Running With Ike

This was taken by the International Space Station and is credited to NASA.

We knew it was coming. For days I’d been watching the weather forecast and it wasn’t getting any better - one day of precipitation sandwiched in between 10 days of mild temperatures and “abundant sunshine”. That one day’s weather prediction went from “showers” to “rain” to “HEAVY wind, rain”. Hurricane Ike was about to slam the Texas coast and then head straight for Missouri.

Was I still game to run the Lewis & Clark Half Marathon? You bet! With the magic word “lightning” missing from the weather forecast I was in the hunt and undeterred. I’d been through similar conditions at the Evergreen Triathlon in July where the rain came down so hard I couldn’t look straight ahead while on the bike segment of the race. I remember my “transition towel” consisted of a little plastic grocery bag that acted as a mud-shield for my shoes, race belt, and ball cap. Why bother with anything else? I was soaked within seconds of getting on the bike.

Sunday morning we woke up at 4:15am and I looked online at the National Weather Service’s radar. After plowing through Galveston Island in Texas, Hurricane Ike had overnight roared up the Mississippi Valley and was blanketing the entire state of Missouri. It was actually smaller than it had been when making landfall on the Texas coast, but still unbelievable. I had trouble imagining a storm system over 250 miles wide; when it reached Texas, Ike was estimated to be anywhere from 600-900 miles across!

We arrived at the race site at 5:45am, a full hour before the Start, and cars were already backed up to both main entrances in the parking lot. The rain was coming down in torrents and after parking we just sat in the car and stared straight ahead - me longing for (more) coffee and Steve possibly wondering what he was smoking when he agreed (enthusiastically) to accompany us to the Start before heading off to church later that morning. The good news was that we had prepared with the right gear both before and after the race – Gore-Tex rules :).

Finally we got out of the car and within seconds were drenched and sloshing through standing water. He wore a poncho, and I had on Gore-Tex pants and jacket, and also brought a post-race change of clothes stuffed in a plastic bag. We met Patrick and Kristin at the bag drop tent and just stood there under the umbrella…waiting. I thought (for about 2 seconds) about warming up but laughed it off – sheets of rain were blowing sideways and winds were gusting at 50mph. There would be no Personal Records set today, but at least we would all have a great “Running With Ike” story :).

6:45 neared and Steve headed home while the three of us sloshed our way to the Start. There were pace corrals (flags with per-mile-pace times) to help us get organized according to running speed. Patrick and I stood in the 9:00 corral and Kristin moved up to the Supersonic corral :). It was a sea of plastic – all of us wearing trashbags with holes punched in them to conserve body heat while standing around.

They delayed the Start nearly 30 minutes and we were all shivering and grumbling, wondering if the officials were debating canceling the event altogether. We would later find out the reason for the delay was that the police were not in place yet on the course because they were still dealing with numerous traffic accidents due to the weather.

The gun finally fired and we were off. All things being equal I felt pretty good. Patrick and I had agreed to run together and not talk – during a race the heart rate is so jacked up, one needs every bit of oxygen shuttled to working muscles and talking interferes with that process.

The first 6 miles were insane, but I was surprised how quickly the mile markers came. My mind was busy dealing with extremely adversarial circumstances but they were external and it made it easier to deal with fatigue and discomfort. A pathway opened in my head and I could clearly focus on running steady, holding back just a little in the first half so I could build and pour it on in the last 5K.

It worked for 8 miles and then Patrick said “hey, we were supposed to turn right here, but we turned left…” Sure enough, the course was shortened to 10 miles for everyone, including the marathoners – a disappointment for all. The south side of the course was flooded and entire trees had fallen onto the street. I applauded the wisdom of the officials to hold a challenging event but still take safety very seriously.

I crossed the Finish line still quite strong despite the weather and was very pleased. We were bussed back to the parking lot where modesty was momentarily ancient history and hundreds of athletes were changing into dry clothes.

Patrick drove me home where I promptly discovered we had no power. I let myself in the front door and realized it was Decision Time. I was already late for church but not too late. Would I give the same importance to serving God and others as I did to my fitness pursuits that morning when I woke up at 4:15am to slog my way through a 10-mile road race?

