Running on Faith

What happened to the cooler weather? I just ran 5 miles and it felt like I was in the shower. Can you say HUMIDITY!

 I am really ready for cooler weather. I know come race day it will be around 30 something degrees in Memphis at the starting line but it will not matter because it will be race day and I will be excited.

If you have not donated then get on it. If you have then thank you very much.

Until next time keep looking up becasue that is where He is.

Saturday Tim and I ran in the Middendorf 10 miler. Of course we started the morning early with having to drive to New Orleans. The weather was not so great but by race time there was a light drizzle and a little cool breeze.  Just right for this run because there was no shade, so if the sun would have been out it would have been miserable.

The first thing Tim notices is the very big bridge, and we realized that the bridge is the start of the race. This is no small bridge take a look:

 

I did not panic or even start to think about what it would mean. I was here to run this race and to see how well my training is going. Tim and I walked to the starting line. Of course I went to the back and he went to the front with the fast people. Race started and I jogged up that bridge because I did not want to wear myself out in the beginning because I still had 9 miles after this bridge with one of those miles being this bridge on the way back. After the bridge it was flat and nothing but swamp on both sides. So much for a change of scenery.

I was having a good run keeping a good pace behind this couple along with two girls doing the walk/run method. At about the 4 mile mark I was missing my Ipod but things were good. I saw Tim at about the four and half mile point and he was headed back in and he looked good to me.

At the turn around I caught up to the couple that I had been behind and we started talking and I end up running the rest of the race with them. We talked and ran at a very good pace. Before I knew it there was that darn bridge. I told myself that I was not going to walk it. It was running or nothing. Well that meant running because nothing would not let me finish the race. The couple took off on the bridge and of course I could not keep up that pace so I ran it at my pace. I did manage to chick this man on the way up “yea me”. It seemed like forever before I got to the top but after that it was all down hill to the finish line. The whole way down I kept thinking about the beer and catfish that was waiting for me.

I finished the race in 1hour and 48 minutes and I was very happy with that. I would have to say it was a great day for a race,  beer and catfish. Now time for LSU football.

Until next time keep looking up because that is were He is.

The weather finally cleared on Sunday afternoon so Paul, Blake, Camren and I decided to get a family run in.  We drove to my parent’s house to visit and get a little run in.    They have a 2 mile loop in their neighborhood that turned out to be a very good training route.  I grew up in that neighborhood and rode my bike on those roads hundreds of times and I don’t remember all of those hills!  The temperature was GREAT; it was so nice to run without the sun glaring down.

 I did come across two rude little kids who called out “hey lady” every time I ran by their house.  On the last trip, they said “hey lady, give me some of that orange drink.”  Funny thing though, when I turned around and jogged back to the end of their driveway and offered them some of my orange drink, they ran back to their house screaming.  I know, I know, it was not a nice thing to do BUT I was tired and my tooth felt like someone was in there turning a light switch off and on and I was not in the mood for rude little kids.  I was also chased by a big brown dog and this dog wasn’t just playing around.  It wasn’t barking, it was growling.  It also wasn’t just following us down the road; it was nipping at my heels.  Mr. Xctmnt took care of that dog for us….Thank you baby!

 It was a great run, the best I’ve had in a while.  It wasn’t as long as I planned but it’ll do.

 I did get the root canal taken care of today and I’m optimistic that in a few days, I’ll finally be back to normal.  I’m looking forward to seeing our Running on Faith buddies at the Mockler Beverage 5K this Saturday.

 I am Flash and I’m running on faith that the weather will hold out this week so I can get a few more good runs in!

You can have training plans piled 4 feet high.  You can pay 15 coaches to advise you every day.  You can be permanently wired to every time of heart rate monitor, respiration monitor and even a rectal thermometer.  But if you don’t listen to what your body is telling you, you can get in trouble.

I am famous for getting a training plan and following it no matter what.  And that has probably lead to most of the overuse injuries I have had in the past 5 years.  Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, etc. have all plagued me at some point during my training.  I will follow the plan no matter how much it hurts or how bad I am hurt.  And some how I have finished every race I have started.

