Month: September 2007

Did I jinx myself?

I posted about how great my running has been recently. That was all fine until this morning.

The universe conspired against me today. I first got off to a slow start due to our water pump dying and having to tend to that. I also had an email that required immediate attention (which, by the way, is still unresolved).

As my iPod has met an untimely demise (R.I.P.), I am dependent on my iRiver to keep podcasts flowing into my ears. I keep all my podcasts in iTunes which is managed by my wife’s Mac. I then export the podcasts I want into a folder on her computer. From my computer I tunnel in and pull the files to my machine. Then I drop the shows onto the iRiver for my listening pleasure. Last night I did not have time to get all of that arranged before going to bed, therefore I needed to do that this morning. It did not go well and I ended up on my run without it.

Since today is a speed day, it is not so bad to not have my iPod distraction. I often will turn it off or stash it on the side of the track while doing my speed work.

I did not get out of the house until 40 minutes after I planned to leave.  That was enough time to have done my run and been back home.

The track was closed today. I was really looking forward to doing some good speed work. Now I don’t have my podcasts to listen to, nor can I do track work. Drats!

By this point, I decided to just do my warm up and cool down runs and call it a day. I tacked on a little extra to the run to make it worth having gotten out of bed for. I also did a good long stretching session after the run.

No running sob story would be complete without a hurt foot. My big toe on my left foot hurt today for some odd reason. Don’t you feel sorry for me?

Tomorrow is weights and maybe I can get back on track on Wednesday.

Another Ministry Update

As a follow up to something I mentioned a month ago, our church is still seeing some exciting growth. When we started the church almost a year ago, we went into it with lots of momentum and enthusiasm. That quickly dried up as the momentum we were able to create came to a screeching halt while trying to find a building to meet in.

It seems that over the last month we have started to see that excitement and enthusiasm start to build once again.

Last Sunday we had a great crowd with a couple of visitors. There were 16 people there. If that was not a record up to that point for a regular Sunday service, it would have been close. Wednesday we had 25! that included 4 visitors. This morning we had some of our visitors from the previous services and 4 more! We had a total of 10 new visitors in the last 3 service days.

For a church that normally has 14 people on a Sunday, those are some exciting numbers.

Two great running weeks

I have had 2 wonderful weeks of running. My pacing has been consistently a few seconds faster than my training program calls for. I might be in for a great 5K by the end of the year. After this half marathon program is over I will start working on a 5K program. I am shooting to find a 5K in December that I can really burn the track up on like I did last year.

My speed workouts have been great. On a longer workout I ran an 8:21 average per mile. On the other it was 7:48 (keeping in mind that those were 800 meter intervals instead of a full mile distance at once).

My tempo runs were at 9:02 and 9:13.

Long runs have been 10:58 and 10:24. Right on the money.

I have run 35 miles in the last 2 weeks as well. Currently I am at 362 miles for the year. This is quite a bit below where I wanted to be, but if I stay focused after my half marathon, I should be able to get close to my goal of 750 miles this year. I am 30 miles behind where I was at this time last year. Last year I trained for and ran 2 half marathons. This year I am only doing 1.

I have been doing some weight workouts on my off days. I should have been doing this for quite some time. I start and stop. But right now I have been consistent for a short time. Maybe I can make it a priority this time around.

Stop reading this and get out and run!

Are you a 2%-er?

I took a quiz this morning that is supposed to evaluate me and tell me what my strengths and weaknesses are in five categories: Discipline, Passion, Risk, Optimism and Interpersonal Skills. This is a test done by Nightingale-Conant. If you are not familiar with them, then it is probably because you have not listened to very many motivational and self-improvement audio programs that are touted by highly disciplined and motivated public speakers.

I found the results to be pretty accurate based on how I view myself. Of course you can get the results you want by answering a certain way. What would be more interesting is if they had a test that your friends could take and evaluate you. That, coupled with how you view yourself, would be much more revealing. Some of the questions were like “How would your friends answer this about you?” I feel like I do a good job at pulling the wool over the eyes of those around me. Very few would believe that I am somewhat insecure and second guess just about every decision I make.

Here are some of the comments the results made about me:

Discipline:
You may like to refer to yourself as “free-spirited,” but in actuality, your schedule tends to be more of a disaster. With a tendency to [sic] toward procrastination and lack of planning, you could use a good lesson in time management.

Ouch!

Risk:
Judging by your responses, “risk” is your middle name. You were born for a challenge, regardless of the cost. And while your willingness to tackle a good adventure may get the adrenaline pumping, at times it is your greatest weakness.

True.

Optimism:
You’ve got a pretty good attitude about life, and while others view you as positive and approachable, you require time away from people. You prefer to surround yourself with quality rather than quantity.

Absolutely! I am a very gregarious person, but I like my personal time. Just leave me alone!

Interpersonal Skills:
Like a Swiss army knife, you have the ability to function in just about any situation. You’ve mastered the art of relationship building and have learned how to use it to your advantage. You’re charismatic, and nobody can deny that you know how to work a crowd.

I like that evaluation.

Take the test. Read further about what it means to “Live in the Two.” There is more to life than making a lot of money, but, the things it takes to make a lot of money are what it takes to have a successful life whatever your passion.

My Thought Spot 14: Discover Spanish With Us

This is the first “regular” (if there is such a thing) episode of MTS Podcast in about a month. Things have been a little crazy this summer, but we are settling back down into a routine again.

Show Notes

My Thought Spot 14: Discover Spanish With Us [ 15:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download