Finished the Race

The marathon is over. After months of training, the big event has come and gone. Although I have mixed emotions about this, it is certainly nice to have accomplished my goals. This morning before the race I hoped to: 1) finish, 2) have fun, 3) not walk, and 4) finish in less than four hours. All goals met!

The complicating factor this morning was the heat and humidity. It was an unseasonably hot day here in Savannah. The high temperature hit 86 degrees, with humidity above 90 percent. It was rough. I drank water and Gatorade like a fiend. Because of the weather conditions the race organizers made the wise decision to shorten the race. I ended up running about 24 miles total. Oh well.

One runner actually died today, but I do not know if the heat played a part. That's a good reminder that these long runs are serious events.

Back in February I set this race as a concrete goal to motivate me to lose weight. It worked. The weight is off and the race is complete. Now it's time to rest and relax my aching muscles.

I thank God for providing me with this opportunity. In many ways the marathon was a culmination of a significant life change: becoming healthy physically.

(That's me to the left post-race wearing my finisher's jacket and bling.)

RACE DAY!

This morning I finally run in the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. I greatly appreciate your prayers for both safety and endurance. Sometime after the race, when coherence returns, I'll post an update. Thanks for the support!

4 Days to Go!

The marathon is getting close. Very close.

I have to admit that I am extremely excited about this. For those of you who are not runners, the idea of plodding along for 26.2 miles may seem horrible. For some odd reason, it sounds wonderful to me. Regardless, I'm very much looking forward to it. For one thing, the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is a big event. About 18,000 runners are scheduled to participate. That many runners in one place means lots of people who love to run!

As a bonus to all this, Rascal Flatts will perform a free concert immediately after the race. Sweet.

SEISMIC BLOG SHIFT

I am a runner. A runner runs. A runner also writes (at least I do).

I've run for years, but several months ago I got serious about it. The reason was simple: I was fifty pounds overweight. I was disgusted with my lack of eating self-control and disgusted with my body. It was time to get in shape.

I decided in February that I would run in the Savannah Rock 'N' Roll Marathon. Well, the race is now only nine days away. I've been training like a madman for a while now. It's been exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. While doing this, I've lost the fifty pounds I needed to.

After the marathon is over, I must learn how to maintain my current weight. While doing this I want to gain a better understanding of how to live a more healthy lifestyle. I realize that physical health is only so important, but God gave us bodies; we should be good stewards of them.

In light of all of the above, my blogging is going to make a seismic shift. I'll continue to write primarily about theological and church issues. However, I'm going to add blog posts about running in particular and health in general. My hope is that you will both continue to read this blog and benefit from the new topics.