As I mentioned in my last post, I am participating in the Special Kids Race at the end of March. I will be running the 15k for myself, and then pushing Danielle in the 1-mile run. It is a huge honor not only to meet Danielle, but also give her the opportunity to race. Below is Danielle’s info in her own words…
My name is Danielle. I am 2 years old, and I have hydrocephaly and suffer from seizures. I love when my mom reads books and sings nursery songs to me. My older sister will put me in her trumpet case and let me feel the music she plays. I also love to pull my other sister’s glasses off and touch her braces. My mom says that I’m a quiet, lovable, and playful child.
I also have a goal of raising $250 for Danielle. Please check out this site to make a donation to Danielle through Special Kids. It can be $1 to any amount you wish. I am truly looking forward to this event, and really appreciate the support of my friends and family.
Fresh into the new year, and it did not take long to feel challenged by God. A friend of mine has been encouraging me to run the Special Kids 15k since last summer. I even seeked out Special Kids to see if I could push one of the kids in the race. That is something I have been wanting to do ever since I started running. Last summer was a long time from the actual signup date. So, I put it in the back of my mind. Then a week or so ago, my buddy emailed me to sign up for the race. I went to the Special Kids website to register for the 15k, and just immediately felt challenged to do more.
Special kids has what they call “the extra mile.” That is what was placed on my heart…not just running, but literally going the extra mile. I plan on raising $250 for Special Kids, running the 15k for myself, and then running the 1 mile race where I will be pushing one of the kids. I think about that when I run…what if I were not capable of it? What if I could not have had the opportunity to perform in any athletics. I really look forward to to sharing the opportunity with one of those kids who cannot do that.
On the left side of this blog is a link to my donor pager you click right here. If you would like to donate to Special Kids and help them provide rehabilitation, skilled nursing and family services to families caring for children with special needs in middle Tennessee. They are a Christian run not-for-profit organization. You can learn more about Special Kids at their website.
What a year! I truly experienced some great things in 2011. I saw my relationship with God really grow before my own eyes. I ran my first half marathon…and my 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th! I did my first trail race. I got to run my second Ragnar Relay with my wife. I got to walk through the entire process of an adoption with some friends from church. I got raise money for them to help bring him home. I set a PR in 3 different race distances. It was a remarkable year! So bring on 2012! I have a few things planned so far.
1.) Purposely Running - I want to look in areas of how God can use me with running to help other people. Last year it was an adoption. This year I already have something planned with Special Kids.
2.) Conditioning - I want to get in much better physical conditioning for running. I have always lifted weights for bulk. Now I am wanting to train more functionally. I aim to drop 20 pounds of unneeded bulk to try to make me a better runner capable of longer distances.
3.) Trail running- I fell in love last year. I want to run 6 halfs this year with at least 3 of them on trails. My first race of the year will be a trail half marathon.
4.) Full Marathon – I have always said that if I do a full marathon that it would to be unique. I would be way too bored running something like the Country Music Full. No offense to anyone else or the Rock-in-Roll race series. This year I will be training for the North Face Endurance Challenge. It will be a full marathon completely on trails.
So those are the goals so far. I am super excited. My racing schedule starts on February 25th. I will be running in the “Thrills in the Hills” trail half marathon which is part of the Xterra Race Series. I will also for sure be running in the inaugural Special Kids Race at the 15k distance. I will be writing more on this race in the next few days.
The Ragnar Relay is what got it all started last year. It was the key contributor to why I really started training. It was such a great experience that it fueled my running afterwards. You can read about my experience here. Last year’s race was amazing. I got to run with several college fraternity brothers and long-time friends. This year, I really wanted to run this race with my wife. I thought it would be really special. Laura is not a runner, but she wanted to do the Ragnar. We decided to do a co-ed team, so we would need 6 guys and 6 girls. Finding all of our runners was an adventure of it’s own, but in the end we found 12 great people to spend two days with.
Last year, I was part of van 1 and really enjoyed that we got to start it off. I was really afraid van 2 would get bored waiting for our turn. Steph started the race out for us at 9:30 am. Our van decided to follow her on the first leg, and it was a good thing we did. The girls van just drove to the exchange for some reason leaving Steph without any support. No worries, the guys had it under control. We had myself and Andy Schmeltzer as returning Ragnar veterans. We made sure Steph got back to her girls, and then we to check in.
