At Water's Edge

3K Indoor Track--a fun January Saturday

2012-01-31T08:07:00.000-05:00

Videos - Mens 3000m Heat 2 - Liberty Open 2012
Alex Varner wins
Patrick Reaves 5th
George Linney 23rd out of 33 finishers.
All three of us set personal bests.
RESULTS

Running is so fun

2012-01-28T08:49:00.000-05:00

It has been an excellent week of training and I have not even begun my Boston build in earnest.  That starts tomorrow. On Tuesday I did this to my spikes with 25 power line hills in Woodcroft.  Sorry Saucony Shay's, yet that's what you were made for. On Thursday I easily completed 15 x 400m in 80 seconds each.  Last one was 72 seconds.  George IV accompanied me to the Duke track and set his personal best in the mile--7:33.

Today I will run my first ever indoor track meet at Liberty University.  200 meter flat track for 3000 meters.  15 laps for less than two miles.  Should be fun.  Looking forward to a quick Virginia trip with my son, George IV, and teammates, Patrick and Alex.

Tomorrow begins a 10 week training program for the Boston Marathon on 4/16/12.  Each date refers to the week's end and each number in K's refers to the distance goal for the week.

1.     2/4 115K
2.     2/11 125K
3.     2/18 135K
4.     2/25 145K
5.     3/3 160K
6.     3/10 170K
7.     3/17 120K (3/18 is Wrightsville Half Marathon—goal 1:15)
8.     3/24 140K
9.     3/31 155K
10.    4/7 170-175K I think it is going to be a great Winter turning to Spring. The church is thriving, ready to hear promises, covenants, commitments. Lent is a long journey from February 22-April 8, yet I am in a resurrection mood and plan to carry it on til summer.

Morning Yearning

2012-01-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

The 30th Psalm expresses the long night: weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
It is difficult when the mind stirs in the dark hours and we rise rather than rest. I sleep much better than I once did, but last night lacks the supporting evidence. Somewhere later in the day, I will run out of energy, yet I can almost guarantee a restful slumber when I put my head down again. So that's something.

There is just so much to do. So much to think about. So much to be happy about and celebrate. So much to prepare for. It is very quiet in the middle of the night for a father with young children. Night is protected time and the brain knows this and sometimes takes advantage of waking quiet rather than sleeping.

Ben Harper yearns for morning in this excellent song that has always moved me.

An icon I pray with depicts the prophet Isaiah:
With a word, the Lord stirs me in the morning, he stirs my ear to hear like a disciple.

Let this be the prayer to begin the day.

Sunrise

2012-01-13T08:28:00.001-05:00

http://www.tomlussierphotography.com/

My art in the New Year

2012-01-06T19:36:00.000-05:00

My new computer has this cool app, Art of Touch. It's a welcome break from so many letters.

My first piece:

Signed:

I am thankful for this day. Epiphany marks the formal end of Christmas and celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. This is not just something we say and move on to other things in the world. God the Son...a human being. That's a lot to take. I'm trying to wrap my mind around bright light. A light bright enough to lead the way, make straight a path in the darkness.

This Sunday marks the first baptism for the Tobacco Trail Church. When we participate in baptism we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own forever. Millions of baptisms have come before this one. Many, I presume, will come after. And yet even with so many before and after, I expect to experience a kind of apocalyptic joy like I always do at baptisms. A kind of in-breaking of the Kingdom that leaves me standing in awe. One definition of apocalyptic is that it prophetically forecasts the ultimate destiny of the world. In the Christian world, contrary to what you might have thought or heard, Apocalypse is when God sets everything right. That happened in large part at the Cross of Christ. That will happen again at that Omega time or End time.

One of the prayers we will chant to make ready for the newly baptized:

There is one Body and one Spirit;

There is one hope in God's call to us;

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism:

One God and Father of all

That sounds like getting it right.

Come and see.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

10 o'clock in the morning

New Hope Camp and Conference Center

4805 Highway 86 Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Headwaters recirculated for 1/1/12

2012-01-01T23:30:00.000-05:00

Looking back at what I first posted on this blog on March 4, 2008...

I'm just beginning in the world of leisure blogging, though I have started a blog for work http://georgelinney.edublogs.org/ in case you want to visit me as my students visit me.

While At Water's Edge will be mostly about running, I am also remembering fondly my prior outdoor life as a whitewater canoeist and kayaker which might have some overlap to this blog title. Every once in a while I sneak into the water skirted and surrounded by a plastic whitewater kayak, if only at an artificial site http://www.usnwc.org/. Perhaps this blog will inspire me to kayak a few more times this season.

