Scenes from the St. Jude Marathon

Ready or Not

I've got one more long run to go before I start my taper for the marathon in two weeks. I'm not in nearly the shape I need to be to run 26.2. But, running for the St. Jude Children's Hospital always makes me want to strive for more than what I think I am capable of doing. So, I'm going long--ready or not.

Keeping Running in Perspective

In just two weeks I will be running the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis. Obviously, that has meant that I have tried to ramp up my training appropriately--and "appropriately" for a marathon means a whole lot of running and a whole lot of time. And that necessarily presents a whole raft of problems.

A running friend wrote me recently to express his own concerns about time management, stewardship of calling, and the very real threat of self-absorption during the months of training leading up to any big race. He said, "My family has been amazingly supportive, but I'm bothered by the fact that when I'm marathon training I spend alot of time thinking about me! My runs, my injuries, my times, blah, blah, blah."

How do we--indeed, how can we--balance our lives so that even good things, like running, do not come to dominate us and our families?

This is actually something I've thought about a great deal. Though I certainly have not been able to gain any degree of mastery yet, I have done several things to help me balance my priorities:

1. I quit worrying about times a couple of years ago. I run for fun. Certainly, I have more fun the better I do--but, I am at the age and stage where it's all a matter of diminishing returns anyway. So, I figure I have much better things to talk about and think about than my times.

2. I have a prayer strategy for every race and even most training runs. I stick to the strategy doggedly.

3. I try my best to memorize Scripture as I run.

4. I stopped using an iPod for most of my runs--and I no longer use a Nike+, a Garmin Forerunner, or even a pedometer as I once did.

5. I always dedicate every marathon and half marathon to someone in need--I particularly love running to raise funds for one or another of the causes I care about most.

6. I always allow the important stuff in life to interrupt my training schedule--or even my racing schedule. I try to never let running take over my life. And I always try to hold my running loosely.

Running is healthy. It is a great stress reliever. I love meeting the non-Christians among my fellow runners because they are often the only people I ever meet who don't know what I do vocationally. And I enjoy the whole culture of running. So, needless to say, I want to be able to continue to run as long as I am physically able. But, I also want to make sure that running stays in its place and does not ever intrude upon my family, my church, or my calling.

Half Marathon Tomorrow

My training for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon has been a bit hit-and-miss. But now with just five weeks to go, it is put up or shut up time. So, I will run in the Team Nashville Half in the morning to measure just where I am. It should be fun--the weather is great, the course is familiar, and the atmosphere is very relaxed. So, no pressure. Just a good morning run and a fine test of where my fitness now stands.

By the Numbers

“It’s like a Cecil B. DeMille movie, because it’s on such a huge, epic scale,” says Alberto Salazar, who won the New York City Marathon three years in a row during the 1980s. The 40,000 registered runners were selected from more than 100,000 applicants for the 38th running of the 26.2 mile event through each of the city's boroughs this Sunday. They will huddle together at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island several hours ahead of the start. There, they will spend a good deal of their time standing in line at the 1,515 portable toilets. Finally, at 9:40 twin 75-millimeter howitzers will announce the official wave start of this, the world’s largest and most extravagant ceremony of endurance. More than half of the runners will have come from overseas. By the end of the weekend, the city will have raked in an estimated $200 million. And the runners will have, as marathon writer Liz Robbins says, “outrun their demons and their diagnoses” on a “day full of epiphanies.”

The Big Get Bigger

Monday Night: Code Blue

Frodo's Song

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can.

Pursuing it with weary feet
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And wither then? I cannot say.

New Marathon World Record

Haile Gebselassie set his 26th career world record in the Berlin Marathon this weekend. The Ethiopian legend thus became the first man to run under 2:04 over the 26.2 mile distance. And the 35-year old did it while recovering from a calf injury.

