Two Questions

Newton’s Third Law of physics states that “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This, of course, applies to science which in turn means it applies to life.  If a person wants success in life, one first must be willing to put forth the effort to cause a reaction.  Doing so may not always be easy, but with the right motivation it is definitely possible.

So, today at practice I took my team into a classroom and gave them a pen and paper.  Next, I asked them to answer two questions.  First, I asked, “Why do you get out of bed in the morning?”  I instructed them to put some thought into this, considering what might be the drive or motivation to start their day.  The second question I asked them, “What is YOUR definition of success?”

I get out of bed every morning, and more often than not it is to do my first workout of the day.  But, why do I work out?  Because I have athletic goals and other life goals that I believe working out will lead me closer to achieving.  I have been posting my goals since I was in high school.  I believe having a direction is vital.

If I gave two of my athletes a map of a cross country course, I am confident they could find their way around the course even if it is not marked, completing a 5K.  On the other hand, if I told two other athletes to run a 5K on a blank course without a map or GPS, they would have no idea and only by luck would they stand a chance of achieving the goal of knowing where to go.  A goal is a map, a direction to where you are trying to get.  As a coach, I see athletes who succeed and others who do not.  The number of athletes who struggled and did not have success almost always had the necessary talent yet lacked the direction, the focus, or the plan to achieve success.  “Success is the completion of one's goals and is a never ending process where one must continually be setting new goals and moving forward.”  This is what I wrote when I asked myself the second question.

Watch the news for 15 minutes, and there will be a story of rags to riches or vice versa.  In today's society, we are money hungry and consumed by what financial security can bring us.  However, success should not be pinned to a dollar amount, but instead it should mean achieving one's goals.  The fifth grade teacher who stays late to help a student with the basics of math and sees success will be as happy as someone who finishes their first marathon that they set out to do.

After reading through the answers given by my athletes, I was encouraged.  Their responses, of course, reflected that they have individual goals as I had hoped, and that each new day provides new opportunities or is a day closer to reaching their goals.  However, I couldn't help but think how many times it seems that some of my athletes have gotten up and not felt this motivation or drive.  If they would just have these questions answered and then write out clearly defined goals in plain sight, they might be more driven to succeed.  Newton's law might also apply to the force pushing you back into bed.  This is the moment when one has to work up the courage to meet this action with an equal reaction and get going.  So when you are looking to accomplish more you must be willing to put in more effort, as a larger reaction only comes as a result of a larger action. 

As with many of my posts, I challenge you to answer these two fundamental questions and to use your answers as a map to achieve what it is that you have been sent here to achieve.  I am 100% confident that God has put me here and you here as well for a reason.  It's time to stop putting off life and time to strive to achieve success.

1500m of Faith on Cracked Ribs

It's been nearly five years since I last raced a 1500m race.  Even more surprising might be that one of my greatest days was that day.  It was a perfect day on my home track at the conference meet.  Bringing home the conference title and going out on top seemed like the perfect way to cap my collegiate running career.  Since that day, I have raced countless races from a 3K to a marathon, but I have not touched the 1500m.  Why would I?  I had a perfect race and have a perfect memory that would be very hard to beat; however, I recently decided it was time to take the 1500m out of the closet and play with it again.   

Nearly two months ago, one of my athletes suggested running a fast 1500m at TCU as it is an early outdoor meet, and there would be great competition.  At first, I said I would run the 3K if I raced anything, but he convinced me that it would be fun to go fast again.  With that in mind, I went for it and called up the TCU coach two weeks ago.  I asked if I could race unattached this coming Friday in the 1500m and perhaps in the 3K later on in the meet.  After I was granted permission to toe the line with a bunch of college students still in their prime, I was filled with excitement.  What kind of shape am I in, how fast will they go out, and am I too old to run with these guys?  I have always loved the quote that nothing great was ever achieved without excitement, so here I am, excited and ready to see what I can do. 

The day after my phone call to TCU, I had a run in with bad luck and ended up going down in a parking lot cracking three ribs.  Was this a sign that I shouldn't be racing?  Perhaps, but I am too stubborn to call the TCU coach and tell him I need to drop out.  So, with less than two weeks until the race, I decided to ignore the doctor's orders and continued training and pushed through the pain.  It has not been easy as each step jars the ribs with a painful shock.  Lifting is out of the question, and I can't even sleep normal as I am stuck sleeping in a recliner. 

