Eddie got run over by a Ford....almost!!

96 days left until the LA Marathon....you know what that means...pass the eggnog...I'll train later!! I decided, this morning as I skipped my morning run, that I really need to start training for the marathon...so of course instead of jumping up, throwing on running clothes and sprinting out of my house for a quick 2 miles before work, I leaned over and picked up the running magazine that was on the floor next to my bed. All day I felt like a slacker...I really should have gotten up...I really should have run....but noooooo! I chose the comfort of my nice warm bed. As the work day was coming to an end I had made up my mind that I would go for a 5 mile run....no...no...6 miles!! I need to tack on at least one guilt mile!! My ankle has had good days and bad days...I spent most of Saturday and about half of Sunday standing, so my ankle has been a little sore today, so the logical solution is of course to rest...maybe go for a bike ride instead of a run....nope...not me! I plan a 6 mile run. And then I even failed to wrap my ankle as a preventative measure before my run, so I will be icing my ankle for the rest of the evening. Things were going well for the first mile and a half and then I got to the City of Downey. I never realized that the City of Downey was so adamantly opposed to sidewalks...and street lights. I realize that we are very spoiled in the LA area with the abundance of sidewalks, but it was surprising to find so few sidewalks in such an affluent area. Oh well...all the weaving and dodging just made the miles go by faster. I was near the 5 mile mark when I saw a bright lime green car (Ford calls it a Fiesta sedan in lime squeeze) approaching at a high rate of speed. The driver was slowing, but my quick mathematical calculations determined that she would not slow down in time to avoid hitting me...so I adjusted my pace until I was certain I would allow her to pass in front of me...then she swerved...RIGHT AT ME! UGH!!! Certainly she sees me...certainly she will stop....certainly....ouch...she hit me! Nothing major...just a little tap on the legs, but with enough force to make my upper body lung forward so now my hands were resting on the middle of her hood. Ok..ok...no harm no foul...but I realized that it was way to close for comfort and I also realized that I had zero identification on me. Had this been worse I would have been in the hospital without a name...and being in the hospital without a name is worse than being in the hospital with one of those gowns that has no back...yep...it's that bad. I usually run with my Road ID (go to roadid.com to check them out...they're great!), but today I just could not find it, so I left for my run with only a house key in my pocket...yep...never doing that again!
Despite the fact that I almost landed in the hospital (that might me a slight exaggeration) I feel like today is the real beginning of marathon training season...yeah...there is a whole season of marathon training! I'm really looking to improve my time from last year...which for most people wouldn't be too hard since it was a pedestrian 6:27:03 (Sorry Paul Ryan, if you run a marathon, you remember your time, even a time as slow as mine!), but for me, I was just happy to finish, and today's run was just one of many runs that will be the foundation for the 26.2 miles I run in March. Running a marathon isn't accomplished the day of the race...it is accomplished in the hundreds of miles training for the race...those 26.2 miles are just a victory lap....a very LONG victory lap!

On another note, seminary is going well...first quarter is done and so I only have 15 quarters to go! Yeah! Home stretch!! I am learning a great deal and have also realized that, just like a marathon, there are going to be high points and low points, but the goal is to keep a steady even pace...so I my average study pace is 10-15 hours of studying a week. This has really cut into...well, everything, so I am really trying to find a balance between work, family, and school...but for now I am taking it one week at a time and looking forward to Christmas break. God will provide!!

So, if it hurts to run, you should stop??