After check in and lunch, our van decided we would go watch my wife Laura run her 4.5 miles. Laura had one heck of a crazy year. She battled 3 months of strep throat, a bad back, both of our boys having tonsil surgery, and probably a hundred more things to take away from her training. SHe hung in there, and I wanted to be there to watch her accomplish it! We were there for her, both vans, all 4.5 miles. In the end James even met her to run in the last 300 yards. She passed me the slap bracelet, gave me a kiss, and celebrated being done with the first leg.
My first run was 5.2 miles and the dreaded Monteagle leg. A little over 3 miles was going to be completely up a mountain. I was confident and I trained very hard. There were some steep parts where I had to walk, but my team of guys encouraged me well. I made it to the top in 50 minutes flat which was around a 9:30 pace.
My second run was in the hollers of Lynchburg. Laura completed hers and handed off to me around the 12:30 am mark. If running in the middle of no where at midnight were not already scary enough, this was a non support leg…oh and there was zero-visability fog. I could barely see 5 feet in front of me…with a flashlight! Seriously, it could have been a John Carpenter movie. I had my music on full blast just because I did not want to hear any other noises out there. Other than that though, the 8.2 mile run was quite peaceful. It was very hilly, and possibly a harder run than mounteagle, but I finished it in 1:04:00 for a 7:48 pace.
Before my third leg, I decided to meet Laura at the street corner so I could run the last 100 yards with her. Poor Laura, she thought she was done, and physically she probably was. We both made it to the exchange and I was off for my last run. Laura was off to breakfast and a shower…lucky her! The first half of this run was in the Cool Springs area. The next half was headed towards Brentwood, and boy did it get hilly. Coming down the last big hill, I could see the exchange. I decided to get it into gear when BAM! A cramp in my hamstring stopped me dead in my tracks. It probably looked like I got sniped. My Nick Stiles came and met me and offered help to the exchange. I was done! I had completed my second Ragnar, but I did it running the hardest legs of the race. My final run was 6.7 miles in 52 minutes.
Our last runner, James, was the spirit of our van. His sense of humor kept us going. He helped us out so much with support. Finally his time was here to bring us home. He started the 36th and final leg like a man on a mission. We went up ahead about a mile to wait on him. We waited for what seemed like way too long. A few of us took the van to try and find him to no avail. With no way to contact him we just drove to the finish line in hopes that he would end up there as well. Not too much longer we saw him sprinting down 2nd avenue. From there the whole team finished the race with James to bring it home in 31 hours and 2 minutes.
So this past Saturday, August 20th, I ran my first race since May. It was just a 5k, but in the ridiculous heat this summer that is all I needed. The months of June and July were pretty devoid of any running. I totaled 29 miles combined for those two months. In August, I got back to it. I am on pace to go over 50 miles this month. This month I have really focused on speed training. I just can’t run as far in this sweltering heat so running sprints and tempo runs have become an integral part of my training.
So this was my first 5k since October 2010 where I ran a 23:48. Ten months and a lot of running have gone on since then. I knew I would PR, but how low could I get it. I made it my goal to get below 22 minutes. I fell 11 seconds short with a time of 22:10, but lowered my PR by a minute and 38 seconds. Other than setting a goal and trying to accomplish it, I don’t really care about my time any more. What I enjoy is the actual race.
I realized that I missed it…not the running…the racing! I love getting there early and taking the whole event in. I enjoy people watching, looking to see the ones that are actually there to win it or seeing the people there that deemed this race as their big goal of the year. It is fun to see the couch-to-5k types and the ones like myself who are athletes just trying to be runners. I find the peppy runners the most entertaining. The pre-race excitement usually looks quite the opposite at the finish line. However, it is all the friends and families cheering on the sidelines that encourage me the most.
I was excited about this race for 3 reasons.
Reason 1 was just getting to race again.
Reason 2 was getting to train my wife for this race.
Reason 3 was the location of the race was at my alma mater MTSU.
