Looking Up

 The alarm goes off, and excitement rolls in.  A workout is about to  

 begin.  With two weeks of no training, I have gone through a roller  

 coaster of emotions.  Today is filled with excitement even  

 though a session in the weight room and a thirty minute bike are far  

 from rigorous; it is still a step. 

  

 It's cold in my room, and my blanket has been kicked to the floor.  I am  

 not sad though, because I have a bed and I have a blanket.  Effort is  

 required to get warm, but God has provided. 

  

 Out of eggs and bacon for breakfast.  The stomach growls, but no worries  

 as oatmeal and a granola bar will do.  God has provided. 

  

 I realize it's been several days with no word from a once best friend I  

 reached out to.  Before sadness can creep in, a text arrives from a friend who  

 just was checking in to say hello.  God has a plan. 

  

 As the days of injury roll on, it is easy to look to the left and say  

 why isn't my blanket on my bed.  Or perhaps to the right, thinking how  

 did I not realize to get more eggs and bacon.  One might even look down  

 when they realize their friendship is not valued equally.  However, this  

 is not how I look.  In all situations, I look UP.  The answer may not be  

 what I want, the decision may not be my first, and while I may be  

 lonely, I am not alone.  Look up, my friends, and thank God because he is  

 providing.  The answers are not at our feet or to our sides, but they  

 come from Christ. 

  

 With one more week of no running scheduled, I will use all my strength  

 to lift my head and look up.  For guidance, healing, and all that I  

 truly need, I  will look up! 

Pain is Back

A week ago I believed I was on the road to recovery.  After many failed attempts at swimming and running I will be taking the next 10 days completely off of swimming/biking/running.  For 21 days I will not run at all.  This I hope to be the cure to let my body recover and heal. 

Come Back Video Update

2012 In The Rear View Mirror

2012 is in the books, and I am looking forward to 2013.  I started off in 2012 with great ambitions of attacking my weakness in the water and the longer bike legs.  This was a great goal and one I plan to continue with in 2013 but with a different attitude.  During most of 2012, I looked at my training like a job, as though I had to attack my weaknesses every day, and by doing so, it became a job.  It wasn't long before my splits in workouts were rivaling my splits in races.  I was so tense that I began to feel like I had to make things happen.  This reckless idea most likely led to my 2 bike wrecks in the Boulder Peak and Boulder Half and might have had something to do with my stubbornness that landed me in Boulder Community Hopsital with a heat stroke and dislocated shoulder.  Looking back, the race outcomes were no where near where they should have been based on my training.  With that said, I still managed several of my best times.  In spite of the wrecks, I recorded personal best bike splits in both races, and my swims were the best I have had.  It is a shame that I had 2 wrecks in my last 2 races, or I would have had a complete season of personal bests.

Personal bests usually give a person a great feeling, but they were not ones that I enjoyed.  As I said, I had turned training and racing into my job and had lost the fun.  When coaching, I constantly tell my athletes to relax and enjoy the race.  I, however, was not taking my own advice.  All through college I prided myself in having fun.  Some of my best races were not because I was physically fit, but I was relaxed and was ready to move when the opportunity was right.  For 2013 I have a new mantra, and that is to have fun.  This is not to say that I won't train just as hard, or that I won't race with fierce competitiveness.  I will do these things but not at the expense of enjoyment.  If I stay relaxed, work hard, and keep a smile on my face, there is no doubt that 2013 will be a successful season of training and racing.  "Smile, it looks good on you," is a quote to live by.  Life is short enough without the stress of a frown.  Smile and make the most out of 2013!    

My Rock N Roll Marathon

There was no rocking or rolling for me in the 2012 Las Vegas Rock N’ Roll Marathon.  What was supposed to be my first competitive marathon turned into a painful night in Vegas.  As the horn blew, I remembered to stay calm and relaxed.  The game plan was to draft the first mile into the 30 mph winds and then open up when we received the tail wind.  I was a little nervous as the start approached but was able to have a quick chat with Steve DeKoker (2^nd), and his relaxed demeanor reminded me it was just another race.  Everything was feeling great and looking to be a great race all the way to 10 miles.  It was then that my stomach started to feel upset.  I had a great vomit at mile 11 and thought I would regroup; this, however, was not the case.  I began gagging and feeling like I had the flu from then on.  My attempt at slowing the pace and drinking water bought me time but brought me no closer to feeling better or to the finish line.  By mile 15 I had slowed to nearly a walk and by mile 20, I was walking.  When I arrived at the aid station around mile 20, I sat down on the curb.  They watched me wretch and gag but there was nothing left to vomit.  Medics and a couple volunteers encouraged me to turn in the towel, saying that I would have other days and a runner like myself would gain nothing but injury by finishing.  It was then that I explained to them that my friend Mick had died just one week earlier, and I had promised to run for him.  Then and there, I knew that Mick wouldn’t care about my time, but that I did my best, and he and I both knew I could finish.  So I laid down on the ground in the fetal position for 30 minutes hoping my stomach would settle, that the almost fever would break and I could hop up and cruise in.  This was also not the case, and after 30 minutes, I decided to just walk.  I walked miles 17-24.  I have never been more humbled, as runner after runner passed.  I prayed and trusted that my promise would get me through.  At mile 24 my stomach had settled enough that I believed I could jog.  I managed a 19 minute time for the last two miles and finished.  Those miles taught me so much about faith, about strength, and about promises.  My faith kept me from bursting into tears, and reminded me that despite the sympathy claps, I was not alone.  It was my strength that kept my legs moving.  I may not be able to bench press 300lbs, but my legs have gotten me through an ironman, a marathon, and countless other races.  The promise to race for Mick was the final ingredient that got me to the finish line.  A promise is a reflection on myself, and I refused to break this promise.   

