Marathon Finished!

This morning I ran in and completed the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.

I'd like to thank all of you who prayed for me. My feet did in fact hurt for over half the race. At one point I prayed to God to relieve the pain. Soon after my lower legs and feet went numb. No joke. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but God's answers to prayers are far wiser than ours would be. Although the feet issue slowed me down a bit, I was still able to achieve both of my primary goals: 1) finish the race, and 2) finish fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2018.

Boston has set standards based upon age and gender. Males ages 45-49 have to complete a marathon in under 3 hours, 25 minutes. This morning I semi-staggered across the finish line in 3 hours, 20 minutes, 33 seconds. Woo-hoo! I came in third in my age group out of 169, and 53rd overall out of 2225.

This has been a journey that began for me in February 2015. That's when I decided to live a more healthy life. One of my first goals was to finish last year's RnR Marathon. However, as I've chronicled previously, the weather last November was so hot and humid on race day that the directors and city officials cut the race short. Ugh. For the last 365 days I've anticipated today.

God delivered an added bonus. Earlier this week it was hot, with high temperatures in the mid 80's. However, this morning it was about 55 degrees with low humidity. I had been praying for weather like that for weeks. Thank you God for answering. It made for perfect race weather.

Additionally, this morning was even more fun because my wife Alice and daughter Mary tag-teamed the half marathon in relay form. Mary ran the first seven miles, and Alice walked the final six (she couldn't run due to an ankle sprain from five weeks ago). They were waiting for me at the finish line. It was awesome.

Thank you again for praying. I very much appreciate it.

OUCH!

Hi, fellow followers of Jesus. Today I'm writing with a specific and somewhat self-centered prayer request.

In two days I'm running in the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. This is something that I have been looking forward to for a year. However, my ability to participate at all is now in question.

To put it simply, both of my feet are hurting. Although I do not have a diagnosis, my guess is that my right foot has a case of Plantar Fasciitis. My left foot, on the other hand (please excuse the terrible pun), feels more like Achilles Tendinities. Both stem from over-training.

I'm asking you to pray for me to be able to run in the marathon. I may have to take a break from running for a while afterward. If that is the case, so be it. However, this particular marathon, in my home city, is a goal I've had for 365 days. Please pray that God will extend His mercy toward me by relieving the pain for the race.

I don't want to hyper-spiritualize this event. It's just a marathon after all. However, since it has been something I've anticipated and worked toward all year I would hate to miss it. Thank you so much for praying.

Running Update - Marathon in One Week!

The high point of my running year is the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. This race, which is by far our city's largest, is one massive event. Over 20,000 runners take part (about 3/4 in the half marathon, 1/4 in the full). It all concludes with a free concert in Forsyth Park. Tourists/runners from all over flock to Savannah for this race.

I've been training for this for almost a year. My personal journey began in February 2015 when I decided it was time to lose weight and get in shape. With much help from my wonderful wife Alice, I changed the way I eat and began running seriously. My weight is down from 225 to 175 and holding. My running goal was to complete the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in November 2015 in under four hours.

Everything progressed well until race day. That's when the weather decided to be abnormally hot and humid for that time of year. As I approached the 21 mile mark of the 26.2 mile race, I was informed that race organizers and city officials had decided to cut the race short due to the heat (two runners actually died). It was extremely disappointing. In the end I ran about 24 miles in 3 hours, 35 minutes. Therefore, I likely would have finished solidly under four hours. But I didn't get to complete the 26.2! Aarrgh!

Since that debacle I've been looking forward one year. However, this time it's going to be different (and I'm not referring to the weather). I have no idea how hot or not it will be. The difference this year is that I'm trying to run a time fast enough to qualify for the granddaddy of them all - the Boston Marathon. In order to do that, I've got to finish in under 3 hours, 25 minutes. That's a 7:40 mile pace for 26.2 miles.

Next Saturday I make my attempt. The distance will not be the problem; it's the time that is the challenge.

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.