The best part of the race was in the last quarter of a mile. I could just start to see the finish line and I was running along side a man that looked to be in his late 60′s at least. He was hanging with me stride for stride. Then he gets one or two paces in front and literally tries to cut me off of the pavement and into the grass. Some people may have gotten angered by this, but I loved it. Here this man was at least twice my age, but still had a burning desire for competition. It almost pained me that I had another gear to go to in the last 200 yards. I kicked in my sprint and never looked back at the man. After I had finished I watched him cross the finish line and get congratulated by what I am sure was his family. The whole time I was thinking I want to be like that guy. Then I turned back to the finish line so that I could congratulate my wife as she finished!
After running essentially 600 miles in the last 12 months I have taken a month off. My running started in the late summer of 2010 to train for the Ragnar Relay. This spring everything came together as I ran 4 half marathons in a 9 week span that ended in May. So with the crazy hot weather and no races on the horizon, I decided I needed a month to chill, to take it easy, to reflect on how running has changed me over the past year. I needed to recover mentally as much as physically. I needed to spend more time with my family. Finally, I just needed a break.
Running changed me in many ways last year. One of the most tangible ways was goal setting and following those goals through to the end. In my late 20′s I tried unsuccessfully to run the Country Music Half Marathon two different years. I would start training, get an IT-band related injury, and quit. It was not just those two races though. I have been guilty many many times of starting something and not finishing it. I have set 4 running goals since last year and met all 4 of them. I ran a 200 mile relay race, I ran my first half marathon, I ran a half marathon in under 1:45:00, and I ran a trail half marathon. At this point there is not anything I do not think I can accomplish with running if I make a goal and see it through.
Running brought my walk with God to new levels of communication that had not been there in the past. What can I say that I have not already about this subject? There are times when you are struggling, and you just need a reminder that He is there. God met me out on the road, reminded me of His presence, and walked along side of me through it all.
Running has changed me for the better. I see beauty where I did not before. I find passion in things I did not in the past. I have a better relationship with my wife. I look for ways to help others. Running did not single handedly do any of these things, but it did set it all into motion.
So, now after a month of purposely NOT running I cannot wait to get back out there and back to Purposely Running!
Imagine the kid at the end of the bench on a sports team. He sits on the bench hoping the coach never calls his name. He is petrified to enter the game. He knows he is not ready…not prepared to contribute as much as the stars of the team. He fears embarassment at how clumsy or awkward he may appear. Then not only does the coach call his name, he gives him a shove out on the court. If wearing your faith on your sleeve and diving into God’s mission is the sport, then I was the kid on the end of the bench. I heard my name called and felt God’s little nudge out onto this field. All of this was followed by a blank stare and the question…what now?
My question was what now, and God’s answer was…Trust Me! That led to some self doubting questions….I don’t even like to ask people for help, how can I ask them for donations? What if I ask and no one responds? I got two more “Trust Me” answers. So, finally, I did. Even then though I set my goal low. I hoped to be able to raise $500 for them. The Kramers have an amazing story so this was not a sales job to raise money. This was simply sharing the heart of the Kramers with people and trusting that God would put it on people’s hearts to help a family out that most of them had never met. God did just prove that I should trust him, but he blew me and my goal away. With the help of over 30 donors I was able to give the Kramers a $1,050 check to help with their adoption. Giving them that check felt really good, but in reality the only thing I did was run a couple of races. So, I want to say thank you to everyone that was able to make a donation. Your contribution brought the Kramers one step closer to bringing Ivan home and giving this little boy a loving family that he may have never had!
So a special thanks to Jeremy Wiggins, Jessica McDaniel, John Jackson, Andy & Katie Schmeltzer, Felicia Milner, Cody Turner, Steve & Angela Llewellyn, Cassidy Alexander, Jessica Mudd, Brett Cowley, Brian Michael, David Dutton, Ben Leyhew, Leah Beth Bartley, Joe & Hayley Clagg, Jamie League, Dawn Stewart, Joshua Holmes, Scott Flowers, Andy Winford, Elizabeth Hazlett, Chad Richardson, Eric & Robin Newell, Matt Thie, Amy Reed, and Jessica Schaffer.