When it was all said and done, I barely broke 4 hours with my last 13.1 at over 2 hours and 30 minutes.  From the amazing expo to the finish line it was a well run, well organized race.  I am blessed to have had the opportunity to race and to be part of the Brooks family.  The Rock N Roll is a fun series, and I encourage you to give one a shot.  Not the day I had planned, but I would not be denied.  The future is bright for anyone who refuses to give up.  When life does not go according to plan, we must stick to our faith, our strength and with our friends and family or the promises that we have made to them.  2013 is wide open for me.  Thank you so much to all those who tracked my race, who prayed knowing something was terribly wrong and for all those who have found encouragement in my running and my desire to live life to the fullest. 

Remembering Mick

Remembering Mick, a friend and great supporter of mine!

 

One week remains until the Las Vegas Marathon that I will be running "for Mick." Over the past few months, I have tried to prepare myself as I would for any other race, but to race the marathon is truly a new experience for me.  I have coached several athletes to great success in this 26.2 mile event, but never myself.  What I have learned from my athletes is that the marathon is as much "mental" as it is physical. It is a very long race if one does not have one's head on straight.

Most do not know the obstacles that I have been dealing with while trying to prepare myself for this race.  My last true test in a race was the Boulder Half Ironman which ended in the Boulder Community Hospital.  Training for this race, doing 99% of my runs by myself, has also made it difficult to feel confident, especially since I have been battling a cold for the past 3 weeks that has trashed any kind of consistency in my training.  Emotionally, I have been "off keel" as my grandmother is in her final round in her fight against cancer.  The cancer has spread, and she is on the downhill slope.  With all of this going on, I have been lacking the confidence needed to attack such a race as the one that lies ahead of me. 

Then, earlier tonight, I was informed that Mick “TreeKiller” Rule passed away.  At the age of 54 he was an older friend, but one of my longest and greatest supporters.  I can look at my history on Facebook or old messages and find countless instances of him wishing me the best or congratulating me on a race.  Mick and I first met when I was asked to join a bunch of kids from Kiowa, CO, to race a 200 mile relay across Colorado.  After great success, we then raced in the Green Mountain Relay where we won the 200 mile race by many hours.  Mick was a driver, a runner, a coach, but most of all he was the ENERGY.  Over twice our age and he was rolling, couldn’t wait to get out of the van and race and didn’t sleep if someone was running, because he wanted to support them.  Mick is a husband and a father who will be missed by his family, but most importantly to me is the fact that he has been one of the greatest influences I have ever had.  

All that has happened and is happening this fall is a reminder that God is in control.  All the preparation and planning mean nothing without taking into account God's will.  I may not understand what happens or like it, but I trust that Mick is in a better place, and that God is working in the lives of his family and in my life as well.  Mick has touched many lives, and this coming weekend I make no promises about my projected time or place in the marathon, only that I will be racing for Mick!  I know he would have wished me luck and congratulated me regardless of my finish.  Mick, you will be missed.

 

Mick Rule: May 29, 1958 – November 25, 2012. 

 

Isaiah 40:28-31

 

 

Fall Update

The past few months with cross country season in full swing, I have not had a chance to post on this site. I have been neck deep with writing workouts for my athletes, planning race strategies, and, of course, recruiting like crazy. In addition to my duties as a coach, I also have kept busy selling shoes at Salina Running Company and have been doing my best to train as hard as I can. There have been no race reports because I have only raced in one local 5K since my DNF in Boulder. The local 5K was an easy win, at least.

My next race will be the Brooks Las Vegas Rock N' Roll Marathon on December 2nd. My progression of long runs to prepare for it have been getting longer, as well as faster. In addition to my long runs, I have been getting in some solid intervals. Today on the new trail in Salina, I ran 4x2mile. (11:21, 10:51, 10:52, 10:42)

Training for a marathon is very different from the triathlon training my body had become accustomed to. It is by far a lot easier to just go plug miles, but spending the amount of time in one session to do these longer runs is stressful. I definitely prefer the more intense workouts and the diversity of triathlon training compared with the long boring runs, especially those over 15 miles.

On the brighter side of things, this past weekend I was able to travel to Colorado to attend the State XC meet and to see friends and family. The drive can be boring, but luckily with my friend Monica and two athletes who I dropped off to visit family, the time passed rather quickly. While in Colorado, I was not able to fit in great long runs, but instead ran several trails with Monica and had a blast just enjoying running without worrying about time or distance.

This Saturday is the KCAC XC Championship meet. Going into this big race, I have been pushing my athletes to trust me, trust in their training, and trust in the Lord. I have also been pushing them to give me "heart,"  to race with all they have and to give me HEART. While thinking about this, Proverbs 3:5-7 came to mind. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. I wish the best of luck to everyone racing either at their conference meets or at their regional meets!