ok, i know i let some of you down by not blogging at all yesterday. and i know some of you are thinking did he get his run in yesterday morning (i know no one is really thinking that, but thought it would be funny if you thought i thought that for a minute, too many thoughts, huh). well, the answer to your question is yes. i did get the 3 mile run in yesterday in 27:10. not my best, but pretty close. i did run the last mile in the fastest time i have ever ran that segment by 20 seconds. i also got my 8 mile run in this afternoon, and i can i say, it was not fun.
to start out i had a few things going against me. this was the furthest i had ever ran in my entire life, at one time. it was the hottest temp i have ran in all year, as well as being the most humid. i had to carry 2L of water on my back (for the first time) due to the length of the run so i didn't get dehydrated. and for the first time all year, i felt like the run was 90% uphill, the other 10% felt level, in other words, i didn't feel like i was running downhill at all. just after 1.5 miles my right shin got a knife stabbed in it, i couldn't find the knife but i know it had to be there. finally around 4 miles the pain went away, somehow. then, just before 6 miles, the knife fell out and i stepped on it and it drove up into my left plantar tendon. at 7 miles i could feel a blister starting on my right big toe. at 8 miles i have never felt so relieved to just be able to walk. i know i complain a lot. but that is one reason i run, to see how much pain i can overcome, to see how i can mentally overcome obstacles. when i get to montana and get back in the mountains by myself, it will be a big mental game. here are my times:
1m: 9:40
1.5m: 14:21 (4:41) (severe shin splint)
2m: 19:33 (5:11)
2.5m: 24:26 (4:53)
3m: 29:21 (4:54)
3.5m: 34.22 (5:00)
4m: 39:07 (4:45)
4.5m: 44:10 (5:02) (shin pain gone)
5m: 49:25 (5:15)
5.5m: 54:42 (5:16)
6m: 59:50 (5:07) (ipod dies)
6.5m: 1:05.18 (5:28) (severe foot pain)
7m: 1:10.22 (5:03) (big toe blister)
8m: 1:21.27 (11:05)
i deliberately started out at a slower pace than usual, didn't want to wear myself out, especially with the heat and humidity. i was trying to do the whole thing in 76 minutes, if i could, but decided i would be happy for a pace of 10min/mile or a total of 80 minutes. during the run i decided i would be happy just to finish. i never had the feeling that i would not finish, just some aches and pains here and there. so my pace was a little over 10min/mile. i think on a cooler, less humid day i could do it in 76 min. i did find that it was a good thing that i have not trimmed my mustache in a while, it caught 2 bugs that i normally would have had to swallow!
so now i am at home (almost 2 hours after the run) and i am getting a little stiff, but i feel great otherwise. i had 2 pieces of pizza after i finished the run, usually i would eat 4-5. my first thought was, there goes that 8 miler (but i ate them anyway because i was really hungry).
all during the run i had to keep focused on the saying that i have mentioned before "relentless forward progress." it really kept me moving no matter how bad my shin or foot hurt. crazy what a simple idea in your head can do.
i do want to say congrats to Todd who ran a 7k today despite hurting his ankle.
"Dread of death ends when you know heaven is your true home." this is another quote from Max Lucado's Come Thirsty. and i like this quote because i see so many Christians who either do not realize Heaven is their true home or they do not realize the fullness of heaven. there is a (pop) country song that says "Lord I want to go to heaven...but I don't want to go right now." whoever wrote that song fell under one of those 2 categories. i do not care how much fun or joy you have or are having, it can't compare to the joy of heaven in any aspect, no not one. so, live life to the fullest while you are here, enjoy every moment, serve God with every chance possible. stay here on earth as long as He allows you to be here serving Him. but, optimistically and joyfully await the minute that He takes you to your real home. every year i can't wait for the start of turkey and deer season, and once again this year, the first day i will get to elk hunt. if those things bring me such joy, knowing what Heaven is (as much as He has revealed to me anyway) how much more do i long to be there? I think if non-Christians could see this portrayed in Christian lives it might give them some desire to learn about our God and our true home. but why would they care if we are so caught up in other things. Salvador has a song called "How Far is Heaven." whenever i hear it i get a grin on my face and wonder when am i going home, it brightens my day and gives me hope.
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