep all of you informed on what my sister and I are doing.

Back Again..It's been awhile

2009-08-23T22:39:00.004-05:00

"All things are possible for the one who believes. Mark 9:23

What's going on with Kellye
It's been awhile since I have entered anything. Things have been pretty crazy with work. I need to pick this back up especially since it won't be long until I start my campaign to raise money for my sister's charity.

Kellye has been through a lot lately. She finally made the decision to stop taking pain medication, naturally this process took a couple of weeks and she was almost through it when God decided to put one more test on the road for her. Because of her illness she is on Long Term Disability. The insurance company, Cigna has decided to discontinue her coverage because they think she can work and that she is not very sick!!! This is such bullshit!!

What I don't understand is why do people have to make it so tough for people with MS to live their day to day lifes? This is such a terrible disease and people with it have a hard enough time getting through the day. It's just so sad. As I get closer to the marathon I want people to know what people with MS go through. What their struggles are, what emotions they go through and how they overcome them.

I pray everyday for Kellye that God will ease her pain and give her the strength to overcome her day to day obstacles. I hope everybody who reads this will do the same. I am so thankful that God is in her life, so I know he will take care of her.

Running
I made it through July and now I'm almost done with August still injury free. The heat and humidity have been brutal. I can't recall the last time I ran in temperatures cooler than 75 degrees. Up until last week I was in a little bit of a slump, but I took off a couple of days and have bounced back nicely. I also changed shoes. The ones I bought at the end of June are already gone as 200 miles were logged on them. Combined with the heat and my weight they went quick.

Buying new shoes is so important, it's like tires on a car, the older and more worn they get the more you feel every bump of the road. The other thing I did is changed from a stability shoe to a neutral shoe because of my orthodics. We'll see how that works out. I think it should help my gate a little bit which help me become a more efficient runner. I have done two runs in the new shoes and have felt pretty good. I'm tempted to buy another pair and then trade them out so I don't wear them out so quickly.

There is about six weeks left until the first race of the season and I need to really buckle down and train hard for the next 5 weeks, if I want to do well. So far, I have managed the ankle issue, but big distance is not too far off and it will be tested. We still have four and a half months left till the marathon and there is a lot of work to do before then.

It's going to be a blast!! GOD IS GREAT!!!

Sunday August 2nd

2009-08-02T13:09:00.003-05:00

"Jesus said to the father, "You said, "If you can!' All things are possible for the one who believes." Mark 9:23

Praying
It's been almost two weeks since I last wrote in here, for those who are reading I'm truly sorry. The other day I woke up and realized that I needed to pray to God to help me get close to him again. I felt like I had drifted apart from him and I needed to be reminded of who he is and that he Loves us no matter what we do. It's always amazing that when you pray how quickly he can come back with a answer. For example, at Church last night he told me the following things:

God is faithful when we are not
God always gives us more than we deserve
God loves to throw a party when we are successful
God wants us to pursue others extravagantly.
"Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it." - A core value of National Community Church, Washington D.C.

And then today when I was watching my regular Sunday morning shows I heard the same message. "Be a healer, seek out others that need your help and support." So now we'll see who God puts into my life for me to help, he works in such magical ways. I'm so excited about the coming days ahead to see what happens.

MS Update

I have decided to run for the Myelin Repair Foundation.

Myelin is the insulation that coats the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Multiple sclerosis damages myelin, causing a range of symptoms from paralysis to cognitive disorders. Finding a way to repair damaged myelin has the potential to stop MS in its tracks.

Unlike the National MS Society, 85 PERCENT OF THE FUNDS RAISED ON THEIR BEHALF ARE USED FOR RESEARCH!! MS Society supposedly on uses 33 percent.

So that's what I'm doing!! Over the next couple of weeks I hope to have everything set-up so I can start collecting donations. We still have a long ways to go, but I want to make sure and use ALL my available resources. So stay tuned.

