Go Run

Looking for inspiration? I hear my friends and athletes talking about it, and read about it all the time. Why am I not looking for it? How do I just get up and want to punish my body, not just once in the morning, but most days twice? The answer is that I obviously have a screw loose somewhere. Whether that’s the case or not, there needs to be a purpose to run, to bike, or to do whatever it is you have a desire to accomplish.
Let’s start there, a PURPOSE! When it comes to working out, it is much easier if you have a goal to shoot for. Personally, I start by picking a race. After I find the next BIG race to shoot for, I work back with my workouts to where I am now. It is a lot easier to work backwards than forwards because you need to know what it will take to accomplish that goal with a certain level of fitness and then work back ,doing your best to get there in a logical manner. So, find a 5k, 10k, or maybe just a fitness goal, such as running for an hour without stopping. Now that you have that set down, devise a plan of how you hope to accomplish that goal. If you need ideas on workouts or want ideas what I believe would be necessary, feel free to contact me, and I would love to see what I can do to help. Once there is a purpose, working out gets easier because you know that to achieve your goal, you need to get off your rear end and get to it!
What? You have a goal and you still are lacking motivation? Very common, especially in college runners. They know that there is a big meet or competition coming, yet they spend their runs focusing on anything but that fact. To these runners, I would say, “Why are you a part of this team? Why do you even put yourself through this if you do not care?”
It is easy to get into a rut in life, in training, in faith, or in any relationship. So, how did you change from being a highly driven athlete to someone who is debating giving it up? Most likely it is an external factor. For me, when a day comes that I don’t want to train, I look to my Faith. Yes, my Faith. I love running, but I have truly started to enjoy running now that I am running to glorify God. My belief is that God gave me this body to use, just as he gave me the Bible. When I see a Bible that is almost destroyed from being used so much, I smile, as I know that the owner of the Bible is actively learning more about God. As with the Bible, I want to use my body the same way. “Destroyed” may be the wrong word, but I want to use everything God gave me.
I have only achieved such a feeling after certain runs or races. I do not want to end up at the pearly gates and say I spent half my life in bed or on a couch playing video games. I want to say I used every bit of talent and strength possible. Genetically, I will never be able to be the very best athlete, but I intend to become the very best athlete that I can be. So, if you are looking for motivation, turn to God. Look at what he has given you, and use whatever talent you have to glorify him. If your goal is to glorify him, I believe you will find your way out of bed and into a great workout.
I have heard it many times and have seen the strength of having support from friends, teammates, family, and God. There is a good chance all of those will be there on that big day for which you are training, but on those morning workouts, the late night abs, you will most likely be chilling with God. Do not underestimate him. His strength can be your strength. Trust in him, and know he believes in you. So, good luck with whatever your goal may be. May you find inspiration in these words, but truly through the words of the Lord.

West Palm Beach Half Marathon

Florida!! The trip began by flying out Thursday night and getting in very late, I still had a very hard time sleeping despite getting in late. It was exciting to be in Florida! This Half Marathon trip worked out great for me and the team. I was able to travel to West Palm Beach with 19 of my cross country runners. Friday, we started out by volunteering at Feeding South Florida where we sorted food and other goods in an attempt to give back to the community. The afternoon was awesome as we spent it at the beach, body surfing and playing in the sand. Saturday was spent at Peanut Island in West Palm Beach where we snorkeled and swam with some really cool fish. When the team took to the beach, I took to the back seat of the van in an attempt to sleep off my late Friday night that I spent out with friends enjoying the night life of Florida.

