My dog is faster than your dog

I am two weeks out from the Steamtown Marathon, and after running 19 yesterday I took today off. So, I thought it would be fun to take Mercy (my dog) for a short little run. Just for grins, I started my watch to see how fast she could do it. We ran about a mile out away from the house, then turned around and came back. She bit at the leash a little at the beginning and I let her sit for about 10 seconds at the mile marker, but other than that she ran the whole way. Total time was 14:53. That is under 7:30 per mile pace! I thought that was really good for a 5 month old puppy. Hopefully, before long she will be able to run 3-4 miles with me. Once she gets going she is really good company. She also gets really excited when you say things like "Come on, girl" and "Good Girl Mercy". She always picks up her speed when I say stuff like that.

I am really getting excited about the marathon. I feel like I am better prepared for this race than any other I have run. Hopefully, I will be able to crack into the top 5 and earn some prize money. Winning it would be the ultimate goal as there is $2,000 prize for 1st. I need to stay rested, healthy and hydrated over the next two weeks so that I can compete at my best.

Rankings

Rankings really don't mean anything--I know that! I tell my CC kids that all the time. BUT, I have to admit, I always look to see if our name is in the top ten when The Cross Country Association of Texas (CCCAT) puts out its bi-weekly ranking. We started out as #7 and in the past two weeks have moved up to #5. The only thing that tells me is that someone thinks we are getting better. Someone has been keeping track of our progress throughout the season. For a young first-time head coach that is reassuring. Even though we started out a little short-handed and we are lacking in depth, I am excited about the potential of this team. I know we still have a lot of work to do to get to where we need to be and we are still early in the season, but it gives the kids and me some confidence to know that people consider us to be right in the thick of things. We run in Denton this Saturday against some very good competition--we really need to have a good race.

You can see the rankings here!

Second Chances

We have been studying the book of Jonah at church on Sundays. God asked Jonah to travel to Nineveh (a dark and sinful city) and deliver a message. Jonah was scared and did not want to go, so he ran away. The Bible tells us that he wanted to flee to Tarshish. Tarshish was in the opposite direction of Nineveh and was essentially at the ends of the known world (at least the trading world). Jonah thought he could run from God; that he could hide; that God would not know his heart. So, God had a giant fish swallow up good old Jonah, and made him spend a few days in its belly. It was in the darkness of the fish's stomach where Jonah came to terms with what he had done. He prayed, "From the depths of the grave, I called for help, and you listened to my cry." (Jonah 2:2) Jonah renewed his spirit and made a new vow to the Lord saying, "What I have vowed I will make good." (Jonah 2:9) And what did God do? Jonah 3:1-2 says, "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time (empasis mine), 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim the message I give you.'" God gave Jonah a second chance and Jonah did what the Lord commanded.

I am thankful for second chances. God has granted me many of them.

Dusk 'til Dawn Relay

I tried something new with our team this last weekend. Each year we do a fundraiser for the boys cross country team. This year, we did an all night campout and relay at our track. Each boy got 5 names of people who would be willing to donate $.05 for each lap we ran as a team. Every member of our team ran for 40 minutes each. We started at 8:00 p.m. and the last kid finished at 7:20 p.m. As a team we completed 371 laps.

This was a really fun experience. Despite the fact that I got absolutely no sleep, I think the kids really had a blast and it was a great team bonding event. The funniest thing that happened was when the sprinkler system kicked on about an hour after we set our tents up. Some of the boys had (unknowingly) set their tents up on top of sprinkler heads. Needless to say, we started the night off a little wet.

By the way, I ran about 90 of those 371 laps.

Picture of the Week

I thought this picture was really funny. I found it in The Denton Record Chronicle this morning. These are two Guinness Book World Record Holders. The woman has the longest legs in the world (52", over 4 ft. long) and beneath her is the world's shortest man (2ft. 5in.).

6 MONTHS!

Well, it's hard to believe, but Stephanie and I have now been married for 6 months; half a year! It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were standing before my dad exchanging rings. In the time that we have been married, I have learned several things. Here are 6 of them:

1. Successful marriages require hard work on a daily basis from both husband and wife.

2. Serving your wife, while sometimes challenging, can be one of the most rewarding things a man can do.

3. Positive encouragement can make a world of difference in any relationship!

4. Nights are best spent lying next to the person you love most.

5. You cannot keep score in a marriage. Wouldn't it really stink if Jesus kept score?

6. Even the worst days as a married man are better than the best as a single.

Love you, Stephanie!

Positive Words

I am hooked on the cheesy reality show "America's Got Talent". One of the three judges on the show is David Hasselhoff. The other two judges are often critical of the show's performances, but The Hoff always has something positive to say. As much of a guber as this guy is, I think he has one thing right--people respond to positivity. The crowd always boos Piers, the harshly critical British judge, but they love The Hoff.

I have made a concentrated effort this school year to be a more positive person. While there have been things that upset me or gotten me down, I have been able to keep a positive outlook. I can't believe I'm saying this, but hopefully I continue to follow in The Hoff's footsteps.

The Forgotten Team

They arrive each morning with shoes laced tight;
No glove, no bat, no racquet, no ball.
They head out the door for the first run of the day.
Their gear is two legs, two feet, and heart. . . . that's all.

They are the best reflection of what their school has to offer,
A proud tradition of titles and wins.
They are confident and proud, yet kind and reserved.
In August they are boys, by November they are men!

All week they run with little praise or reward;
A trip to the state meet, that is their dream.
On Saturday they win and make me proud;
At school on Monday they are The Forgotten Team.

They keep working and hoping and giving their best;
Their legs and lungs are strong, their bodies are lean.
When it is all said and done on that Saturday in November,
They will stand tall on the medal stand. . . . The Forgotten Team!

A Day OFF

Well, after four weeks of high mileage and 97 miles last week, I am taking a much-needed day off today. I was very sore yesterday--it was weird my butt was even sore.

Our cross country team ran over at North Lakes in Denton. We competed pretty well finishing 1st in the 2A and Under division. It was nice to get that first "W", but I realize we have a lot of work to do to be a favorite for the state meet.

Results are posted here.

Three Things

1. We had our first CC meet last Friday, and we finished 3rd. I was very pleased with our results. You can read more about the Krum boys CC team here.

2. My training for the Steamtown Marathon has been going very well. Monday (Labor Day) I ran my longest run in training--26 miles. It took me 3 hours and 56 seconds to run it. The first couple of miles and the last couple were a little slow, but I ran about 6 min. pace in the middle miles. You can visit the Steamtown Marathon site here.

3. Our dog Mercy had a rough day today. She had her surgery to get spayed. She was not able to eat after 8 p.m. last night, so she woke up really hungry. Despite her whining this morning, we could not feed her. On the way to the vet, I guess she got a little car sick and threw up in the truck. However, she had nothing in her stomach so it just looked like big wads of saliva. Then, when she got to the vet, she was nervous so she peed all over the vet assistant. Steph picked her up this afternoon, and Mercy puked in her car on the way home. She has just been laying around all evening--you can tell she is still a little out of it and in pain. We are becoming pretty attached to Mercy. I hope she will be back to her old playful self soon.