Running Update

The month of July was tough but very productive. I logged a total of 73 miles this month which was the highest total all year. That number will increase steadily over through the end of December. My training focus has changed now from getting faster to becoming stronger and more consistent. It's all about maintaining a steady and consistent pace that will help me reach my goal of finishing the marathon.

I plan to do this by giving Glory to God on all my days whether my training is successful or unsuccessful. There are some tough days ahead. August is typically the hottest month of the year. Humidity is a huge issue as well so staying hydrated will so important.

For the most part, I feel pretty good. My track workouts on Tuesday nights have been very productive. The other workouts have been pretty good for the most part. There have been some bad days but I'm ok with that. The ankle is manageable and seems to be holding up. I finally got my shoes broken in so maybe that has something to do with it.

As a side note, I'm using Coach Dana's program which is broken in to two parts. The first is geared towards Ten Mile Texas which is the second week of October. From there we will transition into the training program for the Marathon. The program is tough because I am running at a minimum 5 days per week, and if I feel better, that number could bump to 6.

I will finish this I know that for a fact, I have done it before, the difference this time is that Jesus will be with me every step of the way!!!

God is Great!!!

Sunday July 19th "Beautiful Morning"

2009-07-19T09:45:00.003-05:00

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18

Praying
I picked this up from an old FOTW service.

Vision is Multi-facitated
Vision gives meaning
Vision gives motivation

I thought about this during the week because I started training officially for the marathon. My vision is to finish the marathon and run it for my sister. The week was trying at times but through it all, I still managed to read God's word every morning and say my prayers. Kellye posted something to Facebook last night so I wanted add that to today's blog. This is what she is going through as of today.

I wanted to write a note on my view of my MS and the choices I have made for myself. First a little history in May 2003 I was officially diagnosed with MS however it is very possible I have actually had it my entire life I had wicked headaches and strange illnesses which I now know as extreme fatigue since I was a toddler. That being said from 2003 to current my MS has been getting worse as time goes on. This week I got my doctor's charts and found out that it is indeed worse then he had been telling me.Now here is my view on this latest revelation I could have thought "woe is me I am doomed" and I did for a minute or two but then I reminded myself that I already knew this information deep inside and I had already decided that I totally accept my fate. When I cried to God "why me?" He spoke back saying "why not you?". I have an amazing peaceful life now that I have accepted what I have been given. I decided back in August 2008 to go off the second heavy MS med I had tried and neither one did anything to slow down the MS. The clarity I got and still have is truly amazing! I figured out I was living my life doped up from all the meds. I will be making more big changes in the months to come and I am ready to face them head on. I live my life with MS!

MS is NOT my life.

I am running the marathon for my sister. The foundation I will raising funds for is Myelin Repair Foundation. 84 percent of the funds raised goes to their research. MS Society only puts 45 percent towards research. That is why I running for Myelin. I will have more information in the next couple of weeks about this cause.

Running

Well the first week is in the books and for the most part it was pretty successful. My body is slowly beginning to adjust to the intensity of the three impact workout days. Today I ran close to eight miles and was fortunate to have some pretty nice weather. Injury wise the ankle is holding up pretty well. I am making it a point to stretch after every run and that is keeping everything in check. I have started using a heart rate monitor so I am able to control my efforts depending on the intensity of the workouts. I have'nt trained this hard in over 12 years, so far my body is holding up. Last Tuesday was probably the highlight of the week because I did 4 miles on the track and maintained a steady pace throughout. Mentally I feel very good. God has watched over me and helped me to stay focused on what I need to accomplish.

Finally, I am committed now to running the marathon. I signed up Friday morning. As of today I think it is close to selling out which is just amazing. I'm a little unhappy about that because I believe they should not have a cap. That will probably not change in the near future, it's turned out to be a very well run race and usually has some very good talent attending. This week will be tough but I have a massage scheduled for Wednesday night so that will help me a lot. Fit kicked off and for the most part it's doing pretty well. The volunteers and the coaches are the same people who helped grow the program so that's the good part. What disturbs me is that Luke's is constantly trying to push products on everybody. For example, yesterday was the hydration seminar and all they talked about were products and NOTHING about hydration. I thought safety was the first priority, apparently with Luke's it is not. Oh well, it's nothing I can control so I'm letting it go.