Still the blog title, At Water's Edge, comes not primarily from images of trail running nor whitewater kayaking, but from Hebrew Scripture. The Word of God is my first love and no better place to start than in the language of the 42nd Psalm--As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

When crossing a stream as a runner, one must make a series of quick decisions. How much does it matter to keep my shoes dry? Would I even want to keep them dry if I could? What are the pitfalls of trying to pinball off each of those rocks? Will I slip? How is my triple jump these days? Can I pronounce groin should I strain mine in this leap, leap of faith, if you will?

None of these questions seem to address the question of thirst, since the psalmists' image is of a panting deer who longs for a drink from the stream. But I will stretch the metaphor to include the thirst of my shoes. Sometimes a trail shoe just wants to get wet. Here are two of my favorite races to water one's shoes:

http://www.raceuwharrie.com/

http://www.mitchellraces.com/springmaidsplash/race.html

...Now it is the first day of 2012. I don't kayak as often as I would like or write about the sport much. I'd like to remedy that someday. I do tend to thread running and the Word together. What does 2012 hold for me? I can't wait to see.

XC Club Nats--A Blessed 2011

2011-12-22T19:11:00.000-05:00

12/14/11
I'm starting to think about what happened on Saturday in Seattle. It seemed like such an ordinary sort of day. But I know it was not.
I don't take more than a minute off my best 10K every day. In the mud.
Now I have a cold, but I don't care. It was worth it.

12/22/11
On December 10, I ran a personal best by 70 seconds for 10,000 meters. That's about 11 seconds faster per mile than a year ago at the same race, but in comparing all the data, the Seattle course with it's mud was about 20-30 seconds slower than McAlpine a year ago. Maybe I can break 34 minutes in a year. That would be great.

I didn't feel my best going into the race. Travel was tough to the Pacific Northwest as we knew it would be. As time would tell, a cold was coming on. But I didn't feel particularly bad either. Legs were surprisingly loose on the Friday shakeout run on the course. I was having a great time with teammates and I just generally had my head in the game. I felt calm and focused. There's not much to tell about the race. I ran the first 5K in 17:10 and the second 5K in 17:19. I knew I would be near the back of the race and having experienced that sensation last year, I was okay with that. I knew my teammates would do their thing and I would not be a factor in the scoring. Basically, I knew what to expect and I didn't set my expectations too high. Still, I was expecting to run much faster than I ever had before. So there was plenty to keep me focused and nervous. I went out pretty smart, maybe a few seconds too fast, but I held back as much as I could. I consistently passed runners throughout the race and only lost ground in the final sprint.

I wanted to negative split, (run the second half faster than the first), but the course made that goal very tough. It got muddier with each 2K lap and each hoof that trampled all over it. I took wide lines rather than running the tangents and I think that was the fastest way around. I wanted to push a button and really pick it up at both the 6K and the 8K mark, but the legs didn't have an extra gear. The ground was just so soft and didn't give back much at all. I was working harder, but still running the same splits or a second or two slower per kilometer.

Only real disappointment, I thought I was a little weak mentally in the last 2K. I knew it was going to be a big PR, under 35 minutes, and I think I settled. I knew I was the 7th runner and my score would not count for the team, but it was no excuse. I should have pushed harder. I think 15 seconds faster could have happened if I was just a little tougher mentally. I should have raced every jersey in the last 10 minutes of the race and next time I will.

Still, the outcome was predictable. I told the church a few days before, great day--33:59. Bad day--35:00+. I got out of Club Nats what I put into my training all fall--a huge PR and one of my most successful races ever. Can I go faster? Absolutely. I had said all along that my intention was to take cyclocross more seriously next fall, not be in running shape this time next year, but now I am not sure. I really love running and I want to keep moving forward, quietly, patiently, wiser for what has occurred in 2011. Perhaps some cycling and swimming in the summer and then back to what I know and love best.

...I'm still sick, but who cares, really. Even my immune system knew when to break down. The only exercise I have done in the past 12 days was a long run at Uwharrie (could not pass up that opportunity) and a cyclocross race in Winston (I performed dreadfully with a smile on my face). It is as if my body simply said, "We will not perform, not now. It's our time off." I think of my body as parts in case the plural seems odd. My body has been in a hibernating, recovering, putting on weight sort of mode. But it's time to get back off the couch. Time to pull out of this chest/sinus virus and get back to work. I ran 11 minutes steady today and felt terrible. No problem. Tomorrow I am waking up early to run with friends. I don't expect it to feel great. I just expect to show up.

