Lessons On The Run

Today I want to take time to tell you what a joy and honor it has been to be married to my wonderful bride for thirty-one years! The journey has been special, we have continued to grow along the way, she is a treasure beyond measure, and the best for us is yet to come.

Thirty-one years ago we were two naive, without a clue, twenty year old kids, who decided to get married. If I had been counseling us, I am sure I would have tried to get us to wait another year or two, but we were in love, and logic would have seemed rather silly to us at the time. Our thought was that love would conquer all, and so on May 17th, 1980 we said “I Do” at First Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, TN.

What did I see in my bride? I saw a young lady who lit up a room in her shy, country girl kind of way. She was a petite little thing with an attitude. She had an outward beauty that captivated me and an inner beauty that swallowed me. She was giving beyond understanding. She was interested in me for who I was, not for who she wanted to make me. She had been to Hell and back in her childhood and yet carried herself with the grace that only Christ could give.

Who was I? I was a cocky, young guy on the outside, hiding a scared kid who needed constant approval on the inside. I was loud and funny and used my wit to seek and destroy those who would come against me. I was a work in progress to say the least. I was a hopeless romantic who made pipe cleaner figurines and sent flowers on Wednesdays just because. I was irrationally optimistic, and believed I could make anything work out if given enough time. I was a follower of Christ, but most of the time I was a follower of me.

The honeymoon years came and went quickly. They were fun and revealing. We had no money but we had no cares. $1 night at the pizza joint was our kind of splurge. A $5 happy face mum sent to work would brighten my bride’s day. Who needed money when we had each other. We were, if nothing else, enjoying the wonder of marriage that first year.

Over the years life got complicated. Raising Dawn’s brothers after her mom’s death in year two of our marriage shortened the honeymoon. Financial stress from having the boys and a failed business venture put extra stress on the relationship. Kristin, our marvelous daughter, was born nine weeks early, and the medical bills from being in the hospital so long sent us to the brink. Yet somehow God held us all together. It was part of His great marital education process. He humbled us, steeled our commitment to one another, and surrounded us with friends, family, and a church who would walk with us every step in the journey.

The blessings have been incredible! He gave us a healthy, beautiful daughter who beat the odds and grew into an amazing young lady. He blessed us with a son, Ryne, who despite being too much like his dad, blossomed into an incredible young man.  Tommy and Donny survived having parents who were only nine years older than they were! We added a daughter in law Jenny, who loves my son like my wife loves me. God brought us through so many storms, taught us at every moment, and kept us from capsizing when the waves poured over us.

And He grew our marriage! I believe today we are better than we have ever been, and yet I know we are still not finished becoming who He wants us to be. There is growing to be done, more challenges to be faced, more dreams to be realized, more joys to be shared.

I am a lucky man! God has blessed me with a most beautiful girl, my bride, my lover and my friend. Today, I once again say I do until the One who makes all of this possible, takes us home.

I wish for all of you the joy I have found in traveling this life with my amazing bride!

I love you Dawn, until the end of time.

gotta run (with you of course)

steve

An important part of reaching goals and extending reaches is to know when to take a break to celebrate! If every day is about discipline with no room for a breath or no time for fun, you will soon quit the pursuit or become a person that no one wants to be around. Know when to treat yourself along the journey.

Starting today, I am taking a couple of days off from the rigorous routine to just enjoy life. I will not be counting miles as closely, if I run it will be casual and for the joy of it, and I am going to enjoy a few meals that I would normally stay away from. Why? Because I have earned the celebration and I need a respite from the disciplined life.

You must take time to relax and enjoy the benefits of achieving goals. Now you can’t fall back into bad habits during the break, but make sure that you do not beat yourself up for taking time away from the grind! How do you do it? Here are some ideas.

1. Are you ahead of your fitness goals? Take a couple of days off and rest and relax.

2. Are you doing better as a spouse or parent, meeting their needs before your own? Give yourself a treat of something you really enjoy doing for yourself.