I mentioned the Kramers were one step closer to bringing their son home. When all of this started, it seemed like some far off date. Well, I am happy to announce that this past weekend, Father’s Day of all dates, the Kramers are currently on their first of two trips to finish the details of the adoption. They were able to see and spend time with Ivan for the first time. So please pray for their hearts. They both already have so much love for this little guy that I can only imagine the heartache that will come from getting to see him, but then having to leave the country without him. Pray for Ivan, who could by the end of the summer, be here in his new home with his family. Also, pray for the care that he is currently receiving. Lastly just pray for a safe trip halfway around the globe and back. To keep up with their story, you can follow the Kramers here.
Before this year I had never attempted a half marathon or any race longer than the 5-mile Boulevard Bolt. I set out to complete 4 halfs this spring. At the time it seemed pretty daunting running that many races in that short a span, but now I feel like I could do one every weekend. My first three races were all road races. I saved the last one as a trail race. I love the outdoors, and I knew that trail running was something I would love to do. The funny thing though is that I ran this race having never even done a single trail run. I have hiked countless trails over the years, even over some difficult terrain, so I thought I would just be able to wing it. After all, I feel at home in the outdoors. I realized quickly that trail running is a different beast of a race that I was definitely not prepared for. My goal was to break 2 hours, but deep down inside I really thought I could break 1:50. By the time the race was over I was eating humble pie.
The Scenic City Half took place atop beautiful Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The race was hosted by Rock/Creek and is part of their Trail Series that features several trail races ranging from 1k to 50 miles. It was slated to start at 8 am, but was pushed back to 8:30. You could see the look on some of the runners faces that this extra time, even though it was only a half hour, was really going to effect the race. The reason being the rising heat. I finished the race near 10:30 am and it was already 87 degrees. I felt bad for the people running the full marathon.
So the gun went off, and my first trail race had begun. The first mile actually took place on the road leading back out to the resevoir. It was there that we entered the trail. I wasn’t ready for the congestion of this race. The path to run on was barely wider than my body. The first couple miles were almost single file line with the runners. Passing other runners had to be strategic. You really had to pick your spots. Those spots were hard to find because I rarely was able to look up for fear of tripping over a root or rock. Finally after 3-4 miles the runners thinned out and I was able to run a normal race. I was feeling pretty good until about mile 8. I purposely started out pretty slow in an attempt to have a negative split. As luck would have it all that energy saved in the first half of the race was then used just to finish the course. I just was not properly trained for the elevation changes, but what hurt me the most was the footing. The constant shifting of my feet on different surfaces of dirt, sand, rocks, and tree roots were taking its toll on my feet. I was afraid I was starting to blister. Add in the fast rising heat, and I was starting to be in trouble. I decided to walk the steep parts and run everything else. There was a moment at the end of a steep incline where I literally felt like I was negotiating with my legs to actually run. I was tired and probably border line dehydrated coming into the last mile. I knew it was going to be close if I was going to finish in under 2 hours. Then both quads starting cramping on me, but with half a mile I decided to just grin and bear it . Finally I came out of the trail and onto the road where the finish line was in sight. I needed to go a quarter of a mile and had 4 minutes to do it to meet my goal. typically I still have enough left at the end to have a strong kick to the finish line. Not here, I barely had a trot left in me. In the last hundred yards I saw my wife and kids. My oldest, Baker (3), came up and gave me a fist bump…love that kid! I crossed the finish line in 1:58:32!
So there it was, my first trail race completed. The course was awesome, but the near 6,000 ft of elevation gain and loss made it a challenge. This was my hardest race to date, but now I am in love. Despite everything that made it difficult, running on trails is just something the road cannot offer. The beauty, the tranquility, the closeness with God in nature…just everything about it rocked! I cannot wait til I am back on the trails running again!
Is it possible to be really excited about something, yet at the very same time dread that very thing. That is where I was on Friday April 29th. I was super excited about running the Country Music 1/2 Marathon. I had put forth two failed attempts to train for this race in previous years. Both attempts ended prematurely due to IT Band related injuries. So finally the day was here where I was actually going to do this thing! Running through downtown Nashville excited me because it is my “Big” city. I have never lived in the city, but I have worked there. It is still my home. It is where I tell folks I am from when I am out of state talking to people. It is where I have seen many concerts, gone to Titans, Preds, and Vandy games. It is where I take my wife to for romantic dinners away from the kids. I love Nashville, and I was going to enjoy running its friendly streets. There was also dread. This race is known for two things…hills and 30,000+ runners. Yikes and double yikes. I have never been one for big crowds and the town I train in is devoid of hills to run on. The excitement, however, far outweighed the apprehension…so bring on the people and bring on the hills!
