Kenya Relief Work

Some pictures of the relief work in Kenya

I thought some pictures of the relief efforts in Kenya might help you understand how people are working together to demonstrate love and concern during the humanitarian crisis in Kenya. (My apologies for the odd formatting -- I don't quite have the hang of finessing pictures into a decent alignment.)



Families arrive at safe locations by a variety of means. Some come by punda (Sw. donkey) cart...






... others arrive on the back of large lorries.





Once in the safe havens -- police compounds, churches, schools, etc. -- there's not a lot to do but wait.



Many fled to the safe havens with no possessions -- only the clothes on their backs. Kenyans donated sacrificially to help.





Baptist Global Response brought in blankets.








Relief workers tried to register everyone in the camps both to ensure equitable distribution of food and to try to enable families to locate missing relatives.









This was an incredible scene. The lady on the right had been displaced from her home by the riots. Still, she brought sugar cane to one of the camps to share with those who had lost more than she. The youth registering the donation are from a local Baptist church.

In the Midst of Chaos and Suffering...

(Kenya ethnic map is from the BBC)
I thought it would be good to give a bit (OK, this is longer than a bit) of an update on the situation in Kenya. Since I pointed some folks to my blog last week, I figure they might come back to see what else is happening. (DISCLAIMER: Except for quotes and references to articles, the following comments represent my personal thoughts and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of anyone else, including my employer.)

The news coming out of Kenya is not real encouraging. Last week, Kibaki selected his Vice President and most of his cabinet prior to mediation attempts. It appeared to be a move calculated to firmly entrench himself in power and to effectively cut out the opposition (those who claim the election was stolen from them) from any meaningful part in the current government. That, alone, could cause tensions to go back up again. Then, neither side seems to be willing to budge from hard-line positions and the two leaders still haven't talked face-to-face. The opposition has called for rallies on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week. Not good.

The man who was chosen as VP, Kalonzo Musyoka, was a minor third-party candidate for President who received only 9% of the vote and didn't even carry his home province. I was privileged to meet and have lunch with him about 3 years ago as part of a trip to his district to see some water catchment work that had been done by Baptists in Kenya. He seemed to be a sincere, clear thinking politician. His agreement to be the Vice President in these troubled times and in partnership with one who had been accused of fraudulent election practices has puzzled me. I'm not alone in that as the following editorial makes clear:

Irony of Kalonzo-Kibaki Relation

One of Kenya's leading daily papers pointed out the complexity of this crisis, giving credence to my own thoughts:

Kenyans are fighting inequality, not ethnicity

NPR has a good selection of stories on the political issues and the crisis that has resulted -- NPR stories on Kenya.

But, I'd like to focus on a different aspect of all of this. In the midst of this crisis, many believers have refused to be drawn into the conflicts and the tribalism and are demonstrating their faith in practical, loving ways. This is one of the things that differentiates the Kenya situation from the incredible violence in Rwanda in 1992 -- believers are showing that when Christ truly rules in one's heart, that person is changed, she is different, he does not respond based on prejudice or the normal expectations of culture. The following news articles and snippets from various e-mails demonstrate those responses by both Kenyan nationals and expatriate missionaries:

Kenyan needs trigger Baptist ministry

Kenya refugees sheltered at Baptist school

9 January 2008 -- Mark Hatfield, Africa Director, Baptist Global Response

I have used an additional about $5,000 (Baptist Global Response had already used $25,000 for relief work) for the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons, I think) center here at the Tigoni Police station and the KRC (Kenya Red Cross) center in Limuru. Most of that has gone for blankets and non-food items. I may have to have the pit latrines pumped tomorrow :) They are overflowing

There are about 800 in Tigoni that we are feeding daily. For the first three days I hauled about 1500 liters of water to them daily but we were able to get the Tigoni water to turn on the police tap so the water hauling has slowed down.

I have been pleased with the KRC's ability to manage something this size and even more amazed at the generosity of the community around here. Many donations come in daily. We have not had to buy fresh Veggies yet. The Limuru center is better off in all areas than those at the police station.

The Barton's (Baptist family) have been super and Kathy fixes something daily to bring to the police station. Ian helped me haul food from town and has been very involved.

We had 50 KG (about 110 pounds) of beans soaking in the bath tub last night that were served today. Tomorrow is Ugali day.

We have enough food depending on what all is donated locally for about another 5 days. What we are doing is not large but I think significant.

12 January 2008 -- Bert Yates, Prayer Coordinator for Kenya

We will not take an oath or join the homeguards. We will stand in the centre. As we awaited the delivery of relief food last week, Arthur Kinyanjui [Baptist pastor and past moderator of the Baptist Convention of Kenya] repeated these words to us. He and others at a Bible School in the Rift Valley first made these statements over 50 years ago. As God’s servants, this was their answer when they were asked to join either the Mau Mau soldiers or the homeguards, the soldiers with the colonial British government. Later as we visited the camp for the displaced at the Nakuru Showgrounds, Arthur and an elderly friend shared that they had seen many difficult situations during their lives, but what was happening today could only be compared to what they had seen during the Mau Mau Uprising in the 1950’s. Both men had tears in their eyes as they shared. Arthur, who has started churches in Kenya and Uganda during the last half century among many, many different tribes, finds it impossible to accept that once again as an ambassador for his Saviour, he must stand in the centre in his own country.

Jack and I continue to praise God for how our Kenyan friends are looking beyond economic or tribal boundaries to meet the needs of those around them. During the relief efforts when tribal clashes erupted in the Rift Valley in the late 1980’s, most of Jack’s calls from pastors and church leaders began with the list of their needs and requests for outside help. Yes, much of our job at that time and today is to encourage those hurting and give them the opportunity to share, but this time is different. Even as the needs are shared, the emphasis is on what they can do to meet their needs and praises for what God is doing already!

But, the needs are there and they will need outside help. We are certain that some of our churches have been burned and destroyed, but we are awaiting confirmation before we share the facts with you. I asked Jack today if he had received word yet on the churches in Burnt Forest, an area between Nakuru and Eldoret which has especially felt the fury of the election madness. Jack answered, Not yet, but I have delayed calling my contact there. I don’t think I want to hear his answer. I helped build almost all of those church buildings. I know where each Baptist Church is located. I know their people. As you pray for the thousands displaced and hurting in our country, please also pray for the Kenyans and others like Jack who are ministering to them. Pray for strength and compassion as they listen and encourage. Pray for wisdom as the IMB and many other groups seek to find the best ways to help meet the incredible needs around us. Pray that new attacks and threats will not continue. And pray especially for those who are in national leadership positions. Pray that they will look beyond any political, tribal or personal desires or rivalries and truly seek true and lasting peace for all Kenyans.

13 January 2008 -- Bert Yates, Prayer Coordinator for Kenya

Regardless of what is happening in our country, THE LORD IS KING! These are the words our worship leader, Carol, spoke this morning before leading us in singing We Crown You Now. She also reminded those of us at Parklands Baptist that in spite of what we see in the news and all around us our Lord is Good. We then sang, Lord you are good and your mercies endureth forever. As I sat among my Kenyan friends this morning, I was awed once again by their desire to praise God and totally depend upon him in times of suffering and sorrow. Many arrived this morning with guests – after the service I learned from a friend, that as I expected, these were displaced family members now sharing their homes, yet they all joined fervently in the praise songs.

