I too have a goal in mind

"So often, I too, have a goal in mind, a vision of ministry to fulfill. But You, O God are Sovereign, I am employed for Your service and You maintain the right to alter my plans in whatever way You wish. Keep me alert to Your leading and attuned to Your purposes. Help me to be prepared in season and out of season, ready to do good works which you have prepared in advance for me to do."

I actually read this prayer back in December, but it's been playing in my mind for the past few days. The part that I'm stuck on is "You maintain the right to alter my plans..." I hate to admit it but I get stuck. I want things to go according to my plans...and they never do. As much as I try to control the situation, I'm never in control.

Just like in running, I have to deal with the weather...or the stress of my personal daily schedule, I need to learn to adapt and let each day come as it may. Training for my marathons truly have taught me to be dependent on God...for everything.

Returning from Travels

I hate to admit this but...my age is catching up to me. Once upon a time, I was always able to get back to normal after a length trip, but this time...a different story. I was in the Far East last week visiting and teaching classes in SafeTALK. I'm getting back to running this week, but very slowly. As I learned from the great running coach getting out and running easily will help. So yesterday, I got out and did a short 4 mile run. Today I'm going to try for a quick 2 miles and then on Thursday get out and do 6 miles. Friday off and then Saturday back to my running schedule for the Marine Corp Marathon...with a 2 hour run.

Running should be fun...so keeping things simple and easy is more important than training hard and risking injury and burn-out. So when you have stressful time at work or home...or if you traveling...give yourself a break and get away from you training schedule. When things get back to normal...then go back to the schedule.

Quick Update

My running this past week has been great. But now I'm off on a trip to the Far East...and I know my running will be way down. The thing is I will still try to get out on my running days even if it is just to run for about 10 minutes. We all have weeks where we can't train like we know we should...so the solution is try to do something.

So I'll share more when I return next week.

Grace

Grace is something that I think I know a lot about.  But the truth is I will never fully understand nor appreciate the true depth of what it really means.  Today I experienced it again.  I was busy with my work...trying to take care of the Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers who I see daily.  And I got an email with my evaluation from my commander with his and his commander's comments.  Grace came a knocking on my door.

Grace is a gift that comes not when it is desired or wanted, but when it is needed.  It can be as simple as someone saying to you...you did a good job.  And it can be as dramatic as the calm in the midst of a storm.  That email was the "...you're doing good."  We all want to know that what we are doing is appreciated and valued...and for me today that is what happened.  And it feels good.

But grace is something that I've learn doesn't come without some kind of struggle.  It falls on the soul like a gentle rain...but first there had to be a drought.  It comes as relief from the storms of life, but there has to be the storms.  Grace...it comes...but only after it seems too late.  Grace...it is a marvelous thing.

Grace is when you run your last step of a race...and the peace of God rains down upon your head.

Heat Wave

Okay, I know I was spoiled living in California...but I paid the price by having to spend two summers out of three in Kuwait and Afghanistan...so I deserve a nice summer...but someone left the heater on.  It was crazy hot out there for my run today.  It said 87 on the weather channel but I think it was in the 90s.

So how to deal with the heat and humidity...drink lots of water and Gatorade.  Okay the problem with just water is that if you drink to much you throw your electrolytes out of balance.  The Gatorade or any other drink like that brings your electrolytes back up.

Yea...I have a story about a good friend who I was running the Los Angeles Marathon with back a few years ago.  He had run prior marathons so I wasn't paying attention to him...we had another friend who was running his first and I was coaching him as we ran the course.  Because we were running at a very slow pace, my friend who had run prior marathons was staying well hydrated.  But without my knowledge he was passing up the Gatorade.  Well, when we finished the marathon, he went down because his electrolytes were out of balance.  The condition is called "hypokalemia."


There have been several studies on this.  I first heard about it at the Pittsburgh Marathon back in May of 2001.  They discovered at the end of the 2000 Pittsburgh Marathon a lot of runners who finished in the later part of the race like after 5 hours were going down with heart issues...they discovered it was "hypokalemia."  So remember...drink water but keep your electrolytes in balance by drinking electrolyte replacement drinks.  One more warning...to many electrolyte replacement drink will produce "hypernatremia."  That is also not a good thing...so keep a balance drink both during your work outs.


Remember "Go out easy...have fun...and keep the desire to run."

New Computer

This year has been a pain when it comes to computers for me.  When I got home from Kuwait in August, my home computer crashed because the anti-virus wasn't updated while I was away and a virus took the whole thing down.  Then during the move to Maryland in October, the hard drive ended up damaged from the move and had to get a new hard drive.  Then the DVD when out...and then in  May the motherboard died.  So after using the Dell Computer for 2 years, it was time to replace the beast.  So I made the move to the Apple iMac computer.  I have to say it was because my daughter #2 loved her new Apple and my sister.  So...now I'm an Apple.  So far all I can say is that I'm glad I'm no longer a PC...but ask me that question again in about two years.

So now a quick report on my running.  Its been going great.  I'm building up for the Air Force and Marine Corp Marathons in September and October.  So stay tune...more to come.

Memorial Day

How can I let this day go by without shedding a tear. Last year I was standing on a stage in Camp Buehring, Kuwait leading a Memorial Service for over 3,000. I remember the hundreds, thousands, millions...who have lost their lives in serves to the ideas of freedom. I shared with my wife that it is easier for me to be deployed among those service than sitting here in the comfort of my home. Here I remember the cost...I remember those I've stood besides serving...and I remember their families and their children. Back in 2005, I spent Memorial Day with a one year old whose father earlier that day died in a plane crash in Iraq. I remember them...and I count myself luck...to have walked beside such heroes.