Training goals leading to Boston...but there is no rush in the next month. As 2011 becomes 2012, I just need to run and enjoy it. Run fast. Do other stuff like INSANITY: THE ASYLUM^™ which is on the way from Team Beach Body. The running goals are very simple. Over a 10 week period from January 30-April 7, I will accumulate 1440 Kilometers (a little over 900 miles). Flesh that out with a lot of long runs, progression runs, speed work like 400s and mile repeats and a bunch of hills. All that and I should be able to run about 2:40 at the Boston Marathon on April 16.

I may seem overly confident, but here was my 2011.
I keep up with seven Personal Records or PR's as we call them.
Mile
5K
8K
10K
10 mile
Half Marathon
Marathon

In my 36th year on the planet, and my 28th year of competitive running, I set PR's in all those distances excluding the 5K. I have never had that kind of sweeping success at anything.

What did I do???

I pastored the Tobacco Trail Church. I consider the training and racing one of the most important aspects of my pastoral ministry in God's church and my personal prayer life. Church and running feed one another. They always have, but 2011 was the first complete calendar year of my life when I was pastor of a church. I don't think the athletic success is unrelated. Others will disagree, but that gives us something to talk about, and that something is Jesus.
I ran more miles--a lot more. As many as 85 per week this fall with one or two hard speed workouts. In the Spring my marathon training peaked at 100 miles in a week.
I took Juice PLUS+ every day. All fall I doubled the dosage. I also drank a lot of smoothies. I think these two contributed to less sugar consumption and more front-loading of nutrition early in the day. I didn't lose a lot of weight, but people thought I did. So, I guess my body changed.
I ran with a lot of friends. Most consistent training partner was Jason and less consistent, but still very important, the rest of the Bull City Track Club. This whole network meant a lot of accountability, fun, encouragement, discipline, tweaking workouts and probably 20-30 extra runs that I would not have done in years when I had fewer running peers and very few faster harriers to chase. I ran a lot those other years too, so 20-30 extra runs in a year is a decent addition. Sometimes running with faster people can beat you down, but you skip a few runs with the group and run by yourself. If I had to choose, I would run with the pack. It works for wolves and such.
I wrote more about running. It helps me put it the experience in perspective and enjoy the process.
I worked at a running store and I am always being encouraged and educated by others successes and even failures. Running can get pretty lonely, even when you train with others, but hearing how it is going from hundreds of other runners really helps me stick with it. I am a part of an extensive running community which includes Bull City Running Company and BCTC, Trailheads, Godiva, and running friends all over the country. Runners are weird. Most of us will admit to this fact. But we love running and we recognize the benefits of sharing it with one another. I've always done this, but it grows and grows as the years pass and 2011 showed a steady growth if not a spike.

Even with all this I am still scratching my head. I feel truly blessed by God. Like I have been struck with a gift and one that I must not take for granted. Cumulatively on my six PR distances, measuring from 2010 and earlier I improved 26 minutes and 33 seconds. I feel like I have started over as a runner--been re-purposed. I don't want to be greedy and I remind myself that I hope to be participating in this activity 40 years from now. But I don't want to squander this gift either. I think, no, I know, I am still a runner. Maybe next fall I can shave a few seconds off my 16:25 five kilometer mark. Easier said than done, but I can do it.

Waiting to go on

2011-12-19T09:22:00.002-05:00

Last night in worship I read "Waiting to Go On," by David Whyte. From it:
We are getting ready
just to be ready
and nothing else.

I like this with six days left in Advent. The text was the story of Zechariah, Elizabeth and John the Baptist. Zechariah is punished (or blessed) with a temporary gift of muteness. We all prayed to be more silent this next week and be listeners and hearers.

Read Whyte's poem in it's entirety and an excellent reflection at: http://www.gavinfrye.com/embracing-ritual-as-a-way-of-living/

OAR--better known as Once a Runner

2011-12-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

Cassidy walked through the turn, pumping his arms a little, thinking of the nervous crowd noises as the pace began to pick up. Perhaps there would be only a small group left in it now; three, four, maybe. But they would all have ambitions; no one ever ran down the back straight with the leaders without thinking he had a shot at it. From The Orb

Cassidy was in extremis. They had gone through the first mile in 4:37 and Cassidy thought with alarm: godamighty that hurt. The heavy training of the past several weeks had sapped him. When he reached down for an extra surge just to hold pace, he found only a searing strained feeling with which he was intimately familiar: red line city. He was not enjoying his weekend. From Cross Country

