Bad Weather Days

So what do you do when icy weather hits and you get an unexpected day off from work. I had Tuesday and Wednesday off due to the weather, and it was great. Here is what I did:

1. Started a 750 piece puzzle that my parents gave me for Christmas. Stephanie will claim that she put most of it together, but we both know that's not the truth :). Notice how we ran out of space on the table and had to use a t.v. table and some books for more workspace. Believe it or not the dog hasn't eaten one puzzle piece yet (that we know of).

2. Read a few chapters in The Shack. I really enjoy reading and was happy to have had some free time to do it. I am in Chapter 10 of the book, and I am really enjoying it. You can read about the book here.

3. In January, Stephanie renewed our subscription to Netflix, so it was nice to get two new movies to watch on Tuesday. We watched Tuesday's with Morrie and Saving Sarah Cain. We really like having Netflix, although during the school year we usually don't have time to watch. We only pay $15 a month and we simply select movies we want to see, they send them to us in 1-2 days, and then we send them back when we are finished. Check out Netflix here.

4. And of course, I ran. Even though the roads were "too icy to drive on," they were good enough for a run. It was great. I was able to get some really good runs in. The extra time allows me to train at a high level of intensity.

I will say, I bundled up for my run!!!

5. Finally, I got to spend lots of time with my beautiful wife, Stephanie. During the basketball season, we do not get to see each other much during the week, so it was nice to be able to just hang at the house with her. Two years ago tomorrow (1/29), we went on our first date to Texas Roadhouse. We celebrated tonight by having dinner there.

What do you do when you get an unexpected day off???

You might be a Redneck runner. . . .

1. If you stop to use the bathroom on a run and return home with just one sock.

2. If your only reason for purchasing vaseline is to lube up your nipples before a long run.

3. If you talk about your running shoes like they are a car. "Yea, I've got about 600 miles on these babies. They look a little rough on the outside, but lace 'em up and they'll still purr like a kitten."

4. If ice crystals form on your face while running and you think it's COOL.

5. If halfway in to your run, you pray for the miraculous appearance of a porta-potty.

6. If you show up to a road race and pray for short lines at the porta-potties.

7. If your finisher medals are hanging from the antlers of your mounted trophy buck.

8. If you have your running shorts on beneath your dress pants.

9. If you've ever thought about getting a tattoo that says "Born to Run."

10. If you have a tattoo that says "Born to Run".

11. If you have ever used super glue to "fix" your racing shoes.

12. If you have ever tried to chase a skunk on a run.

13. If your idea of speedwork is trying to get away from your neighbor's cocker spaniel.

14. If you lost a toenail from running and you showed it off with a sense of accomplishment.

15. If the whitest part of your body is underneath your running watch.

16. If you judge the color of your urine to determine your level of hydration.

17. If the word Fartlek is a normal word in your vocabulary and it doesn't make you laugh or embarassed to say it.

18. If you have ever run on the treadmill with nothing but your underwear on.

19. If the most time you spend in your truck is to measure how far you ran.

20. If you are proud of having all 10 toenails.

21. If you've ever looked in the mirror and thought to yourself, "Dang, these really short running shorts make me look sexy."

Back on Track

My week of running started off great on Monday. It was a school holiday, and I was able to do a solid tempo run in the afternoon. I ran 10K on the track in 31:52 with miles at 5:11, 5:11, 5:09, 5:04, 5:05, 5:02 and a final lap in 67. The effort was comfortable, and I was really pleased with the outcome. By Tuesday, my running took a hit. I was at basketball games four out of seven days last week, my right middle finger throbbed all week from a bacterial infection, and a severe cold kept me out of the running shoes for two days. Finally yesterday, I felt good enough to lace the shoes up again. I ran for an hour easy. Today, I decided to go ahead with my long run, since my chest and throat were feeling normal again. I ran my longest run yet--20 miles. Despite a little wind, it was a great day for a run with temperatures in the mid 50s. I averaged 5:55 per mile, which gives me great confidence for Cowtown. I still have about 30 days before the race!!

My week of BASKETBALL

When I was a kid, I loved the game of basketball. I spent countless hours shooting outside in my driveway as a little boy. And when my dad built a carport on the driveway and tore down my basketball goal, I shot the ball onto my roof. I dribbled against the wall, down the sidewalks, and walked to the church to shoot on its baskets. As a middle schooler, I dressed head to toe in LA Lakers gear (I'm talking purple and yellow shoes, shorts, shirt, jacket and hat). Magic Johnson was my hero for most of my childhood, at least until I learned of his promiscuity. It's funny, I still remember crying the day he announced he was HIV positive. As a freshmen in high school, I was a master at taking a charge and was a pretty fair shot. Somewhere along the way I lost my passion for the game. I think my new found talent on the track just quickly overshadowed my love for hoops.

When I came to Krum in 2003, I inherited a 7th grade boys basketball team with lots of talent. Looking back, I can assure you that I didn't have a clue what I was doing that first year. We finished the season a little over .500 and finished 2nd in our district behind another basketball powerhouse--Ponder (this little town sits 6 miles south of Krum on FM 156). That group of 7th graders are now Seniors and have developed quite a rivalry with our neighbors from Ponder. As those boys moved up, so did I. I coached many of them as Freshmen and two or three of them as Sophomores and Juniors. Along the way, I regained some love for the game and learned a lot about coaching the sport.

On Tuesday, these boys from Ponder and Krum played again. Ponder came to Krum's Bennie Ennis Gym with a 25-0 record, a 51 game winning streak dating back to last year's state championship season, and a #1 state ranking. Our kids were 20-4. Both teams were undefeated in district play. After a rocky start, the Krum boys rallied to win in dramatic fashion 63-61. It was the first time this group of Krum seniors had defeated the Ponder seniors since little dribblers. Although I have had my outs with some of those kids, it was really cool to see them shine on such a big stage.