Later, as we sang our usual welcome song, we were challenged to sing it to our neighbours this week. Pastor Simon Mwangi shared, For peace to be generated, it is not just the job of politicians. All of us must get involved. Can you imagine what would happen in our city and country or even in our world if everyone honestly sang, God loves you and I love you and that’s the way it should be to their neighbours in the coming days?

Pastor Simon added that Kenyans need to focus on God totally, not politicians, newspapers, or even international help. He said Kenya must look to God and only to God for help and for peace. In the morning prayer, Deacon John Rono stated, The best mediator is Lord God Almighty. Later, Pastor Ambrose Nyangao repeated this by asking us to not focus on current circumstances, but to join him in singing, Turn your eyes upon Jesus…and the things of earth will grow dim in the light of his glory and grace.

I’m afraid that all these positive comments might make you think that those at our church are imitating the ostriches that we see in our game parks and on open plains. Yet, in all I heard this morning, no one was hiding their head in the sand and denying the current problems of Kenya. Pastor Simon shared how his family had visited the many displaced camps in our area yesterday. As his children joined in playing with the displaced children, he realized that there was a great need for comfort, not just food for the many who have been through such trauma. When Pastor Ambrose stated that the devil is working hard to get our focus away from our Saviour, there were many, many nods and sounds of agreement. There was also great understanding when Ambrose asked if we remembered how Jesus calmed the sea and the storm and added, For there to be a great calm, there must be a great storm.

I am proud of my church and my Kenyan friends, but I am not sharing these things to brag. I want you to see the other side of what is happening in our country – the side that gives me hope among all the turmoil and pain of recent days. I am certain the message and challenges Jack and I heard this morning are being heard in churches throughout Kenya today. Please continue praying with us for not just a time of peace in our country, but a lasting peace that is a result of an end to the tribal, political and economic problems that have fed the discontent and anger that has caused current clashes/attacks as well as destruction and death in the past. Join us in praying Deacon Rono’s plea this morning for the leaders of Kenya – Pray that they will prefer peace for all above all personal and political ambitions and desires.

13 January 2008 -- David and Robin Stow, Volunteer Coordinator, Baptist Mission of Kenya

As I write to you, we have just returned from another wonderful worship service at our church where the focus was prayer for the nation of Kenya. Three groups went to three different areas in the town to see first hand the situation. In all three areas, the groups consisted mostly of women with small children and the elderly. After returning, they reported the most urgent needs in these specific areas are underwear, diapers and wipes for the babies, sanitary napkins for the ladies, water and a means of cleaning their bodies. Today we collected money specifically for these items. There has been an outpouring here with people donating clothing and food and while there is still a HUGE need for all of these things, the items they identified are items not being donated as readily and are critical to the needs of these displaced people.

There are refugee camps all over Kenya trying to meet the needs of those displaced. Many have found refuge with other family members as time has gone by, but there are many who do not have anywhere to go. Many have had to leave the only home they have ever known just because their tribe was not of that area. Many marriages are suffering because of the intermarriage that has taken place. Many camps are for an individual tribe so families are split. One of the groups from our church learned that in one camp they visited there had been violence within the camp because it was a mixed group.

What can you do? Most importantly, you can pray as requested in the e-mails that I've copied above. The International Mission Board, SBC maintains a fund for Human Needs Ministries from which it draws in situations like this. Help is given regardless of religion or tribe and 100% of the contributions go to providing help because the programs overseas are administered by missionaries and Baptist relief workers. Read about that here -- IMB Human Needs Ministries. If you want to give, you could designate your gift for Kenya disaster relief.

Run (life) well, y'all,
Bob

Are We Ruining Our Knees or Other Joints?

I'm sure most people who run regularly have heard the warnings about ruined knees, ankles, hips, etc. Runner's World online has an article that should be encouraging to us: If I continue to run, will I get arthritis?

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Weather and What to Wear While Running

We went to the early worship service at our church today. So, I decided to run after Bible study (about 11:30). My wife also planned to run but was concerned about being cold. AS I advised her about what she might wear, I realized that this is a very individual matter depending on one's tolerance for cold and the level of effort, which determines internal temperatures.

The February '08 issue of Runner's World printed a guide created by a couple of runners from Rhode Island and Ontario (p.65) - I can't find the article online so can't link to it (why doesn't Runner's World at least have the full contents of the magazine available online for subscribers?). It's almost dead-on the way I decide what to wear. I'm very warm-natured and sweat profusely, so the following might not apply to you (to save typing, assume that all items are "tech" cloths unless otherwise noted -- little or no cotton for me):

• 80°+: I only run around in the shower! (I'm a heat wimp)
• 50-79°: short-sleeved shirt, shorts, light socks
• 40-49°: long-sleeved shirt, shorts, gloves, heavier socks on the lower end of the range
• 32-39°: short-sleeved shirt, polyester/cotton sweatshirt, shorts, gloves
• 27-31°: long-sleeved shirt, poly/cotton sweatshirt, shorts, wind pants, gloves -- if I'm feeling wimpy, I'll add the stocking cap with the ear flaps turned up
• 13-26°: short-sleeved shirt under a long-sleeved shirt, poly/cotton sweatshirt, shorts, wind pants, stocking cap w/ear flaps down and tied under my chin (my family "loves" the style), gloves
• 13°: I don't know as it hasn't gotten that cold in Richmond in the last 2 winters

(BTW and for what it's worth, I really like Balega socks -- Enduro when the temperature is warmer, mid-40's and up, and the gray/black Trail when the temperature is cooler, 40's and lower, or when I'm running 10+ miles.)

Today wasn't that cold (47° and breezy when I went out) so I wore my fluorescent yellow Brooks long-sleeved shirt. My family says nobody can miss seeing me when I wear that shirt but they worry that it might blind somebody and they'll run over me because of it! Not a bad run -- 5.5 miles at 8:10 mpm.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Most Bizarre Question While Running

I've been asked some interesting questions by non-runners when I'm running. One chilly spring morning, I was stopped by someone in a car who asked if I had seen a horse running around. One night, in an upper-middle income neighbourhood, I was asked by a rather unkempt man where the free overnight house was. But today's question was the most bizarre. I was running around a small, local lake and coming up on 3 children who were fishing. As I approached them, a boy about 9 years old asked me if I had any scissors. I guess his mother never said to him, Don't run with scissors. (On the other hand, maybe he couldn't tell I was running!)



What's the most bizarre question you've been asked while running?

Great run today and the longest run I've had since the half marathon in September -- 9.4 miles at 7:53 mpm, 51°.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Update on Kenya (NRR - Not Running Related)

The news this morning from Kenya is encouraging. According to both the BBC and CNN, Dr. Jendayi Frazer (photo from BBC's web site), the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, has been able to talk to both Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga and they have agreed to talk together. No one is quite sure what might come out of those talks but possibilities mentioned include power sharing or an interim government leading up to new elections. We'll see. My friends and colleagues in Kenya reported yesterday that things were much more peaceful and seemed almost normal in Nairobi except for the light traffic.