Sunday morning came quickly, and I was able to warm up with Justin Hill and Chris Scheideman. The first mile I went out and was neck and neck with the defending champion as we rolled through 5:27 at the mile. We ran together for five miles until he did a small fartlek, trying to break me. I slowly tried to close the gap that he had made over the next four miles, but at mile eight he officially broke me. He had found a way to pull away, running negative splits, and put a good gap on me by mile 9. To be honest, I was almost glad to see him leave,as I was flat out sick of running behind that stupid convertible with a running clock attached to it. Having motorcycles on each side of me also started to get old. Little did I know, things were about to get even more annoying. The last three miles was hard mentally, as the cyclist who was leading me had her radio on as they read off the time difference every few minutes between the top three men.
The temperature was perfect and so was running along beside the ocean, as it was in the mid 50’s to low 60’s throughout the race. As I crossed the line, I was not really happy with at 1:13.44 but realized I had run a very competitive race. Considering my activities Friday night, I was very pleased.
My T6s supplied by Brooks felt great and truly helped me stay light on my feet, especially late in the race. Finishing behind me was Chris, a junior at Baker University. It was really exciting to see him finish in the top 3. Also, finishing 3rd on the women's side overall was Megan Rosa who qualified for NAIA nationals by six minutes, destroying the A standard. During post race interviews, I did my best to express just how proud I was of all the runners from Baker and gave thanks to God, leaving my name out of it.
Although I will not be in West Palm Beach to watch the television coverage, I am still really excited about the team and my efforts. This race officially closes my 2010 racing season, and I am looking forward to 2011 when I hope to set new PR’s. Thanks to everyone who supports me.

Pain

Pain is essential to growing both physically and emotionally. Just three months ago I was finishing my first Ironman. With 138.3 miles finished, I had to stop. I had to lie down on the ground. People quickly rushed to my aid to make sure I was ok. I held onto that pain; it was that pain that kept me awake, that kept me from fully passing out. I think back to all the nights when I came home after a long day, and the last thing that sounded like fun was going to run or workout. It is easy to avoid pain. It is not easy to attack it, to allow it in, and to love what it gives you. It gives me strength. When I endure pain, I know I can endure more the next time around. The harder I can push today's workout, the more I will get out of it one month from now.

We all love success, but it is not the time that you put in, to get success, it is the amount of pain you are willing to put yourself through in that time. Without pain, nothing changes. With less than one week until my half marathon in Florida, I feel I have endured enough pain to put myself through the finish line in a time that will please me, glorify God, and reflect the hard work that has been done.
Recently my relationship with my girlfriend ended. I know from this past summer that I can train very well when I am angry, and I am spending a lot of time trying to better understand God's will. To give him thanks and realize his plan is working whether I understand it or not. Anger can be a tool that leads to good workouts, but it will not lead to a race that will glorify God. I must harness the anger, disappointment, and stress to better allow myself to race. For me to race well, I must be relaxed and not emotional. Being a bit excited or having adrenaline is fine, but I cannot let it get the best of me. A half marathon is relatively short compared to my normal races, but it is just long enough for too quick of a start to destroy the whole race or running a stupid mile.
I must take advantage of all the pain and punishment that I have put my body through in order to race the way I am capable of. I never want to shy away from pain because the path of least resistance is a path I want to be nowhere near. Anything worth keeping, saving, cherishing, comes from hard work. Anyone can give up and avoid pain. It takes a strong person, both physically and emotionally strong, to achieve greatness.

Having Some Fun

Yesterday was the Mid-States Classic, a meet made up of NAIA schools from Oklahoma to Nebraska, and Kansas to Missouri. I had planned to just be coaching at this meet, but the week leading up to this meet I was feeling hungry to race, to feel competitive, to see where my fitness was. I had not decided if I was going to run until that morning. I came prepared with my spikes and jersey, but it wasn’t until I walked up to check in Baker University and saw an old friend Jazz that I really decided to run. I had seen him run under 26 at OSU, and he encouraged me to have some fun in the race with him. It was then that I decided, "Why not?" Even though my training was far from 8k cross country style training and the week had not been a good lead up weak to race, I knew I had over 500miles of training since my last race, and it could be fun.
So the race began on a very windy morning in Winfield, KS. The first mile I ran right with my #2-#5 runners for Baker and my good friend Jazz. Jazz and I talked about running and just chit chatted for a mile catching up. The runners around us looked at us like we were out of our minds as they were racing, and we were just enjoying the run. After the mile, he decided to pick it up, and I looked around to my guys to see who I could help shield from the wind. On my right shoulder was a sophomore from Dallas, Texas, named Corey. He looked like he was ready to race, so I said let's do this, and he took off with me. I broke the wind for him through the next 4 miles, pushing him. When he would slow down, I would too and reaffirm to him that today was his day and the team needed him. I had so much fun talking to people as we ran and pushing Corey. When it came down to the sprint, I let my two top guys go on to the finish. I did not try and outkick them. I just yelled to FINISH, striding in myself at 27:01 for 8K and beating my friend Jazz. It was a disappointing time if that is all I look at, but the fact that Jazz, and my guys have run under 26 this year made me realize that if I had really raced on a nice fast course without wind I would have been far under 26 minutes. This was a huge confidence booster and a reaffirmation that I am on track to have a good half marathon in December in Florida. This had been my first cross country race since I left college nearly 2 years ago, and without a doubt my first cross race that I ran to glorify God and not myself. No pride was pushing me to kick in, no misunderstanding of what the race was for. I was running for God, having some fun along the way. What a great and fulfilling day!