Mind and Matter

“Run hard, be strong, think big!” Percy Cerutty

“The body does not want you to do this. You must handle the pain with strategy... It is not age; It is not diet; It is the will to succeed.” Jacqueline Gareau

“The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.” Juma Ikangaa

St. Jude Marathon

In just ten weeks, I will be attempting my seventh full marathon--once again, in beautiful Memphis Tennessee. And again, I will be attempting to raise support for the remarkable work of St. Jude Children's Hospital. If you would like to help me meet my goal of raising $1000 for cancer research and patient treatment, please visit my St. Jude Sponsor Site

Autumn: A Poem

Falling leaves
Hide the path
So quietly. —John Bailey

Obesity: A Poem

We weigh too much.
Way too much. —Bob McKenty

Back for More?

Beaten Again!

I do understand that the guy in the giant hot dog suit is in his twenties. I'm in my fifties. He's a nationally ranked triathlete. I'm, umm, not. Still. He's in a massive foam and felt HOT DOG SUIT. I'm not being realistic, but I still HATE being beaten by the hot dog!

Other than that though, the Franklin Classic was great this morning--more than 1000 runners right in downtown (just a block from Parish) having lots of fun and raising support for the vital work of Mercy Children's Clinic.

Beating the Hot Dog

I'll be running in the Franklin Classic tomorrow at 7 AM. I'm not really in race shape, so my plan is just to have a little fun. But, it really is not fun to be beaten by the Sonic Hot Dog! So, I'm going to do my best to get in just ahead of him!

If Only

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

UltraMarathon Man Film

Amazing!

Ryan Hall

As a part of its run-up to the Beijing Olympics, NBC has produced several video profiles of prominent athletes. Ryan Hall is America's great hope for the marathon--and also one of our most dynamic Gospel witnesses.

On the Nightstand

Motivation from Team Hoyt

Firecracker 5K

I am pretty sure that "race" is not the right word to describe what it was that I did early this Independence Day morning. Indeed, even "running" might be a stretch. Despite that fact, the Firecracker 5K was a lot of fun--as always. The cooler-than-normal temperatures, the overcast skies, and the throngs of friends and neighbors, made the annual fun run in Brentwood's Maryland Farms a delightful way to spend the morning.

I have not been able to run much during the past couple of months due to my busy schedule, constant travel, and native indolence, so this was a great "appetite stimulator" for me. My friend John Scherrer and I both resolved to train more over the course of the rest of the summer. As he said after we crossed the finish line, caught our breath, and quenched our thirst, "I need to get in shape so I can die healthy." Amen!

The Play of the Season

Jump Start in London

According to my nifty little pedometer, I logged 62 miles of walking (touring, really) and 8 miles of running (early morning slow runs) during the eight days of my London trip. That should provide a good base for my summer running season. This next week in Dallas, I will begin training in earnest.

On Not Running

OK. It is officially driving me crazy. The weather is perfect, but the schedule is not. That's always the way things go is this time of year.

I always take a brief hiatus from running after the spring marathon. It enables me to squeeze in most, if not all, of my end-of-academic-year responsibilities. It enables me to fully recover. It enables me to remember why I love--no, crave--running so much.

This year, I will miss the RC-Moon Pie race in Bell Buckle for the first time in four years. But, after that I should be back into the swing of things, ready for the Firecracker 5K on July 4. Then, it will be a push for whatever fall marathon I choose--and then on to the St. Jude Marathon in December.

So, as soon as I get back from my quick overseas trip this next week, I'll start training again. I'm raring to go!

Marathon Day

Marathon Madness

Joel Miller, a friend in the publishing industry here in Nashville, has written a great (and funny) article for the American Spectator on his participation in the Country Music Marathon.

After the Finish

Mission Accomplished

Wow. Somehow I soldiered through and finished the Country Music Half Marathon. I started very cautiously through the first two miles or so with 11 minute miles. Since I was feeling so good at that point, I cranked it up to about 8 and a half minute miles for the next seven or eight miles. That was probably a big mistake. I pretty much fell apart after the 9-mile marker. From there to finish, it was just a trudge home. It wasn't pretty, but I did it. My final time was 1:59.21. I'm sore. I'm tired. But, I'm more than satisfied; I'm thrilled.

And the King's Meadow Endurance Team experience was spectacular. With more than a dozen runners, we had a great time at a great event raising support for a great cause. Thank you to everyone who stood with us in prayer, cheering along the course, and with financial support. What a gift of God's grace!

