Life Has Been on Hold!

Seeing a my last Blog Post was after the 2020 running of the Post Oak Challenge, LIFE as we knew it, has changed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as we knew it for the entire planet! We have Live BEFORE COVID-19 and Life AFTER COVID-19. There is no going back, no do-overs, no life as it "used to be."

There are plenty of people touting that they can't wait until life gets "back to normal" (whatever that "normal" is).

Each and every time that I hear this, I cringe! I hope and pray that we NEVER get back to "normal." At least if that "normal" is life as it was.

Normal was crowded restaurants, stores and parks with people with their faces all buried in their cell phones! Normal was crowded roads and highways with people complaining of the traffic or the slow-poke in front of them as they are running late for some critical meeting (or sorts). Normal was pulling up to the drive-thru at your local Starbucks for that latte or mocha to drink on your way "somewhere."

"Who was that masked man" (from the Lone Ranger or old Batman re-runs) will now have a different meaning!

If all of this is the "normal" that we are all too eager to get back to . . . . I PRAY that we NEVER return to it.

I pray that a warm hand-shake when meeting someone new means more. I pray that spending one on one, face-to-face time with friends at a locally owned coffee shop having real conversations flourishes. I pray that smart phones are looked at a bit closer by smart people who divest themselves from their incessent addiction to them and spend real time with family, friends, colleagues and even enjoy Nature (God's creation).

Let us awaken from this stupor in which we've been in for several years to truly value what is important!

Until next time - - God Bless You;
Ken

2020 Post Oak Challenge (25km)

This year's Post Oak Challenge was indeed a challenge. Severe intestinal cramps the entire night before the race relegated me to dropping back to the 25 km distance (rather than the 50 km) that was originally planned.

Wet days prior to the race made for very wet & muddy running. Plenty of roots, rocks & hills! There were some GREAT views of the countryside and some of downtown Tulsa, but I had my work cut out for me as I plodded through the course.

At the last Aid Station, I was ready to throw in the towel. THANK YOU Lynna for talking me into continuing on. All I had was to climb the Hill From Hell, plod through more roots, rocks & hills, make it through the Heaven's Gate to make it to the finish line.

I was soooo ready to be finished. This was a tough race for me.

One thing that I do look forward to in every one of my races, is the wonderful conversations that I have with Our Lord. As I spend a lot of time alone, it is in the quietness that I can hear Him. Whatever suffering that I had during the race, is always offered up for the suffering souls in Purgatory. Hopefully offering this will relieve some of their suffering & bring them sooner to the Beatific Vision that we all long for.

Speaking of grand visions, my vision of the finish line was indeed a welcome site.

Blessings to you until next time;                                                                                                                                   Ken

Back On Track (with my book that is)

Well . . . . . . it has been a while since I have been here. My apologies. Things have been nothing short of totals chaos around the house. Aside from all of of the personal "stuff" that has been transpiring, my being back in school & the associated reading and paper writing the comes along with it has been taking up A LOT OF MY TIME.

None-the-less, I am set on worn on, finishing and publishing my book; "Running From the Heart: An Ultra Runner's Conversation with God" by this summer.

I have reached out to several ultra runners that I know and who are devout lovers of God and who have deep dialogues with Him during their ultra endurance events.

It will be a compilation of the stories, reflections, transformations & struggles that each of the highlighted runners, how they have brought God into their ultra running & how they converse with him before the event, during their darkest moments in the midst of the race and the praise & thanksgiving they give Him when they are done.

Stay tuned for updates & the eventual publishing of it soon enough.


Thank you & God Bless you;
Ken

2019 Ultra Cowboy Ultra 50km CANCELED

Friends, due to very low registration for this year's Ultra Cowboy Ultra 50km, we are having to CANCEL it.

It takes a lot of time & effort (all you Race Directors KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT) & if we don't have enough runners registered, it is not worth the time & effort to put it on.

Even though this was to be a FREE EVENT as a Fundraiser for local cycling Phenomenon Hannah Jordan, we cannot justify the amount of work to put it on without enough runners.

Please stay tuned as we will either hold another event at Prairie Song later in the year, or hopefully the first part of 2020.

Thank you for understanding & God Bless You.


Blessings;
Ken

The Next Step - - Just Do It!

We ALL know the phrase "Just Do It" & the infamous Nike Swoosh. But what does it actually mean? How do you take it, internalize it & actually DO IT?

Well, the first step is to Own It. Make it your own to where YOU can relate to it. Make to where DOING IT gives you joy & where the mere thought of DOING IT, does indeed propel you to DO IT!

Once you begin, that joy that you seek will come. If you immerse yourself enough, the joy may even be overwhelming. And the more you do it, the more you want to do it. And the more you want to do it, that Warm Fuzzy Feeling that we all love, will come & take up residence within you.


 
What is it now that you are "just doing?"

Why HELPING of course!

Helping - Have you ever wondered HOW you can help?

When Albert Einstein was asked "Why are we here?" (as in what is the reason that we are here on Earth & for what purpose), he answered without hesitation, "Man is here to serve other men." (that is mankind). We are here to serve others & to the extent that we do so, so are our own needs met.

The late great Zig Ziglar said that "we can get everything we want, if we help enough other people get what they want." So . . . . . you may be wondering - "How can I help others?" "What can I do to make a difference in the lives of others?"


The word to use is H-E-L-P. Help another. You may think that it is the smallest of things, but to the person being helped, it may be monumental; even life changing! It can be physically helping, emotionally helping, spiritually helping or financially helping.

There are countless organizations (literally) whose mission is to help others in a plethora of ways.


Know No Boundaries is one of those organizations. As you can see through many of our posts here, on Social Media or on our website, we help those who seem to need that "little push", that catalyst to push them just a bit to start the momentum of their breaking through their obstacle or boundary.


We are currently helping young Jordan Hannah who was born with a debilitating disease yet has overcome many obstacles to be a stellar up and coming competitive cyclist. Our goal here at Know No Boundaries is for Jordan to be the recipient of the funds raised at the 2018 Ultra Cowboy Ultra 50km race to be held later this year in September at Prairie Song in Dewey, Oklahoma.


Stay tuned for more details on HOW to help & HOW to register.




Blessings;
Ken

Jaybird's the Word!

Know No Boundaries has partnered with Jaybird to showcase their AMAZING Jaybird RUN wireless earbuds!
 All we can say is WOW! The sound is incredible! It is customizable to whatever sound styles that you like. They are also TRULY WIRELESS. There are absolutely no wires at all between the two earbuds!

We have taken them out to Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd & were totally blown away with their performance.

A single charge will get you 4 hours of listening time & if you stash the charging pod in your hydration pack, you'll be good for another 4 hours. That's a total of 8 HOURS of pristine music (or talking if you're so inclined).

The treble, bass & mid-range settings are second to none.

Our suggestion - - - - GET A PAIR NOW!

Blessings;
Ken