ToughER Mudder, *or* A Pirate's Life For Me! PLUS how YOU can do something great!

Two weekends ago, me and my friend Doug Staggs once again ran the Tough Mudder in Maysville, Kentucky. For anyone unaware of the event, the Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile trail run and obstacle course; called "The toughest event on the planet" by some.

This year, the weather was FAR better than last year. Sunshine, at least 10 degrees warmer, and no rain! That, coupled with starting toward the head of the pack so we didn't get bottlenecked at the events, helped Doug and I finished two and half HOURS faster this year!

Needless to say, we were pretty happy with the success.

Just look at the exuberance on my face. 

The following Monday evening, I came down with what my principal, Joe Matthews (a four-time Mudder himself) calls "The Curse of the Mudder". Flu-like symptoms kept me home from school the next day. No pain, no gain!

Halloween is coming up, and although this blog is normally full of my athletic exploits, I'd be remiss not to mention my favorite holiday of the year. Last weekend, me and Hillary went to visit my brother Aaron and his wife Rebecca in Louisville. Of course, there was a Halloween party, and of course we wore costumes.

I actually wanted to be a pirate when I was a kid. Ask my parents. The couch made a suitable pirate ship. 

This afternoon I was over her house, carving pumpkins with her little girls Faith and Zoe, and was once again blown away by what God has done in my life in the last year and a half. His ability to create rivers in the dry wasteland continues to amaze me. It simply proves that, no matter how terrible things seem to have become, God always has a plan to bring peace and prosperity that stretches beyond temporary circumstances. 

The aforementioned jack-o-lanterns. They turned out better than I expected! 

Every now and then, I have the chance to let my faith and my hobbies overlap. Many of you may remember that, over the summer, I raised money to help buy school supplies for needy kids in my area with a project called Miles for Missions. I'm happy to announce that, for the month of November, I'm reviving the Miles for Missions project for another very worthy cause. 

In June 2014, I am going to Guatemala for ten days with a mission team from Trinity Hill United Methodist Church. While in the country, we will be working on cleaning and construction projects, as well as relational ministry with the impoverished children of Chichicastenango, Guatemala. 

Here's how Miles for Missions works: during the month of November, I'm going to be running my butt off. I would like YOU to sponsor me for the number of miles I run! Any amount will help!  $0.25 per mile, $0.10 per mile, or even $0.05 per mile will make a real difference. Any one-time donations are also very much needed and appreciated. 

One-hundred percent of the money I raise with Miles for Missions will go toward the cost of sending me to Guatamala. If you feel that God has laid it upon your heart to give, please email me at grahampatricksmith@gmail.com. 

I would very much appreciate any PRAYERS you're willing to offer, too. The trip is very much outside my comfort zone, but I know that God is going to do amazing things in my life and in the lives of the people I'm going to encounter while I'm there!

Until next time: May the road rise to meet you! 

Monday, 10-15-13: Cracked Ribs

These are the stats from my latest long run. Yesterday I managed to clock 11 miles at a pretty conservative pace, which isn't bad for going more than a week since my last long run. 

For some reason, that run left me ACHING more than past long runs. Maybe it was because I did it in the evening. Maybe it's because the weather is getting cooler. Or maybe I'm just getting a little out of shape. Either way, I decided to take it easy today. 

This coming Sunday, October 20th, I'm running the Tough Mudder again, again with my friend Doug. He's the only guy I know crazy enough to want to do such a thing with me not once, but twice.  Last October, one of the event photographers managed to snap this amazing picture of me after I emerged from a dumpster full of ice water. 

Clearly, I was thrilled to be there. 

Today also marks a pretty important milestone. Four months ago to the day, HIllary and I went on what we called our first official "date" to see Here Come the Mummies in concert at Buster's here in Lexington (wow, that's a lot of links in one sentence). That's four months of happiness after a year and a half of battles, heartache, anger, frustration, and plain ole' weariness. 

Looking at where I am now, I can see God's plans through it all. And so can she. 

The Tough Mudder is famous for its notorious final obstacle: electroshock therapy, where contestants dash through hanging live electrical wires. But last year there was one more obstacle that I sometimes forget, when remembering the insanity of that day. It was a crawl up a muddy hill that had been embedded with tractor tires. And it was on this final obstacle that I found a large crowd.  

One guy, in the middle of the group, had cracked some ribs somewhere on the dangerous, rough-and-tumble, 13-mile course. His face was set in a painful grimace with every movement, but still he pressed onward. All around him people offered to help, to carry him over the tires. Sometimes he accepted their help, but sometimes he'd refuse: the wrong movements could jostle his cracked ribs, putting him in even more pain. 

My separation and subsequent divorce were like a bellyfull of cracked ribs. I carried them around with me for a long time, their dull ache making every movement like knives. Just when I thought the pain had finally ebbed away, I'd make one wrong move, and suddenly feel the pain as fresh as ever.  