Well, I have rambled on enough so goodbye for now, have a blessed week!!!

Sunday July 12, 2009

2009-07-12T22:53:00.004-05:00

"If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move. All things will be possible for you. Matthew 17:20

Praying
I feel guilty not keeping up with the blog. I really wanted to try and write in here everyday. But the week was a little crazy. Looking back at it, I would say the most interesting day was yesterday. It was the first day of Woodlands Fit and I knew that I had to go. I woke up, got dressed and went over to Luke's Locker where we were meeting. I did my 40 minute run just as I planned, and then prepared myself.
When I woke up, I didn't feel anything. Usually I feel close to God or I'm thinking of him but in a way I think I was angry with him because he took Fit away from me.
So anyway, I show up, reconnect with people. It was so weird. I can't even to begin to explain the feelings I had. But then something happened. I'm standing there watching the new organizer give her speech and my good friend Beth came up, looked at me and said "Rich I'm really glad you came this morning, it took a lot of guts to show up. It's the only way you will get over the hurt of losing the program."
Now most of you who are reading this, probably know that I believe God finds ways to pass messages on to you. Yesterday he gave me another message. I have to move on, but before I can do that I have to get over the hurt. I need to heal, maybe by showing up every Saturday that will happen. God has a plan for me when it comes to running and coaching, I know that someday he will show me that path.

Running

Last week was a productive week. I trained on all my scheduled days and did pretty well. But, a new issue has suddenly appeared. From the arch of my foot to the base of my heal I have some mild pain. It didn't bother me this morning while running but as the day progressed it got a little worse. I hope it is not Planter Faschiteas, because if it is, things all of a sudden have gotten real interesting. For the first time in a while I pulled out the ice pack. Everything else feels great, it's just the right foot. We'll see what happens as the week progresses, I see Crystal on Wednesday, but I might have to change that and stop by tomorrow afternoon.

Next weekend everything will become official when the marathon opens registration. One other note I will be setting up with the charity I am going to run for. A quick hint, it's not the MS Society, but an org that does research to help cure MS. More on this later.

July 6, 2009 "Faith"

2009-07-06T22:27:00.006-05:00

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have
had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your
faith..may be proved genuine."

1 Peter 1:6-7

Praying

"Always, Always he will be with you, God knows our pain." Song by Building 429. I couldn't get this song out of my mind. Our savior never fails and I truely believe that. I wanted start posting things from Kellye's friends. Most of them are writing about what it's like to MS. I hope this will help educate those of you who are reading my blog.

This first entry is from my sisters friend Kristin.

Having MS means many things change, and a lot of them are invisible.
Unlike having cancer or being hurt in an accident, most people do not understand
even alittle about MS and it's effects on us; and many of those who think they
do know are actually misinformed. In the spirit of informing those who wish
tounderstand...These are the things that I would like you to understand about me
before you judge me:

Please understand that being sick does not mean I'm no longer a human
being. I have to spend most of my day in considerable pain and exhaustion and if
you visit I probably don't seem like much fun to be with, but I'm still me stuck
inside this body. I still worry about school, and work, and my family and
friends, and most of the time I'd still like to hear you talk about yours
too.

Please understand the difference between "happy" and "healthy". When
you've got the flu you probably feel miserable with it for a week or two, but
I've been sick for years. I can't be miserable all the time, in fact, I work
hard at not being miserable. So if you're talking to me and I sound happy, it
means I'm happy, that's all. It doesn't mean that I'm still not in a lot of
pain, or extremely tired, or that I'm getting better, or any of thosethings.
Please, don't say "Oh, you are sounding better!" I am not sounding better, I am
sounding happy. If you want to comment on that, you are welcome to. Please
understand that being able to stand for 10 minutes doesn'tnecessarily mean that
I can stand for 20 minutes or an hour. Just because I was able to stand up for
30 minutes yesterday doesn't mean I can do the same today.

