Thursday, October 22, 2009
Up and Running Again
Well, I am almost done moving into my new home. Still have a few more boxes to get unpacked and then finish setting up the house...but I'm taking a break for the moving this weekend to run the Marine Corp Marathon. This will be my seventh time running in the event...and it is one of my favorites. If you have never run a marathon before...this is the one you want. The support throughout the course is the best and the crowds along the road are wonderful. You can't go wrong making this your first marathon. Well back to the boxes. More later.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Easy Day
Today is going to be an easy day as I finish preparing for the Marine Corp Marathon. I love easy days. Here in the Washington-Baltimore area the leaves are now changing colors and that adds to the beauty of the runs. I'm not a fan of treadmill running...as you may have guessed from my previous postings. There is something about getting out there in the cold and rain that makes you feel alive. So I'm headed out for a nice easy run of a few miles and I'm going to enjoy the fresh fall air and if I get a few rain drops on my head...so much the better.
Friday, October 9, 2009
New Location
I arrived at Fort George G. Meade yesterday evening, and today started the task of trying to settle my family into a new home and community. With this move coming at the end of my 6 month deployment to Kuwait my stress level has been through the roof. During the hours of driving cross country, I heard several individuals on talk radio describe the ideal life as one that is stress free. I also saw a sign outside a church proclaiming that wonderful idea that "I'm too blessed to be stressed." In our culture, we see stress as something to be avoided at all cost. And I have a hard time getting my head around that concept.
Stress is without doubt a killer if we have too much in our life. Only a couple of years ago, only a week before moving to Florida, I ended up in the hospital with ulcers. In retrospect stress had a lot to do with my condition. I was busy working on my Doctorate degree and in the middle of a massive project, and moving to another side of the country. But also in retrospect I have to admit that I was not taking care of myself. I was up to two and three in the morning and getting about 3 to 5 hours of sleep a night. My running...was...what...totally missing...and I ate poorly and on an irregularly pattern. But the key was that I was not managing and controlling my stress. Stress will do that to us, and we need to learn to manage that stress.
I once heard someone say that stress is that which helps us grow. Without stress we can’t grow. If you want to do something…or accomplish something, you will have to deal with your stress. Stress is the byproduct of living life.
Running is a stressor. You put on your running shoes and head outside, and you stress your body. Your heart rate rises, you spend calories. You cause wear and tear on your body…that is stress. But and I can’t figure this out…it also is a stress reducer. Running allows you to focus stress of things you can’t control into something to you can control. After a good mile or two run, you feel more in control and your stress level is reduced.
These individuals proclaiming a perfect life with no stress are kidding themselves and everyone listening to them. What we need to do is work on managing the stress. I’m not going to miss lead you…but if you are being blessed by God…you are going to be stressed…or you’re going to be dead and in heaven, and in that case stress isn't a player. So I’ve been managing my moving stress, with running and it has worked perfectly. So if you feel stressed out…then get out and run…it will actually help you cope better with the stress you can’t control.
Stress is without doubt a killer if we have too much in our life. Only a couple of years ago, only a week before moving to Florida, I ended up in the hospital with ulcers. In retrospect stress had a lot to do with my condition. I was busy working on my Doctorate degree and in the middle of a massive project, and moving to another side of the country. But also in retrospect I have to admit that I was not taking care of myself. I was up to two and three in the morning and getting about 3 to 5 hours of sleep a night. My running...was...what...totally missing...and I ate poorly and on an irregularly pattern. But the key was that I was not managing and controlling my stress. Stress will do that to us, and we need to learn to manage that stress.
I once heard someone say that stress is that which helps us grow. Without stress we can’t grow. If you want to do something…or accomplish something, you will have to deal with your stress. Stress is the byproduct of living life.
Running is a stressor. You put on your running shoes and head outside, and you stress your body. Your heart rate rises, you spend calories. You cause wear and tear on your body…that is stress. But and I can’t figure this out…it also is a stress reducer. Running allows you to focus stress of things you can’t control into something to you can control. After a good mile or two run, you feel more in control and your stress level is reduced.