What happened in Kenya was an undeniable tragedy. More people have died in Kenya in other conflicts over the past 15 years but that doesn't make this week's death toll any less significant: 300 600+ people killed; as many as 250,000 displaced (according to the U.N. and reported by BBC and CNN). CNN reports that the Kenyan Red Cross ... is appealing for $15.4 billion in aid for those forced from their homes by the crisis. Pictures sometimes speak more clearly than words. The BBC has posted pictures of the riots here -- captions are in Swahili but the pictures clearly show the violence.

These two articles, written by an IMB journalist who lives in Nairobi, give the most personal accounts of the situation that I've seen anywhere:

Safe amid turbulent times, writer shares concern for Kenyan friends

Kenyans forge ahead to rebuild future, return to 'normal life'

There are a whole lot of factors that have led to the current situation:

• frustration at perceived election irregularities
• frustration at the slow rate of change to full democracy
• frustration at the slow rate of economic progress
• long-standing inter-tribal rivalries and distrust
• opportunism -- thugs taking advantage of the general unrest
• strong egos that won't back down
• sinful hearts

This morning, I read Psalm 10. I was struck once again at how clearly God's Word is relevant to modern times.

In verse 1, the author utters the question that all of us ask when things happen like the events in Kenya this week,

Why, Lord, do you [seem to] stand far off?

Then, in verses 2-11, he describes the evil that he sees around him. Reading that, I was struck at how closely that correlated with the events of the week in Kenya. He not only describes the plight of those who lost their lives or their possessions in the rioting, but he talks about the actions of those who stir up the trouble behind the scenes:

the oppressed are trapped by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up.

The oppressed are both the victims of the violence and those who were incited to participate in violence for the selfish desires of power-hungry individuals.

Verses 12-15 is the author's request to God to intervene and to halt the senseless violence:

Rise up, Lord! O God, strike him down! Do not forget the oppressed! ... Break the arm of the wicked and evil man! Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, which he thought you would not discover.

Finally, verses 16-18 is a statement of faith in God's response to the plea for peace and protection:

You defend the fatherless and oppressed, so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them.

Evil, suffering, poverty are the inevitable consequences of sinful choices that every person makes. Nonetheless, God is merciful and does not allow evil to continue unabated. As a believer, I'm obliged to pray that God would intervene and to do what I can to relieve suffering, to live out God's mercy by what I do.

Continue to pray for the people of Kenya.

Run well, y'all (on the roads, trails, dreadmill, and in life),
Bob
Richmond, VA

Runner's High

Benjamin Cheever, in Strides, says, "The runner's high is built on a foundation of runner's lows. The joy is often paid for in advance." My run tonight was a case in point. A number of my runs lately have seemed difficult. Tonight, however, was really nice -- I really felt good, even after finishing 8.1 miles at a 7:48.6 mpm pace.

I like running in cool weather and it was 29° when I started and about 24° when I finished. The air was dry unlike most mornings in Richmond. While I like running early in the morning (normally I'm on the road no later than 5:30 am), I generally feel like I run better in the evening -- so, that was a plus. And, this week has been stressful. We have about 205 people in Kenya for whom our organization is responsible -- adult missionaries, their children, and a variety of family members and other guests who were in the country either visiting family or doing volunteer work. And, if you have kept up with international news this week, you know that things have been unusually tense in Kenya with the tribal/political clashes that have been going on for about 4 days (CNN story -- CAUTION: the picture with the article is gruesome). Because of the stress of the week, I think I really needed to run tonight.

So, everything just came together for a runner's high for me tonight. I run for my health, for weight control, for stress relief, to get some "I" (introvert) time but this kind of outing makes running pure fun! I hope you have a runner's high this week.

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond, VA

Closing Out 2007

Vanilla, who writes the Half-Fast blog, wrote his "Requisite Year in Review" on Thursday. I decided to wait until I had done my last run of 2007 to give a summary. Last year, I posted my summary in case someone was interested but it turned out to be for my benefit. I had kept my running log on my Palm but it decided to die early in 2007 and I had not synched it to my computer recently so I lost a month or so of records. The summary "saved my bacon", so to speak because I was able to piece together the information that I needed.

So, this year's summary is as much for my benefit as for the interest of anyone else :)

Number of runs: 236

WARM-UP WALKING AND RUNNING:
Distance: 1488.99 miles
Average distance: 6.31
Total time (hh:mm:ss): 206:30:30.89
Average MPM (mm:ss): 8:19.28

RUNNING ONLY:
Distance: 1441.62204 miles
Average distance: 6.11
Total time (hh:mm:ss): 193:54:55.89
Average MPM (mm:ss): 8:04.24

Shoes: 1 pair Brooks Adrenaline GTS7, 3 pair Etonics Jepara SC (current)
States: VA, NC, SC, GA, TN, CA
Countries: South Africa, Kenya
Longest Run: 13.1 miles, Richmond, VA Maymont X-Terra Half Marathon
Fastest Run: Richmond, VA, 7-Mar-07, 4.52 miles@7:33.35 mpm
Fastest Mile: Richmond, VA 18-Jul-07. 1.04 miles@6:45 mpm
Favourite Run: Maymont X-Terra Half Marathon, 13.1 miles@8:17.54 mpm (1:49:12)
Most Exotic Run: Tigoni, Kenya -- Kenya highlands
Most Fun Run: Christmas Lights Run, 5.3 miles
Worst/Hardest Run: Maymont X-Terra Half Marathon -- very hard course

Most difficult lesson of 2007: Learning that slowing down on the majority of my training runs is a good thing. My training plan for the half marathon had me doing my long runs at 8:32-9:03 mpm. I was concerned that this would train my mind/body to run more slowly. But, my track repeats and tempo runs showed me that I could still run faster (individual miles @ 6:45-7:30 mpm) and the 3rd mile of the half marathon was @7:06 (too fast for the race).

Happy New Year to all of you!

Run well, y'all,
Bob Allen
Richmond, VA

Just a Spoonful of Sugar...

...to cop a line from Mary Poppins. The sugar was the motivation for the kids to take their medicine.

Some of us need some kind of motivation to get out the door to run during this time of year. Or, some (like me) tend to make optimistic New Year's resolutions about running or exercising in general and then have trouble following through. Amy's post in the Runner's Lounge might be just the thing you need:
Natural Law: Overcoming Inertia

The video is pretty incredible. I wouldn't recommend a 50-mile ultra-marathon for 13 year olds, but I'm impressed.

There's also a post on Diet Blog that provides tips for pushing on.

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond, VA

Running From ...

We got home last night from our Christmas travels. Having been in the van for 7+ hours, I decided to get in a night run. That served three purposes -- stretching my legs, getting a Saturday run in, and seeing the Christmas lights in our neighbourhood. I had wanted to see the lights on foot, but since I normally run in the early morning, most folks hadn't had them on. The run was really nice (6.3 miles @ 7:59 mpm) and there were a fair number of homes that were lit up.

