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.

My Place of Work: JCB North American Headquarters

One of the advantages of finally getting a smart phone is the awesome camera. Today I took these photos of where I spend much of my time - at JCB North American Headquarters. While I actually work in the factory that makes up the rear 80% of the building, these two pics are from the more picturesque front areas.

My Favorite Recent Pic

I have little explanation for the above recent, silly photo. For some strange reason I was wearing my daughter Mary's Chick-fil-A chef's hat. I decided to take a selfie because I wanted to try out my new smart phone (yes, I've finally moved into the 21st century). As I was doing this, my wife Alice photobombed me. There you have it.

Approaching the Finish Line

This is me approaching the finish line of a 5K trail run I competed in this past Saturday:

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).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Savannah's St. Patrick's Day celebration is one of the biggest in the country. The city's population swells from about 250,000 to close to 1 million for the day. Somehow I've never managed to attend the parade - until today. My daughter Mary and I are hoping to grab a good spot along the parade route for this wild and crazy event. It should be lots o' fun!

Below are two St. Patrick themed videos for your viewing pleasure:

The Best Gift I Received Today!

Although it involves much pain and suffering, the Buffalo Bills will always be my favorite professional football team. I grew up in western New York State and have remained loyal despite moving south almost twenty years ago. Today my family gave me something I've always wanted: an authentic Bills jersey. As a bonus, the jersey has my last name on the back (the Bills' kicker is named Dan Carpenter). Sweet!

This Makes Me Laugh

This comic makes me laugh every time I read it. So, in light of the approaching Super Bowl, please enjoy this summary of every pre-game interview you will hear (this applies to many other professional sports as well):

Five More Great Things About Running

On Saturday I ran in the Savannah River Bridge Run. This race acted as motivation to help me get back in some semblance of shape. Although I felt awful at the very end of the race, the experience as a whole was very positive. I blogged about it in my previous post Running, Beer, and Fellowship.

Running is a great way to exercise. Racing is a blast and motivates. I highly encourage any and all of you to take up running if you are physically able to do so. Here's a short list of five great things about running:

1) Almost anyone can run.

The vast majority of us know how to run. As long as we don't have some sort of significant physical problem, we can get our legs and lungs going. It's not complicated.

2) You can run almost anywhere.

I walk out my front door and I'm immediately able to run. I don't have to travel to a gym, pool, or track somewhere. This saves on time, effort, and expense.

3) Running doesn't require specific skills.

Almost all children learn how to run at a very young age. We know how to do it for the rest of our lives. Running doesn't require lots of practice on specific skills such as dribbling a basketball, putting a golf ball, or balancing on skis.

4) You feel great after you run.

Sometimes I feel bad when I run. However, a few minutes after I finish I feel great. It has something to do with endorphins racing around inside the body. This feeling lasts for several hours. It's sort of like a natural drug with no negative effects.

5) When you race you get to compete against everyone else.

One reason racing is fun is because everyone does it together. This past Saturday I raced against men, women, and kids. Runners ranged from beginners to experts. In how many other sports do you get to compete against truly elite athletes? In running you do (although you probably only briefly see them at the start and then at the awards ceremony). It is a hoot to run alongside everybody.


Running is terrific. If I haven't convinced you, then ask my good friends and fellow bloggers Alan Knox and Bobby Auner. They'll tell you the same thing.

No Shave November

Yesterday Alice (my wonderful wife) and I, along with a bunch of other family members, ate a scrumptious lunch at Puerto Rico Restaurant here in Savannah. While there someone snapped this photo of us; it actually came out pretty well. As you can see, I'm taking part in No Shave November. This year I'm just growing the beard for something sort of random to do. Next year I may do more to raise cancer awareness.

The beard is likely to come off in a few days. I threatened my family with just keeping the mustache, but they made it clear that it was not a good idea. A Fu Manchu might be fun though.

A New Category

I've added a new category to this blog. The name is simply Nothing To Do With Church. Occasionally I run into something I want to share just for the fun of it. The following short video is a good example of this: