Rock N' Roll Virginia Beach - More To Life Than PR's

Pastor Rich running over to see his wife Katorah

This past weekend at the Rock N’ Roll Virginia Beach half marathon I broke no personal record, the weather was horrendous, and the race itself was a very difficult time for me personally, YET WE CELEBRATED!  I say we because I was not alone at this race…I was with three pastors who have all gotten serious about honoring God with their physical health.  So when I say we, I mean Pastor Rich Griffith who has lost 60lbs since January of this year! Pastor T.J. Wolfe who has lost 90lbs, 45 of those since January of this year! AND Pastor Josh Simpson who has lost 30lbs since March of this year!

The Team!

If this race was about me, if I was focused on a PR it would have been a very, very disappointing trip!  In fact it would have been difficult to forget the day…No, this day will not ever be forgotten…because the day was about something so much more important!

The day wasn’t about me.  It wasn’t about a PR.  Sure, any runner knows that PR’s are GREAT!  We love days that we run faster, or even further then we ever have…but this day was about 4 guys coming together to celebrate life and see people from another country, another continent (Africa) get blessed with the gift of life (Water wells) for their communities!

Pastor TJ Wolfe and Pastor Josh Simpson

I cannot put into words how special the weekend was.  What it meant to the WORLD!  What it meant to the Kingdom of God!  Four dudes who NO ONE would have ever guessed would run 13.1 miles together, and they did it in 81+ degrees, with the humidity making it feel mid 90’s, and a dew point of 77.  And we did it WELL…

As I watched Rich, T.J., & Josh cross the finish line I was the one being blessed.  These guys are a joy to coach, and whether they realize it or not they’ve impacted me as much as I have them, I am sure of that!

I love running fast…I love setting PR’s…I train to do so…but September 2^nd, 2012 will go down as one of the greatest running days of my life, not because of anything I accomplished but because of a team that I was (and hopefully continue) to be a part of!  Well done guys…Well done!

Running - Unlearning to Relearn

The biggest obstacle I have in running is unlearning.  I thought I knew how to run when I was three...I was wrong!

This confusion isn't all my fault, although I personally must take responsibility for my lack of knowledge...All other sports growing up, I just learned by playing...running is different!  I've had to research, learn, relearn, and apply training strategies.

Granted, you don't have to do these things to run, but if you want to get faster, dramatically faster, research, trial and error, and relearning what you thought you already knew is a must, especially in the marathon world!

When I started running, just over five years ago, I couldn't run a full lap around the track without stopping.  The truth is anytime pacing is an issue it is because of a false reality of where we thinkwe are our physical fitness.  I thought, just run the same pace that you use to run the mile in high school and you'll be fine!  Haaaaaa...there are some problems with my strategy.  First, I wasn't 18 anymore, I was nearly 30.  2nd, I wasn't just slightly overweight, and I certainly wasn't in shape from playing other sports.  I was 321lbs of sedentary flesh...ENOUGH SAID!

So the day I went to run, I struggled...I struggled mightly, but eventually I made it around the track, and the next day a bit further...and this cycle continued!

Eventually, simply by repeating this process I got to where I could run a mile just like I did in high school.  Soon I was actually faster then my 18 year old counterpart!

And so I continued this process, never overly focusing on pace, or workouts, but simply running, and relearning how to run steady longer distance.  I also began researching how to become a better runner.

Some of the things I learned included breathing techniques, heart rate, nutrition, pacing, race strategies, workouts, strength training, etc.  There were and still are many things, and I mean many many things from other sports I had to unlearn.  To me endurance was running around the bases trying to stretch a double into a triple...In fact I am still trying to unlearn them...mentally, I know these new running & endurance strategies are true, but physcially implementing them is a struggle.  For instance:

One of the most basic elementary truths of endurance sports is that the marathon is not won in the first 20 miles!  Yet, I have failed in my last two attempts of running negative splits (2nd half faster then the 1st), and why?  I failed because I didn't think like a runner, I thought like a football player...And in case your wondering, MARATHONS are not like FOOTBALL GAMES.

However, physiologically I am wired to think jump out to an early lead = win!  After all this is the cornerstone of team sports.  Nearly every sport you can deal your opponent a massive blow by scoring runs or points and jumping out to an early lead, you simply have to "put the nails in the coffin", or in the words of the Sensa on Karate Kid, "FINISH HIM"...With the marathon, this is not the case!

Patience is one of the biggest elements to endurance athletics...something I have had to learn the hardway!  Let's just hope suffering through the last 10k of my last marathon was enough to drive home this point.

Yoda probably had the best explination for anyone starting out in running, triathlons, or any other endurance sport when he said, "No! No different. Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned."

What are the hard lessons you've learned in endurance sports?

Finally I'm a Runner!

Truth be told I've always wanted to be a runner!

 I'd watch those "crazy" people run by and wonder why, after all it looked really REALLY hard???  The only voice louder in my head then why, was HOW?

Yes, I'll admit it, perhaps for the first time publicly...I have always dreamed of being a "runner"!

It is very funny though that even after I started running people would say, "your a runner!", to which I would immediately correct them..."I am not a runner!" After all, I saw who & what runners were, and I would think, "I am not one of those people!"

Truth be told even after I had started running I was afraid to embrace the title "runner" because I thought ultimately I may fail.  Running is difficult, running is what I did while growing up playing sports as a punishment...Many questions, fears, & doubts ran through my head about becoming a "runner".  I learned to use these feelings as fuel for my training.