What I didn't know, until watching the news this morning, was what had been going on along my running route during the day on Saturday. There was an apparently rabid fox that had attacked 4 people before being killed. The report from one of the local TV stations is here. It attacked at at least 3 different spots along or very close to my route. The final person attacked was one of the police officers who had responded to try to capture or kill the fox -- it ran up his pants leg before being shot. And, yes, the officer got the fox off his leg before it was shot! :)

Hmmmm. Maybe that's why I didn't see anybody else running last night. I had no idea that I was running from a fox!

Run well, y'all (and keep your eyes open),
Bob
Richmond, VA

Advent Prayer

Though we haven't been able to do it consistently, Linda (my wife) and I have used an Advent wreath and Advent devotions as we've prepared for Christmas this year. This has been our tradition for 25+ years. Each week has had a separate theme -- Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love. Sunday, as I sat in the worship service celebrating the birth of Christ, I was struck with the thought that the themes of Advent speak to the people of Africa, the people we have served for the the past 21 1/2 years. Christ is:

HOPE for those without hope -- like those dying of AIDS who have no hope in this life and those who live in fear of life after death because they have no sure hope except to hope that their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds.

JOY for those who have nothing material that can give them joy -- I have had 21 years of amazement at how joyful poverty-stricken African believers can be.

PEACE for those who have endured civil war and who continue to try to carry on normal life in the midst of rebel activity.

LOVE for those who have no person who shows them love -- those like AIDS orphans and street kids.

We have had the awesome privilege to be ambassadors of the one who is all of these things for Africans, Jesus the Christ ...

... the hope of glory.
... for whose birth the angels rejoiced.
... who is the Prince of Peace
... who is love.

Those same themes apply to each of us, though most who read this blog have very different circumstances. Still, many live without hope or joy or peace or love. Christ provides all of those -- He reaches out to each one of us in our need; He knows our needs and cares about them.

As you wake up to Christmas Day today, it's my prayer that you will experience in your life the Christ for whom this day is named. I hope that you will realize the grace of Christ in your own live today as He is hope, joy, peace and love for you.

As these thoughts went through my mind in the service on Sunday, we sang the Christmas carol, Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus:

Come, though long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free.
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art.
Dear Desire of every nation;
Joy of every longing heart.

That is my prayer for you this Christmas Day. Merry Christmas!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Another 100 Miles Traveled

This morning, I passed 1400 miles for the year. Finished today's run at 1402.58. The 1300 mark took me 17 days (23-Nov-07); this 100 miles took 26 days -- just an interesting (to me) observation.

Today I didn't have a particular time to be "at work" so I got in my longish run of the week -- 8.5 miles. I had intended to run about 8:15-8:30 mpm but didn't keep close tabs on the mile splits. I was surprised to see a 7:57 mpm average when I ran the numbers. OK, I messed up running the numbers. Still wasn't a bad run and was still faster than I had planned but it was 8:01 mpm average.

Next week could be a rough week for running. Not just Christmas Day and all the food but we're traveling to see family in Georgia (Hartwell) and South Carolina (Greenville). I've not run in Hartwell so don't know what I'm up against. Anybody reading this who will be in those areas and wants to run together? Let me know.

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond, VA

Christmas Lights Run #2

Tonight's Christmas Lights run was really nice. Because I wanted to try to take some pictures, I decided to run in the middle pack, figuring I could slow down to take some pictures and then catch back up. Slowing down and catching up worked but the picture taking was pretty much a bust as you can see from the picture on the right.



We started and ended at Runner Bill Sports.
The lights were pretty -- you can get a general idea from the pictures.



Brooks Running donated some running stuff and my name was drawn for a shirt -- a Brooks Nightlife Podium Half-zip. That was pretty nice.

The first 3 miles were pretty leisurely but I picked it up for the last 2 -- we were past the lights and just heading "home". Ended up passing the lead group and finishing the 5.3 miles in 46:17.

This Christmas, reduce your carbon footprint by replacing a Christmas lights drive with a run. You'll enjoy it and be earth-friendly at the same time.

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond, VA

Results Are In!

The results from the 1st 8 on the 8th virtual run are in and I'm officially a Breakneck Brother!. The race director tells me I'm entitled to use that title wherever I want.

Next on my calendar is my second Christmas Lights Run of 2007 -- tomorrow night (Tuesday) starting at Runner Bill Sports in Midlothian. 5.3 miles of fun.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Slip Slidin' Away

(With apologies to Paul Simon). This is in honor of the blogging runners who ran the 8 on the 8th race in the snow, ice, and freezing rain -- that group includes the following and probably some others who haven't posted their results, yet:

Joe
Nat
Amy at Runners' Lounge
Amy (in Belgium)
Nic (NWGDC)


When I saw this, I thought of you all:



Run (or slide) well, y'all,
Bob

8 on the 8th Virtual Race Results

Non-Runner Nancy pulled together a virtual race for this weekend, 8 on the 8th. The weather in Richmond was perfect. I headed out at 8 am with an overcast sky, 43°, and 75% humidity -- it was about 46° when I finished.

My goal pace for the race was 7:45-8:00 mpm but I ended up doing 7:42.64 mpm. I ran in Short Pump. Here are my splits

1st mile - 8:06.13
2nd mile - 7:38.13
3rd mile - 8:16.14
4th mile - 7:53.65
5th mile - 7:45.43
6th mile - 7:10.85 (not quite sure how in the world I did this)
7th mile - 7:33.58
8th mile - 7:17
Last 0.2 - 1:34.6
TOTAL
8.202 miles - 1:03:15.48

I'm looking forward to seeing how everybody else did.

Here's hoping everybody else has a good run.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Christmas Lights Run #1

One of the local running stores, Runner Bill Sports, sponsors a Christmas Lights run -- about 5.3 miles through the surrounding neighbourhoods to see the lights. It's a cool twist on riding around to look at Christmas decorations. It's nice to run with a group of people in a new place (for me). Tonight was the 2nd time I've done this run. I'm planning to do this run again on Tuesday (11 December) -- I may try to take a camera and post a few pictures. If any readers are in Richmond, join me at Runner Bill Sports.

By the way, I'm running a virtual 8-mile race on Saturday: 8 on the 8th. This was non-runner Nancy's idea and is a great way to build a virtual community. Check the race forum for details -- no cost, just fun; no set start time, so you can sleep late; and if you can't run on the 8th, run on the 7th or the 9th.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Another Round Number

5,000 is a nice, round number. And, when it represents miles run, it's a BIG number! Today, I passed 5,000 miles since getting serious about running almost 4.5 years ago (July 2003) -- I'm at 5,002.9.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

A Goal Bites the Dust

It only took me 17 days to complete the last 100 miles of my mileage goal for 2007. Something tells me I set my goal too low but, then, at the beginning of the year I didn't realize what kind of miles I would put in training for the half marathon.



