No Excuse Nutrition

There is no excuse for me not eating right on this journey. Blessed I am to have the full support of my wife in this endeavor. She doesn't just give nodding approval and assent to not make life difficult for me while I am doing this. Her support is not like some sort of peace treaty or something. No, she actively supports. I am blessed. Additionally, she is a marvelous, creative cook of which I am a regular beneficiary. Sounds like I am bragging: correct. Check out this breakfast she prepared a while back. Egg whites with spinach inside, fruit,cereal with soy milk, raisins and almonds. This happens all the time here; truly blessed and completely without nutritional excuses. Better get on out there and try to deserve the support I have been given.

Keep Moving Forward

This time of year in my part of Texas it is hot and humid. Even early, the humidity soaks and saps you quickly. The pace slows and if I let myself, I began to think this isn't doing any good. Don't believe it. It seems I have climbed back up to that level of mental discipline to just keep moving forward. It isn't about the pace, how far I am going; just keep moving forward. Just keep the legs moving, watch the form, keep moving forward. Makes me remember again the old marathon days and how I survived all those: keep moving forward.

Again, our sport is an analogy for our lives. The heat and humidity of "outrageous fortune" will beset us on our course through this world. "In the world you shall have tribulations." Yes, we may slow and sometimes even seem to stagger, but moving forward, forward with certainty in purpose faith in the finish we will "run the race that is set before us."

It Dawned On Me

Got out at first light for a 7 mile run; beautiful! The haze hung in a blanket cloud over the large hay meadows. Birds were chorusing all along the road as if they were cheering me on. The moon still shone from among the multiple soft colors of dawn and I had all this to myself; I felt great!

Sometimes I think we should move to the city and a more modern lifestyle; a place where I could get with running buddies and have easy access to stuff folks take for granted. Then mornings like this say I am in the right place.

Three deer stopped in the middle of the road and watched me until I got close then they eased on off the road into the woods. I only saw one vehicle on my eight mile run; saw more deer than people. Yes, I know that this has been said so many times throughout this blog but it is so abundantly true it bears repeating: I am truly blessed! Thank you God.

The Pause That Refreshes

Nine days running and no time off from training. It has been a good run of it but I needed some time off. Ever felt like you just want to do something else today?

So I tied on a top-water lure and went down to my pond. In a few minutes I had caught and released 3 nice bass. Strolled back over wooded trails to my woodpile and split logs for about thirty minutes. Then, to the gardens and picked vegetables before coming to the house where I put liquid fertilizer on my lawn. Doing other things felt good, sort of like stopping at an aid station on a marathon. But, I know I can't stay there. Already I have caught myself looking at my bike wondering if I might get in a good ride this afternoon.

Ride of the Fathers

My son asked me what I wanted for Father's Day: a bike ride together. After church, I picked him up. There was good conversation and shared visions, remembrances and joy. Our turnaround was a bridge that we two used to use as a pit stop on our way to the country when we lived in the city. He had been just a small boy, emulating the habits of his father; a fitting Father's Day turnaround.

Now he is a Father, and he and his children are creating those moments and places that will be visited in their futures. There is a certain peaceful connectivity to it all: "The peace that passes all understanding."

Feeling the Freedom

The water on the small lake was packed with people in the swimming area. What to do? Head down swimming right through the melee like a race start. The sounds of squealing children and the muffled tones of adults began to ebb away leaving me with only the sounds of my own swimming. I was free in the open water of the lake. No, lane lines, no turns, just stroke in rhythm; enjoy. Seems I almost went to sleep until I looked up to see I was nearing the other side of the lake. Then turn and swim from one end of the lake to the other and back again, the water all to myself. Something brought me to and I looked at the watch to find I had swam the amount of time I had planned. Heading to the sounds of the swimming area in the distance, I turned and went up and down the lake one more time. Feeling blessed; feeling free.

The Sum of the Parts

How could an event done so poorly end so well? That was my thought on finishing the Kona Eastside sprint triathlon a few weeks back. I felt so blessed in it all when I finished. Perhaps the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts?