Soakin' Up Life . . . at a 100 MPH!

Saturday I ran the Azalea Trail 10K. It was overcast and humid. It was crowded. It was a blast! I ran the 6.2 miles in 51:15 - that's like an 8:14 mile which wasn't too bad since my first mile was 8:39. My first mile is always slower than the rest. I hate running the first mile in a race - the people drive me nuts, especially the ones who move up out of their time zone and get in front of everyone else who is having to run around and through them. I felt like I could have run faster, but just kept a moderate pace and picked it up the last couple of miles. The Kenyans won the race. The winner ran it in 28:??? - who really cares? I was on mile 4 when when these guys were crossing the finish line. The one thing I didn't understand was their use of the "chip" to track runners and their times. When you cross over the starting line it lets the computer know you've started the race and when you cross over the finish line it lets the computer know you're...

That's right folks, not only will you have to contend with me on the road, now you will have to do it while I'm pulling a trailer. This morning I officially received my Commercial Driver's License (CDL). I'm not certified to drive anything with air brakes (like the big rigs), so I load up a 40 ft goose neck trailer hooked up to a Dodge 3500 1-ton 4-door dually (has 4 wheels in the back instead of 2). I'm driving to make some extra money between ManHeart gigs. Made my first run today! The sittin' and waitin' to be unloaded drove me nuts, but other than that I had a blast. So. . .if you see me coming down the road give me a honk or a wave or just buy me another cup o' joe! Mike

Each year I read the different accounts of Jesus' last night on earth, his arrest, trial, sentence, death, burial, and resurrection. I did the same this year. While I read the different gospel accounts of his death, burial, and resurrection, I (we = Cindy & me) did something a little different. We grabbed a quick bite to eat then came home and watched the Passion of the Christ . Even though I know there's some artistic license being taken, it still amazes me what he willingly suffered on my account. Sunday morning, rather than going and praying with our pastor and several men who meet each Sunday morning at 6:00 am, Cindy suggested I stay home and she and I celebrate Easter with our own sunrise service. Yes! Cindy got up at 6:00 am! We met in the living room where we read the arrest, trial, death, and burial of Jesus from the Gospel of John . Then we spent some time in prayer and confession. Afterwards we shared communion together. I have to admit, it did have a d...

This past week I talked with Cindy about running in the Nashville 1/2 Marathon . This is something I've wanted to do for a while and it would give us a weekend with her family. I've never ran that far before. I shared the idea with Gene - he's run several marathons - to get some input from him. Gene was encouraging and gave me some things to think about. Running the 1/2 marathon (13 miles) has changed how I train and, in turn, changed how I run next weekend in the Azalea Trail 10K. I'm probably going to use it as an up tempo training run. I'm not going out to look for a Personal Record (PR). To get ready for the 1/2 marathon I've got to start building up my miles. So. . .today I took off for an 8-miler. I haven't run that far since I has in high school. That was more than 20 years ago - waaaayyyyy more. My plan for today was to take it easy and just get feel for what it feels like to go that far. So, with the i-Pod cranking out some Chris Toml...

This morning I took off and ran a 10K - my 10K, not an "official" race or anything. It's just a distance I mapped out that happens to be 6.2 miles or 10K. I know some of you don't think much of running - right Kris? But for me it's a time to think, to sing, to pray, and generally takes my mind off of my world for a while. I remember back in 2004 when I did a triathlon and the Hotter-n-Hell 100 (100 mile bike ride). I trained all year, but I wouldn't have if it had not been for Karen. She was my motivation to train - day in and day out she inspired me to run, swim, and bike not matter what the weather or the temperature like. If she could go through cancer, chemo, doctor's visits, and everything else, then a little heat and humidity wasn't going to keep me on the couch. Speaking of the couch - I've been having a problem getting up and out the door. I seem to find a lot of reasons to stay on the "couch" - reading, studying, minist...

Friday's are my scheduled long runs. These are days where I just get out and put in the miles. There's no urgency. . .no sense of hurriedness. . .just the pure joy of running and being outside. Those of you who run - and enjoy it - know what I'm talking about (Gene & Stacey). Those of you who do it because your wife signed you up to run a 10K or 1/2 marathon just won't get it (Matt). Today's long run will have to wait - I'm supposed to run 5 miles this week in preparation for the 10K coming up at the end of the month. Because of my studies it's lunch time and I haven't eaten anything all morning. I got so caught up in my studies - I'm teaching our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship) this week - that I forgot to eat. So, I'll either go later today or just do it in the morning. Of course if I was Grant , I would be heading to the slopes to enjoy all the delicious snow and those new skis! Hope your Friday's going well! Gotta go eat. . . Mik...