Running in the afternoon/evening is not my favourite thing to do but Black Friday interfered with a morning run. (Yes, I did get some good deals -- a 500 gb drive for $85, a couple of 4 gb USB drives for $19.) On the other hand, though I cannot for the life of me figure out how I could possibly have run a 7:00 6th mile, my splits were pretty good:

Mile 1 -- 8:45
Mile 2 -- 8:15
Mile 3 -- 8:00
Mile 4 -- 8:15
Mile 5 -- 7:30
Mile 6 -- 7:00
Last 0.3 -- 2:16

Good way to fight off the cheesecake and pumpkin pie and dressing. :-; (Mmmmmm!)

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Fall Run in Richmond

I took some shots of a route (8.47 miles) that I occasionally run near our house. Unfortunately, the colours in the shots aren't bad but the leaves were much more beautiful in "real life". (DISCLAIMER: I accept no responsibility for the "related videos" that YouTube may link to in the frame below. As of right now, there's nothing offensive linked but I'm not sure how YouTube makes the relations.)



Run well, y'all,
Bob

A Personal Turkey Trot

Headed out for my own, personal Turkey Trot this morning. Ran 6.2 miles in 51:24 -- set no records but came in first among all those who ran this Turkey Trot. Of course, I also came in dead last! :-)

On this day, I have a whole passle of things for which to be thankful:

** God's love for me and all people and His offer of salvation to all (1 John 4:19, 1 Timothy 2:4).
** A wonderful, beautiful wife who loves me in spite of my "warts".
** Two adult children who continue to make me proud.
** Parents who reared me right and continue to be active.
** A job that makes a difference in the world.
** Good friends, both those I know personally and those I know only virtually (online).
** Good health.
** The ability to run.

Run well and enjoy the turkey,
Bob

Does Anybody Really Care About Blogging?

There's no doubt that blogging has changed the way many of us look at information, both our choices of sources of information and the empowerment (or perception of empowerment) of the common person to have a voice in sharing information. Ben Arment has written an interesting article on the real influence of bloggers, The Unlikely Prophets of Blogging. Many of those in my generation (I'm 53 and I'll let you decide where the young end of my generation is) downplay the impact of blogging. Often, I think we tend to do that because (1) blogging is not the way we interact with the world, (2) it's unruly, somewhat chaotic, and doesn't follow the "rules" of traditional information sources, and (3) if we acknowledge that blogging does have influence then we also have to either acknowledge that our own positions of influence/power are threatened or we have to change our ways.

I've also just finished reading The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom. The same danger exists in how we view the shift toward decentralized organizations. The 7th chapter in the book really caught my attention as the authors dealt with hybrid organizations. Not every organization can or should make the switch to a fully leaderless model. I think that's the situation with the International Mission Board, the organization where I work. But, I think we could benefit in many ways by moving toward a hybrid organization. That's uncomfortable for a lot of folks, myself included. Some would accuse us of protecting our power but I think (hope) it has more to do with how seriously we take our mission. Still, uncomfortable or not, I think we would be more effective and would become more relevant to the emerging leadership and followership of our denomination if we decentralize wherever we can. Of course, part of the difficulty of making those changes is that we are the largest arm of our denomination and the denomination is a centralized organization.

What do those two things have to do with each other -- the impact of blogging and decentralizing the IMB? In a word, change: change in how our constituency is influenced and change in how we do our work. Change is hard.

Running: I've run 72+ miles in the last 12 days -- probably a high for me. Today's run was hard but good. I haven't run a tempo run since the Maymont Half-Marathon at the end of September but I don't want to lose my fitness level. So, I only had time for about 5 miles today and was planning to run the route on which I had been doing tempo runs, so I thought, "Why not?" Not bad -- mile splits were:

Mile 1: 9:00
Mile 2: 7:35
Mile 3: 7:30
Mile 4: 7:35
Mile 5: 8:25
Last 1/4: 1:41

I'll take it!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

For the Beauty of the Earth

(Click the title to go to the Midi file of the hymn, For the Beauty of the Earth. I haven't figured out how to embed the file so it shows and plays directly from here.)

I had planned for today to be a day off of running. I had run 5 days straight and a 9.7 mile run on Saturday. But, driving to church this morning, the leaves were so beautiful that I wanted to run. That's the great thing about this time of year. I'm so hot natured that in July, if I don't run in the early morning, I just can't run later in the day. But in November, when the high is predicted to be 52°, I can run in the afternoon.

After church, our daughter and I went to lunch to kill our fajita craving (Casa Grande in Short Pump ain't bad). I had to leave at 5:30 to help with the African worship service at our orientation center. So, I knew I had to start my run between 3:00 and 3:30 -- 1 hour+ run, 15 minutes stretch, shower, supper, and leave.

My fajitas complained a little bit in the beginning, but I just took it slowly and was fine. It actually wasn't as slow as I thought but that was OK. Oh, the leaves are great! They're just a little beyond their peak -- maybe a week -- but the sun was shining, the air was crisp, there was a slight breeze, and there was lots of colour. I tell you, this just cannot have happened by accident. God created this -- Genesis 1:11-13.



Another comment on Unity versus Conformity: our pastor is preaching a sermon on our church's motto: Gayton Baptist Church...A Place to Belong...Believe...Become! Today was the second sermon on Believe and he touched on the concept of unity versus uniformity. In the sermon, he reminded me of a quote that applies to my thinking

We would be in the best shape if we kept in essentials, Unity; in non-essentials, Liberty; and in both Charity (Charity meaning, in modern usage, Love or Mutual Respect). This is often attributed to Augustine but is more likely attributable to Peter Meiderlin from a book he wrote in Latin in the mid-1620's, A Prayerful Admonition for Peace to the Theologians of the Augsburg Confession. While he was talking about doctrine, the philosophy applies in a lot of areas of life. (See the online article, "IN ESSENTIALS UNITY": THE PRE-HISTORY AND HISTORY OF A RESTORATION MOVEMENT SLOGAN

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running the Race Well

Last weekend, Ryan Hall ran the fastest ever US Olympic Trails marathon. The New York Road Runners web site has a good article on the trials: The Next Generation of Champions.

However, road races are not the only races that Ryan runs. He has his eyes fixed on the only meaningful finish line there is, Jesus (reference Hebrews 12:1-2). David Haywood, over at Running the Race, posted a video of Ryan. It's an inspiring run but also the faith story of a young man committed to following Christ. Enjoy. If, after watching the video, you want to talk about how you, too, can commit your life like this, contact me by leaving a comment or check out this site, Unconditional Love.



If you'd rather watch the video at the original web site, click here.