These individuals proclaiming a perfect life with no stress are kidding themselves and everyone listening to them. What we need to do is work on managing the stress. I’m not going to miss lead you…but if you are being blessed by God…you are going to be stressed…or you’re going to be dead and in heaven, and in that case stress isn't a player. So I’ve been managing my moving stress, with running and it has worked perfectly. So if you feel stressed out…then get out and run…it will actually help you cope better with the stress you can’t control.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Sunset
I remember as a child my mom always saying, "Red sky at night sailors delight, red sky at morning sailors take warning." As I ran along the clifts over looking the Pacific at sunset...and of course it was a red sky. I can only guess it was the relief of having the packers out of the house and getting to the last part of the move...tomorrow we load the truck...but I had a real sense of relief. Or was it because the sunset was just beautiful. Anyway my mental stress was gone. As I ran along the cliff, I remembered my mom's old saying...and yea..."Red sky at night..." Good things are coming. We just need to keep putting one step in front of the next.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Moving Day
I feel I'm repeating myself, but I have found it difficult to keep this blog updated. I'm currently preparing to move from the West Coast to the East Coast in the next few weeks. In fact the packers are here right now packing boxes around me, as I grab a quick lunch.
Yesterday, I got out for a great run at sunset. The temperature was cool and the breeze off the Pacific was almost cold... I have found that in the midst of all the stress in my life, a run like that along a wooded path, or along the coast restores my spirit. In the next few days...I'll be tied up with the packers and then moving the whole of my life holdings onto a truck for the 2000+ mile move to Maryland. My own trek across country includes a stop in Yellowstone National Park and Mt Rushmore. So hopefully I can add a few interesting pictures to the blog next week. Well, take care and I'll write more after the packers are done.
Yesterday, I got out for a great run at sunset. The temperature was cool and the breeze off the Pacific was almost cold... I have found that in the midst of all the stress in my life, a run like that along a wooded path, or along the coast restores my spirit. In the next few days...I'll be tied up with the packers and then moving the whole of my life holdings onto a truck for the 2000+ mile move to Maryland. My own trek across country includes a stop in Yellowstone National Park and Mt Rushmore. So hopefully I can add a few interesting pictures to the blog next week. Well, take care and I'll write more after the packers are done.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A New Normal
This past week has been one of adjusting back to life in the States and with my family. My running, when I've been out has been great, but with all the little things going on around my life it’s been difficult to get them in. Part of that is because my youngest daughter (Daughter #3) is off in college. I missed her graduation from High School and the great trip to take her to college. So I'm trying to discover a new normal around the house with just my wife and son. It is vastly different then I imagined.
I think I'm getting to the point in my life that normal means things change...and I have to get to the point that it’s okay for things to change. I'm a planner by nature. I plan everything in my life, even my home-coming from Kuwait...but as others have pointed out...life is what happens while you are making plans. So change is a constant...my goal is to learn to ride out the changes and learn to adapt as quickly as I can to this new norm...while it last. And if all else fails...I can go get a run in.
I think I'm getting to the point in my life that normal means things change...and I have to get to the point that it’s okay for things to change. I'm a planner by nature. I plan everything in my life, even my home-coming from Kuwait...but as others have pointed out...life is what happens while you are making plans. So change is a constant...my goal is to learn to ride out the changes and learn to adapt as quickly as I can to this new norm...while it last. And if all else fails...I can go get a run in.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Back to the Fires
I have to be honest...running with camels isn't fun at all. They are always stopping to scratch themselves on the street signs. Here is one of my running buddies...scratching himself on the post...I just ran off and left him.
Well, I'm home now. Back to southern California and our wild fires. We have a fire right here in Palos Verdes today, so I had to alter my course, but still got a nice 7 mile run in this afternoon. Also the weather here is so much nicer then what I had to deal with in Kuwait. So I'm not going to complain about anything.