My week of basketball continued on Thursday as our 9th and JV (my team) played the first round of the district tournament. My team lost a disappointing game to Pilot Point putting us out of contention for the championship. Friday, I drove 3 hours with a fellow coach to the east Texas town of Clarksville to scout potential playoff opponents. Despite only a few short hours of sleep, we were back at it again this morning for the final games of the District tournament. My team managed to win two today and finished 3rd in the tourney.

Although I have enjoyed my time coaching basketball at Krum, I don't think I will ever have that same passion for the game I had as a young boy. Today, I was ready for the games to be over. It was a week with BIG basketball highs and a few lows. As I rest this evening, I am very thankful that there are no basketball games on Sunday!!

A lot on my mind. . . .

My brain has been getting a serious workout lately. I have certainly had a lot on my mind, and at times I feel as though my thoughts are a jumbled mess. The good news is that I believe God is doing a good work in me right now--He feels very close. You will have to excuse the randomness and lack of cohesion but I am going to unleash some of the many thoughts that have been running through my mind.

1. My career: God does not care as much about what I do as how I do it. I have struggled recently in understanding exactly what I should be doing with my life. Should I be coaching and teaching or doing something else? I think the truth is, God made me with a number of different talents and abilities which would be suitable for a thousand different careers. But, what is most important is that I work for the Lord. My work/job/career is simply an avenue of showing my Christlike character and bringing others to God. For the longest time now, I have treated my career as a way to improve my status, achieve personal success, make money, etc. I want to see my career through God's eyes and use it to reach others.

2. It's not about me: God made me for a purpose. I am learning more about that purpose as I read Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life. I have been selfish for a lot of years. My focus has been on ME. I have been jealous of siblings, friends, and colleagues. I have envied the talents of others and rested on my laurels. (See a great reading on laurels here.) For the first time, I am beginning to understand that I am here on earth to please GOD. And, the great thing is that I am excited about finding more ways to do that. God wants me to use my unique personality and abilities to serve others and praise Him.

3. Worship: I am discovering that worship is so much more than sitting in a pew singing, praying and listening. Worship is continual, it's never ending, it's eternal, it's glorifying and pleasing God in everything I do. Think about it, using your abilities/talents with God in your heart is an act of worship. Colossians 3:23 reads, "Whatever you do, work at with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Even my running has become a way in which I can glorify God.

4. Life is meant to be shared: Colossians 3:15--"Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace." I have always considered myself somewhat of a loner. Mostly because of my social awkwardness--I have used this as an excuse to avoid others. In the past, I have been afraid that others might see my weaknesses. my inadequacies and I have shut them out. However, the truth is I need others in my life. Steph and I have been attending a Young Marrieds bible study, and it has been such a blessing in my life. Knowing I have a group of men praying for me and holding me accountable each week is very reassuring.

Those are just a few of the things in my head. The other thoughts are still jumbled and confused, but I am really excited about the way God is working on me right now.

Jan. 11-17 Training

Sunday's long run was pretty good, although I had some stomach issues at about mile 12 through the finish. Braum's chicken sandwich and a milkshake is not a good idea before a long run. I ran from the east side of Denton back to Krum at about 7:00 p.m. The total distance was 19.3 miles--my longest run since September. Today, I ran a 5 mile tempo workout on the track. I started off a little too fast or else I would have been able to run another mile or two. However, I was really happy with my time (25:04 total; 5:05, 5:05, 5:04, 4:58, 4:50).

The chilly weather has made it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, and tomorrow is supposed to be really cold. I am looking forward to the spring time when temperatures are nice, and I have more free time for training.

Cowtown is still about 6 weeks away--hopefully I will be right where I need to be for a 3-peat!!

I'll finish with some tips on running in the cold:
1.) Dress in layers--you can always take a layer off if you get too hot, but if you don't wear enough you may never warm up.
2.) Wear a hat and gloves--you lose heat through your extremities, so a hat and glove is sometimes all you need to stay warm.
3.) Use Vaseline or Body Glide in the tender spots!!--because you are probably wearing extra layers, you may chafe more than usual (especially on your lats and armpits).
4.) Stay hydrated--you may not have the urge to drink fluids because you will not sweat as much when running in the cold. But, you still lose fluids and your body will still need to rehydrate.
5.) Start out easy--it will take your muscles longer to warm up in the cold, so you should start out easier than you normally would and build your pace up gradually.
6.) Get out of wet/sweaty clothes ASAP--this is a no-brainer; remaining in cold conditions and wet clothes only increases your risk of illness.

Cowtown Training Update

I am into my 4th week of training for the Cowtown Marathon (2/28). If I can manage to win again this year, I will be the first person to win 3 Cowtowns (mine in consecutive years). I am hoping to be in fairly solid shape this time around so I can run a much faster time than the previous 2 years. So far, I am pleased with my training--although my schedule prevents me from putting in high mileage, I have had some quality sessions. Each week, I focus on three high intensity sessions: 1. Long Run (I have done 16 and 18 miles--today I will do 20) 2. A tempo run of 5-6 miles (last week I ran 5 miles in 25:52 with miles of 5:15, 5:15, 5:09, 5:07, 5:05) 3. 400 meter repeats (I have done 8, 12, and 16 so far--yesterday I averaged about 70 seconds per 400).

For Christmas, Stephanie bought me a Garmin GPS watch. It is a really awesome gadget, which allows me to keep track of distance run, pace, heart rate, calories burned, and it even maps out each of my runs. Every serious distance runner should have one. You can find one here.