Run well, y'all, on the road and in life,
Bob

Unity vs. Conformity

Heat wave today: 37° (compared to 27° yesterday). I decided to push my run a bit this morning -- I haven't done a tempo run since the half marathon about 6 weeks ago. Not bad but I could tell that (1) it had been a while since the last tempo run and (2) I'm still not back to full strength after my cold. Here are my splits (if you're interested -- well, OK, here they are whether you're interested or not :) ):

1.0 X 8:30
1.0 X 7:24
1.0 X 7:26
1.0 X 7:49
0.5 X 4:41

The thing that's been on my mind a lot the last couple of days is the idea of unity versus conformity. What triggered my thinking was the IMB trustee action to censure one of the trustees, Wade Burleson. This whole thing is so complicated and I don't want to spend the time necessary to unpack it all here. Let me summarize my thoughts:

1. While I disagree with the trustees in their decisions on private prayer language (I neither practice nor advocate a ppl) and baptism (I strongly believe that baptism by immersion is the biblical approach; I just as strongly believe that the purpose of baptism is to demonstrate union with Christ and obedience to Him and not, at least primarily, to identify with a particular doctrinal position or church/denomination -- remember, this is not a full discussion of this), I will gladly submit to those decisions.

2. Disagreement and critique are not necessarily the same thing as disunity or slander. I think there have been some things said in all of the discussion on this over the last 2 years that have been inappropriate and beyond the bounds of good manners. But, bad manners is not necessarily slander.

3. The public stating of one's disagreement with and one's criticism of decisions are not disloyalty.

The big question that I'm wrestling with is, "At what point does non-conformity and disagreement become disunity?" And I don't know. I personally think that, even though some of the discussions on IMB trustee actions have been distasteful and inappropriate, overall it's been healthy. I don't think it's harmed the cause of missions within Southern Baptist life -- our annual missions offering reached an all tiem high last year in the midst of all the blogging and discussions; appointments seem to be up. But I do think that's the fundamental issue for us -- how closely must our thoughts, beliefs, words, blogs, discussions, etc. conform to everybody else?

OK, that's all pretty random and disconnected. I know the issue is broader than just the IMB trustees and I think it broader than just the inner wranglings of one Christian organization. So, I'll just keep on running and pondering.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

On the Road Again -- Ahhh

I like round numbers so today was a good day -- I completed 1200 miles for the year!



After a cold and worst sore throat of my life last week, it was great to be out today. The weather could hardly have been more perfect -- 54° and 59% humidity. Nice and easy; ran a bit more than planned. Tomorrow will be cold -- the weatherman is predicting 33° at 5 AM.

I spent much of the time thinking about and praying for one our overseas units -- I had dreamt about them all night, too. If you're a follower of Christ, I would appreciate your lifting this unnamed family up to the Father.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running Handicap

Amy Hunold-VanGundy over at Runners' Lounge developed a runner's handicap this past week. If you're feeling poorly about your running, this should help:

Only a slow runner like me would come up with such an absurd idea like a running handicap. But it is Friday and there is no reason to be too serious. So, go ahead, try out my little running handicap calculator and find out what your new running pace would be:

Start with your average pace per mile for your most favorite race/run distance. (You can see this won't be too scientific...) Better grab your trusty calculator!

Subtract:

* :10 seconds per mile for each child and pet that lives in your home and borrows some of that extra energy that you normally could apply to running
* :05 seconds extra per child if you are a female and delivered any of those children - that's just a gift from me to you
* :10 seconds for each of the 10 pounds that you are waiting to spontaneously combust and disappear from your body forever
* :20 seconds for all your good intentions to run more consistently, stretch, stretch train more, actually run all the miles in your training plan - but rarely all this happens because family, work or personal obligations seem to always be at the top of the list
* :10 seconds if you live in an everchanging climate and 9 months of the year find it too cold, too hot, too snowy/icy, rainy
* :05 seconds if you regularly read this or other running blogs and sacrifice some of your free time to supporting/encouraging other runners (awwww - that is so nice!)
* :05 seconds for every year after the age of 16 that it took you to realize that running was really "your sport" and you had the painful task of learning it as a grown adult set in their ways
* (and for my husband and all other law enforcement...) 1:15 if running with 26 pound gun belt and a 5 pound vest

What's it add up to?

Well, for me, that gets my half-marathon pace down to 5:17 mpm and my "normal" training pace down to about 4:50 mpm. Works for me!! :-) Thanks, Amy

Run well, y'all,
Bob

BAD For The Environment

I just found out that today is BAD for the environment -- it's Blog Action Day and the focus is on the environment. Several of the blogs that I read regularly are focusing on this:

Half-Fast
My Part of Colorado
Diet Blog, though J Foster doesn't refer to BAD
No Impact Man talks about the environment every day
Care of Creation is a biblically based environmental organization that talks about the environment all the time

There is a group that is noticeably missing from that list....

I'm a disciple of Christ who practices his faith among the (large) group of disciples known as Southern Baptists. Historically, Baptists have been called a lot of things, but the term that stands out to me is people of the Book (the Bible). We're called that because of our doctrine that the Bible is the truthful, accurate Word of God, written by men who were inspired by God's Spirit. That being the case, we should be among the first to stand in defense of the environment -- not because we worship the environment, not because that is the way to salvation, not because it's the popular thing to do, not because we could gain publicity points for doing so, but because it's the right thing to do. We worship God, the Creator (only one of His many names), and when He finished creating the earth, Genesis 1:31 says the He saw all that he had made, and it was very good. David, second king of Israel, said in Psalm 24:1 (he was later quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:26), The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

That being the case, Christians ought to be leading the charge to protect and improve the environment to keep it good and to show that we really believe that the earth and everything in it and everyone on it belong to God. But ... we've abandoned that task to others and then often have the temerity to call anyone who does fight to protect the environment a liberal.

I would love to have time today to develop a thorough post about the environment, but there are folks out there who really expect me to answer their e-mails sometime in this century. So, I need to get back to work. But before I finish, let me complete the thought that I started just after my short list of bloggers who are supporting BAD and talking about the environment.

... there is a group that is noticeably missing from that list. After a very quick glance at a few of the Southern Baptist blogs that I read, not one mentioned the environment today. I don't condemn them at all -- probably, like me, they didn't know that today is BAD for the environment. If I had the influence, I'd call out the Baptists to talk about and protect the environment because it does belong to the LORD we worship.

Hey, running is an enviromentally friendly form of exercise. When we're outside running, it's an extremely low impact sport.

Have you turned off a light today?

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Sooooo Good! :)

There are days when everything just falls into place and this morning was one of them. The weather report said it would be 48° but the thermometer at my house said 45° -- either would have been fine but I prefer the cooler. The sky was crystal clear at 5:30 and I could watch the stars. I headed out to run about 7.8 miles and ended up doing 8.7+. I set out to do a slow run and it felt like about 8:30 mpm (most of the time) but ended up being an average of 7:54 mpm. It's days like today when I know I love to run!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Here's What Will Hurt After a Long Race

Perry Romanowski is a joggler -- juggles and runs at the same time. He just joggled the Chicago Marathon (3:59:00). His post today on "7 Pains to Expect After Running a Marathon" is a good head's up for those who've never run a long race. After the Maymont Half-Marathon a couple of weeks ago, I experienced the headache (dull ache, sorta' all over) and muscle soreness (hip adductors and gluteus maximus). The headache was gone the next day and the muscle soreness lasted 3-4 days.

Perry's blog is a good one to read.