I showered in the near-dark, drank a tall glass of chocolate milk and stashed some more vittles, manually raised the garage door, and carefully backed the Jeep out. 5 minutes later I arrived at church to discover they had no power either! 300 congregants were in the lobby area of the auditorium we use – Steve and his team had scrambled to find chairs anywhere they could and it was still Standing Room Only. Turns out we had a lot of visitors from other churches who canceled services due to power outages.

I was so glad – glad to have run in the driving rain and finished strong anyway, to have made the effort to see our friends and help other folks on their spiritual journey (our church is called The Journey for that reason), glad to see Steve’s face as I came in the door.

By 1:00pm Ike was outta here, and we spent a relaxing afternoon reading and playing – how old are we again? :)

Kristin and I before the Start - check out our fashionista bags and Patrick's umbrella!!

Double Deux Deux

I turn 44 today (Sept 15th) :). The title for this post was inspired by a friend and coworker who sent me the Italian version of “Double 2 2” which I simply translated into French as “Double Deux Deux”. The fact it sounds like the familiar euphemism “do-do” (at least in American English) isn’t lost on me either, hee hee :).

Like the popular phrase “It seems just like yesterday I…” shared by so many, I must admit I am not immune to this sentiment either. It does seem very recent that I officially became “middle-aged”, though I’ve also heard the phrase 40 is the new 30, and I can’t say I disagree.

That being said, I’ve spent some time in personal reflection and have come to understand there are dueling forces at work in my mind. On one side of the fence is the acceptance of the process of aging (death and taxes, right? :)) and the inevitable consequences that come along with it. The other is the realization I’ve been given the beautiful gift of health and my unmitigated fitness pursuits have yet to reach their peak. All that to say I may be getting older but I’m still getting faster :).

So I’ve compiled two lists (Steve would be proud – he’s the Uber Master of Lists) that represent each side of the aforementioned fence. Here they are.

List 1: Inevitable Signs of Aging I’ve Noticed in the Last Year:

1. I have more gray hair, way more than last year, way more than Steve and he’s pushing 50! At first I noticed only one, but I’ve given up trying to count.

2. The ability to read anything in smaller than 8pt print is gone. I officially need magnifying glasses to read smaller stuff. In addition, I need more light to clearly see print of any size. It’s not that I can’t read in reduced lighting, I have just noticed the print seems to come to life when I apply more illumination.

3. One night I realized I couldn’t clearly see my bowl of chocolate ice cream I was cradling in my hands while watching CSI. Yikes!! If I held the bowl about a foot away all was crystal clear (but who wants heavenly elixir moving in the opposite direction?? :)). I’m still nearsighted but anything in close range (within a foot) is blurry and now needs magnification.

4. I need more time to recover from hard training days. Dara Torres (41 year old Olympic swimmer) expressed the same sentiment during this summer’s events. She may be as fast as the young studs, but as the body ages it needs more time to recover from hard efforts. I’m not supersonic by any stretch, but I’ve come to realize I can’t bounce back unaffected like I could in my 20s.

5. I have a greater sense of urgency (and not when going to the bathroom :)) for my family, friends, and everyone who comes into my path to receive meaningful and accurate information about God and who He really is in a sensitive, compassionate, and real way, when/if the timing is right.

6. I have a deep peace that I don’t need to financially plan for 70+ years any longer; 40-50 will do it!

7. I have more hair on my face! The first subtle yet visible sign of shifting hormone levels has left its imprint in the form of fine peach fuzz above my lip and along my jaw line. I’m still “safe” though – Steve can grow a full beard in about an hour! :)

8. I’m a “cheap date” when it comes to alcohol – one beer and it’s over!

9. I’ve started opting in for more sleep in the mornings and at times delaying workouts to midday or late afternoons. It’s harder to get going at 5:00am, though I still enjoy a long swim in the pre-dawn hours :).