Cassidy did not allow himself to think of racing pace, for these 63 second quarter miles required so much effort it would have been heartbreaking to think how much faster a pace was required in an actual race. From The Interval Workout

Then he unzipped the vertical zippers along the legs of his sweatpants and felt up and down both achilles tendons. All the knots and lumps were gone. Soft trails, he thought; godamn Denton and those beautiful soft trails. He had made it through the winter okay, only two colds and no real injuries. He was a man without an alibi. From The Race

And he had the power. He knew that too as they sped down the straight, really feeling it now, the lactic acid aching through his body, but also starting the build-up, getting excited knowing that this time it would not be long, that it wasn't going to go on forever after all. From The Race

Daniel Vestal: Attentiveness at Advent | Faith & Leadership

2011-12-08T15:34:00.001-05:00

Daniel Vestal: Attentiveness at Advent | Faith & Leadership

The head of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship helps me turn into Advent.

Advent--2nd Round

2011-12-07T19:26:00.004-05:00

Advent Lighting by Virginia, George, William

Like this post by
http://getgoingnc.com/2010/06/durham%E2%80%99s-solite-park-a-gateway-to-inner-city-mountain-biking/on inner city mountain biking. Pump track is about
50 yards to the left of our altar.

Advent Song Leading by Elmer and Megan

Club Nats--Seven Days to go

2011-12-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

Next Saturday is as close to the World XC Championships as this age grouper is ever going to get. Club Nats are fine for me and I hope I am racing with packs like these boys when I am at Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle, WA. It's flat and likely fast, but effort is the same as if it were hilly, muddy, snowy, whatever. 10,000 meters can only be lost in the first kilometer. Go out hard, but calm. Then sit in for about the next 15-20 minutes at the pace dictated by the training that has or has not been done. For me, that's 3:30 per kilometer, maybe 3:25, but no crazy low 3's. I'll only pay for it later.

Round through the 6K mark and start the race. Reel folks in, one by one, pack by pack, maybe even four at a time like the pack pictured above. For all I know, the guy in the background, over the shoulder of the runner in the green and red, the harrier in blue shorts and white singlet, is mowing down this pack and when he pulls up on his teamate in the foreground, second in line, they are going to start moving up together picking off runners up ahead who are starting to move in quicksand.

Last weekend, I was that guy moving up late in the race and picking off runners. Too often I'm the other guy. Even if this tactic sequesters me to the back of the race early, I'm going with the same hunt from the back plan in Washington. Patience, Patience, Patience.

Mistletoe Thump Down

2011-12-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

Our friend Mark Kohler took this shot just before the finish line of the Mistletoe Half Marathon in Winston-Salem this morning.

Kristen was amazing. She demolished a PR from only seven weeks ago on another hilly course. This secures both of us for entry into the 2012 New York City Marathon.

She is so fit right now that even what I thought was a struggling day for her (leg wise), you just tell her what to do and she does it. Okay, pick it up, we've got 5K to go. Tuck in behind going into this headwind. Go get that guy in the black gloves.

This was Kristen at the 10K.

Not looking so good and these were her words. She said post-race, I knew he was taking my picture so I tried to smile. That was all I had.

Sadly, as the picture grimly confirms, she never had that loose feeling, or if it was there, only from about mile five to mile six and you can see in the picture it had come and quickly gone bye bye. The mile following this photo was close to eight minutes and I thought to myself, I'm gonna to have to get creative if this is the direction that we are going with the splits. But she regrouped, maintained pace through the Wake Forest campus, and at 10 miles did exactly what we had planned--picked it up. As my buddy Thomas joined us for half a mile, I could tell my wife was looking down at the metaphorical dirty clothes. You know the ones at the bottom of the hurt locker that you don't even really want to pick up because no good can come of it, they are beyond the hopes of the washing machine, so you usually just avoid them. My wife describes the sensation another way, as that bloody taste when you spit. Yep, that's lactic acid creeping up and over the shoulders. When a stout time goal is starring you in the face, best to hunker down and get to the finish line of what you started because that's the fastest way to the end of the pain.

So she did--1:35:29.

Bull City Track Club: Hope Valley Family Marathon

2011-11-30T15:27:00.000-05:00

Bull City Track Club: Hope Valley Family Marathon: One of our many community outreach events, the Hope Valley Family Marathon . Pictured below are two BCTC members, David Tallon and Kim Page...