The dangers of running are certainly documented in newspapers, on the internet, etc. There are distracted drivers, large vehicles, dogs, and even a coyote, but nothing so far has sidelined me like a 2 inch gap in the concrete. I was walking my dog and she decided that the pace was too slow so we took off...it was great...her little legs pushed her faster than a dog that small should run...wind flowing through her hair, and pure joy on her face. But then it went bad...horribly bad! The pain was instant and intense as my foot turned in ways God never intended a foot to turn.Instantly I knew my mileage would decrease...little did I know how much!
I had no idea what a road block it would put in my training schedule. The plan was perfect. October 28th would mark the beginning of the real training for the LA Marathon 2013. The Rock n Roll half marathon would serve as a gauge for my fitness level. I was hoping to shave 20 minutes off of my best half marathon time, but realistically I was looking at shaving off 5 to 10 minutes. Still not shabby, right? Then I would use that as my base to train up for the LA 13.1 half marathon in January. Again, shooting to shave off another 10 minutes. By the time the LA Marathon rolled around I would be primed to shave off 30 minutes from my marathon time. Well, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.
I did restrain myself from running for about a week...then again the dog wanted to run...so we ran a block. And it felt really good! Yet I was cautious...with only a week to go before the Rock n Roll half, this was no time to get brave. I rode my bike, but that did not seem to provide the sweet equity I was looking for. Then the Thursday before the Rock n Roll half I went for another walk with the dog. This one did not feel so good...in fact it felt pretty bad. Then the debate started in my head. Like to candidates stuck in an unending election cycle, my conservative side said I should give up hope of running 13 miles and my liberal side said I would be fine, just go ahead and run. After much consideration, and A LOT of ice on my ankle, I decided to run the Rock n Roll half marathon.
I started off great. I was well ahead of my goal pace and still feeling full of energy. I ran around the Coliseum lamenting the loss USC had to Arizona the night before, and yet I still found myself keeping a pretty steady pace, but as I was passing Felix Chevrolet a tindge of pain started to creep down into my foot and ankle. Oh well, only 8 miles to go...By the end I could hardly even walk, but I had come so far, that I could not stop. I hobbled across the finish line and I was quickly asked if I was ok. Soon there was a wheelchair and I was off to the medic. Certainly the most humiliating way to finish a half marathon.
So, now what? I guess it is true...if it hurts to run, you should stop...for a while at least, because the opposite is also true...it hurts not to run!

Here we go!!!

Sometimes the future seems to creep up on you and bight you on the backside. I downloaded the application to seminary last October...filled it out in December and sent in my application in January. The reality of seminary seemed so far into the future. Along the way there were a few hiccups. None major, but sometimes I wondered if God would put such a large hurdle in the path to seminary that I would not go...or that my entry into seminary would be delayed. But as each hurdle came, God found a way to get me over it. And, so it went, before I knew it I had plane tickets to St. Louis...then a hotel room, then the seminary admissions office e-mailed me my class schedule and last week I received an e-mail with my book list...this is starting to get real!!! All this while my daughter enters her last days at home before heading off to college...boy, things are going to be different around our house pretty soon! I know there will be more hurdles over the next few years and so I know I will have to rely even more on God to get me over those hurdles, yet I am confident I am following the path He wants me on...so Concordia Seminary, here I come!

Mid-summer dream

It's been so long since I posted...where should I begin...in no particular order:

--Family - my daughter has graduated from high school and will be attending Concordia University, Irvine in the fall...if you consider August to be "in the fall." The family has been decked out in Concordia sweatshirts and other accoutrements, so we are prepared!! Except for the fact that she will be leaving us...the closer it gets the more we realize what a HUGE change this will be...HUGE!!

--Seminary - I have been studying my brains out (is that possible??) trying to pass my Seminary ELCEs - Entry Level Competency Exams. (For the HP fan think OWLs...but without a wand!). 3 tests on Christian Doctrine, Old Testament, and New Testament. Christian doctrine is done...passed! New Testament I missed by 2 points...and Old Testament I did really bad. You get 3 chances...so my focus has been on Old Testament and today was going to be the day...except for some reason the website says I can't take the Old Testament or New Testament tests again...ugh!! And I was all psyched up and crammed for it!! Now I have to call on Monday to get the admissions office to fix the program so it will let me take the test again...and that means, since I have to pass it before 8/1/12 I have to take it this week...during the week...after work...with a fried brain!! Everything else for seminary seems to be going along ok.