3. Are you meeting your financial goals. Take a small percentage of your gains and splurge.

Here is one warning as you celebrate. Make sure that in an effort to enjoy yourself, you do not undo all of the work you have already accomplished. Also, make sure you get back on track right after the break.

Enjoy your breaks along the run! I know I am.

Gotta run (just not today)

steve

Yesterday we talked about relegation in soccer, which is getting kicked to a lower division because of poor performance. I asked you to think about areas where you were in danger of relegation in your life. I want us to look honestly about places where we are not giving our best, where we are losing our influence because we have grown apathetic or grown comfortable with mediocrity. Today I want us to think about the first step for turning those areas around.

The first step is the hardest. I have heard this axiom my whole life, and in many ways it is true, but I also think in some ways the first step is the easiest. let me explain.

What makes the first step hard?

1. We have to get honest that we need to change.

2. We have to dislike the state we are in enough to do something about it.

3. We have to will ourselves to put a plan in action.

All of these steps require a different way of thinking. In Bible speak, this is the renewed mind. It is the daily process of purposefully thinking different, of setting a new course. This new way of thinking  asks us to have a vision of the way things could be that overpowers the way things are currently. Vision is the motivation for change. It is the picture of a different outcome somewhere down the road that drives us to take the steps necessary now, to get to the goal later. Let me explain from my running history.

I had knee surgery last July to repair a torn meniscus, which occurred while participating in the dangerous sport of strawberry picking. Enjoy your laugh at my expense now. I was back running within two weeks of that surgery which thrilled me. In September I severely pulled my hamstring playing church softball. I hear more laughter. This injury took me off the run for several weeks and was very discouraging. At this moment I felt I was headed for a bad place physically. Was I going to shut down my running, taper it down to a much less demanding pace, or put in my mind the picture of me better than ever, tougher than ever, more fit than ever, after I healed. I chose the latter and the rest is history.

The key was twofold. One, I had to decide that something better was in store for me down the road. I had to believe that God wanted me to be in shape, so I could serve Him  and those around me better, and that He would give me the health and strength to turn things around. Second I had to actually get back on the treadmill and start running.

That first treadmill run was a little scary. Would the hamstring hold without another injury? How fast should I go? How long should I go? I knew that I was not going to be anywhere near where I used to be, but I also had to believe I could not only get back there, but also get better. You see, first steps are just what they appear to be, a first step. There are no fantastic goals met, there are no great monumental changes with a first step. But without a first step, there is no finish line, so you must take it.

After a while, the first steps will become the first mile and then the first mile the first 10 miles, and before long you find yourself seeing the the changes that has only existed in your mind earlier. Here is my mile log from those first few months.

July (surgery) – 39

August – 42

Sept (hamstring) – 4

October – 24

November – 29

December – 34

January – 78

February – 100

March – 119

April – 122

In hindsight, it appears the 4 miles in late September were a piece of cake. All I had to do was get back on the treadmill and press start. 100 miles a month was was only a picture in my mind back then, but one I had purposed to pursue. What about you? Will you press start today in those areas you were honest about yesterday?

Hopefully you wrote down an area or two where you honestly are just not getting it done as you should. Maybe you feel you are failing as a spouse, a parent, a friend, an employee or employer, or as a follower of Christ. Maybe it involves a bad habit, bad health, or lack of good disciplines. No matter the problem, think about what could be! What could you achieve if you put your renewed mind into action? God is with you! He will give you the strength to carry on, but you have to see it, believe it is possible, and take the first steps. What are those steps? Write them down right now. Take one today. Before you know it, that first seemingly meaningless step will have you running marathons toward your vision of the future. Do I really think that is possible?

I DO! I have seen it many times in my life.

Tomorrow, we will talk about extending your reach along the way!

Gotta Run,

steve

Getting Started!

Hey, maybe you are thinking about starting a workout routine or looking at expanding the one you already have going. Here are a couple of easy tips to help you along the way.