Worship on the First of Advent--11/27/11

2011-11-27T21:24:00.007-05:00

We gathered at 10:00am, a grassy plot along the American Tobacco Trail near Southpoint Crossing Shopping Center.

Coffee, Juice, Bagles
Advent Liturgy to begin formally (first children led us in Johnny Appleseed)
Reading of Isaiah 64:1-9
Hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Preaching, Wombs and Warning Signs
Common Prayer and Clay Molding
Eucharist
Sending Forth

Wombs and Warning Signs

The last four weeks have had my words and prayers in the space of Trust. Susannah's steadfast trust, Psalm 9, Psalm 37...

Isaiah says to us in the voice of the Father, I am the potter and you are the clay.

We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand (Isaiah 64:8)

Just on a glance, during a square dance, and walking under the New Lodge, This summer at Eagle's Nest Camp, I saw a master potter working the wheel. Children were gathered around asking about the process, probably distracting his work, but he let it be a teaching moment. He let them watch him shape the sides of what looked like the makings of an intricate vase or drinking pitcher. One who knows pottery, knows that what seems almost done, good enough, and already in the image of the completed project is often 30 minutes or more from completion, or about to be scrapped and re-sculpted. Clay doesn't go anywhere from the perspective of matter, but there is a cataclysmic metamorphosis. Some of us are vastly different mounds of clay then we were 40 years ago or yesterday. For all I know, someone is about to be molded beyond recognition today.

Talking about the poems

I'm working diligently on a book of poetry. My mother and I attended a conference and it inspired me to attempt a self-published book of poetry. I wrote and taped to the front cover of this red notebook filled with verses:

March 9, 2011
2011--goal. One poem for each week of the year. 52. I'm at 19 poems and I am in the 10th week of the year.

I have 40 poems that I would be willing to put in a book and have other people read, love, make fun of, whatever. I need 12 more by December 31. That means I have a great deal of work to complete in the next and last five weeks of the year. Here is one of the poems that is in progress and process of becoming one of the 52.

(Note: I considered reading 10/10/03, but opted for the following rougher set of verses:

Fourteener along the Boyne

Outside Slane

from Rossnaree

we clopped and clipped

in and out of weather

sideways rain

then sun rays

All the while Boyne flowed

in the valley

Lush is the order of the hour

Wind blows hard in

this tenth month

announcing a shift

Yet here in Ireland green persists

Cattle graze

lean into gusts

on flowing emerald slopes

just as they have

for generations

Panes shake at Rossnaree

as I scribe and soak in

the county Meath

Wind whips over the grass

Picking up speed

as the ground drops

out from underneath the gust

The force of air

loses its' surface

the vector keeps it straight

in mid-air

NOW

and it seeks another structure

to engage

Tops of foliage down the hillside

receive a glancing blow

but the big back stop

is Spruce

He's braced and ready

has received a thousand blows

and will not fall

Now here comes the rain

And the temperature drops

or so it looks

from inside mortar and windows

it's cold in here

but not like out there

Come down rain

and wet this Earth

whet my pen

At home the wind

eases back in the rain

but hardly here

the two know each

other all too well

and collaborate and

equate to October

harshness

____

So much of the work done for these poems has been accomplished away from them. One note to myself in the red notebook:

-Check old Journals
-Find/Check old Notebooks
-Scour my writing

Now with what seems like absent minded notes like these, it means I did a lot of partial work on verses and then had to get away, get some perspective, go running, burp a baby, eat. I didn't forget them. I just seems like I forgot them. Often the words appeared when I was away from the medium of writing and I would hurry back and scribe as best I could.

Talking about the womb

Moving to a subject further outside my expertise than poetry, but stay with me and hold together the image of the clay and the potter, the poetic process, and enter the womb.

I know about half as much about the womb as many of you. I've lived in one. Nine, better ten months, if you ask most mothers. That big circle in a Venn Diagram includes each of us, we all spent a season in a womb. But many of you have double, triple, and exponential experience with the womb. For you've baked more than bread there, unless you take seriously that bread is body. A person has grown in many of you.

Carlyle Marney takes the image to our gathering and says, “The church is the womb within which persons happen and recognize one another” (from the Preface in Recovery of the Person).

But, think on that womb time. Ask mothers. It's an odd time. At times the two are so closely connected, and as one, that no one else can get into that relationship. Much ink has spilled over this affect for the rest of life on all parties—moms, babies, daddies, mommies mommies. Think in your own family—the womb changes everything. When we left the hospital I had the most protective, and hypothetically threatened sensation of my life. If anyone tries to hurt this trio, I'll kill 'em. I was overwhelmed by the power of the womb.