--Running - This has been a real bright spot lately. I have lost 14 pounds in about 1 1/2 months which has really helped my running. That and I took a couch's advise and started doing some sprints...thanks Coach Mike! It seems like ever time I go out I set a new personal best for that days distance...which is a real boost and incentive to go out and run again the next day! I have signed up for 2 races (Rock n Roll LA in October and 13.1 LA in January) in anticipation of signing up for the LA Marathon again...really...26.2 miles...again!?!?! I must be dehydrated! But it seems that the second half of this year is going to bring about lots of changes with me starting seminary and my daughter starting college, so maybe I am using running as my "constant" through these changes...I don't know.

And as we deal with the tragic news of the horrific events in Colorado I encourage you to make a conscious effort to tell the people in your live how much they mean to you. You never know how much time you have with them. My prayers go out to those that lost loved ones, to the family of this young man, and to the young man himself...may they all find comfort, forgiveness and understanding through Christ.

Now what???

Sometimes we need a little crazy in our life...my life is probably a few weeks (or days) away from "crazy status." I am volunteering at a retreat in July, so I have 4 weeks of training...during which my daughter will be graduating high school...and then shortly after she will start college and I will begin seminary. So, you know what that means...I should probably add more things to make it that much more interesting! The question is what do I want to add to my schedule? The choices are pretty straight forward:
--Cypress 5k/10k - 7/28/12...I have been doing sprints, so a good 5k might be a good test to see how much my speed has improved. One small problem...it's close to my wife's birthday...sooooo will she be willing to let me run it?
--San Francisco Marathon - 7/29/12...this race is rife with problems...it's far, both from home and race distance. Can I get back up to marathon distance in such a short time? And of course my wife has to be willing to go to San Fran for her birthday.
--Disneyland Half Marathon - 9/2/12...I would love to do this race, but it's sold out, so unless I find someone that will sell me their race number, I will not be running this race.
--Rosarito-Ensenada 50 Mile Bike Ride - 9/29/12...I have been riding my bike a lot more...but enough to make it up the huge hill on this course?
--Long Beach Marathon - 10/7/12...I will probably be registered for something in this event...bike ride is fun...the half marathon and I have some unfinished business, or am I crazy enough to run the marathon distance?
--Rock n Roll Half Marathon Los Angeles - 10/28/12...they have really cool medals...and since it is right before Halloween, I can wear a costume...I wonder how heavy a Wile E. Coyote costume would be...
--Rock n Roll Vegas Marathon - 12/2/12...a mini vacation to Vegas...and a half marathon...what's not to like??
--Los Angeles 13.1 - 1/13/13...this was my first half marathon and would be a good race to set a personal record...plus it is the official warm-up race to the LA marathon...which means...
--Los Angeles Marathon - 3/17/12...they say that you get addicted to running marathons...as soon as you forget the pain you were in...

So there they are...a few of the options to keep me busy for a while...any thoughts/advise would be appreciated...

LA Marathon - Part 2

It has been difficult writing about the marathon...it's not a lack of material, to the contrary, it is an over abundance of amazing sights and feelings. Cheer alley that was so loud I could not hear the song playing on my iPod; passing a guy dressed as Jesus on Rodeo drive - 2 songs after "Jesus lead on" played, my friends Marty and Elaine at mile 18...I almost ran past them, and I don't think I said anything because I was already soooo tired- it was so nice to see them. And of course my pit crew at mile 15, who got me going again in little over 2 minutes-love my girls for all their support and sacrifice. Way too much for one blog post!
It may be cliche, but life is marathon, not a sprint. And after conquering the streets of LA in 6 hours and 27 minutes I feel like life holds no challenge I cannot overcome-with the help of God of course. Pain came and went, but at the mile 20 water stop my body decided my marathon was over...I was at a complete stop...not a single muscle was moving..,the first time i had been at rest in hours...and it felt GOOD! The majestical scene was broken when a lady ask me if I was ok..."sure" I said...and I continued on my trek to Santa Monica. I don't think I was really ready to continue, but I also didn't want her calling the medics. So I pressed on, but the question loomed...would I've really quit? Would I have really just stopped after months of training? Given in to my desire to stop the pain? These questions have haunted me since I crossed that finish line, but I honestly think I would have kept going...my marathon was not won that day, it was won in the miles I traveled through Santa Fe Springs, Whittier, La Mirada, Norwalk, Downey, Bellflower, and Long Beach in the months leading up to March 18th.
Indeed, the fact remains...life is a marathon, and for me the miles ahead hold the graduation of my daughter from high school, her first day at Concordia University Irvine and my first day of seminary one week later. Yes, there are still difficult times ahead for me, but I will overcome - I know where my strength comes from! So if you see someone at their mile 20, go ahead, ask them if they are ok...they might say that they are fine when it is obvious they are not, but you might be that voice that helps them keep moving.
Was that a blog post or a sermon? Maybe it was both. God bless!