1. Set Easy Goals For Early Success. As you start, do not think you are going to hit your runs with an eight minute mile or average 25 miles per week. Start with something that is reasonably challenging but very achievable. Try 3 days a week at first, running, briskly walking, or even a mix of the two. Then, each week just slowly but purposefully increase the speed, distance, or both. Before long you will be amazed at where you are.

2. Set a time and stick to it! Find a time that you can commit to for those 3-4 days a week and lock in. Schedule it like you would any other appointment.

3. Consider a gym membership. I know that this is not reasonable for some on a tight budget but gyms are getting cheaper all the time, and you can always negotiate a better deal. Right now, Gold’s Gym in Columbia is offering 20 visits for $20 as a test run ( I think this is still available). That is the price of one meal that you probably could stand to miss anyway. Also you can normally negotiate a “cash up front deal” of about $300 for two years. That is about $12.50 a month. If you do not get what you want in the negotiation walk away.

4. Get some good shoes. My wife recently got her first pair of real running shoes! She did not think it would make much of a difference but you should talk to her now. A good pair of running shoes for your foot and arch type make all the difference in the world. You can get great shoes off the web at great discounts and you can learn your arch type very easily on your own. I buy my shoes from Roadrunnersports.com and here is a link to their VIP club which I highly suggest for the best deals and return policies, http://rrsports.tellapal.com/a/clk/8LFJC

Next Friday, I will talk about the power of distraction and how to speed your runs or walks through the magic of BPM.

Have a great weekend and I will talk to you again on Monday!

steve

As I run each day, it is to get to a goal I set at the beginning of the year of logging 1200 miles. It is part of a series of goals that I set each year to hopefully discipline myself to become a healthier, more educated, more Godly, individual. My desire is to be a better husband, father, employee, minister, and ultimately a better follower and representative of Christ. Included in my goals this year are to run 1200 miles, read the Bible in a year again, keep my weight between 170-175, and grow our small group communities at church by 20%. Some of my more personal goals with family I will keep off the blog but there are more that I am tracking.

Why have a goal? It is a way to track forward movement. It is a way to focus discipline. It is a reminder that I need to keep reaching toward the prize.

Why don’t people do it? I think it boils down to two things which are apathy and fear. Some people are apathetic about their journey. They take life as it comes, never seeking to purposefully move forward, always using the mantra, “this is just who I am”. They choke off God’s desire to work in them for His pleasure and His will. They live life in a state of fatalism, and they become mired in mediocrity at the expense of who they could be and what they could accomplish.

Other are just plain scared. They are frightened that they will fail so they just never attempt. They do not believe the Word when it says “Be Courageous” or “Know That I Am With You Always”. These people have come to believe that failing is a personal trait and not an act in time. In order to avoid dealing with the feelings that come from a goal not accomplished, they just avoid going after any goals at all.

If you are not a goal setting kind of person, which one of these excuses best fits you? Take some time to get before the Lord, still yourself, and ask Him to reveal truth to you while showing you the grace you have in Him. Be honest about where you are. You can do this because you are FREE in HIM. There is no condemnation for those in Christ. You have nothing to prove or nothing to lose by being honest with yourself about yourself.

If you are a goal setter, how are you doing? If you are doing well, thank the Lord, and keep moving forward. Maybe it is time to add a couple of new goals to your list or maybe it is time to reward yourself for the effort so far. If you have failed or are behind, get up, dust yourself off, and get moving again. Maybe you can catch up over time or maybe just readjust the goal a little. Remember the goal of a goal is to purposefully move forward.

Here a few tips on setting goals

1. They should Be measurable

2. They should have a time limit

3. They should be achievable but also reaching

4. They should be life improving (worth going after)

Well, I need to get back to it myself today so I will leave you to process your own pursuit of the goal. As I leave remember the wonderful words of Paul that I think are so applicable here.

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself of having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”