But at times, mothers feel distant from the child that grows inside. Oh, mother walks around with the child, but wants to go back to work and not nap for four hours in the middle of the day. Or, she feels so good, almost forgets the protrusion 15 inches South upon a simple glance.

God does this too, like a mother with so much acreage under her wings. God doesn't forget, but seemingly turns to other projects and leaves the womb for a bit to check on and tend to other plots.

But inside the womb, that seemingly forgotten incubator, is still where persons happen and recognize one another. Whether God seems hovered over or off to other chores, we still have the blood and the nutrients and the ability within that womb to recognize one another in our fullness. To truly be human. Think of an excerpt from our Acts reading when receiving new members: “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” When we grow in the womb, all the body parts are in a symphony sharing and distributing resources.

Talking about the potter and the clay

A friend said of a shambled life, Has God forgotten to show mercy? Did God forget me?

No, your Father got up from the wheel and is at work as ever, though it is so tough to see and touch right now. The vessel he's crafting in you, that is you, is God's most special work. He can't rush it. When you were born, it only seemed like you were done, that you had been brought to completion.

No, he's still molding you. For God to spin the wheel and lay hands on you will take as much time away from the wheel, maybe much more time away from it, then it will with hands on directly as the clay moves in time and space.

What's the first Advent message? That your God, the one who promised Emmanuel, is about to sit down at the wheel.

Amen.

Turn Your Face: I love the colors of Fall. Someone said to me on...

2011-11-13T20:02:00.000-05:00

Turn Your Face:

I love the colors of Fall. Someone said to me on...: I love the colors of Fall. Someone said to me once he didn’t because everything was dying. I don’t think so and wrote a poem about it. ...

The OK Runner: Newburyport Half Marathon

2011-11-04T11:53:00.000-04:00

The OK Runner: Newburyport Half Marathon: Time: 113:42 Distance: 28.81k W/u : 28:38 for 5.49k Race: 71:45 for 5th place C/d : 13:19 for 2.32k I ran a half marathon today. I ne...

My buddies, Jordan and Megan, have moved from Charlotte to Boston. Bummer. We usually got to run every couple of months together, but work pulled them to New England. Megan is setting up for a great effort and the US Marathon trials at www.houston2012.com/
on January 14, 2012. Jordan is making the return from injuries and trying to get training rolling again. Read his recent post above.

Bull City Track Club: Great American XC, Carrboro 10K, and XC Nats

2011-11-04T11:36:00.000-04:00

This post begins with a race report from Alex Varner, photos are by Kim Page, and final thoughts are from me, George Linney.

Bull City Track Club: Great American XC, Carrboro 10K, and XC Nats: Alex and Adam rolling past 2K by Alex Varner (written 10/1/11) I headed over to Cary with some other Bull City open men to take on the ...

Want to join the Bull City Track Club? Come see us at the store, www.bullcityrunning.com. We have a lot of fun.

proper fitting shoes

2011-10-20T20:11:00.003-04:00

I continue to love running. This piece of paper was not only designed to be my race mantra, but it indicates a few goals during the Utah Valley Marathon (6/10/11). I had a few more notes to share on the race, even now, four months later.

39:10 for 10K 6:18pace. Good running, but then a bathroom break.

1:24:44 6:27 pace. Pace really slowed from mile 6 to mile 13. This was not a strong part of the race. I let things slip too much and it cost me 2:49.

Mile 15 – 6:15

16 – 634

17 – 616

18 – 609

19 – 630

20 – 620

21 – 635

22 – 627

23 – 646

24 – 717

25 – 700

26 – 644

I ran 1:24.43 for the first half. I ran 1:26.16 for the second half. I finished in 16th place overall, 3rd in my age group.

Where I slipped up...for the 6.9 miles from the 10K to Half Marathon it took me 45:34. That's a 6:36 pace. That was too slow for those early/middle miles. Granted, I stopped to use the restroom during those miles and that cost me. I should have hydrated a little less, but that happens with a point to point course, waking up at 2am and starting the race at 6am.

Some of my pre-race comments:

"Reading notes from friends and starting to fuel. 3.5 hrs to race time. Great day for a 26.2 mile fun run at utahvalleymarathon.com

Never knew how many folks resonate with Eric Liddell and Chariots of Fire. Don't forget the drive of Harold Abrams. And the coaching of Sam Massubini. The hymn Jerusalem, a blessing upon the land on which you reside. Here's to you Durham."

