This morning in our church service we sang a song we've sung many times, Press On. The verses talk about times when things are difficult and we're worn out. Then the chorus says "In Jesus' name, we press on." I find this so applicable in work and with my family -- really in all areas of life, but never more literally than when I'm running in a race or doing a long run.
There are always many opportunities to quit. This song encourages us to remember that through Jesus we can continue.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Quote from Ga'Hoole
My family and I are reading this brilliant book series, Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Often the author's characters say insightful things. Here's one I thought was particularly good.
"I don't think real friends are jealous" - Primrose the Pygmie Owl (book 5 The Shattering)
"I don't think real friends are jealous" - Primrose the Pygmie Owl (book 5 The Shattering)
My Favorite Race Story
I apologize ahead of time for this longer post, but sometimes you just gotta be verbose. So...
Background:
I had been running for a couple years and started running in some longer distance races. The day after each race, I would scan the newspaper for the results. With my ego leading the way I would check to see how I placed, not only in my age catagory, but also against all the other age groups men and women (I know, pretty focused on me). The bottom line of this part of my tale is this, in the longer races there was always some women in the 60+ age group that beat me. I would tell me friends and myself, "if I ever saw that woman I sure wouldn't let her beat me" (ego, ego, ego).
Fast Forward to 1st Marathon:
So after going through a beginners Runners' World marathon training plan, I was prepared to complete in my 1st marathon. My main goal was to finish, but a stretch goal was to beat 4 hours. I was running with the friend I had trained with and we planned to stick together, this was the first marathon for both of us.
Everything was going fine for about 20 miles and then as many people have in the past, I hit a wall. I won't say THE WALL, but it was too big for me to continue at that pace. I slowed down and for a while my friend did as well. I was finally able to encourage him to leave me behind, as he for some reason was able to dodge the wall that hit me and felt great.
At this slower pace my will to complete this marathon never wavered, I may not beat 4 hours, but I would finish. At some point I really started to enjoy myself. I cheered on other runners as I passed them and even as they passed me. I didn't care. At one point an older woman passed me who was being cheered by several on the sidelines, "Go, Mary". As she passed I heartily cheered her on too, truely hoping to encourage her. Then my words came back to me, "If I ever saw that woman I sure wouldn't let her beat me."
Moment of Truth:
Ok, ok, I know what your thinking. Did this guy really get motivated by a senior woman passing him in a marathon? Absolutely! I decided it was time to put up or shut up. So, I picked it up a little and quickly passed her back. With her clearly in my rear view I stopped at the next aid station for a drink. Upon getting started again I was startled to see she had passed me by during my break. No more aid stations for me. If she can skip them, so could I. I couldn't let her to slip by and beat me. So I picked it up and passed her again.
And the Winner Is:
That was the last I saw of Mary. I was able to hold or increase my pace all the way to the end. I had done it. I won:) Of course the next day I checked the paper and sure enough, a few minutes behind my time was Mary, champion of the 60+ women. So I had beaten all women over 60 (check that box). On top of that, I beat my 4 hour goal (3:54). I'm pretty sure that if Mary hadn't come along I wouldn't have. So, I am very grateful for Mary. I'm also grateful and surprised that at mile 22 of a marathon I remembered my jestful boast and allowed it to drive me on. Whatever it takes!:)
Background:
I had been running for a couple years and started running in some longer distance races. The day after each race, I would scan the newspaper for the results. With my ego leading the way I would check to see how I placed, not only in my age catagory, but also against all the other age groups men and women (I know, pretty focused on me). The bottom line of this part of my tale is this, in the longer races there was always some women in the 60+ age group that beat me. I would tell me friends and myself, "if I ever saw that woman I sure wouldn't let her beat me" (ego, ego, ego).
Fast Forward to 1st Marathon:
So after going through a beginners Runners' World marathon training plan, I was prepared to complete in my 1st marathon. My main goal was to finish, but a stretch goal was to beat 4 hours. I was running with the friend I had trained with and we planned to stick together, this was the first marathon for both of us.
Everything was going fine for about 20 miles and then as many people have in the past, I hit a wall. I won't say THE WALL, but it was too big for me to continue at that pace. I slowed down and for a while my friend did as well. I was finally able to encourage him to leave me behind, as he for some reason was able to dodge the wall that hit me and felt great.
At this slower pace my will to complete this marathon never wavered, I may not beat 4 hours, but I would finish. At some point I really started to enjoy myself. I cheered on other runners as I passed them and even as they passed me. I didn't care. At one point an older woman passed me who was being cheered by several on the sidelines, "Go, Mary". As she passed I heartily cheered her on too, truely hoping to encourage her. Then my words came back to me, "If I ever saw that woman I sure wouldn't let her beat me."
Moment of Truth:
Ok, ok, I know what your thinking. Did this guy really get motivated by a senior woman passing him in a marathon? Absolutely! I decided it was time to put up or shut up. So, I picked it up a little and quickly passed her back. With her clearly in my rear view I stopped at the next aid station for a drink. Upon getting started again I was startled to see she had passed me by during my break. No more aid stations for me. If she can skip them, so could I. I couldn't let her to slip by and beat me. So I picked it up and passed her again.