CMM: Tomorrow Morning

I'm going for it. Surely the old lungs, gimpy ankles, and wobbly legs can hold out for 13.1 miles. Should be fun. After all, I'll be running through beautiful Nashville with about 30,000 of my closest friends through the traditional marathon thundershowers!

CMM: 3

Things are not looking good. My Bronchitis has taken a bit of a turn for the worse. But, I've still not given up all hope of running. I've got a couple of days to decide!

CMM: 5

With just five days to go, the head cold and lung congestion I experienced over the weekend is starting to clear up. Perhaps one more night of NyQuill will do the trick. I sure hope so. I've come way too far just to let a late-training cold knock me out of this year's marathon.

Boston

The Boston Marathon is the oldest annual city marathon in the world, appearing for the first time in 1897. That year, only 18 runners entered the race. The number of participants has increased steadily since then. On Monday, the traditional Patriots’ Day running of the race, about 25,000 people will run, cheered on by about 500,000 spectators.

In terms of on-site media coverage, the Boston Marathon ranks behind only the Super Bowl as the largest single day sporting event in the world. More than 1,100 media members, representing more than 250 outlets, receive credentials annually.

Thus, the Boston Marathon ranks as one of the most prestigious running events in the world. This honourable position is attained thanks to the long and venerable history of the race, the hilly and challenging course, and the fact that runners have to qualify to register as an official participant.

The qualifying standard is high enough to make just qualifying for Boston--AKA to BQ--quite an achievement in itself. The time limit for my age group is a quick 3 hours and 35 minutes. That's an average of about 8 minutes per mile for all 26.2 miles! Whew!

I'll be following the race live on the WBZ TV website.

Yogi's Wisdom

When I simply don't have any physical reserves left in a marathon, I just remind myself of Yogi Berra's sport's wisdom, "It's eighty percent half mental."

11 Days: CMM

My training has been anything but ideal. But, I'm going for it anyway. In just eleven days I'll be running in the Country Music Half Marathon with 30,000 other runners. I've got two very simple goals:

1. Finish. I don't care how slow, how painful, or how pitiful. I just want to finish.

2. I want to raise some significant funding for our New College Franklin project.

So, as I hit the pavement in this last push to train, would you be willing to sponsor me? If so, just click through to our King's Meadow Endurance Team donation page. Keep me running! Keep me training! Keep me smiling!

Out the Door

"After running regularly for about 25 years, I have only one tip: Force yourself to step out the door. Once you're outside, you're golden." Jeannie McGrew

Last Ditch Effort

It's been slow going--recovering from a couple of shoulder surgeries, months of physical therapy, and a layoff from serious running for most of the last ten months. Most recently I've battled some upper respiratory troubles. But, I am now battling through it in a last ditch effort to train for the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon the last Saturday of this month.

My goal is two-fold: first, I want to finish without regard to time whatsoever; second, I want to raise some significant funding for our New College Franklin project.

Would you be willing to sponsor me? If so, just click through to our King's Meadow Endurance Team donation page. Keep me running! Keep me training! Keep me smiling!

Competition

"The whole idea is not to beat other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." George Sheehan

Will Power

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Juma Ikangaa

Dos and Don'ts

"Above all, train hard, eat right, and avoid television and people with bad attitudes." Scott Tinley

If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing. Period.

"Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well, and nothing can be well done without attention." Earl of Chesterfield

"If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly." G.K. Chesterton

Slow and Steady

"I love when they check my pulse at the doctor's office. Every time they say, 'Oh man, good pulse. You must be a runner.'" Miles O'Brien

All Things Possible

"Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible." William Shakespeare

Forgetting What Lies Behind

"You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming." Frank Shorter

Going the Distance

"I've learned over the years that the most running satisfaction comes from completing the distance and enjoying the fellowship of other runners--not from faster times." Jeff Galloway

Congratulations Nolan!

King's Meadow Endurance Team

It's been slow going--recovering from a couple of shoulder surgeries, months of physical therapy, and a layoff from serious running for most of the last ten months. But, I am now training for the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon at the end of April.