I ran 2:50 @ Utah Valley Marathon.

Even now with a great deal left on the table from back in June, I love running. I am pointing long term towards, 4/16/12 and the Boston Marathon. I would like to take a shot at 2:40. I believe I can run closer to a six minute pace for 26.2 miles.

This week I will hopefully complete 80 miles of training with two workouts, one on the track and one hill work out. I'm sore and achy, but everything is manageable. There are those who doubt my training methods, but I had good success with high mileage in the Spring and I can feel my body growing stronger just as it did before. I rested well in June and July before this slow build. A lot of work has to be endured for small bits of improvement. I am still achieving my fastest times, but the preparation takes careful calculation and some risk.

I am thankful for proper fitting shoes. I feel like the one being spoken about in Ephesians and I do feel peaceful and ready--I have the right equipment. Running helps show me the way in the rest of my life. My job as a pastor is to help equip others for ministry. This happens in many different ways--unique to each individual's gifts. We often make blunders before finding the right relationships and plots to serve. I am practicing greater and greater patience. Wait for God to show the clear way. It happens that way with running as well. Long seasons of preparation before small improvements. They are not the prettiest feet, but they work.

10/10/03

2011-10-08T09:42:00.013-04:00

In 48 my boy will be 8

how can that be

2003 and he was born

while I was on holiday

from Stanley's Christian Ethics

We studied war no more

contraception

marriage and fidelity

worship habits

practices of prayer

But mid-way through holiday,

by this evening, the 8^th, a Wednesday,

Kristen was breathing heavy and sleepless

I rested and turns out I'd need it

We'd take it where we could get it

48 hours later he came to the world healthy

affirming much of what I was purposed for

fatherhood

and a few other chores

and calls

He was long like Usain @ 9 lbs 2 ounces

A special boy with a keen eye for the world

soaking it all in always taking in all the stimuli

At seven almost eight, the world is his oyster

He can do it all

Musician, runner, mathematician,

and why not

why not seek them all

Capture this season and ride it out until the next one

comes to you in a flurry

lament to sunshine

2011-10-07T15:30:00.001-04:00

When the truth is

I miss you

a hillside for hunting

off to the left

Come on in

I’ve gotta tell you what a state I’m in

Today, I run the road from Drogheda

wet from a hard rain, but not anymore

now sun is over the horizon at my left

and I sink to 6:30s

why not, for I’m tired but Coldplay works

plays

sings

through the fatigue

I’d do well to do just the same

I envision them playing at Slane Castle

It is nearby, but I am not going

touristy things are not on my list

I have been to Open Farm and down to Duleek Quarry

stopped at the bridge

over the railroad tracks

watched the tractors

churn the earth

while birds seek the afterbirth

of the newly delivered

soil turned over

I’ve seen the way these people live—mostly farmers

it is what I came for.

Check out: http://www.rossnaree.ie/
I wrote from the second story of this building looking out over the River Boyne and her lush green pastures.

County Meath

2011-10-07T15:15:00.006-04:00

County Meath is filled with gems

The Castle at Slane, the fight for

Old Bridge, there are fisherman

@ Drogheda

of course there's Brú na Bóinne
where graves are marked and short days counted

Still
Boyne flows on and on
not a care
for all the fuss
out to sea she ripples
never naming yet carving the countryside

Turning on Time

2011-10-04T09:41:00.000-04:00

She used to turn in July
seemingly not knowing
the time
and the season

Now she turns on time
just now the grassy hues turn to
chestnut
crimson
canary

Is it the four years of maturity
watching out over the land on this welcome path
this Forest Brook, she sits on high ground

When she first took root
why did she fall early

It is October in the Piedmont
and the time is on time for dipping temps
and falling leaves

At the right time

2011-09-24T20:17:00.003-04:00

What is the right time

Romans 5:6b

Timing is everything

This morning I was slow

The time was off

The splits were surprising

But tomorrow promises to be different

I know I can go faster

Maybe comparing to ten years ago is the wrong yard stick

Compare to today

So far, in 2011, I have set new PR's in the marathon and the mile

Not bad at 36 years young

I can go faster

Not as fast as everyone around me, but fast

I know I can go faster

I need to increase the volume

decrease the intake of hops

watch my eating

sleep in my bed not on the sofa

My back cannot take it any longer

Next Friday is not about time, but effort at Great American

Hebrews 12.1

Where was God on 911?

2011-09-17T11:53:00.000-04:00

Where was God on 911?

