Archive for the ‘Running’ Category

Endurance

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Posted 07 Sep 2010 — by nick
Category Fun, GCM, Running

Endurance sports have been my thing for the past 5 years or more. Marathons, triathlons. Running, cycling, swimming – when I talk about working out it is always one of those 3. Amy has started to get into it to. In a few weeks we will be running the Chicago Marathon together, it’ll be her first marathon. 18 weeks of training, a 1/2 marathon in the spring preceded by 12 weeks of training – she’s well prepared.

These sports have such a magnetism for me. They require deep discipline and perseverance, a band of brothers to train with is often helpful. All these things are great, but it’s not that. Its how much they are an analogy for life. Its the job that you just can’t stand anymore, the unemployment you wish wasn’t. Or facing conflict with a loved one, apologizing when you’ve been hurt and hurt others.

So often in life we have to do the thing we don’t want to do – we wake in the morning and would rather sleep in, but we lace up our shoes and run anyways.

This analogy has come to life in a new way for me lately. Support Raising. Making calls, going on appointments, being away from home. All things I enjoy from time to time but often they are like the run I’m dreading. I know I’ll feel so much better when I get through it, but it’s so hard to get started some days.

And then there are the days when everything comes together and you feel great – you finish 20 miles at your race pace feeling strong and fresh. Days when you wake and are ready to get moving.

I generally pray for the latter but live in the former.

Warrior Dash

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Posted 20 Jun 2010 — by nick
Category Creation, Friends, Fun, GCM, Illini Life, Photos, Running

This weekend Amy and I met up for our good friend Alan (also a GCM missionary that we work with at U of I) and ran in the Warrior Dash, it was muddy goodtimes.

We ran 3.17 miles, through mud, over abandoned cars, wooden barriers, through a mud pit, over a 8 foot hay bail wall, cargo net, hills, fire, and under barbed-wire (to name a few obstacles). As you can see we were covered in mud at the end.

Running has grown to be a hobby Amy and I enjoy doing together and share with a lot of our friends and students here at U of I.

Good News and Bad News Today

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Posted 01 Apr 2008 — by nick
Category Fun, News, Running, Technology

Good news:
Google and Virgin are teaming up to colonize Mars in the next 20 years, sounds exciting! You can read the details here. Also, you can take a quiz to see if you should go. Here are my results:

Well, you’re distressingly normal and could conceivably adjust to life as a deep space pioneer, though we recommend instead that you leave the Mars missions to the serious whack jobs who scored over 130 and instead finish year 3 of law school, tuck your toddler into bed, design Web 2.0 applications, run for Congress or do whatever other normal, healthy, middle-of-the-road thing you’re currently doing with your normal, healthy, middle-of-the-road life. If you’re determined to give Virgle a try, though, you can submit your video here.

So I guess I’m just not whack enough to go.

Bad news:
Looks like I might have to start wearing a helmet in future races, check out Runner’s World for that story.

Sunlight

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Posted 18 Oct 2007 — by nick
Category Darkness, Jesus, Light, Running, Scripture, Spirituality

Typically after a marathon I tend to struggle more with feeling down and emotional – some runners have a term for this, Post Marathon Depression. While I’m not sure I’d call it depression – certainly there is a great feeling of lose and emptiness. In one respect you reached the goal through months of training, uplifting. Then there is the emptiness of not having a goal to strive for, not having a motivation to get back on the road and put in the miles. In addition you have the physical limitation; your body simply needs to recover and your legs can be mad at you for sometime. Typically my body needs about 2 weeks to recover and feel up to pounding the road again.

Reviewing previous years it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the past weeks have been pretty tough emotionally and felt so exhausting. Periodically I’ve felt overwhelmed with emotion – making it hard to be around friends or even complete my work.

Yesterday I noticed the hours of sunlight dwindling, like they do each fall, and that made me sad. Soon it’ll be dark when I go to work in the morning and dark when I get off. Over the years I’ve heard claims that sunlight helps fight depression, so I’ve made it a point to get outside today – visiting some of the buildings I’m networking. Surprising how much better I feel just from getting to see the sun a bit – how much more hopeful life seems. It excites me and reminds me of this idea of God being light and us as followers being salt and light.


I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. ~ Jesus (John 12:46)

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Now playing: Derek Webb – This Too Shall Be Made Right
via FoxyTunes

Music + Friends + Running = Fun

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Posted 23 Jul 2007 — by nick
Category Creation, Fun, Movies, music, Running

It’s been a bit since I last posted. Odd how compelled I feel to apologize and explain how life has been busy – only that would seem to imply I have points of non-busyness. It’s been quite the norm as of late though, packed days, long hours at work, early morning running – all along the list of people to catch-up with and things on the backburner boiling over. I just returned from Wilderness LT and I feel like I need another vacation. This weekend served as a bit of a break. I can’t remember the last time I got to work on a Monday and thought “that was a really fun weekend!”


On Friday Chris, Marla and I went to Mike and Molly’s to see Elsinore play – tangent: These guys are awesome, great song writing, great vocals, original style and feel. You should buy their CD Nothing for Design on iTunes and Ryan Groff Solo CD People In The Midwest from Parasol.

On Saturday I got up extra early and joined the Buffalo – the trail running group of Second Wind Running Club. Marla has been inviting me out to run with them for over a year now, figured I’d finally take her up on the offer. We did a 10 mile loop around Lake Clinton. It was a beautiful morning, the temperature cool, the shade nice, and the trail clean. That evening there was a going away party for a friend who is moving back to Taiwan and then I caught up with some friends at Cowboy Monkey for a bit.

Early Sunday morning Darren, Marla and I joined the Second Wind fall marathoners for a long training run. Feeling a little beaten up by the trails the previous day I only did 11 miles instead of the planned 16. The remainder of the day was relaxing, some dinner and watched The Last King of Scotland. I fell asleep last night with a smile on my face – good music, good friends, good running.

Ready… Set… Start Marathon Training

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Posted 04 Jun 2007 — by nick
Category Fun, Running, Spirituality

I’ve been signed up for the Chicago Marathon for awhile now. I was lucky this year and got in before registration filled up. Race day is October 7th, which, if I can still count to 18, means I need to start training this week. My training thus far has involved eating a lot of cookies, playing Nintendo Wii and watching movies – a very rigorous schedule. These coming weeks are guaranteed to be painful, tiring and tons of fun. Let me know if you want to join me for a run at any point or for any portion of a run.

Running has been a great release for me in recent years – a way for me to clear my head and get alone and think. As the road stretches out before me and the miles pile up behind I find myself drifting in and out of conversation with God. At times it seems easier to pray when I’m running than at any other point of the day. I welcome the spiritual renewal that has traditionally come with training.

Here are some pics chris took last year when I ran Chicago.

Marathon History:
2005 Indianapolis Marathon 3:52:19
2006 Chicago Marathon 3:44:00
2007 Chicago Marathon 3:3-:– (Hopefully)

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