This past 6 months I was working with the US Army at Camp Buehring in Kuwait as the senior ranking chaplain. Being an Air Force Chaplain embedded with the Army had some very interesting twist to getting the job done, but in the end it was and always has been the same job...taking care of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. I had the chance to meet and work with incredible people and we as a nation should be very proud of our service men and women. Also this was the first time I worked with our National Guard. I had the pleasure of working with units from Oklahoma, Alabama, Minnesota, and Wyoming National Guard. Their professionalism and heart to serve was second to none. My prayers are with them daily as they go about their duties and responsibilities.
My goal for this year was to run 12 marathons in 12 months…so that one when down the drain really fast. Before I deployed to Kuwait, I twisted my left knee during the Surf City Marathon which caused me to drop out at the 18 mile point…then the following Friday I re-injured the same knee running my Air Force Fitness test. I then flew to Kuwait the following week. So I arrived in Kuwait with a bum knee and feeling very out of shape despite having just finished 7 marathons in the past year. I set two goals for myself. The first was to lose 30 pounds in my 6 month deployment and the second was to prepare myself for a marathon on my return from Kuwait.
One of the advantages of being deployed is that the food is the same day after day. Selecting low fat diet really wasn’t hard…staying away from the Ice Cream was…. So over the 180 day, I went from about 194 to 163. Talk about the difference the weight makes…I feel so much better losing that weight.
My second goal was to run a Marathon…well I’m signed up to run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington in October. This year I’ll be running the race with my oldest daughter who lives in the DC area. It will be her first marathon and I’m looking forward to enjoying the adventure of running around DC with her. Another side note to this is the fact that I’m moving to DC as well at the end of September. I have an assignment working there starting in October. I will miss California and Los Angeles, but this move gets us closer to family back east…so it is a good move for us at this time in life.
Who knows since I’m back east there, I may even try to do the JFK 50 miler in November.
Well, I'm home now. Back to southern California and our wild fires. We have a fire right here in Palos Verdes today, so I had to alter my course, but still got a nice 7 mile run in this afternoon. Also the weather here is so much nicer then what I had to deal with in Kuwait. So I'm not going to complain about anything.
This past 6 months I was working with the US Army at Camp Buehring in Kuwait as the senior ranking chaplain. Being an Air Force Chaplain embedded with the Army had some very interesting twist to getting the job done, but in the end it was and always has been the same job...taking care of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. I had the chance to meet and work with incredible people and we as a nation should be very proud of our service men and women. Also this was the first time I worked with our National Guard. I had the pleasure of working with units from Oklahoma, Alabama, Minnesota, and Wyoming National Guard. Their professionalism and heart to serve was second to none. My prayers are with them daily as they go about their duties and responsibilities.
My goal for this year was to run 12 marathons in 12 months…so that one when down the drain really fast. Before I deployed to Kuwait, I twisted my left knee during the Surf City Marathon which caused me to drop out at the 18 mile point…then the following Friday I re-injured the same knee running my Air Force Fitness test. I then flew to Kuwait the following week. So I arrived in Kuwait with a bum knee and feeling very out of shape despite having just finished 7 marathons in the past year. I set two goals for myself. The first was to lose 30 pounds in my 6 month deployment and the second was to prepare myself for a marathon on my return from Kuwait.
One of the advantages of being deployed is that the food is the same day after day. Selecting low fat diet really wasn’t hard…staying away from the Ice Cream was…. So over the 180 day, I went from about 194 to 163. Talk about the difference the weight makes…I feel so much better losing that weight.
My second goal was to run a Marathon…well I’m signed up to run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington in October. This year I’ll be running the race with my oldest daughter who lives in the DC area. It will be her first marathon and I’m looking forward to enjoying the adventure of running around DC with her. Another side note to this is the fact that I’m moving to DC as well at the end of September. I have an assignment working there starting in October. I will miss California and Los Angeles, but this move gets us closer to family back east…so it is a good move for us at this time in life.
Who knows since I’m back east there, I may even try to do the JFK 50 miler in November.
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