Fortunately a good friend and Ragnar Relay teammate lives downtown near LP Field. He was nice enough to host a few guys running the race. So a former fraternity brother of mine and I headed up to Expo late Friday afternoon to get the race packets. The expo was a pretty cool event with some of the big vendors showing off their products. Therewas some really cool merchandise as well. A few of the vendors I visited were Garmin, Newton, and of course the Ragnar Relay Series. I picked up some stuff for this years team and then we met up with everyone to grab some dinner. With 30,000 runners in town, lets just say there were some long waits. We were able to get right in at Ripey’s probably because bar food is not the ideal pre-race meal, but waiting 2-3 just to be seated was not ideal either.
Race day started with a 4:30 am wake up call. We got down to the buses about 5:30 and we were soon on our way to Centennial Park where the race would start. One thing about the porta potties…if you really had to go, you were better off finding a good hiding spot to do your business otherwise it was about a 45 minute wait. After that nightmare, I got down to find my corral. Luckily I was in corral 4 because I looked back up West End and saw something similar to this picture…
Pretty much everything was great…the weather, the race, and the crowd support. This race lived up to it’s “hilly” reputation. I really enjoyed starting the race off by running down West End and Broadway, loved running through some of the neighborhoods and through Belmont, and got excited running through the Gulch since I will be running in their Cinco race coming up. What I hated was the ridiculous uphill starting at the end of mile 12 and lasting almost three quarters of a mile, but all was good again as we raced over the river and sprinted to the finish line near LP Field.
I somehow ended up setting a PR on this difficult course besting my previous PR by 1 minute and 24 seconds with a 1:41:44. I got the best of the hills on this day. After doing the Country Music, I am looking forward to doing some more races on the Rock-n-Roll Series. I have my eye on Philadelphia in September!
I took a week off after running in my second half marathon. It was not the plan, but it happened. Today I got back out there. It was a hot one at around 80 degrees during my lunch break. The plan was get a quick 5-miler in. I had not run in this kind of heat since last fall. Just like running in the cold, the heat takes some adjustment at first for your body to function as usual. I generally try to run for speed at the beginning of the week. I will run to find a good pace later in the week and then run for distance on the weekend. Today I set out for a speed run and came away with a tangible example of something I truly believe. People often use the phrase that “in life there are two absolutes: death and taxes.” Well I would like to offer a third absolute – without a daily walk with Jesus Christ the world, the flesh, the temptations of sin will not only win, but will beat us down in the process.
I would characterize myself as being a Christian my entire life, but I must also admit that in most of that time I faked it. I believed in God and trusted His word, but never found myself in a daily conversation with Him. You can fake it and get by for so long, eventually though the world will win out because you are voluntarily entering the fight with no armor. Today I started my run out fast…really fast…for me at least. I ran Mile 1 in 7:12, and I ran 7:08 for each of the next two miles. Here is the thing though…I am not that fast! I was able to fake it for three miles. It was unsustainable especially in the heat.
Sin is like that heat. It is going to eventually win every single time unless you can meet it on your terms. After those 3 miles I was beat down. My lungs were on fire. My legs were worn. I barely had any vision coming from sweat filled eyes. Puking was not out realm of possibility. I just wanted to get back to the car. So I ran the final two miles on my terms. I ran a much more sustainable and realistic 7:45 pace.
So how do we meet sin on our terms? How do we show up in a position to come out on the winning side. The only way I know of is that daily walk with Christ. In the battle against sin, without Jesus in your heart, the outcome is already set as a losing effort. That fact has been painfully obvious for me the last two years. After running two half marathons now I can tell you I never would have crossed that finish line without my body being fully hydrated, and after 32 years on this Earth I can attest that God is the hydration to help you overcome the race against sin.
My name is Danielle. I am 2 years old, and I have hydrocephaly and suffer from seizures. I love when my mom reads books and sings nursery songs to me. My older sister will put me in her trumpet case and let me feel the music she plays. I also love to pull my other sister’s glasses off and touch her braces. My mom says that I’m a quiet, lovable, and playful child.