LA Marathon - Part 1

On paper a marathon is nothing more than a person traveling 26.2 miles on their own feet. Nothing spectacular until you start looking deeper into how this affects the body and you look at the reality of how few people ever attempt this distance. A US study showed that 1 in 126,626 runners die from sudden cardiac arrest while running a marathon. Die...in a marathon...that seems to me to be a major effect on your body. This means marathons are more dangerous than playing football, scuba diving or even rock climbing. So it stands to reason that a small percentage of the population actually attempt a marathon. In 2011 approx. 518,000 runners finished a marathon in the US - out of a population of over 311 million. And while the exact number is nearly impossible to calculate somewhere between .1%-2% of the world's population has EVER run a marathon. I sure am glad I didn't research that data BEFORE I set off to run the LA Marathon - ignorance is bliss.

The days before the marathon I would obsessively check the weather report. 30% chance of rain, became 40%, which eventually topped out at 80%...wonderful, my first marathon and it's going to rain in LA! It took a few days, but soon I relented and began the planning process for a wet run. Trash bag vs. poncho. do I change shoes at mile 15? change shirts? Which shorts will keep the chafing to a minimum? So many questions to answer and only one run in the rain to use as a gauge. By the time I went to bed the night before the marathon it was almost certain that there would be either minimal or no rain, so the worrying was for not...at least it kept my mind off the marathon.

Everything was planned, prepared and packed as best I could...my wife was even armed with a race day packet that contained directions to drop me off at the start, directions to mile 15, and to the finish line...with full color maps and alternate routes. The traffic to the start was horrendous...are we surprised that LA traffic was bad?? So, I arrived at the start line about 15 minutes before the start...in a way it was perfect, no time to get nervous, no time to get cold...but almost no time to properly tie my shoes. The national anthem was great, the horn sounded for the elite women and the 13 minute countdown until we started was on. We shuffled forward trying to avoid puddles and discarded items as we went and before long I was under the start banner...iPod started and I was off on my adventure.

I knew that there would be people along the road cheering, but I never realized how many and how enthusiastic and generous they would be. The first few miles were mostly downhill which made them seem to pass effortlessly. At about mile 4 the biggest hill loomed ahead. I planned on walking the hill...I was feeling good and I wanted to run it, but I convinced myself to stick to the game plan.

Around mile 5 I came in full contact with the generosity and awesomeness of the people of LA. I have run half marathons in Culver City, Anaheim, Long Beach, and the OC, but I was not prepared for what was ahead of me. First it was one simple sign on cardboard..."Free Chili Dogs"...then another sign..."Free Homemade Chili Dogs"...then a third sign "Free Chili Dogs. Runners Only!" And then...there he was...a guy standing on the side of the road, small Weber grill in front of him, tongs in hand, and chili peculating on the side. If you overlook the fact that a chili dog at mile 5 of a marathon is digestive suicide, this was an amazing sight! This took planning! This guy felt he needed to help the people running the marathon and so he thought feeding them would help.....but what does he feed them??? Pretzels???...nah, not substantial enough...bananas???...nah, too slimy...Gummi Bears???...nah, too sticky....nope he decided that the best thing to feed marathoners running past him would be chili dogs...as I was passing this scene I couldn't help but chuckle as I noticed a young runner grabbing a chili dog...I looked to the guy running next to me and said, "that's not going to end well!" He responded, "Let's stay ahead of him." Good plan...and so I kept up the pace...

I was feeling good...probably better than I expected, but I knew the pain was waiting for me somewhere ahead...the only question was where...