6/28/14: "Endurance"

If there was one aspect of running that was the most difficult for me to learn, if was definitely endurance. On the plus side, it's the one area of running in which I feel I excel. I may be as slow as molasses some mornings, but once I get moving, I can go a long way. 

My endurance hasn't only been tested by running, as of late. On Sunday, June 22, I returned from a nine-day mission trip to Guatemala with my church. While nine days doesn't sound like a long time, it felt like I was gone for months. Mainly because I had to leave these girls behind. 

It's okay if this picture made you tear up. Just let them flow. It's freeing. 

Yes, it's sort of an old picture, and she'll ask me to take it down when she sees it, but it's one of my favorite pictures of Hillary. 

I mean, I just got this perfect little family: why do I suddenly have to fly 10,000 miles away? I mean, other than the fact that I'd paid a huge sum of money and that I'd been part of the planning process of this trip since before I met them. 

Okay, so this was sort of a self-chosen pain. And I know that God intended for me to be a part of this mission team. Still, watching Hillary walk away after she dropped me off at the Bluegrass Airport will always remain one of the most painful moments of my life. 

The trip was good. We did wonderful things for very poor people in a very poor part of the world; things that, without out our help, these people would never have access to. It was a life-changing experience, and I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to go. 

But that doesn't change the fact that I was very, VERY ready to be back in the country with my family. 

Speaking of endurance, waiting for the wedding is beginning to wear on both of us. Confession time: me and Hillary were literally about to drive to Louisville and have my brother, Aaron, marry us this weekend. Don't worry, dear readers who have already returned their invitations; we didn't do it. But mainly because we didn't make it to the county clerk's office in time to get a marriage certificate before they closed on Friday. 

It's hard, waiting for what we want. But we figured that ours is a story already more than a decade in the making. What will three more weeks matter? Besides, things are meant to happen in this world on God's time, not our own. And before someone tries to get into a theological debate, yes, I realize that Hillary and I chose our wedding date. Stop being contrary and let me finish this post. 

Back on the topic of running, I did my first long run since the Flying Pig yesterday. Over 11 miles, which is pretty good considering that I'm still in the process of finding running routes in Versailles. 

That night, I launched my Sleep Cycle app, which I use to judge the quality of sleep I get before and after long runs. For the first time ever, my sleep quality was 100% 

I guess being back in the country, with the people I love, doing the things that I love, makes me sleep like a baby at night. 

I write this from the check-out line at Old Navy, where Hillary and I have come to look for summer clothes to wear on the THUMY (Trinity Hill United Methodist Youth) senior high beach retreat next week. This will be Hillary's first beach retreat, so we're both pretty excited. Again, it's something exciting we're finding it difficult to wait for. 

As if knowing I need my metaphors on multiple levels, God has seen fit for Hillary and I to come to Old Navy on $1 flip flop day. Needless to say, the store is a madhouse, and we find ourselves... 

... waiting. 

Thanks, Big Guy. I got the message. 

If you'd like to see other snippets from my adventures in learning to live in a house with three women of various sizes, you can check out my Tumblr page, simply titled, 'A Man's World'. 

Tuesday, 7/2/13: Running on the run *OR* Some like it hot!

I've been out of town for the last week, on a combination mission trip/ beach retreat with my church's youth group. I'm normally very involved with the youth, so this has been a great experience to bond with the kids, as well as do some good work and relax. But, as I'm sure many of you can imagine, the busy days and time spent away from my normal running route have cut into my training schedule. Nevertheless, I've tried to remain vigilant and get in a few runs while I've been away. 

The first leg of the trip was spent in McDonagh, GA, a small town just southeast of Atlanta. Of the four mornings I spent there, I managed to squeeze in two runs: one of them around 5.75 miles, and the other around 4.25 miles.  I didn't record details like pace and temperature, mainly because I had to hurry back to the church where we were staying and prepare for a day of mission work. 

My apologizes for the crappy quality; they were shot with an iPhone camera before dawn. 

Also, me and three friends climbed Stone Mountain in Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta. I guess it doesn't count as a run, but I'll still include it in my "Vacation fitness exploits" folder. And besides, look at that view! (The tiny buildings on the horizon is Atlanta Proper!)

Yesterday morning we arrived at Destin, FL, for the 'retreat' portion of out excursion. And, of course, this morning I took out on a run. Because how often do hillbillies like me get a chance to run by the ocean?!? 

This run wasn't stellar (only around 4 miles), because I waited too late to get started (around 6:20), and by then the sun was already pretty high in the sky. And those high-rise hotels can only block out so much heat. 

Now time for the introspective portion of my usual blog entry. 

I HATE HUMIDITY. 

For anyone who runs while on vacation (or a business trip, or any extended period away from their normal climate), adjusting to a new area can be the hardest thing. I thought Kentucky was humid, but I had never experienced a humid run until I stepped out into the Georgia soup. Not to mention that my time has been a little crunched, what with looking after two dozen teenagers. 

It's probably inevitable that training is going to FEEL worse while away from your normal running route, because your body isn't used to the conditions of the new place. Which I suppose is good from time to time (how many of us run races on our usual route?), but it sure felt like I had lost fitness since leaving my house (even though that's absurd; it takes weeks of reduced workouts to lose fitness). 

I suppose I'll end with this: if your training suffers for a week or so because of vacation, don't sweat it (ba-dump tssst). As long as you don't become completely sedentary, you should be able to pick up with your normal routine as soon as you get back. I'd reference a recent article in 'Runner's World' magazine on that, but I'm posting from an iPad and I'm not sure how to do that on this device. 

Until then, happy running!