If you're a new runner, the blog Notes of a Non-Runner will help you stay motivated. Nancy is training for her first marathon and has a great attitude. It's an encouraging read.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

My Body's Back on Track (Updated)

Well, physically, I seem to have recovered from the half-marathon. Monday's run wasn't bad at all. I did almost 8 miles and felt good the whole time -- not that it wasn't hard, mind you. Wednesday, I did 5.3 and was back to my pre-half timing. I wasn't trying to maintain a specific pace and ended up at about 07:50 mpm.

But, I think my mind's not back in it, yet. Monday night, I stayed up too late and, without a training plan to adhere to (hey, body, get out of bed -- you have to do that tempo run or the half-m will kill you!), I just didn't get up to run. Same thing Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Just couldn't bring myself to roll out. There is some evidence of Post Marathon Depression. Now, I don't think I'm having Post Half-Marathon Depression, but the feeling of "What next?" is apparently very common.

There's a good article in the Nov Runner's World about maintaining summer fitness in the Fall. I think I need to set up my own training plan based on that. We'll see. For now, though, I'll try to be content with just running some.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Recovery

Last week, I discovered the importance of recovering. I took my young half-marathon partner's advice and did a short slow run on the day after just to stay loose. So, took off for about 2.4 miles and ended up doing about 3. Did 3 more on Monday. Tuesday, I thought I might be ready to pick the pace up a bit for a 4.5 miler -- nothing doing. I was a little faster than Sun/Mon but not like I thought. Skipped Wednesday and then started out on Thursday for a 7.8 miler. I still wasn't ready and cut back to 5.6 miles. Then Friday, I thought I'd do 5.1 and only did 4.6.

Frankly, I decided that there were probably 2 things going on. First, my body just needed to back off a bit. I needed the recovery. But, I also suspect that I may be suffering from a runner's version of post-partum blues -- post-race blues(?). I worked hard to get ready for the half-marathon -- had a definite goal, had a plan to follow and knew what I was going to do every single day. Suddenly, I don't have any of that. Without a goal and plan, I think I just didn't have anything motivating me last week.

The lack of a plan hasn't changed for this week. What has changed is that I took 2 days off from running. So, we'll see if the physical rest will do the trick.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Relatively New Running Community

(Edited)

Check out Runners' Lounge. The blog has been online for a few months. There is one older community hosted on MyBlogLog.

The new Runners' Lounge Community has been built on its own site: Runners' Lounge.

At least I think I now have all that correct.

Bob

Random Thought During the Half

My random thought while running the half-marathon today:

I sure am glad this isn't a full marathon!

Most ironic part of the run came between just before the 11 mile mark and about the 12.5 mile mark. I was dying at that point and what do we pass? Three cemeteries!!

Bob

It's Done

The McDonalds Maymont half marathon is probably the hardest physical thing I have ever done. An almost perfect day -- 52° at the start. The only weather issue was the wind. The course is really interesting but really challenging. We crossed the James River about 6 times, ran trails, ran roads, some flat terrain, some hills, both up and down steps. The worst were the spiral steps down from one of the bridges to the river level and the long set of steps that we had to run up somewhere around mile 8.

I had trained for the last 12 weeks for a 1:41 finish -- a pace of 07:45 mpm. One of our new journeymen, Justin Drummons, decided to run with me. Justin's less than half my age and normally runs a half in 1:20-1:25 but he was very gracious. I could not have finished as well as I did without him. Thanks, Justin. However, neither of us factored in the difficulty of the course. This was my first half but Justin has run several and he said that it was the hardest course he's ever seen. (Maybe he was just trying to encourage this old dude!)

It was also great to have Linda (my wife) and Stacey (our daughter) there at the start and finish. They had to get up early, early and leave at 6:15 am on a Saturday morning to be there. It was really encouraging to here our names called out and look over to see their smiling faces.

My finish time was 1:49:08. That put me at 166th out of something like 641 runners who, based on the results, finished. (The pre-registered printouts showed something like 1200 runners registered but that might well have included those who were registed in any of the races during the weekend.) It also put me at 7th in the men's 50-54 year old bracket. We had to walk several times. I think if I'm disappointed in anything about my race it is that I couldn't run the whole thing. The results are here -- I registered as "Robert Allen".

It's done. I'm glad I ran and I'd do it again. The race organization gave every appearance of being casual but was very good.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Ready to Go

Well, I leave for the half-marathon starting line in about 10 minutes. I'm nervous and excited. I do feel ready. Will post results later.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Ahhh -- Fall

This has been a great week. When the temps are 45-50°, I love to be outside running and Monday was 47°. Got to wear my long-sleeved shirt and gloves.

Vanilla at Half-Fast Running blog talked, today, about a study that determined that some men's sweat has a pleasant smell. OK, not the most pleasant of supper conversations but I'm here to tell you that when I finish running, I look like I've been in a rain storm but I can guarantee you that I don't smell like a spring rain. :-D

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Are You the Dog or the Monkey?

This is a pretty funny video. Maybe it's a metaphor of exercise -- we're either the dog or the monkey. :)




Interesting week of running. I was at Ridgecrest (Baptist conference center east of Asheville, NC) this week, staying at the Days Inn in East Asheville. Fortunately, I had rearranged my training plan so that this week has been my easy week. I knew that meeting schedules and terrain (mountains) were not going to be conducive to doing a hard week. It turned out that the hotel's location was not very good for running -- residential areas were not well-lit (as in dark) and there were a lot of woods (black bears had been spotted in the general area over the previous few weeks). So, the best option was to run on Hwy 70 (Tunnel Rd). I was glad I had a reflective vest!!

Two weeks to the half-marathon. I'm in good shape for it but not sure if I can run my goal time of 1:41:00. I hope I can just relax, have fun, and not worry too much about my time.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Why?

Today, for the first time since beginning the training for the half-marathon, I am seriously wondering why in the world I'm doing this. Today's run was scheduled to be 12 miles at 8:47 mpm. First, I only went out because the training plan said to go out. Then, for the first 8+ miles, I was glad I did. But, after that I was dying. I finished the distance and my pace was 8:48 overall but I did walk some. Drank 8 oz of water before running, 20 oz of water during the run, and about 12 oz of instant tea and 24 oz of water after the run.

By this evening, I'll be back on target mentally but this is tough.

While I was running, I wondered about another "Why?" Why do people put their trash cans, recycle bins, piles of limbs and grass, and junk furniture right on the sidewalk? What a pain! It's their convenience but inconveniences everybody else who needs to use the sidewalk to actually (DUH!) walk.

Well, I think we're going to head to the mountains to a chapel at the YMCA Camp Greenville called Pretty Place. I worked there during college and my wife doesn't think she's ever been there.

Y'all run well,
Bob

Battles in Nature

This is absolutely, totally unrelated to running. Well, OK, the buffalo run away from the lions then the lions run away from the croc then the lions run away from the buffalo -- and I would run away from any of them.

This is an incredible video of South African wildlife, shot in Kruger National Park.



Everybody knows that lions and crocodiles are dangerous, but cape buffalo are bad animals. They have a reputation of simply being ill-tempered. They don't see well so when you get near them, you see them raising their noses into the air to smell you. Stories abound about wounded buffalo tracking down the hunter.