List 2: Aging’s Alter Ego (aka “I’ll Go Down Fighting! :))

1. One year ago exactly today, on my 43rd birthday, I trained for and completed my first (but not last) Ironman triathlon. I wrote a story about my race experience and it became the catalyst for this blog :). To this day I still hear from folks who have been touched or inspired by that first post now over a year ago. Awesome!

2. I got my first (quite possibly my last – man it hurt BAD) tattoo – the red M-Dot Ironman symbol is permanently etched above my right ankle, not so much as a public symbol of my achievement but more as a reminder to me that I actually finished the race.

3. My desire to love God with all my heart and to know Him more than ever is off the charts this year. Along with it has come a deeper longing for heaven and a certainty that this is not my permanent home. Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE my life and everything about it, good and bad. However, it would be a terrible gamble to think this is all there is – and be wrong about it in the end. The very idea of God is worth investigating; He promises those who seek Him with all their heart (as in an open heart) will find Him.

4. Steve and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary tomorrow. This year more than ever I have been deeply grateful for every day we have together. He is my best friend, the buddy I never had as a kid, and there is nothing we don’t share. We are completely open and vulnerable to each other, and I treasure being known by another, warts and all.

5. I play more, as in kid kinda play. I ran a race last Sunday and in the goodie bag along with my race number was a mini Frisbee – cool! Tonight after dinner I picked up the Frisbee and said to Steve Hey, it’s my birthday – I wanna PLAY :). So we threw the Frisbee around – inside the house – around corners – in slippers – on hardwood floors! What a blast. Thank goodness we’re empty-nesters; we are a terrible example for kids at times :).

6. I have trouble comprehending that I was already in college when many of the folks we interact with in everyday living were born. It’s not that I think of 20-somethings as being “so young”; it’s that I have trouble believing I am “that old” :).

7. My fire for living life to its fullest hasn’t waned at all. In fact it’s only grown and I’m constantly thinking of how I can make the best use of the most valuable commodity I have – TIME. How can I invest whatever precious hours I have left in this lifetime and use the gifts I have been given to better the lives of those around me?

8. I boldly take on more risks and challenges – I have absolutely nothing to lose except the later regret for passing on the opportunity :). A recent survey taken of senior citizens produced the following answer to the question “If you had a chance to change something in your life, what would it be?” Answer: I would’ve taken more risks. I want nothing left when I pass from this life. I want to meet God someday completely emptied out, having given it all away – my time, talents, finances, possessions, even my body.

Quotable Quotes

I was out running the other day (what else!) and one of the following quotes (can’t remember which!) came to mind…another followed, and then another. I decided to compile and share a list of some of my favorites. Some are profoundly thought provoking, others are downright funny – especially the ones by Steve :).

Enjoy!


“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. That’s what makes it great.” – Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own

“You run like a GIRL!” – Steve Aubrecht

“You can’t coach desire.” – Jennifer Harrison

“A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” – Abigail Van Buren

“Prayer is what you would’ve asked for had you seen everything God sees.” – Tim Keller

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” – Steve Prefontaine

“You can’t fake the distance.” – Jerome Harrison

“You don’t see no hearses with luggage racks.” – Don Henley

“That’s gonna leave a mark.” – Chris Farley in Tommy Boy

“The Prime Minister of Sweden visited Washington today and my tiny little nipples went to France…I do da cha-cha like a sissy girl…” – Steve Carrell in Bruce Almighty

“We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like.” – Anonymous

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” – God

“Shut your pie-hole woman!” – Steve Aubrecht

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

“Everyone has the desire to win, but only champions have the desire to prepare.” – Anonymous

“HTFU!!” – Jennifer Harrison

“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Self-righteousness is the last idol that is rooted from the heart” before becoming a Christian. – George Whitfield

“In a week, I train the same or less than the average person spends watching TV.” – Catherine Button

“I know God created me for a purpose, but He also made me fast; and when I run I feel His pleasure.” – Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire

The Sovereignty of the Track

I finished my last A-race of the season two Sundays ago, the Timberman 70.3 Ironman, and it was truly a blast. The course was not easy (they never are). Jen’s adorable hubby Jerome summed it up best when he said “You can’t fake the distance.” He is so right. The half-Iron distance of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run will cut you wide open and reveal the stuff inside; everyone is susceptible – age-grouper, elite, or pro.

