Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Birds of a Feather

Good afternoon friends. Saturday (like all Saturdays) are 'Made for Running' & this Saturday was no different. Although the schedule was supposed to be 5 miles, I really needed to get in more foot time. K1 & Bobby were kind enough to agree to meet an hour earlier to get in 5 miles before meeting up with the rest of the gang.

It is a great feeling when you win the battle with the opportunity clock. Most people will hit snooze or not set it on a Saturday morning but then again, maybe they are the same ones who say
that "they cannot" do something. Come on people, in order to "DO" anything , you need be committed. You need to make the mental decision to ignore any limiting thoughts or obstacles (I.e. your alarm clock) & get off your derriere & take the first step.

Now where was I? Oh yes, K1, Bobby & I got in some mileage before meeting everyone else.

In running along the Arkansas River, there is a Bald Eagle protected area. We were just hummin' along & K1 yells "STOP!". Holy Bald Eagle Feathers Batman (I mean K1). After quickly grabbing my arm, I realized that this was an opportune photo op - Birds of a Feather, eh?
(Notice any similarities?)

Actually, there are plenty of similarities between marathon & ultra distance runners & eagles -
  • They are bold (not bald!)

  • They rise above adversity

  • They are leaders, not followers

  • They are strong

  • They are born to soar

  • They will not quit
Now in addition to all of these great qualities, some of us even sport the same "look" (just kidding).

After getting over the shock of K1 yelling "Stop!". we made it back to the group where Coach Kathy was giving her pep talk to the troops.

Since we had already gotten in 5, we opted for our 2nd 5 to be up to Turkey Mountain & back. (You know, I have never figured out this name as I have never seen any turkeys there & it is really not a mountain).
We headed up until we hit some sort of diversion in the road.


Running back down we knew that God was smiling on us & that He was happy that we won over the alarm clock & got out to enjoy life & His day.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Not a Dry Foot in the House

What a wonderful weekend we had (if you're a duck that is). It has now been raining for almost 11 days straight. Everything is wet & soggy not to mention that my lawn needs to be mowed! The Hope Rains 5km trail run was this weekend despite the rain & mud. Here is where many people set their boundaries, too wet, too muddy, cold rain, etc. There are some boundaries that "could" sound more justifiable than others (although not really acceptable); like not running if you have a prosthesis but not doing something because it is muddy! Give me a break. What did we all d when we were kids - PLAY IN THE MUD.

Just as you cannot discover new lands until you loose sight of the shore, you cannot truly reach your dreams, your goals, your passion unless you get out of your comfort zone. These "comfort zones are also ruts in which we find ourselves stuck in.

WE DECIDE OUR ACTIONS TO EACH & EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. WE DECIDE TO QUIT OR TROD ONWARD TO THE END! WE DECIDE TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES & BREAK THROUGH BOUNDARIES THAT PREVIOUSLY STOPPED US.
The path, the way to overcome our boundaries are all around us as well as in us, we need only to quiet the noise within us to hear the voice of God. God often give us clues as to where to go & how to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Never-the-less, not letting a little rain & mud keep us from enjoying the day was wonderfully fulfilling (not to mention messy).

It was obvious that it was muddy -


Despite the rain, I even got a nice tan line (NOT!)

When all was said & done, I was thankful that my hose worked (although the ol' Mizzuno's need to dry out a bit after getting a good cleaning.



Badwater 267 VR

Know No Boundaries will be running Badwater 267 VR during the month of January. BADWATER: It’s a frame of mind, a global family of horizon-c...