Blessed

So many people search their whole lives for their calling, going to work each day dreading the day and wishing they had a purpose driven life. They ask themselves how they ended up on the path they are on right now. From a young age, I have had a passion for running. It was something that I enjoyed being around and participating in. While the idea of spending a weekend at a track meet may sound horrible to the majority of society, it sounds like an exciting weekend to me. Of course, I have my favorite races to watch, but I still enjoy the other events that are going on throughout the day. I have found happiness on my path in life so far, as a runner, and as a coach, along with my faith.

What I failed to realize for so long was that what I was doing was important. I truly feel God has called me to coach and to continue competing in running and in triathlon races. It had been troubling that I was not called to be a minister or have a beautiful voice to sing songs to God. I was failing to realize that my passion for running, my drive to use every ounce of strength that God has given me to test the limits of this body that he gave me, is actually my calling. For too long, I ran to please the crowd or to feed my own ego, but I now understand that I am running for God.

Training and working out by myself gets old; I think, "Why is no one here to watch me?" It is then that I realize that God is there, and he is the only one who needs to be there. Race day is important, but God enjoys my running as much on Monday as he does on race day. I am so blessed because he loves me. When I need motivation, God is always there believing in me. God has given me a drive to compete and to be the very best I can be. He also has given me two amazing parents who are always supportive of my training and coaching, and he has blessed me with fantastic sponsors who believe in me and my abilities. I am working on surrounding myself with people who believe in me, from my family to my friends, from my sponsors to my girlfriend. I want to be as much of a blessing to them as they are to me. Special thanks to Brooks for taking care of my feet and keeping me running! Thank you God for blessing me with this life in spite of my being unworthy.

Competitive

Triathlon season is over, and so is the recovery period after my Ironman. It is hard to believe that my last race was over a month ago, and I am now back to training as hard as ever. I am currently considering running a half marathon in Lawrence on October 2nd as a gauge to test my fitness for my big half marathon on December 5th in West Palm Beach Florida!
This morning I had a fantastic workout and noticed true improvement in my training. So many people seem to be thinking and wondering what is wrong with that person as they watch me run down the dirt roads and all over the area by myself. How on earth is he pushing himself up that hill this far away from town? All my hard work and drive comes from a deep competitive nature. I truly love to compete and be competitive in all I do. Competition is rooted in comparison. When I look at the world, I am instinctively aware of other people’s performance. Their performance is the ultimate measuring stick to measure my own success. No matter how hard I have tried, and no matter how worthy my intentions, if I reached my goal but did not outperform my fellow competitors, the achievement feels somewhat hollow. Just like all competitors, I need other people for comparison.
If I can compare, I can compete, and if I can compete, I can WIN. And when I win, there is no feeling like it. I love the measurement because it facilitates comparisons. I like other competitors because they invigorate me. I like contests because they must produce a winner; I particularly like contests where I know I might have the inside track to be the winner. Although I consider myself as being gracious to my fellow competitors and even stoic in defeat, I do not compete for the fun of competing. Brent Bailey competes to win. This brings me back to my hard training months away from a truly important race. I must lay the ground work to allow myself to win.