Marathon Update: Only One Month To Go!

(I apologize in advance for the self-centered nature of this post. There was no way to avoid it.)

Back in February of this year I weighed about 220 lbs. Curiosity got the best of me. I decided to look up how much I should weigh based upon factors such as height, weight, age, bone size, etc. My guess was around 190 lbs. I was shocked to find that the weight I should be at was more like 165-175. Yikes.

It was at that point that I decided to make a significant change in my life. By the grace of God, I almost immediately started eating correctly and exercising more regularly. I'd always enjoyed running, but now it became a means to an end: getting to my goal weight of 175. In order to accomplish this, I knew that I needed some sort of concrete motivator. It wasn't difficult to settle upon one. I'd always wanted to run in the Savannah Rock 'N' Roll Marathon. The timing was perfect because it allotted me nine months to prepare. Additionally, the cost would not be prohibitive since it happens right where I live.

Here we are eight months later. I've been at my goal weight and holding steady for a few months. Additionally, I've run in four relatively short races both for fun and for marathon preparation. This past Saturday night I placed 5th out of about 50 people in a local 5K. Sweet.

The marathon is one month from today! I cannot wait. However, training still calls. Between now and then I have to tackle two more long runs (about 20 miles each). Those are the worst. They are boring and tiring. The last few miles are even painful. Ugh. Despite that, it will be worth it in the end.

The 26.2 is calling my name. It will soon be here!

Me: Before and After

In February of this year I weighed about 220 lbs. I decided that I had had enough of being overweight. When I looked it up at the time, I found that I had actually slid into the obese category. Yuck. Something had to be done.

By the grace of God, I gave up junk food, stopped drinking Coke, started eating healthier, and began running almost every day. I'm now down to my goal weight, which is 175 lbs. Now I have to learn how to maintain that (never a simple task). One motivator for me in all this is that I want to run in the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon this November. I've already signed up with no refund possible so there's no going back now. My training is on schedule. So far, so good.

As for the photos above, the top one is from last summer. The second was taken a few days ago.

Marathon Training

That's me in the photo above. By the grace of God I've lost thirty pounds over the past three months. This has included cutting out Coke and ice cream, eating lots of vegetables, and running almost every day. It has not been easy, but I'm thrilled with the results so far.

Back in February I realized that I had to do something about my weight. I had gradually creeped up to over 220 lbs. Although I ran a few times each week, I ate and drank so much junk that it didn't matter. I felt gross and flabby. I could barely fit into my work pants. Yuck.

Like most people in our country, losing weight has never been particularly easy for me. I came to the conclusion that I needed some sort of tangible goal to motivate me to drop the pounds. Therefore, I selected the Savannah Rock 'N' Roll Marathon. I've only run one marathon in my life - and that was over a decade ago; this will be a great challenge.

The only way for me to run 26.2 miles is to get down to a more appropriate weight. I'm currently at 190. Everywhere I've looked says I should weigh about 175. That means I'm already 2/3 of the way to my goal. Sweet!

I'm not going to hyper-spiritualize this endeavor. I'm glad I'm losing weight but don't see it as a huge spiritual issue. As followers of Christ, there are many more important things than being at a healthy weight. That said, I feel much better. For that I'm thankful.

I'll post occasional updates about my marathon training. On Sunday I managed to run nine miles fairly easily. So far my body is holding up under the mileage. As we get closer to the marathon's November date the miles will increase. I hope my joints in particular can withstand the pounding.

Now to find my belt. My work pants keep sagging (and that's a good thing).

Good News on Coffee and Prostates

This is a sort of "double-bonus" for me. Since I like coffee a great deal and since prostate cancer runs wild amongst the males of my family, I was thrilled to read this.

Yet Another Good Reason to Read a Book

Dr. Albert Mohler reports on a study that discusses the health benefits of reading. According to Mohler, "Researchers at the University of Sussex have determined that the very best way to relieve stress, both physical and mental, is to read a book." Click here to read more about it.