Running on Faith

Thank you to Marci’s (Flash) Uncle James and Aunt Carol Guerin for their donation to Running on Faith!

Thank you to Tevis and Gwen Laspa for their very generous donation to Team Running on Faith.  They are part of Paul’s extended family all the way up in Ridgefield, Washington!  THANK YOU!!!

Thank you to Paul’s Uncle Carroll and Aunt Sheila Esch for their donation to Team Running on Faith!

Tuesday, Paul and I got our last week day run in town while the boys were in swim class.  It was a cool 90 degrees and overcast.  I know 90 may not sound cool to a lot of people but when you’ve been running at 5:15 in the afternoon in the blazing sun in 100 + degrees, 90 degrees feels great.  This is Blake and Camren’s last week of swim class and I think I might actually miss those late afternoon runs.  There’s something to be said for running immediately after work.  The heat and the pavement seem to help pound out the mental stress that my job creates.

I don’t know why, but this run was one of the best runs I’ve had in a while.  My legs recovered nicely from the week-end.  As I was heading back across the pedestrian bridge to the last half mile, I smelled what I THOUGHT were homemade hamburgers and French fries.  It smelled so good, that instead of breathing out of mouth like I should’ve been doing, I was breathing out of my nose so I could smell the aroma.  It was actually making the run feel easy!  As Paul caught and passed me, he asked me if I smelled the pot….WHAT?!  Apparently off to the side of the parking lot, there were some folks getting their afternoon “smoke” in and my sensitive nose picked it up. I argued with Paul…no that was homemade hamburgers and French fries, I was sure of it.  He gently reminded me that pot is a hallucinogen.  Whatever it was, it made the last ½ mile very pleasant.

I would like to say that I’ve been very encouraged by the response to the letters Paul and I sent to our family and friends earlier this month.  Donations are coming in and that does make the training easier and it’s been very motivating.  For most of our friends, tuition was just due at the beginning of this month.  And now for a lot of our family and those same friends (myself included), we are all buying school supplies and uniforms.  It seems like this time of year is as expensive as Christmas.  That being said, I am grateful for anything we collect.  I failed to mention in my letter something important that Paul and I have been trying to remember to tell folks….every dime that’s donated in the name of the Running on Faith team goes straight to St Jude hospital.  Any training and travel expenses incurred are paid out of our own funds.  With that being said, I need to dip into those personal funds because it’s time for a new pair of running shoes for me.  I have my eye on a pair of Nike Air Max Moto+7 in the yellow Lance style.  What can I say….I’m a Lance Armstrong fan!

This is Flash and I’m running on faith that not only will I reach people and convince them to donate to St Jude but just maybe one person will read my blogs and decide to start running too!       

Thank you to Troy, Rene, Dean, Chris and Will Higginbotham for their donation to Running on Faith!  They are long time friends of the Esch family (Flash & Mr Xctmnt).

You haven’t heard from me in about two weeks but I’m still running and either I’m adjusting to the heat or it’s cooling off a bit.  I’m still running two days a week while the boys are in swim class.  One of those days, I turned into a “hill” day and I run over the pedestrian bridge that crosses Bluebonnet 9 or 10 times on each side.  Those days are not fun and I feel pretty close to throwing up when I’m done.  On the days I don’t run, I’m on the treadmill at home and I changed the program to incline intervals.  (Someone please tell me Memphis is flat……)  

This past Saturday morning we were on the road for 6:30 a.m.  My plan was 9 miles and since it was pretty foggy and cool, I thought I would be OK.  Wrong…too much hill work and running during the week, I guess.  It caught up with me around mile 6, my legs turned to lead and every step took effort.  I continued on, thanking God for keeping it overcast with a light breeze but around the 7 and ½ mile mark, I came REALLY close to walking.   But a little voice in my head said only losers stop and walk this close to the finish, it also said that a St Jude patient can’t just stop when they want too; they have to keep going.  So, I continued on, wondering how in the world I’ll be able to run 26 miles.  I’m getting worried, the training has been fairly easy up until now but I know that one day soon, it’ll be time to increase my long run mileage and I wonder when I’ll find the time and the energy.  An hour and 40 minutes later, I was done and when I say done, I mean DONE.  I made it back to our driveway and sat down (actually, collapsed may be a better word).  I did manage, with the help of Paul, to make it to our back patio where I sat for a while, drank a Powerade and thought about eating pizza.  My legs continued to ache the rest of the day and then I developed a terrible headache (I know I’m not drinking enough during my runs).  I’ve tried to work on it but I just can’t take in fluids while I’m running, it throws my stride off, messes my breathing up AND I spill it all over myself.  Paul made it all better when he took us out to eat pizza later that afternoon.  That was the BEST pizza I’ve ever had, and well deserved I might add.

Sunday morning, we were on the road with our bikes for 7:30 and planning for a 20-22 mile ride.  Great idea for Paul, bad idea for Marci.  That terrible ache in my legs returned in full force AND that light breeze I mentioned during Saturday’s run felt more like hurricane winds while I was on the bike.  Riding is hard for me, it’s getting better, but it’s still hard.  At Paul’s “request” I rode for as hard and fast as I could for a mile….well maybe a ½ mile.  It was an uphill stretch and I shifted my gears the wrong way, making it much harder to pedal.  I’m still learning…. At one point, Paul asked me if riding was easier than running.  It may be for some people, but not for me. We did finish the ride in an hour and a half and neither of crashed…although, I ran off the road once while trying to drink and ride.  Another bad idea!

While I’m training for this marathon, I’ve decided to concentrate on this event only.  I will skip the upcoming Rocketchix Triathlon here in Baton Rouge as a competitor but I plan to participate as a volunteer. 

I am Flash and I’m running on faith that there are folks out there reading my posts and considering making a donation to my team.  Thanks!    

Thank you to Flash’s Aunt Joyce and Uncle Curtis for their donation to team Running on Faith!

A big thank you to the orginal Mr & Mrs Xctmnt, Jimmy and Arnell Esch, for their generous donation to Running on Faith.

Thank you to Flash’s cousins Darlene & Stuart Alleman for their donation to Running on Faith!!

Thank you to Flash’s Godparents, Jimmy and Beverly Corkern, for their donation and support to our Running on Faith marathon team!