With a lot of diseases and disorders one is either paralyzed, or they
can move.With MS it's far more confusing: one hour or day or week or year we may have normal - or almost normal - mobility; the next hour or day or week or year we may be unable to sit, stand, walk, think, remember, or even get out of bed, we may be unsociable or depressed, and almost assuredly we are in pain. We have
good days and bad, and during our good days we may truly not "look sick", but we are.

Please understand that making plans other than immediate ones is a crap
shoot at best, because we can't know how we will feel or what our physical,
mental or emotional condition will be.

If we seem to hedge about making plans with you, please understand it's
because we truly don't know if we will be able to honor them. The same applies
if we have to cancel plans previously made or invitations, even at the last
minute - it is not personal, and it makes us as frustrated and sad as it does
you! That is what MS does to us, and it's how we must live our lives. It is not
just a matter of sucking it in, or bucking up, or psyching ourselves up; believe
me if we could, we would!

Please understand that MS is variable - with each person and from
person to person. It is quite possible and often all too common, that one day I
can walk to the park and back, or bicycle 2-4 miles, or swim 12 laps, or even
run with my dog; while the next day I may have great difficulty getting out of
bed, walking to the kitchen, or be unable to walk at all without a cane, walker
or other mobility aid.

Please don't attack me when I can't do today what I did before by
saying"but you did it yesterday!" or "you did it before!" Your frustration can
not begin to compare to our own frustration. The very act of planning while
notknowing what condition we will be in is stressful and tiring in itself. If
you want me to do something with you, or go someplace with you... ASK if I can.
I may well dearly want to go, but simply be physically unable to do so.
Understand if I have to say no today, but please ask me again soon.

Please understand that "getting out and doing things" does not make me
feel better and can often make me seriously worse. Telling me that I need a
treadmill, or that Ijust need to lose (or gain) weight, get this exercise
machine, join this gym, try these classes, take these vitamins, herbs, tonics
and snake-oil cures will frustrate me to tears and is totally incorrect. If I
was capable of doing things, don't you think I would? And when I am capable, I
DO! I work with my doctors and physical therapists and follow the exercise and
diet plans they prescribe.

Another statement that hurts: "You just need to push yourself
more..."Obviously, MS directly impacts muscles and ours do not regenerate as
quickly as yours do. Pushing ourselves beyond comfortable physical limits can be
dangerous and cause a severe relapse. On the other hand, doing what we can when we can is excellent therapy both physically and mentally... and we do! If I work at a part-time job for 4 hours one day, my fatigue level is greater than yours
if you worked a 12 hour day. Many days I can still do anything I ever did as
well as I ever did ... but only one thing per day or week or month. Everything
drains us and exhausts us exponentially more than a normal, healthy person
ourage (whatever age that is); our recovery time is also exponentially greater.

If I go to a party or dinner and show tonight for several hours and
have awonderful time, I do so knowing with 99% certainty that tomorrow I will
need all day to rest and recover, much of it spent lying down. MS causes
secondary depression in and of itself; our depression may escalate when dealing
with days on end of constant pain and limited mobility or cognitive function. We
are NOT tired because we are depressed! We are depressed because we are so
tired.When I say I can't do something because I am so fatigued, please don't say
"Oh I know what you mean! I am worn out too, but..." because you don't.

MS fatigue is not like any tiredness you have ever experienced, nor has
anyone who does not have MS or other fatigue-producing disorder. I know you mean well, but it's irritating to hear because it tells me you don't understand me or
my MS at all. I may well be just plain tired - we get normally tired during
remission phases just as any normal person does - but trust me: we know the
difference, and it's huge.When we are together, please understand when I say I
have to sit down, lie down, get a drink, take these pills, or get into a cool
place that I have to do it and do it now! No, I can't walk another 5 blocks to
the car, or walk back down the hill I just climbed up. Don't baby me, don't
hover over me, don't do things for me unless I ask - we are very proud and never
want to be a burden.