Just to make sure this coming race is even more interesting, I have been seeded with the #1 time.  So, with race day approaching, I am filled with excitement and perhaps fear.  What happens if the pain is too much to handle with the ribs, or what if two weeks of sub par training will leave me bringing up the rear?  These thoughts could keep me awake and stressing every second from now until race time, but that will do me no good.  I must have faith.

My faith is what gets me through.  My finish time is irrelevant to me.  What matters is my effort and the way in which I race.  God has given me the ability to run and run well.  It wouldn't matter what the trial is that lies ahead.  My life is filled with hurdles that must be overcome, but I do not worry because I have my faith.  Worrying is like a rocking chair, it will pass the time, but it won't get you anywhere.  One must fill themselves with faith, faith that God has a plan and that He will not lead you where you are not supposed to be.  I cannot imagine even getting out of bed without faith.  How can someone live without faith?  What is the point of even putting on your shoes?  Without faith you are alone; even surrounded by people you are alone because it is only faith that will lead past this life into something greater.  Friday afternoon when I step to the line, my mind will be filled with faith, faith that God will be with me every stride, and that with all my effort I will run the race he has put in front of me. 

New Year 2014

It's New Year's Day, Day 1, the beginning of a new year, a fresh start, the first day of change.  In the past, I have been guilty of making lofty goals and have written many posts on what I have accomplished and what I want to achieve in the new year.  This year I am in a different mind set.  Last spring I missed 5 months of training and completely had to refocus and realign my goals, but this is how the real world works.  The new year does not ignite a spark any more than next Friday will.  It is all about decisions and sacrifice, resolutions are rarely to do less but to go into the unknown and accomplish more.  So, if today you wrote out a list of five great things you plan to achieve in 2014, I am happy for you.  My question though is how will you react when life says "NO" to what it is you are trying to do? 

In John 6, the masses grew and grew for the people wanted to see and perhaps even have a miracle performed on them.  It was not until Jesus claimed he was the living bread sent from God that the people started to leave and question Him.  When Jesus was healing the blind it was easy to believe, but when it got harder to handle what He was saying, the people left and only twelve remained.  It is simpler and easier to pursue one's goals when everything is going well, when it is early on, and when the fire still burns from that moment they decided to make the change.  But now, the tides have turned, and suddenly it is not so easy, and the world appears to be against you.  This is the point when one needs resolve, the point when one must decide whether to go with the masses and make excuses or dig deeper.  Jesus asked, "You do not want to leave too, do you?" to the twelve.  Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God." These are the words of one who is committed, one who believes.   

In 2014 you may have goals; that is the first step.  The second is your plan for when life throws a wrench into those goals.  Will you be committed as Peter was or will you flee with the masses?

The coach in me wants to help you who want to start something new this year with some advice.  Make your long term goals, but make shorter goals that in turn will lead you to the larger goals.  Also, while choosing these goals think about what these goals mean to you, because chances are there will be a bump in the road that may interfere.  It may not be a 5 month injury, but it may be weather, it may be time, or a multitude of other possibilities.  Think of what might derail you and have a plan for when things don't work out.  If you can write these goals down along with why they mean so much to you as well as your plan if things don't go according to plan, you will be prepared for the worst and have a much more successful 2014.

God has been good to me this year even in the time of injury.  I trust that 2014 will be even better.  I owe so much to my family, friends, and to my sponsors Brooks and Honey Stinger!

Build the Base

When it comes to training, a runner is a lot like a tree.  A tree wishing to grow taller must first grow its roots and its trunk strong before stretching its limbs into the sky. Today marked my first interval workout in over 6 weeks.  It has been six weeks of base training, long runs, and recovery runs with nothing exciting, other than the love of just running.  These weeks may have been boring to me, but they were exactly what I needed.  I had grown as tall as I could with my racing and needed to come back to the roots; I needed to rebuild a stronger base before I could embark on my next journey of serious training and hopefully racing.  Six weeks I rebuilt the body from the ground up to a point where I was strong aerobically and had the general strength under wraps.  Now, it is time to reach into the sky and go for new training, racing, and hopefully glory that I can give to God.

The metaphor of the tree growing its roots stronger in comparison to a runner building his base also applies to another situation.  Go and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28: 19-20.  I read "Follow Me" by David Platt this summer, and it made me think more about making disciples and how important it is.  Then, this fall my friend Janean asked me to join a group of friends in reading "Multiply" by Francis Chan.  Both of these books talk about going out and making disciples, spreading the word, and sharing the love of Christ with others.  The questions that I have asked myself many times are whether I am strong enough to go out and make disciples, do I know enough, and am I ready for such a command.  The answer I found is, "Yes," but it hasn’t always been, "Yes."  I first had to work on my roots, I had to build my strength up before I reached out. 

