Silver Comet Half Marathon - DONE!

I ran the Silver Comet Half Marathon this morning. It was a brisk 34 degrees at the start!!! But it turned into a beautiful morning for a run. I stated that my goal was under two hours - based on my prior half marathon. Well, I did a good bit better than that! I finished in 1:47:50! That's an average of 8:14/mile. During the race I was hoping to beat 8 minutes/mile but I ran out of gas with 2.5 miles to go. Perhaps I need to investigate PowerGel or something like that to refuel during a long run. There was only one Gatorade station on the course - every other station was water only. I think I could have used the additional carbs.

Now the search is on for the "next race". Of course, I'm not racing anyone. I'm just trying to learn how to run races. I'm slowly getting better. This half marathon pace was actually faster than my 10K pace on Labor Day. I must include that there were significant hills on that course, whereas the Silver Comet Trail is relatively (very) flat. Still, I'm very pleased with how the race went overall.

Half-marathon coming up - and a year older too!

My half-marathon is this coming Saturday morning. I think I'll be ready. I ran 11.4 miles again this past Saturday morning - a fine way to celebrate one's birthday, I'd say! The run went well. I felt pretty good the whole way. I finished it in about 1.5 hours, so I should be in fine shape for the 13.1 coming up. I will admit that my friend from work who cautioned that the surface on the Silver Comet Trail was hard was NOT KIDDING! My joints felt it from last week's run in a way I've never experienced. I plan to get some more cushiony insoles for my shoes before Saturday.

I ran a little today, and I'll run a little tomorrow. I'll skip any running on Thursday and Friday, saving it up for Saturday morning. I am also enjoying the gym at the office, getting to build a little upper body muscle as well. It does feel good to get back to working out the whole body. I really liked that when I was able to in the past, and I'm liking it again. I won't say I feel younger, though...

We have moved our Praise Team practice to Sunday morning, before services. This way we are able to rehearse in the Worship Center, using the actual mics and sound system. I think it helped this past Sunday to sound better. I hope it wasn't just my perception.

We're planning to visit Grace Pointe this coming Sunday. It'll be good to reconnect with those folks and see how things are going. Then in the afternoon we have the Fall Festival at Burnt Hickory, and Blind Sighted is playing from 3pm to 5pm. I hope that goes well. We've had a hard time (AGAIN!) getting everyone together for rehearsal. So our current rehearsal plan is for Friday night - but I will NOT be able to stay late due to having to get up VERY early on Saturday for the race. I think we really need to sit the whole band down and talk about what we want it to be. It'll definitely be a challenge getting all 6 of us on the same page! Wish us luck!

13.2 miles is a pretty long way...

I ran the Silver Comet Trail on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful morning for a run. Clear, cool, and crisp. Not a significant crowd on the trail. The first 10 miles were pretty easy, but the last 3 were more difficult. For a while I felt like I was just gliding along, it felt GREAT. I labored toward the end, especially the last mile. I'm really glad I ran it in advance of the race. My legs and joints are still in recovery mode a little bit. I'll probably do an easy run tomorrow, just to try to keep things loose.

I really enjoy running.

It was also a great time of prayer, just running for about 2 hours. (Actually, a little LESS than 2 hours!) I continue to pray - every day - that the Lord will be my First Love. Always.

Back from Nashville and in a new office

We had a GREAT time at the ZOE conference. It was a deep blessing to be there. Wonderful music, wonderful messages. In my opinion the lyrics of the songs this year are very deep and meaningful. Glory to God!

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of instrumental presentations. And the musicianship displayed was very high quality! I was blessed.

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We have moved into the Manhattan Associates offices. Getting settled and back to work. This will feel better soon - at least we're now a part of the same location, not where the "old Evant" was. I like this better, even though the individual space is smaller. It actually feels quite a bit like Circuit City did in the 90s.

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I'm planning to go to the Silver Comet Trail for a long run this Saturday. I just want to go run for 2 hours, and it will be good to know the course where I will run. Plus I want to find the place in advance of the half-marathon! Hope it goes well.

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My sister is flying down from D.C. this weekend for a visit. We're very much looking forward to hosting her for a few days.

In need of ZOE - or... SOMETHING!!!

Later this week I will be going to Nashville for the annual ZOE Worship Conference. More than earlier years, I am feeling the need for this conference. I need the worship renewal. I need to experience the freedom that I will have there. I need to touch base with friends and people I don't know who share (at least some of) my desires and goals for worship. I need a renewal of hope for this tribe - I am in a very frustrated place right now. It's very hard to explain (especially to a non-CoC person), but my ongoing struggle with what I am and am not "allowed" to do to glorify God has me in a valley - again. I desperately want to lead my family into a life of genuine service and offering. I deeply believe that much of the teaching of my tribe is in conflict with that goal - at least for me, and perhaps (probably) for my daughters as well. The inner conflict I feel is profound.

I hate feeling this way, yet I wonder if this discontent has a higher purpose. Change may be in the air...

To my loyal blog readership - all 2 of you - How have your "desert and wilderness" times impacted your walk? Was it EVER easy to wait?