I finally got to a point where my desire to succeed in becoming a runner was greater then my doubts that I could actually accomplish this seemingly impossible task.  Day after day I labored on until suddenly something strange happened.  I actually began looking forward to the time I would journey out for my daily run.

In the last five years I have grown a lot.  Physically I may have shrunk, but mentally & spiritually running has helped me grow tremendously.  Now I wonder, what if I would have allowed my fears to keep me from taking my first run? What if my thoughts of failure would have discouraged me from taking my first step?

Today I proudly proclaim that I AM A RUNNER, and KNOW that anyone else who wants to make the attempt, will remain faithful, and be dedicated to persevering through seemingly difficult situations can be one to!!!

Remember this...
Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Never Give Up!
Is fear of failure holding you back from accomplishing something you've always dreamed of?
Is self doubt keeping you from doing something you've always dreamed of?

Running Year in Review

2011 Running Totals
Miles: 2,410
Monthly Average: 200.83
Daily Average: 6.6
Highest Month: 228
PR'd Disney Marathon 3:27
Shoes: 5 pairs

2011 was a crazy year. There were ups and downs. Two races quickly stick out in my mind as highlights.

First, running Goofy 2011 a.k.a Marathon4Missions. While raising over 10K for Bible translations I had the privileged to run with my wife for her first half marathon. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE helping people reach their goals in running & fitness so you can only imagine how amazing it was to do this race with my wife. The following day I PR'D the marathon.

The second race was completing the Florida Ironman 70.3! I did train very hard for this race, which impacted my running mileage greatly!!! In fact my only months of the year under 200 miles came during the three month training cycle for this event. My fitness level soared, but the funniest thing happened when I got to the race there was a freak morning thunder storm, all race strategy went out the window, and my new strategy was to finish, and enjoy the day. It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable days of my life (probably not exactly what the name of the race implies, and don't worry my next Ironman will be all out, totally drained and crawling for a week effort!)

I can't forget the National marathon was good. Running a 26.2 mile race around an area with such historical significance was amazing. My training was off and I ended with a 3:38.

So how about 2012? GOALS...

- Run 2,500+ miles
- Race 3 marathons, and PR again this year
- (SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING) My first ultra
- Help my kids live healthier, & run with them more
- Help my wife regain her fitness level after giving birth to our third child - Inspire more people to get active
- Run 365 days for the 4th year

My fitness THEME for 2012 is the Year of the RACE! 

If your interested in seeing my running log broken down monthly
2011
January 202 (Goofy 39.3 miles 2 days)
February 228
*March 175.1 (National Marathon)
*April 189.4
*May 158.3  (Florida Ironman 70.3)
Jun 208.2
July 201.5
August 227.2
September 193.3
October 204.5
November 200.7
December 221.8 
Year Total 2,410
* Training for Florida Ironman 70.3 (Added swimming & biking significantly impacted my running time)

Here is to 2012...What is your fitness goals for the coming year?

Worth Every Drop!

Truth be told I am very nervous about this coming Marathon4Missions! At the beginning of the year, (in January) I set goals, lofty goals, dreams may be a better description of them…ones so ridiculously out of reach it is almost embarrassing to even think about them!

I have been focused…
I have trained all year…
I put in the work…

Yet some things happened that impacted all the work that has been invested over the last 365 days.

Sometimes things happened that were out of my control and other things happen as a result of my own bad choices!

I believe many people have the misconceptions that running, working out, or other physically challenging things are “easy & fun” for me. If anyone is wondering running is the hardest thing for me to do physically, this is why I do it. I have never been & never wanted to be a runner. It used to be when people called me a runner, I’d deny it by responding, “I am NOT a runner!” almost as if I was offended.

4.5 years ago you could have caught one of the most comical sights, my SICK attempt at taking a run. “One mile, that isn’t very far”, I thought to myself. Less then 100 meters into the run I’d find out how far it really was, BUT THE COOLEST THING HAPPENED that day, I DID NOT GIVE UP! I slowed…I walked, but I kept moving forward.

At 321lbs YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW BADLY I WANTED TO QUIT!!!

Day after day I told myself it’d get easier & it did somewhat. Once it started getting comfortable though I knew it was time to push myself a little more…faster, further, the journey continued.

Fast forward somewhere around 1,642 and a half-day to today.

- I am closing in on my 10,000th mile since that 1st…what if I would have stopped?
- The first mile probably took close to 25 minutes to complete…I can now run 4 miles in that time!
-Today I have run everyday for 1,097 days in a row, averaging close to 7 miles a day or an hour a day during this streak!

Lately I have been reminded of where I have come from since that day which I attempted the first mile. I know that this journey has only been possible because of God’s grace, and conviction. With Marathon for Missions 3 looming I can honestly say that whatever happens on 7th & 8th of January 2012, I can be proud of one thing, I NEVER STOPPED! Regardless of how much it hurt, or how tired I was…when I felt like giving up I pressed forward and continued to fight for it.

It isn’t easy, BUT IT IS WORTH IT! If you’re thinking about changing this year, getting more active, losing a few pounds, eating healthier, getting healthier, You’ll NEVER REGRET IT.

Invest some sweat, tears (yes, there will be some), sore muscles (You can count on it), blood, & determination and make the change.

I believe Nike says it best, “JUST DO IT!”