So here I am, typing with tightness in my legs that burns yet feels truly refreshing.  Only one interval in the books, but I am on my way.  I put in the time to build my roots, and now I am aching to go faster.  With interval training back in the plan, I also must be looking to race.  Hard work without direction is simply pointless so I have narrowed down my plan to 1 or 2 races in early December that could be anywhere from 3K through 13.1.  Depending on how the next week of training goes, I will determine how long or short of a race to aim for. 

Running without direction is the same as discipling without direction.  I can run around until I am blue in the face, screaming of God's love, but that will not lead people to Christ, or at least not in a very effective manner.  When I meet someone who is struggling or does not even have a relationship with Christ, I must have direction.  Letting them know of God's love, patience, and forgiveness is essential, but doing so in an organized fashion will have greater results.  A story out of order will make no sense to my friend who is intrigued by the story of God.  Having a base and having a direction will allow me to be the disciple Christ called me to be, just as having the base and the direction will allow me to be the runner that God has called me to be.   

The seasons are changing, and so are our lives, but God's Love is not changing.  May a change in the season spark a change in you, but for the change to last, for success to come, don't forget to build your base.  

The Relationship

Success as a runner is dependent on many things; however, after reading Miler by Steve Scott, I am reminded that the relationship between a coach and his athlete is vital.  The relationship of a coach to an athlete has my mind buzzing, thinking of what I tell my athletes, and how important it is to trust the coach.  I recently was speaking with a few of my athletes when an analogy came to mind.

 

The conversation was about workouts and what I thought was working and what will continue to work.  I asked my athlete if he had a girlfriend and if she was the most beautiful woman and smartest woman in the world.  He, of course, answered that she was not the most beautiful or the smartest.  Don’t worry!  I am not picking on my athlete's girlfriend; I am simply getting to my point.  I then stated that I am not the smartest or even the most experienced coach in the world, but for some reason he chose to run for me, just like he chose to date his girlfriend.  I followed up with how well would this relationship between you and your girlfriend work if there was not trust.  What if one of them was giving it their all, while the other one simply did what was easy or convenient.  Without trust, commitment, and respect, a relationship between a couple or a coach and an athlete will be doomed to failure.  An athlete who does only half of the workouts according to plan will go nowhere, and if the athlete tries to do the coach's workouts plus extra workouts, he will soon be injured or his times will be slower.  You may not always understand your coach or your significant other, but if you want the relationship to work, you must trust them and go forward even when times are hard.     

When I look at myself, I think of my relationship with Christ.  God gives me a play book, and he gives me pastors and friends for encouragement, a lot like a track team.  It's not always easy to see the big picture, and I quite often end up astray.  This makes me think of how frequently God refers to me and to his followers as sheep.  Growing up in the country, I never wanted anything to do with sheep as they are, in my opinion, the dumbest of all farm animals.  Is this why God refers to us as sheep and Him as a Shepherd?  This actually sounds quite possible, as we are often doing stupid things that we later realize are far from what is best for us.  In no way would I call my athletes dumb farm animals, but they, just like me, sometimes walk away from what is best because they want to get results quicker or even a completely different result.  Sometimes then, God, our Shepherd, must step in and lead us back to what is right, just like a coach leading an athlete back to what is best.

Our society is often driven by a "get rich quick" mentality, and people want success overnight.  However, developing a relationship with Christ and developing as a runner both take time.  Some of the most successful runners have had quite different training plans, but almost all had great coaches who they trusted, and that is the element that is key.  Also, some of the most famous characters in the Bible had to do some crazy things and trust that what God was telling them was going to work.  The relationship of trusting in one another is the backbone of successful coaching and the backbone of faith. 

To sum things up, if you want success, you must trust, you must put forth effort, and you must do your very best every day.  A relationship with a coach, Christ, or even your significant other will never work if you are not both pursuing the same goal in a manner that balances the scales.  Whatever the situation, a successful relationship must be one in which both parties are giving equally, and both are seeking to better the other. 