Our independence, or what we can retain of it, is of paramount
importance to us! Please help by listening to and believing what we say we need
and act upon it accordingly and as quickly as possible. You wouldn't question a
known diabetics request for orange juice or insulin, so please don't question us
or urge us to 'keep on... we are almost there!' Not unless you are prepared toa)
carry us the rest of the way or b) call 911.

MS does not wait, nor does it forgive... when we say "please ... now!" it means now. If you want to suggest a cure to me, don't. It's not because I don't appreciate the thought, and it's not because I don't want to get well. It's because I have had almost every single one of my family and friends suggest something at one point or another. At first I tried them all, but then I realized that I was using up so much energy trying things that I was making myself sicker, not better.

If there was something that cured, or even markedly helped, all forms
of MS the world would know about it. If you still insist on promoting 'cures' to
me or giving me'this will make you better' advice, do so; but understand I won't
rush out and try it though I may well continue to research it on my own and
discuss those findings with my doctors. In many ways I depend on you... people
who are not sick...

I need you to visit with me when I am unable to go out; sometimes I may
need you to help me with shopping, cooking or cleaning; sometimes I may even
need you to do those things for me. I may need you to go with me to my doctor
appointments to help me remember and understand their direction, or I may just
need a ride. I need you on so many different levels... as much as possible,treat
me as normally as possible, enjoy me and allow me to enjoy you as much as
possible, and.... as much as it's possible...

I need you to understand me.

Running

So let me re-committ myself.

On January 17, 2010 I WILL RUN the Houston Marathon.

It will be my 13th Marathon. And the first one in three years for me. I will RUN for A REASON for MS. So if your reading this make sure you contact me so I can email an invite to sponsor me.

When I did the marathon 3-years ago, I ran for CanCare, because my father in-law Dave passed away of Lung Cancer. But he had MS for over 20 years. And even though people told me MS didn't have anything to do with him having cancer, I believe it did, because he could no longer fight because of what MS did to him.

As healthy people and runners we are so lucky!! The least I can do is go through four and a half hours of pain, it's just a drop in the bucket to what people with MS go through on a day to day basis.

And if your a runner and want this years marathon to be something special run for MS!!

This Saturday my training kicks off. For the next 26-weeks a big part of my life will be dedicated to training for the marathon. I pray that my wife Ginger and my boys Davis and Drew understand. Anyway, until tomorrow.

July 7, 2009 "My Faith"

2009-07-05T23:03:00.004-05:00

"Whoever accepts you, accepts me, and whoever accepts me also accepts the One who sent me." Matthew 10:40

Prayer

What an awesome weekend!! I was able to spend some great time with my sons. They are so sweet and innocent at times. And they are so happy and full of life. What's amazing is what I call God moments. We were on our way to lunch on Friday and listening to KSBJ. At high noon everyday, they say the Lords prayer. So as we're driving I look in my rear view mirror they have their hands crossed and their eyest closed. At the end of the prayer they both say AMEN!! It was so cool!! The reason I picked the verse for today's post Matthew 10:40 is I know people have never seen me this way. In the past, I would have hidden my faith, but now I'm really trying to put it out there, because I feel it's the only way people can come to him and learn to love him like I do. Some people might say, oh he turned to God because he was out of a job for so long. Well, that's wrong because I knew God and fell in Love with him when I was 17 years old. He sent me a message back in January and I am never going to forget about him again.

Running

I should have listened to my body last week. I decided to run Saturday morning and it turned out to be a disaster!! I covered 7 miles in just under a 1:15, not good. Not to mention the ankle started to act up again. This is not a good sign leading into the beginning of my training for Houston. I'm really not sure about how I am going to avoid pain. But, what I can do is that God will give me the strength and wisdom to finish the Marathon in January. How I get there, well what can I say, that's half the fun of it. I am going to take tomorrow off since the ankle was a little sore today. Saturday is the start of Woodlands Fit!! It should be interesting, but I'm looking forward to seeing and running with my old friends.