My goal is two-fold: first, I want to finish without regard to time whatsoever; second, I want to raise some significant funding for our New College Franklin project.

Would you be willing to sponsor me? If so, just click through to our King's Meadow Endurance Team donation page. Keep me running! Keep me training! Keep me smiling!

The Big Question

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'" Peter Maher

All the Difference in the World

"If you want to win something, run a hundred meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon." Emil Zatopek

Six Weeks of Training to Go

The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do." Walter Bagehot

"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." William Faulkner

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." Theodore Roosevelt

The Day After a Marathon

Ultra-Something

A rare article was posted at the ESPN webzine about ultra-running. Alas, it follows the now-all-too-predictable-pattern of asking if ultra-athletes like Scott Jurek or Dean Karnazes are "ultra-tough" or just "ultra-crazy?" I guess there is solace in the fact that's what desk-jockey sports writers used to say about X-Games competitors too. Now, snowboard high-jenks and motocross shenanigans practically pay the cable networks bills.

Milestone or Millstone

What used to be my short runs have now become my long runs. A shoulder surgery, three months of rehab, and then just this week, a second trip to the hospital for another shoulder and neck procedure, I've not exactly been tearing up the roads. I feel like I've been dragging a millstone around my neck since the problems really started to surface last August.

But, I have yet to throw in the towel altogether. In fact today, I went over 1000 Miles recorded on my NikePlus. I've not always faithfully used the nifty device--sometimes I forgot it, sometimes it didn't work right, I never used it for races (including three marathons and a host of halves and 5Ks), and for about four months I went without when my transmitter went on the fritz.

Still, hitting this milestone is a real motivator. I wanna see if I double it this year. Of course, I'll have to get a lot better to do that. But then, that's the plan. More milestones, less millstones.

2008 Training Plan

My plans for 2008 are much more modest than they were for 2007. Last year, I came within two minutes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon when I ran a 3:37 at Nashville's Country Music Marathon. I started having various injuries and ailments shortly afterward that eventually short-circuited my whole running calendar. Then came surgery, slow recovery, and at long last, a bit of sanity.

This year I'm racheting back the number of races, the distances, and the speed in my running--just as I am cutting out virtually all of my travel, outside speaking engagements, and ancillary local commitments. Instead, I am going to focus on fun, on fundraising, and on mentoring a handful of new runners on our King's Meadow Endurance Team. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

I'm still going to do the Team Nashville 10 Miler, the Tom King Half, and then finish up the spring at the Country Music Half Marathon. The CMM is just such a great event and a wonderful way to connect our community. After that, I'll evaluate what to do about the RC-Moon Pie 10, the Uttermost, and the St. Jude Marathon. For now, I am just going to slowly ramp up to the CMM.

Once again, I'll be using a modified Jeff Galloway approach to training adapted to my busy schedule. There is a great online tool at the Runner's World website that charts daily workouts from now right up to the time of marathon that I'll be using to guide myself and my running buddies as we make our way toward a healthier and happier 2008.

Congrats to Matt and Leah

Congratulations! Kudos! Huzzah! Yesterday, Matt and Leah Vest ran into beautiful Redbird Stadium in downtown Memphis 4 hours and 4 minutes after starting the St. Jude Marathon. These intrepid representatives of the King's Meadow Endurance Team managed to average just over 9 minutes per mile. Quite a remarkable feat! Remember everyone: it is still not too late to join them in their effort to raise support for New College.

St. Jude Marathon

This weekend in Memphis several members of the King's Meadow Endurance Team will be running in the St. Jude Marathon. They will be running those 26.2 miles in an effort to raise support for the study center's Gospel-centered educational and discipling endeavors. Because of my shoulder surgery this past week, I won't be able to pound the pavement with them. But, that is not stopping me from participating. I am committing to support them with my dollars as well as my prayers. Won't you join me--and them--as we attempt to raise up the next generation of leaders? You can pledge right online.