And the Winner Is:
That was the last I saw of Mary. I was able to hold or increase my pace all the way to the end. I had done it. I won:) Of course the next day I checked the paper and sure enough, a few minutes behind my time was Mary, champion of the 60+ women. So I had beaten all women over 60 (check that box). On top of that, I beat my 4 hour goal (3:54). I'm pretty sure that if Mary hadn't come along I wouldn't have. So, I am very grateful for Mary. I'm also grateful and surprised that at mile 22 of a marathon I remembered my jestful boast and allowed it to drive me on. Whatever it takes!:)
Rotary Resolution 5k
Today the whole family ran the Rotary Resolution 5k, all except the youngest who ran the 1k fun run. Our youngest did very well in the 1k. Probably setting a new PR for him.
I planned to run alone, while my wife and older son would run mostly together. This was the first run I would be using a 201 Garmin Forerunner on and I was a little excited about that. I programmed in a virtual runner to run a 5k race in 21:50. I had run my last 5k in 21:15, but hadn't run in a bit so I took off a few seconds.
Unfortunately, I needed to take off quite a few more. I did fairly well through the first half of the race. Although I did notice that it seemed I was breathing too for this pace! Of course that's because I was running to hard for my recent training. Once I got to 2 miles, I hit the moment of truth...and decided it wasn't worth it today. I slowed dramatically to about an 8:30 pace and strolled. Of course I was hoping to pick it up after I felt better, but I never really felt that good:(
The bottom line was that I turned in a very poor time for me >24. Normally I know my exact time, but honestly I don't really want to remember this race. EXCEPT as I come up with a new resolution. I resolve to not run that slow again for the rest of the year (when I'm racing). Of course that means I'll have to start making time to train and eat right, but those are all things I love to do.
At end of all races each car is blessed with several flyers for upcoming races. Well, this time the flyers were helpful. I intend to run in each of the 3 races that were left on my window. I'll let you know how the runs go.
I planned to run alone, while my wife and older son would run mostly together. This was the first run I would be using a 201 Garmin Forerunner on and I was a little excited about that. I programmed in a virtual runner to run a 5k race in 21:50. I had run my last 5k in 21:15, but hadn't run in a bit so I took off a few seconds.
Unfortunately, I needed to take off quite a few more. I did fairly well through the first half of the race. Although I did notice that it seemed I was breathing too for this pace! Of course that's because I was running to hard for my recent training. Once I got to 2 miles, I hit the moment of truth...and decided it wasn't worth it today. I slowed dramatically to about an 8:30 pace and strolled. Of course I was hoping to pick it up after I felt better, but I never really felt that good:(
The bottom line was that I turned in a very poor time for me >24. Normally I know my exact time, but honestly I don't really want to remember this race. EXCEPT as I come up with a new resolution. I resolve to not run that slow again for the rest of the year (when I'm racing). Of course that means I'll have to start making time to train and eat right, but those are all things I love to do.
At end of all races each car is blessed with several flyers for upcoming races. Well, this time the flyers were helpful. I intend to run in each of the 3 races that were left on my window. I'll let you know how the runs go.
Friday, January 5, 2007
What is KHET?
My older son received a gift from my parents named Khet. It came in an interesting and technologically appropriate packaging. Upon closer investigation, we discovered it was a game and better yet a LASER game. How cool is that a game that uses lasers, with no running.
I have come to call it laser chess, as it is a addictive strategy game with obelisks, pyrimids, djeds, and a pharoh. Similar to chess, the goal of the game is to capture the opponents pharoh. In truth the similarities are more in the feel of the game than the actual playing of it. The rules are much simpler, although much like chess the difficulty is in what you do with the rules.
After each move in the game, the player who moved his piece fires his laser. This is where it gets interesting. The laser bounces off of the face of the certain pieces. If at the end of its path if strikes a piece, that piece is lost. This is true regardless of who's piece is struck. If the pharoh is struck, the game is over. This means that you can kill your own piece and even lose the game on your turn. Believe me, this can and does happen!
I highly recommend this game for any family looking for a change-up from chess or checkers or as an introduction to strategy games. Kids will love the lasers and how the different pieces cause the laser to bend through the game. It is a satisfying feeling when you begin to guess correctly where the laser will go after your move, and quite funny when it takes an unexpected turn. Have fun.
I have come to call it laser chess, as it is a addictive strategy game with obelisks, pyrimids, djeds, and a pharoh. Similar to chess, the goal of the game is to capture the opponents pharoh. In truth the similarities are more in the feel of the game than the actual playing of it. The rules are much simpler, although much like chess the difficulty is in what you do with the rules.
After each move in the game, the player who moved his piece fires his laser. This is where it gets interesting. The laser bounces off of the face of the certain pieces. If at the end of its path if strikes a piece, that piece is lost. This is true regardless of who's piece is struck. If the pharoh is struck, the game is over. This means that you can kill your own piece and even lose the game on your turn. Believe me, this can and does happen!