July 3, 2009 Taking a Break

2009-07-03T10:08:00.004-05:00

"When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your father who cannot be seen. Your father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you." Matthew 6:6

Praying

This is so true. Every morning before I do anything I make it a point to read the bible and pray. Early in the morning is so nice because the house is quiet, there are no tv's just quiet.

What's really cool is in the morning when I'm driving to work I usually see the sun rising. Lately the sun rises have been so beautiful. It's at that point you realize that the picture in the sky is God showing you his power and beauty. Since I have re-started my relationship with him everyday he shows me these moments. It is so awesome!!

Running

So far this week has been pretty good. The heat continues to be a factor but otherwise I'm enjoying my workout. How connect God to my running is always lifts me up when I need it. On Tuesday that was the case. I was kind of down and really not looking forward to my track workout. So I prayed about that and asked him to help feel strong, stay cool and pain free. Well, as usual that prayer came true because I ended up doing 12x400 at pretty much the same pace (1:46) it was truely amazing!! I really didn't think beforehand I could do that many. So I'm feeling pretty good right now. I should take tomorrow off but I'm enjoying my running so much I don't know if I want to. The cool thing about running early in the morning is it is not super hot so I can get a good distance run in.

Next week Fit starts so I'm excited. Training for Houston will officially begin on July 11th.

June 29, 2009

2009-06-29T23:47:00.003-05:00

"So my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lordis ever useless." 1 Corinthians 15:58

Praying
It's been awhile but I have been working hard just as I was commanded by the Lord. I want to do well and glorify him. Slowly but surely things are starting to come together at work. There is still a lot to do and I am still very nervous because it's a new job. I don't trust this company. Anyway, my two co-workers are very negative and sometimes that is hard to deal with. I really try and keep my mouth shut. I can tell they are not happy because they don't understand what it is like to not have a job. Not only that I don't think they are believers. Most of that is based on their attitude on a day to day to basis. All I can do is pray and trust the Lord for putting me in this job. He has a plan for me and will provide for my family and I.

On another note, I am very disturbed about the things my sister is going through. The doctors in Portland don't listen to her so they are not prescribing the right medication to help her live her life on a day to day to basis. I feel so bad for her and she gets so frustrated. I will pray that God will find a way for me to help her.

Running
I ran the Polish Pickle run Saturday and started out great in the first mile (7:15), but that was too fast and mile two was in 7:55 and 3 was in 8:30. I totally crashed and burned. I did not run a very smart race. It was very warm 85+ and the course was hilly. The field was pretty fast to, probably because there was a first place prize. The ankle is still bothering me a little bit but I'm trying to fight through it. I haven't decided on if I will run Saturday morning yet. I'll see how I feel. I could use the break. The week after next, Fit starts so my new training schedule will start up then as well. I feel pretty strong and I know if the weather was cooler I would do pretty good. Tomorrow is track and it looks like we will be doing 400's. That could be interesting especially with the heat and humidity.

Thursday June 24th

2009-06-24T18:33:00.004-05:00

"And my God will liberally supply [fill to full] your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Praying
It's been a couple of days since I have blogged but life has definetly picked up. But the one thing is, God is meeting all my needs. For example, last night before I went to track, I said a prayer to God to please keep me cool during the workout. It was 103 degrees out and the workout was going to be a real tough one. So I really was wondering if I should go out and run. But I did, and although I did sweat a lot, I felt pretty good. In some ways the heat didn't even seem to be a factor. So he took care of me last night. He is truely amazing!!

Running
I have managed to stay on schedule pretty much this week with runs on Monday and Tuesday. I'm off today simply because I had track last night. I will run tomorrow, but I'm not sure for how long. Temps are supposed to be at or above 100. What I'm really looking forward to is my massage tonight. It's going to hurt, but the long term affects will pay off. Saturday, I'm running a 5K and it may be the last race I do until September. The ankle is a minor problem but so far I have been able to keep it under control. All I can do is keep stretching and really keep a close eye on it. If it wasn't so dang hot right now running would be a lot of fun!!