Run well, y'all, and watch out for wild animals,
Bob

A New PDR!

After the flop of a run last Saturday, I'm extra happy this morning. I set a new PDR (personal distance record) running just over 12 miles at a pace of 8:39.5 mpm. And, I did the run in Greenville, SC where there are some really nasty hills. Of course, I don't want to do anything else the rest of the day!

The last couple of weeks, I've had a problem I hadn't experienced before -- squishy shoes even when it's not raining. My feet felt close to getting blisters. Hopefully the humidity will be lower for the half-marathon.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Runner's Low

I've experienced a runner's high -- also, see this link -- many times but today I found out what a real runner's low feels like. I suppose it's a lot like hitting the wall in a marathon.

I'm guessing that a combination of weather (75° and 85% humidity), not sleeping really well this week, and, probably some dehydration resulted in what felt like my worst run EVER! I didn't feel great when I started -- thought about cutting it short several times even at 2.5 miles. But, I pushed on and was OK, if not great, right up to the 7.5 mile mark. At that point, I just imploded. From there, I walked about as much as I ran. Was supposed to do 11 but ended up with only 9.9 -- it would have been shorter if I had been closer to home.

Oh, well. There will be another day.

According to Weird Conversions, I weighed the same as 17,475 sheets of paper today after running the equivalent of the length of 1,945 'weinermobiles".

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond

Oops! This Was Not Good

I scared Linda, my wife, half to death on Saturday -- not because I ran 11+ miles, though.

We have a small whiteboard on the fridge where, every morning, I write down the time I leave, the time I expect to be back, and a list of the streets that I'll run. Saturday, she was up earlier than normal getting ready to go to an ESL (English as a Second Language) training session and realized that I was not back even though it was 30 minutes after I said I would be back. After another 15 minutes, she hopped in the car and went to see what ditch I was lying in and trying to figure out what hospital the EMT's would have taken me to. She couldn't follow the route so came home, hoping I was back. I wasn't and, to make things worse, she had seen that I had my route up on my laptop screen when she left but, while she was gone, the screen saver had kicked in and she didn't know the password to get back to the route (gMap Pedometer). Now, in her mind I'm badly hurt or dead, she can't find me, and she can't even get into my computer. That wasn't the most comforting thought she could have had. So, she left again to try to follow my route from the end back toward the beginning.

Well, I was within about 0.4 miles of the end of my run when I see this car stop at a very odd place in the road. Now, at this point, I'm oxygen-deprived, glycogen-deprived, probably slightly dehydrated and didn't recognize the car. But, I'm thinking, "Why is this lady parking there and blocking my way? She's going to make me run around her? Come on!" About the time I got to the car, I realized it was Linda but I thought she had decided to head to the training early and was just coming by to tell me "Good-bye".

Then, when I stopped, I saw she was upset about something. She asked me if I was OK. I said, "Yes" but thought I must really look awful for her to be upset and to ask me that. Then, she held up the whiteboard, pointing to the time I said I would be back. Now, at this point, it's about 8:05 and I'm about 5 minutes earlier than I thought I might be. But, I had written 7:15. Whoa! I was in the dog box for a bit, there -- somehow my breathless and energy-less "I'm sorry" wasn't really adequate. She knew I was OK and, because I had just stopped dead, I needed get moving before something bad happened to my body, so off I went to finish the last of the run. (I'm really not completely heartless but just stopping dead still after running can do bad things to one's body.)

After her adrenaline levels went back to normal, we were able to laugh about this. But, I guarantee you that I'll double-check the times I write down. Putting down 45 minutes when I mean to put down 1 hour and 45 minutes isn't the best way to make one's wife happy. Also, she now knows my computer password (I can no longer hide the account where my million dollars are stashed). Further, she knows that I have both our house phone and **her** cell phone numbers on the Smart ID on my shoe. Hopefully there will never be a reason for her to worry again.

Run well -- and smart -- y'all,
Bob
Richmond

Long Run

After running the [equivalent of] the Golden Gate Bridge 14.1 times this morning, I weighed $78,996.00 in US$1 bills! Of course, I ran at a snail's pace -- a beam of light would have traveled 1,070,192,370.765 miles in the time it took me to run that distance (1:35:45) Talk about a strange was to think of one's run! More Weird Conversions.

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond, VA

Different Ways To Think About the Distance of a Half Marathon

The McDonald's Maymont X-Country Half Marathon will commence in 43 days. Here are some interesting ways to look at the half marathon.

1 Half Marathon =

83,0016 inches

52.70612 laps around a 400 meter track

21.0825 kilometers

0.003294 the length of the Great Wall of China

0.00655 the length of the Oregon Trail

11,857.37 giraffes' necks

702,748.5 American cockroaches laid end to end

9,765 Shaquille O’Neals laid end to end

After I finish my long run tomorrow, I will likely weigh the same as:

0.33 of a baby grand piano

0.0144 of an African elephant

440,806.045 cubic inches of air at sea level

40 chickens

467 hockey pucks

During tomorrow's long run, I'll probably lose weight equivalent to:

$3,518 in US $1 bills (That's an expensive run!)

$38.50 in US quarters

9 cans of soda

Thanks to Just Your Average Joggler for the inspiration for this blog.

For more wacky and weird conversions check out the Weird Converter (NOTE: There are some crude comparisons at this site.)

Now that'll give ya' something to think about on your run. What are your strange comparisons? Leave a comment.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Now I Know Why I'm Sore

Wednesday was a day I dreaded almost like the plague. Repeats of 3 1600 meter runs at 7:00 mpm with 800 meter recoveries just didn't sound like any fun at all. The run livd up to my expectations -- I did it but it was a pain, literally. I have been so sore for the last 2 days. Today's 5 miler at a slower pace helped but, still.

Now, though, I know why I get so sore even after 4+ years of consistent running. Check out this blog:

Muscles Do Hurt More Than When You Were In High School - Here’s Why

Here's the article that gives a bit more scientific explanation. The key concept is ...as we age, the lines of communication to the stem cells of our muscles deteriorate and, without the full instructions, it takes longer for injured muscles to heal.:

ScienceDaily: Why Aging Muscles Heal Poorly

Now I know and I can complain and groan and moan with scientific justification -- it gives me some credibility. :-)

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Needed: "Swimmies"

The weather this week has been awful. Thursday was a tempo run (1 mi easy warm-up, 4 miles @ 7:29 mpm, 1 mi easy cool down). The problem -- well, besides the fact that I knew it was going to be hard -- was that it was like running in a sauna. When I stepped out the door at 4:55 AM, it was 81° and the humidity was 74%. When I finished, there was not a square millimeter of skin or clothes that was dry. That was the worst day, but the rest of the week wasn't much better. I wondered if I needed those inflatable "swimmies" or "floaties" that we used to put on our kids' upper arms when they went swimming.

I've mentioned that I'm training for the Maymont X-Country Half-Marathon at the end of September. I know it's not a marathon but this video probably shows what I'll feel like on Sunday, 30 September:



Run well, y'all,
Bob, Richmond, VA