Constant Assiduities

"It is by dint of steady labor; it is by giving enough of application to the work, and having enough of the time for the doing of it; it is by regular painstaking and the constant assiduities; it is by these, and not by any process of legerdemain, that we secure the strength and staple of real excellence." Thomas Chalmers

"It is not by irregular efforts that any great practical achievement is overtaken. It is by the constant recurrence and repetition of small efforts directed to a given object, and resolutely sustained and persevered in." Thomas Chalmers

Team Nashville Half Marathon

King's Meadow Endurance Team

Over the course of the next several months the students and teachers at King's Meadow will not only be studying, reading, writing, thinking, and growing--we will be running and cycling. Our plan is to run more than 100 miles and bike another 100 in seven different endurance events throughout the mid-South--all in an effort to raise support for our educational and discipling endeavors. Won't you join us as we attempt to raise up the next generation of leaders? You can pledge by the race, by the mile, or by the season.

King's Meadow Study Center is a covenantal community of Reformed Christian thinkers, writers, artists, teachers, students, activists, and friends endeavoring to facilitate Gospel faithfulness and Word and Deed effectiveness in their own lives, families, and communities. In the coming months, we are seeking state approval for an expansion of our work to include a full-fledged collegiate program. Serving as a missional extension of Christ’s church to cultivate knowledgeable, wise and faithful servants of God, our mission is to provide the best in liberal arts education under the Lordship of Jesus Christ according to the Holy Scriptures.

Obviously, this is a large undertaking and it will require substantial resources. But, we don't simply want to ask our friends for donations, we want to demonstrate our willingness to "go the extra mile" in a well-rounded pursuit of beauty, goodness, and truth. So, won't you join us in this endeavor? Please, pledge today.

King's Meadow Endurance Team

Sidelined

Sidelined for the next few months by bone spurs in my shoulder (surgery is scheduled for November 30), I have been forced to the sidelines as a spectator. Watching the Olympic Marathon Trials and ING Marathon this weekend in New York has only made me want to get back out there as soon as possible. So, I am determined.

Speaking of determined, how about Lance Armstrong! He finished the marathon again this year under 3 hours. Amazing!

Oktoberfest 5K

Discretion and Valor

Nearly 10,000 of the 45,000 registered runners in this past weekend’s Chicago Marathon chose to not race in the heat despite promises by organizers of a host of mist stations, cooling buses, and water-soaked sponges available all along the route. It seems that they made a wise decision.

Just four hours into the race, organizers were forced to shut down the entire course because of 88-degree heat and sweltering humidity that left at least one runner dead and sent at least 50 more to area hospitals. Emergency medical personnel treated another 250 runners for heat exhaustion and dehydration. Chad Schieber, an experienced 35-year-old runner and police officer from Michigan, collapsed midway through the race and was shortly thereafter pronounced dead by the Cook County medical examiner's office.

At first, organizers hoped those who passed the halfway mark could complete the run. The fire department turned on hydrants to hose people down along the course. But eventually when shortages of water and energy drinks were reported all along the route, runners were diverted by police, firemen, and volunteers to the starting area, where they were provided with medical attention and cooling misters. Helicopters hovered over the race course while police officers shouted through bullhorns to warn runners to slow down and walk.

This should be a great reminder to all of us to pay attention to our bodies, to run smart, and to never allow our goals to get in the way of our common sense. If I'd been in Chicago, I hope that I would have had the wisdom to stop running when I began to seriously overheat--as I most assuredly would have. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

Great New Running Book

Run, Spot, Run

I do love my dogs. I do love running with my dogs. And I am typically a sucker for any kind of running gear. But, this assortment of doggie running gear is a little over the top--even for me.

Day Dreaming

Classic Pix

Surprises Today?

Hot Dog

Still recovering from a recent "mystery" illness that has kept me lethargic and achy for the past three weeks, I was not about to miss the Franklin Classic today. I love this race. I love running through downtown Franklin. I love the fact that the starting line is a block from my office. I love the cause--supporting Mercy Children's Clinic. I love seeing so many friends and neighbors come together for a great community event. Just about the only thing I don't like is getting beaten by the local Sonic hot dog!

Oh well, I was out there in the torrid heat, terrible humidity, and toiling humanity. And yes, the hot dog beat me again! If I had run my best time ever, he would have still beaten me (and I was a long way off my best time). I had fun regardless.

Coming Soon