Even though I don't feel the sting of those old injuries anymore, I still remember how much they hurt. But I guess that's a good thing. If I don't remember the pain, remember why it was there and learn what I can do to prevent it in the future, then the whole experience would have been a waste. But I've grown through it all; as a man, as a partner in a relationship, and in my faith in God.

I can now clearly see God's plan that got me through those times. If I had been able to see God's end result through the pain, it would have made the pain a little more bearable... but I would not have learned as much, and I wouldn't be the man that God has forged me into because of it. 

So as I prep for this upcoming Tough Mudder, I remember the place I am in now, and where I was a year ago. Whether I'm in as good shape as I was last year is yet to be seen... but I am certainly more whole now than I was then. With the emotional cracked ribs finally healed, I simply need to avoid cracking any literal ribs. 

And I'm taking a waterproof disposable fun camera with me, to chronaloge the whole thing. 

Monday, 8/5/13: The Real Role of Rest *OR* Race Crazy

It's been a week since my last post, and I've only done one run since then.  I didn't bother recording it because it was nothing special (under 5 miles, crappy pace).  But this morning I decided to tackle a long run.  The first one in more than a week. And I was very pleased with the results!

Start time: ~6:20 (I slept in this morning)
Start temperature: 58 degrees F
Distance: 13.07 miles
Time: 1:55:58
Pace: 8:52 min/mile
Food before run: 1 cup shredded wheat (unsweetened), topped off with milk.

First and foremost:  YOWZA! Look at that pace! I was like lightning this morning!

Before I toot my own horn further, there are many factors that are probably contributing to that pace.

1.) First (and probably foremost), the app I use to record my runs auto-pauses whenever I'm stationary.  So whenever I had to wait at a crosswalk and got a few seconds of much-needed rest, the timer wasn't actually counting.  I guess you'll have to take my word that I didn't stop every mile and refresh myself with a rest, all the while cheating my running app.  If I was going to cheat on my runs, why bother running in the first place?

2.)  This summer has been Lexington's most mild summer in many, many years.  Last year, I would have never seen a morning in August at 57 degrees.

3.)  It had been four days since I last ran.  Not fighting fatigue or injury, I was able to push myself this morning.

4.)  I ate a little before my run (I haven't done that pretty much all summer), and I refueled with Sport Beans during the run.

I took this picture during a crosswalk stop.  

And I think it's time for me to break up with Sport Beans. I first reviewed the product in this post, and said their nasty flavor was the primary factor that kept me from going whole hog on them.  This package boasted "assorted" flavors, which makes sense, because every one of them tasted like ass.  Sorry, Sport Beans, but for my money, I can find a product that does your job just as well while tasting much better.  

And, come on... a resealable package?  Who's going to reseal a measly one-ounce package?  

On another note, I've signed up for several races this fall!  

August 10:  I've signed up for BOTH Warrior Dash Versailles and A Midsummer Night's Run. The former will be my third Warrior Dash; but in that race, new locations always bring new challenges. The latter is Lexington's premier annual 5k, celebrating their 28th year.  I'm running these races with my dear friend Hillary (her blog can be found here) and a few friends from church. Pictures from both races will be posted!  

October 20:  Last year I swore I'd never do another Tough Mudder. I guess I'll never learn, because I signed up for it again. If you're running and you'd like to join my team, send me a message!  I'll gladly give the team name and the password for you to join!  

December 7:  What would fall be without a half marathon? The Christmas on the Country Music Highway Half Marathon will be my smallest race (the website says its limited to 300 participants!), but it's also the most affordable half I have ever done. I registered last week for $40.00!  

March 29, 2014: Yes, I know it's still months away, but I can't say enough about the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon.  This will be my fourth year in the race, and what started out as a small race is growing into a renown celebration of all that central Kentucky has to offer to the global running community. I am always impressed with this race.  If you can make it in before the race sells out (they sold more than 10% of their spots in the first four days of open registration), I highly recommend it! 

Yeah, I know... there aren't any full marathons on my race schedule.  I'm actually waiting for registration to open for the 2014 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon to open!  Runner's World magazine has toted this race as one of the most fun in the entire country.  I can think of no better place to try to beat my old, embarrassing marathon time of 5:13:39. I'll keep you posted, dear reader! 

UPDATE: Results from Miles for Missions Project!  

If you've read some of my earlier posts, you know that I participated in a project called 'Miles for Missions', in which I raised money to buy school supplies for needy kids by running during the month of July.  Unfortunately, I didn't hit my goal of 100 miles for the month (only hit 90.33). Fortunately, my sponsors were very generous, and I was still able to raise $231.85 for needy kids!  Thanks so much to all who donated so generously!