The particular plan I am on now is not for sissies.  It is demanding on my time, sweat and muscles.  But I am seeing some progress, so it has been worth it.  But the coach who created the plan said the number one goal was to get to race day healthy.  And if I have to move workouts around then so be it.

Last week my body talked to me.  There were a lot of four letter words used and none of them were “love”, “easy”, or “good.”  To say that my legs were unhappy with me would be an understatement.  So unlike most politicians these days, I actually stopped and listened to what my body had to say.  And then I gave it some rest.  I stopped the workout.

On Saturday, Hardcore and I ran the Middendorf 10 mile race.  You can read the race report here.  This time I told my body what I wanted, and it did its best to deliver.  Of course, it also let me know that the price was going to be high.  That price involved me hobbling around the house Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday as well.  Something in my lower left leg is not happy at all.

Today was going to be a Goldilocks workout: not too hard, not too easy, but just right.  I headed out trying to dodge rain drops knowing that a monsoon with some hellacious thunderstorms were heading my.  After two miles, my body told me there was still a balance due on the bill from Saturday’s race.  Fine.  I guess you want a tip too?  So with the looming hurricane, I decided to switch tomorrow’s recovery workout to today, and do this workout tomorrow.  It may make things complicated later in the week, but it was the wise thing to do.

Hold one minute please…….Okay.  My body just told me that I stink and need to go take a shower.  Hopefully it will be less vocal during tomorrow’s run.

Hello to all the Flash Fans out there.  I’m sorry I’ve been silent for so long.  I have been running although not as much as I should be.  I’ve been dealing with struggles in my professional life which pretty much causes me to be in a bad mood around the clock.  It’s hard to write positive sounding posts when I feel so lousy at the end of the day.  Add to that, a lopsided face (dental issues) and a tooth that’s been throbbing since Tuesday.  At least there’s an end in sight for that tooth, I have a root canal scheduled for tomorrow.

Last week-end was impossible for a long run because we had a cross country meet for Blake on Saturday and a triathlon for Paul and Blake on Sunday in Lafayette.  Between those times, I took Camren to a Baton Rouge Playmakers play, went grocery shopping, made a trip to Sam’s and spent 4 hours at church with Blake and his confirmation group working on a service project.

Monday I was able to get three good miles in and I felt great about that.  Tuesday is when the tooth ache started.  Thursday I finally made it to the dentist and explained the problem.  She gave me a few numbing shots to last several hours so I could get a run in and eat something.   

Yesterday, I sat at a cross country meet for 6 hours.  Yes, that’s 6 hours and in the rain at that.  As I watched those young people come in to cross the finish line, I felt the running inspiration come back to me which is something I’ve forgotten over the last few weeks.  Several of them were crying, some were grunting and growling and some were just yelling in pain.  I know exactly how that feels and I don’t run nearly as fast as most of them do.  If you’ve never witnessed a cross country meet, you really should one day.  Just leave early enough to get a parking spot because most areas of land that are big enough to have 2 to 3 mile loop for a run like this have very inadequate parking!

This morning, Paul and I got up at 6:00 a.m. to run, I was nervous about the tooth but I took the prescribed pain meds and hoped it would get me through at least 12 to 13 miles.  At 6:30, on the way out the door, Paul decided to look at the radar.  Great idea.  It showed rain on its way and approaching quickly.  We decided to wait it out for 20 minutes or so and we just laid down on the couch and chairs in the living room.  And wouldn’t you know, 10 minutes later the sky opened up and the rain came pouring in.  It rained like that for 3 hours and we now have Lake McCullough in our back yard.  Perhaps we should cross train today and switch to open water swimming instead.  We may try to get our run in later in the day if the weather holds out but as least I finally got to sleep late!

This is Flash and I’m running on faith that my running will get back on track!

I know I have not posted in weeks and I am truly sorry for that. I let life get to me and have neglected to post. Althought I have not slacked on working out. So far my longest run has been 13.5 miles and thank goodness it was on a cooler morning than most. The speed workouts and tempo runs have been grueling. I did not have them in my training last year because it was a beginner plan and this years plan is intermediate. When I stop and look at how my workouts are going they are hard but I am doing them. Will I be faster than last year? I hope so because last year I ran with a hurt knee and this year I plan on no injuries. But in all honesty I really do not care if  beat last years time. My main focus is on raising money for St. Jude and having fun while I do it.