Sunday June 21 "Fathers Day"

2009-06-21T10:47:00.005-05:00

"I celebrate before the Lord. Yes and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!" 2 Samuel 6:21-22

Prayer
It seems like every week now God has a new message for me. Last week it was about my job. This week it was about taking my faith out to the edge. It was a consistent message not only yesterday but today.

As it is stated in 1 Corinthians 1:27, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

I am no longer afraid, I am totally at his mercy he has me and he will never leave me. I see it all the time.
I have been praying for Ginger that she will finally make the committment and be baptized. She is so close, next weekend it will happen. I will continue to pray for this.

Father's day is so important to me. I read today in the bible that role is to lead my family in all matters. It's an enormous responsiability but I love it. I am so thankful for everything I have. When I was growing up, my dream was to someday have a wife, kids and house. Those dreams have come true and it's all because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It was a great day today and I'm so happy right now. God is so Great!!

Running
Yesterday I ran 7 miles it was a good run. The ankle bothered me a little bit but I made sure and stretched good. I have some good consistency going on my Saturday runs where I'm averaging around 9:30 to 9:45 per mile. That's a good easy pace. The big question I have is can I maintain a 8:30 pace in the longer distances. We'll hopefully see next weekend.
Today the ankle feels a lot better. This week is going to be a pretty hot week. Weather forecasters are predicting tempertures to be in the high 90's or low 100's. Could be interesting. Also, on Saturday I will probably run a 5K, mainly for fun but it will be interesting to see how I do. After this race there might not be another one until September so it's kind of important. Needless to say this week is critical as it will be my last hard week until Fit starts in two weeks.
Finally, I'm looking forward to Wednesday because I'm finally going to get a massage. That should help out a bunch. Until tomorrow.

Wednesday June 17th

2009-06-17T23:26:00.003-05:00

"You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Ephesians 5:8

Prayer
Today was an awesome day!! The last two days I prayed to the Lord to help me strong, wise and compassionate. And when I read this verse this morning, I really felt like I was walking in the Light. It was really cool. What I enjoy a lot right now is in the morning before leaving for work I will read a chapter or two in the bible. It sets me at ease and helps prepare me for the day. I know there are going to be tough times in my job, but he will help me get through them. AMEN!!

Running
No training today and probably not until Saturday. My ankle was a little swollen this afternoon and Dr. Mark suggested I wrap it and then take it easy for a day or two. I am going to get a deep tissue massage next week with Ute so that should help a lot. Dr. Mark told me it is very important I stretch after my runs otherwise the ankle will continue to get worse. Since I have gigantor calves those especially need to be stretched. I want to run and I love to run, but the other thing is that it is just so hot after 30 minutes it is just brutal. So no tempo run tomorrow and Saturday's run will probably be only 6 to 7 miles.

June 16, 2009

2009-06-16T23:48:00.003-05:00

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might through His Spriit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19

Praying
I read this verse this morning before I went to work today. What weighed on me was the overwelming feeling that I wouldn't know enough to do my job. I'm really afraid that I will look like a complete idiot in front of people that have way more experience than I do. So I have turned it over to God. Through him, he will give me the knowledge and the confidence to do great things. After all, he picked me to do this job.

Running
Speed work in the summer really sucks. It was 98 degrees out tonight and running 400's at race pace was very difficult. Not only that, the workout got changed. Instead of doing 200's and 400's we ended up doing 6x400's and a 1600 time trial. I did great in the 400's but for the first time since I could remember, I couldn't finish the 1600. I am bummed about this but I'll get over it. I have also decided for the moment that I am going to take the rest of the week off because my ankle is really bothering me. I am hoping to get in with Crystal tomorrow and then on Saturday get a message. Hopefully that will get me back on track. Otherwise, I may be going back to Dr. Sutton which will costs some money. Also, I have already decided to top my distance at only 6-miles this weekend. I'm really nervous about this because I'm seeing the beginning of symptoms that I had last year when I had to shut it down for four weeks. Pray for my ankle to get better.