I may be finished with triathlons for the remainder of 2008, but the season is far from over. I’m registered for a ½ marathon in a couple weeks and in the hunt for a new Personal Record. I’m in the best shape of my near-44 years, including the time I played fast-pitch softball for 12 years in school. Though playing ball taught me nothing about elementary skills in each of the three triathlon disciplines such as balance in the water, proper pedaling skills on the bike, or the “falling-forward” motion needed in running to maximize momentum (all of which are second nature now), it did teach me incredible hand-eye coordination (some girls could hit the ball really hard and line drives would fly at 100+mph to me at shortstop – either I learned to react or I would lose an eye) and a willingness to take on challenges. This last trait has been key to moving forward in this awesome sport of triathlon that I’ve grown to love (or it’s a bad addiction and I’m up that Egyptian river called Da Nile…:)).

So now it’s back to core work with weights and the track. I did my first strength session this past Monday and my legs were still “talking” to me 3 days later. Thursday I also had a track workout with five 1-mile intervals, bracketed by 2 miles each warm-up and cooldown – a total of 9 miles of running -- with legs that are 11 days post-Timberman, still pissed off from Monday’s strength session, and even more furious from Tuesday’s visit to Babler Park where I climbed 15 lungbusting hills with Kristin in the early pre-dawn hours.

It was 70F and 90% humidity when I headed to the track at 5:45am. My legs were saying What the…??? Are you insane?? Have you forgotten how you’re hobbling down the stairs to your office?? :)

But my mind was into it…maybe I am insane…

I had just enough in the tank for the workout and it wasn’t easy, but I got ‘er done and trotted home.

I ran with no iPod, which is a habit I’ve begun in the last couple months. I am amazed at how much material my mind has during a workout, not the least of which is to FOCUS on the purpose of the session and how I’m doing.

Other thoughts came to me as well, and I realized that while I’m in an extremely uncomfortable state when training like this, it’s not the first time I’ve felt this way and lived to tell about it. It occurred to me suddenly that the track and God have a LOT in common, such as the following:

• The track never lies – neither does God. It’s one thing He’s incapable of.


• You don’t want to go to the track, but you know you must if you want to improve. Having a relationship with God is the best (and only) way to live as a professing Christian.


• Going to the track sometimes involves pain. Going before the Almighty in honest and open prayer is sometimes painful.
  


• There is no end to the track itself – it’s a perfect oval. There is no end (or beginning) to God. He has been around since before the beginning of time as we know it.
  


• The track requires preparation before stepping on its hallowed (and rubberized) surface. It’s a good idea to prepare your heart prior to going before the majesty of the Almighty’s throne. Whatever you believe about the authenticity of the Bible, none of the people who personally encountered God in history came away unchanged.
  


• The track doesn’t care about your accomplishments, your looks, your job, your possessions, or the latest trends. Neither does God; what he cares about deeply is your heart.
  


• The track reveals who you really are. Going before God produces the same result. He knows everything about us (he made us remember?); there is no “faking it” with Him. Could this be why we run from Him sometimes?
  


• Believe it or not, the track is there for our good (did I just say that? :)). Though it seems a blatant incongruity, God’s heart toward His children is for their good – always. I don’t write this flippantly. Right now members of our family as well as several close friends are in terrible pain, and God’s goodness is hard to see through the curtain of grief. Steve and I have experienced a fair share of anguish in our own lives, and we have also experienced the healing hand of God leading us through dark valleys of sorrow. We pray for God's comfort and strength to bear them up during these hurting times.
  


• There is a definite end to the track workout. There is a definite end to our lives (though not to us) and it is at this end we meet our Maker.
  


• Coming away from the track can leave you drained but gratified and joyful with your accomplishment. Coming away from the presence of God can (and does) leave you with joyful gratitude about your life and what your purpose really is :).