This weekend Tim and I are participating  in a 10 mile run. I am excited about it some place different to run and this week has been a recovery week so I have high hopes of doing well in the run. No, not winning  just having a great run. That is what I am praying for.

Thank Aunt Tuddie, my long time friend Trish, Red Door Interiors and my sweet hearted Gandpa for your generous donations. If you have not donated and take the plunge and give a little to St. Jude.

Until next time keep looking up because that is where He is.

Normally one of the keys to accomplishing a goal is staying focused.  Right now, with the advice of Hardcore and Mr Xctmnt, I have decided to lose all focus about qualifying for Boston.  Because I have figured out that with every run and every workout I do,  I evaluate it compared to what I need for Boston.  And for most of my workouts, they are not cutting.

What is happening is that my running has become a job with no enjoyment at all.  And that is not what this marathon should be about.  This should be about raising money for St. Jude, enjoying the training with my team mates, and just working towards a good race.

Now please don’t get the wrong impression.  I am not going to go curl up on the couch with a half gallon of Rocky Road ice cream and watch a House marathon on T.V.  I am going to continue training the exact same plan that has been kicking my butt for the past 12 weeks.  Because it is only a good training plan with the goal of running a fast marathon.  And whether that “fast” is good enough to qualify for Boston or not remains to be seen.

So I will take out my contacts, let my eyes lose all focus and just run the workouts to the best of my ability.  And whatever happens on December 5th happens.  I will worry about it then.

I have a certain level of arrogance when it comes to running.  But before I go too far, trust me when I say it has nothing to do with speed.  It has more to do with taking things for granted and in the process giving the wrong impression to others.

For example, I am running the St. Jude Marathon this December (just in case you didn’t know and randomly found this website.)  Out of our team of fifteen runners, seven of us are doing the full marathon and for four of them it is their first.  And it is awesome accomplishment just to sign up for a marathon much less to train for and finish one.  This will be something they remember forever.  And right now, most of them are probably stressed out about how they are going to find the strength to run 26.2 miles, how they are going to handle the pain, how they are going to break through the “Wall”.

But for me, I have already learned all of those things.  I have been to the cave where the bear lives who jumps on peoples backs, and he is presently mounted and standing in my foyer.  I know what it feels like.  And I know I am stronger than it.  Short of a compound fracture with multiple bones penetrating my skin, I will not stop until I cross the finish line.  So the fear of not finishing has lost its motivating force.

This is one of the main reasons I am making an attempt at qualifying for the Boston Marathon.  And right now, I don’t have much faith in my chances of success.  Maybe it has been the weather.  Maybe the stress at work.  Maybe the hectic lives Christine & I live.  Or maybe I have just bitten off way more than I could chew, and I am choking on it.  Whatever it is, I don’t like it.

It is ironic that our team name is Running on Faith and I can’t find any.  Of course, the faith that Christine and I talk about for the team is our faith in God.  So maybe that is what I need to fall back on.  Whether I find the faith in myself to qualify for Boston will remain uncertain until December 5th (or later.)  But as long as I have my faith in God, I will be fine.  And that is another lesson learned that has gotten me through many “Walls.”

First of all, thank you to David Rogers and to Lorien & Kevin Johnson for their donations to St. Jude through Team Running on Faith.  I think Lorien & Kevin have donated to every single charity I have raised money for since 2005.

Awesome!  Thanks to all of you!

Now for the and…….  I just posted on my Timbeaux site that it appears we have all become too busy to post.  And maybe we have.  But since we only have 2 months from today before the race, I figured I better step it up a notch.

So one way or another, I plan on writing a post on this site or my other one every single day until the race.  Some posts may be exciting like the time I was chased by a pack of dogs on the levee.  Some may be boring like…….like……like……….Sorry, I don’t remember the boring stories.

Anyway, the time is now.  The time to train.  The time to spread the word.  The time to donate to St. Jude.  So get your butts moving!

Okay, folks.  I am too tired to re-post this.  Take a look here.