I highly recommend this game for any family looking for a change-up from chess or checkers or as an introduction to strategy games. Kids will love the lasers and how the different pieces cause the laser to bend through the game. It is a satisfying feeling when you begin to guess correctly where the laser will go after your move, and quite funny when it takes an unexpected turn. Have fun.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Dark Morning - literally
I had to get up a little earlier today. Tuesday of this week I went back to work, but since I had vacationed in CA, my mental clock was still on PST. That means I was sleeping in and getting to work about 9.
Today, the kids went back to school and in order to get them up and ready I got up closer to 6. While I admit that isn't very early, it was early to me today. To add to the early morning, we were out of milk so I drove out to the store and picked up a few gallons. It wasn't until I was on my way home that it struck me...IT IS STILL DARK! Once again, I realize this is no surprise to most, but it caught me of guard. I couldn't stand that it was still dark after I had already been up for over an hour. How dare it be dark, was all I could think. Looking back now that seems silly, but I really enjoy the sun and summertime.
Fortunately, our shortest day is behind us and we're marching towards longer and longer days (Yipee!). I guess I'll have to get over dark mornings though for at least a few months.
Today, the kids went back to school and in order to get them up and ready I got up closer to 6. While I admit that isn't very early, it was early to me today. To add to the early morning, we were out of milk so I drove out to the store and picked up a few gallons. It wasn't until I was on my way home that it struck me...IT IS STILL DARK! Once again, I realize this is no surprise to most, but it caught me of guard. I couldn't stand that it was still dark after I had already been up for over an hour. How dare it be dark, was all I could think. Looking back now that seems silly, but I really enjoy the sun and summertime.
Fortunately, our shortest day is behind us and we're marching towards longer and longer days (Yipee!). I guess I'll have to get over dark mornings though for at least a few months.
Monday, January 1, 2007
Ultramarathon Man...Passion
I recently read Dean Karnazes' book about his start and life as an ultra marathon runner. I finished the book in a couple days, which is quick for me and shows this was a real page turner. I enjoyed the personal look at his life and the detailed descriptions of some crucial moments or turning points in his life.
My first thought after reading it (and even during the read) was that I should become a ultra marathoner too. His writing was pretty good, but it was the motivational message that caught my attention. After a couple days of thinking on his story and letting the message settle in a bit, I realized that the message was intended to inspire each of us to determine or find our passion and go after it like Dean has rather than going after his passion. Not that I won't become an ultramarathoner, but I should make sure that my heart is in it.
Much like Dean, I have enjoyed a good life. My faith and family and job give me joy and satisfaction, but I haven't done what I was put here for. I haven't reached my potential. I haven't found something to be passionate about, or else I just haven't been passionate about what I've done.
I did married a very passionate woman. Passion was what attracted me to her and what has inspired me to do much of what I have done, but I cannot claim her passion as my own, and she cannot apply her passion to my life. No... passion is something you have to find for yourself. Passion is visible and attractive, but it doesn't come without cost. Maybe to have passion you have to be willing to make sacrifices, to trade something, to work harder. It appears that Dean took that approach, and it clearly worked for him.
I guess that's what I saw in Dean's book. It's a story about passion. He does a wonderful job describing his passion and sharing it with us.
As this is a new year, I'll make it a goal or resolution of mine to become a person of passion. I will start by finding something I enjoy, or that I feel is important, and diving into it. I'll let you know what comes up.
I highly recommend reading Ultramarathon Man. Hopefully it will inspire you as well. Thanks Dean for the inspiration.
My first thought after reading it (and even during the read) was that I should become a ultra marathoner too. His writing was pretty good, but it was the motivational message that caught my attention. After a couple days of thinking on his story and letting the message settle in a bit, I realized that the message was intended to inspire each of us to determine or find our passion and go after it like Dean has rather than going after his passion. Not that I won't become an ultramarathoner, but I should make sure that my heart is in it.
Much like Dean, I have enjoyed a good life. My faith and family and job give me joy and satisfaction, but I haven't done what I was put here for. I haven't reached my potential. I haven't found something to be passionate about, or else I just haven't been passionate about what I've done.
I did married a very passionate woman. Passion was what attracted me to her and what has inspired me to do much of what I have done, but I cannot claim her passion as my own, and she cannot apply her passion to my life. No... passion is something you have to find for yourself. Passion is visible and attractive, but it doesn't come without cost. Maybe to have passion you have to be willing to make sacrifices, to trade something, to work harder. It appears that Dean took that approach, and it clearly worked for him.
I guess that's what I saw in Dean's book. It's a story about passion. He does a wonderful job describing his passion and sharing it with us.
As this is a new year, I'll make it a goal or resolution of mine to become a person of passion. I will start by finding something I enjoy, or that I feel is important, and diving into it. I'll let you know what comes up.
I highly recommend reading Ultramarathon Man. Hopefully it will inspire you as well. Thanks Dean for the inspiration.
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