Run a Race (Part 2)

2) Make a goal for the race.

The wise man in the book of Proverbs plans his life (Prov. 21:5). He sets goals to achieve and trust the Lord for the results (Prov. 16:3). The wise runner should do the same. Simple and attainable goals should be made for your race. This will shape your training and motivate you to get out and run on those hot, summer days or cold, winter nights.

If you aim at nothing, you will receive nothing in return. In your preparation, aim at something. For a beginner, this could be running the whole race without walking. You goal could be a certain time or place in the race. It could even be beating a spouse, friend, or co-worker (Personally, this is my greatest motivator!).

In planning your goals, we need to look at three areas:

a) Assess your abilities. This takes a reality check and a little dose of humility. What you can do when you are in your 20s is different than when you are in your 40s and had skipped exercising in your 30s. Personally, I shouldn't set my goals as fast as I did in college. I need to remind myself that I am in my second career of running. As my college coach use to ask before we would run a road race, "How many miles are you running per week?" and "What is your pace?" or "How fast are your intervals?" This is a good indicator on your race ahead of you.

b) Assess your stage of life. What you can do when you are single is different than when you are marriage with a child or two. It should be. Your time should be given to your family before running. Ask, "What are my responsibilities? As a husband or wife? As a dad or mom? As an employee? As a church member?"

c) Implementing your goals. As you make goals, you need to think practically, "how will they be played out?" Some of the questions in regards to running are:

How many days can I run per week?

How much time does running take out of my day?

When can I run?

Where can I run?

If I need showers, do I have a place to clean up?

What time should I run?

The last thing is to write them down along with a training schedule which is what we will look at next time.

to be continued...

Run a Race (Part 1)

Imagine the date is April 10th, 1950 in the town of Atlanta, Georgia. Spring is in full bloom. The cool breeze hits your face as a relief from the mild sun which shines down. All the colors on the flowers and trees around you are sharp and vibrant. This would be a prefect day to run. But, what you would not see on Preachtree Street that day is a runner. In the 1950s, running for exercise and "fun" was plain weird. I was recently talking with an older gentleman in the locker room at my gym. Though he can't run any more, he loves running. He told me how he would wait until the sun would set and the night was dark when he made his run. He loved it but in fear of being laugh at, he would not tell anyone. How things have changed! The advent of running in America for sport, exercise, and fun wasn't popular until the 1970s. Many today enjoy running. For those who enjoy running or would like to run, here are a few pointers in helping you start running or continue this pleasure. I will focus my attention to those who are beginner or immediate runners.

1) Pick a race.

If you never have run before and would like to start, my advice is to pick a race and train for it. Your goal is not to win the race, but to learn the discipline of running. Hopefully, while you are training for the race, you will develop a desire to run not only for this race, but for many races to come. I have talked to many committed runners that by deciding to train and run one race, they are running now for a life time.

If you have been running for a while, you know that one thing can easily happen: Your running becomes stale and flat-footed because you don't have a goal. Periodically, running a race is very good.

How do you pick a race?

Races come in all different sizes. 5k to Ultra-Marathons (100 miles). The most common road races are 5k (3.1 miles) and 10k (6.2 miles). If your a beginner, I would recommend starting out running a 5k.

Once you have decided on the distance of your race, you need to consider how long do you want to train for the race and see if there are any races available. If you live in Atlanta, I would bookmark the Atlanta Track Club's Racing Calendar (http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/calendar/at01010.htm). You will find most of the races in the Altanta area and information about those races.

to be continued...

1997 - 2010

In this life, you must learn to say "good-bye". It is never easy. Loss in this life is hard. There is a sadness in my heart and my legs. Today is one of those days. Sometimes words are hard to find so if you can bear with me through this post, I would appreciate it.

Today, I had to say "good-bye" to my first pair of running shorts. They were the perfect running shorts. Baggy, but not too baggy. Short, but not too short. A perfect blue with a black drawstring. You can see the picture below. I started running in the tenth grade of high school. This pair of shorts have been with me through it all. Thousands and thousands of miles through the woods and on the roads. Running on my the high school and collegiate teams. Training for road races even a marathon. Oh, how I will miss these shorts.

I have been considering getting rid of them for a while. They have been falling apart for sometime. But, as any true runner knows, it is so hard to find a good pair of running shorts that are short and loose.

I considered calling my long-time running partner, Zack, to have a memorial service for them. But, what would you do at such a memorial? Cry? Yes. Mourn? For days. But, what about the shorts? Burn them? I couldn't. Bury them? Its not the best for the environment. Put them in a shadow box from Hobby Lobby? That's a little weird. No, I couldn't. So, I write this blog post and hire a "hitwoman" to do my dirty work and throw them away (aka - Mandy, who is very happy that they are gone... again, they were falling apart and they had a particular smell to them).

So I say, "Happy Trails, faithful blue!" I will continue on without you and go on running for another thousand miles, Lord willing and 'da creek don't rise too high. :-)

My life is a little more "baby-fide"

Running is my passion and my discipline. I love running. It has been a part of my life for 15 years. And Lord willing, I will be able to run for years and years to come. Now that I have a little daughter coming into this world, I can't wait to run with her. Since she will not be able to even walk for a year or so, some provisions have been made. With the help of my parents (thanks, Dad and Mom!!!), I am the owner of a brand new Jeep Overland Limited X running stroller! The Cadillac of all running strollers (at least from Babies-R-Us). With its Alumina lightweight frame, three 16" tires, and Smart Handle handle bar, I will be able run up and down Pikes Peak without even breaking a sweat. Joy in front of all dads who love to run.

This morning, I assembled the Jeep Overland Limited X running stroller. I want to thank the people who make this stroller for its easy assembly. This afternoon I might even take it out for a trial run.