KWU XC Camp 2013

Two years ago I embarked on a journey to Salina, KS, to become the Head XC and Track Coach.  I honestly had no idea of what to expect.  Looking back, I remember then looking at two individuals who raced that first XC meet with me as their coach in Nebraska, one girl and one guy, standing on a line next to 20 or more teams.  They seemed alone, having only a coach to cheer them on and themselves to trust.  I would have been scared, but I knew there was something special about them; they both knew Christ.  As the season continued and more runners joined our team, we began to build a family.  Last year I took a small but mighty group of runners to Colorado to build and instill the values I wanted to see in them each and every day.  I wanted them to know that hiking Pikes Peak would teach them something about themselves, making them aware of an inner courage and strength they never knew they had. 

This fall there will be 20 distance runners at KWU, walking around the campus and getting an education.  While some may not see this is a large team, I look at it as a huge team.  The numbers have grown, and so have the bonds of family.  After arriving back in Salina yesterday from my 2^nd team camp in Colorado with the XC team, I could not be happier or more excited.  It is already clear that I have some very talented and truly awesome young runners.  The journey that they all began this week will have many ups and down, good times and bad. 

 

 I have no doubt that God has brought me to Salina to be a leader for these young men and women.  Even though some of them may not be religious, I do pray that my faith, love, and caring will be contagious.  God can do amazing things through people, and what better way would there be to reach young men and women fresh out of high school.  The journey is not just for the runners but for me as well, for me to share God's love, to share my passion for running, and to share the love that my amazing parents, coaches, and friends have given me as a runner. 

 I wish the best of luck to each runner who is embarking on their cross country season.  I pray that you will have a coach who cares the way mine did.  In no way will I be a perfect coach, the same way I am not a perfect human being, but I will not give up, and I will trust in the Lord to give me strength and direction.  Good Luck and GO COYOTES!

 

 

My Boulder Peak 2013

Today was my 6^th trip to the Boulder Peak 5i50 Triathlon but more importantly was the first time I had been to Boulder Reservoir since I left in an ambulance last year after the Half Ironman.  After racking my bike and doing a nice warm up run to shake things out, I went to the spot where I had left my wetsuit and goggles.  However, when I returned from the run my new red TYR Nest Pro goggles were stolen.  I had allowed myself 25 minutes to get my wet suit on and do a short swim before the race.  Instead of sticking to plan, I ran to transition to see if I had somehow left them there or if they were in the lost and found.  After every option had been explored, I had to buy a pair from Runners Roost and then ran to the start without even touching the water.  A quick hand shake from Beth O’Brien helped me to relax, but I knew having new goggles could be a problem. 

The men’s elite wave went off very first and I managed a nice 400 meters before the strap loosened, and I was swimming with the lake in my goggles.  I stopped and tried to reposition them but that lasted another 200 meters before I gave up and just swam semi blind.  (NOTE: Stick with TYR goggles because Blue Seventy Goggles are not compatible for me.)  This, of course, killed my swim, as I was constantly correcting my direction and feeling aggravated at the situation I was in.

When I made it out of the water, I couldn’t have been more excited and took off on the bike like I had nothing to lose.  So far back that I had plenty of people to chase down as I went on to my best time on this course.  I averaged over 22 mph and with the Old Stage Road climb in elevation in there, I was pleased.  The last time I raced here I had wrecked and ran into severe dehydration problems on the run so I was sure to drink plenty of my energy drink and water.  This came back to bite me in the run with a nice side stitch, but there was no doubt I was hydrated.    

Racing 2:14.23 on this course is my all time fastest here, and by breaking 2:15, I can race elite for another year.  It's encouraging that under poor circumstances I am getting better and can improve.  With a sub par swim, a decent bike, and a run that was pedestrian compared to what I am capable of without a side stitch, I was disappointed.  My dad was quick to remind me that I didn't end up in the hospital, I did not flat, and I was healthy.  Being healthy is the most exciting thing because the future is bright when one is healthy, and under better conditions I should be able to fly.  It is hard to say where I will be a year from now, but if I can spend a full year training and not spend five months injured, I should be exactly where I need to be.  I have a free entry into the HY-VEE 5i50 USA Championship in September, but due to coaching commitments, I may not be able to race there.  I plan on racing the Grand Prix 10K in Colorado Springs this Saturday and will decide after that.
 
I am so thankful for Jim Halberg and his coaching and cooking, to my parents who drove up to support me, and to all my friends who raced today.   It's so easy to get down when things don’t go the way we planned.  I don’t like to think that it's bad luck, but instead, it is God teaching me patience, trust, and finding new ways to remind me how dependent I am on Him for strength.  I may not have had my goggles, or swam the way I had wanted, but in the grand scheme of things, I would say I am very lucky.  God is Good.      

2:14.23 (S28:42, T1:52, B1:05.05, T:44, R:38)