How Can I Pay for a Session of Eagle's Nest Camp? | Eagles Nest Camp Blog | Summer Camp in the North Carolina Mountains | Eagle's Nest

2011-09-08T17:37:00.002-04:00

How Can I Pay for a Session of Eagle's Nest Camp? Eagles Nest Camp Blog Summer Camp in the North Carolina Mountains Eagle's Nest

Paige lays out a great plan for how to send kids to camp. It takes some hard work, grassroots type hard work, but those who really want to go to camp can do it. This stretching and prioritizing can even be extended to the children who attend camp. Think in a creative and disciplined way.

My parents sent Allison and me to camp in 1986 and paid for it all. I was 11 and Allison was 13. The Nest changed our lives and I don't remember having a greater priority than getting back to ENC the following year. Beginning in 1987, we each paid for half. Back then that was about $600 of a $1200 tuition (ah...inflation). For a 12 year old that was a lot. It meant I deposited monies from grass cutting, baby sitting, birthday, Christmas, Valentine's, etc. Wherever the money was coming in I had to be thinking about getting back to Pisgah Forest for three weeks the following summer. I believe it shaped my sense of money, savings, and most importantly, how I came to remember special experiences. Every time I gave up buying a pack of baseball cards, I had to remember an underwater-recovery pry that Grant had showed me or a Lodge led by Bruce that taught me how to Rock to the Casbah.

I spent the next eight summers at this camp. I was a camper for four summers, JC (Junior Counselor) for two, and a staff member for three summers. When the days grew long 43 Hart Rd was where I wanted to be up through my early 20s.

Now I started much later than my children. George IV started at five and Kathryn will start in 2012 as a seven year old. Their earning potential is compromised compared to me when I was 12 and older, but it is time to start thinking about counting the cost. Right now we have budgeted for only Kathryn to attend in 2012, but maybe George IV should get to consider what he is willing to give up in order to return to Eagle's Nest.

These are conversations that will unfold this fall. I hope you will consider such talks. My parents were creative and optimistic about how to get us to camp year after year. I wonder if they knew this would turn out to be one of their best instincts as parents.

The first task in getting to camp is not to lead with "No, we can't possibly afford that." You don't know that until you have turned over a few rocks, had a few conversations, prayed a little, meditated, let it simmer. Practice patience and humility and Eagle's Nest can be a part of your future.

Bull Durham Blues Festival Lineup

2011-09-08T08:06:00.000-04:00

Bull Durham Blues Festival Lineup

Hoping to make this event on Saturday night - - 24th Annual Bull Durham Blues Festival on September 10, 2011 at Durham Central Park from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Also, hope to attend a reading at Joe Van Gogh's on Broad Street from 6-9pm on Saturday. Friends from http://www.newmonasticism.org/index.php will be sharing Prison Readings. Read more at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=243226225710860.

Could Rastas and Christians Really Unite? | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

2011-09-03T10:41:00.001-04:00

Saturday, 9am
Could Rastas and Christians Really Unite? | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

This article plus today's participation in the http://www.ralak.com/ festival in Mebane will hopefully inspire a reflection.

We will be exploring the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

After a great afternoon of making new friends at RALAK on Saturday, here is my reflection.

Down by da tree
We gathered
in the shade
her spines like the long bows
sweeping and curving
make the circle
dense dripline
40 x 40
for the four of us and more
for our sitting

It is the willow tree
Give thanks for the willow tree

She says, come
and sit
stay and listen
hear the wind
feel the sun
listen to the welcome from the drum

Heart beatin'
Foot thumpin'
Land shakin'

IMITATION

2011-08-28T07:28:00.002-04:00

Our most natural instinct
Fluid
Copying rhythms
But not plagiarism
It is nearly impossible to cheat in this regard for you will put your own mark, your own twist
You always do

Keep at it
Keep tweaking
Keep molding and shaping
It's a journey, often a long one
But you've got time
Where are you going to go?
If you get a flat, fix it, or turn around and ride home slowly and gingerly, not to make it worse. You'll get to the bottom of it.
The point of the ride was to hope, to wish, to imagine, that it would go off flawlessly. For sometimes it does. Sometimes you are flying with the wind in your face and all is right with the world. These are the days to imitate, to re-create. To enjoy recreation.

Weekend Update: August 25-27

2011-08-25T16:24:00.000-04:00

Weekend Update: August 25-27

On Saturday, the Child Evangelism Fellowship of Greater Raleigh will host its annual Children’s Good News Spectacular. The event will be held in the Graham Building and will feature inflatable games and rides, popcorn, snow cones, drinks, an illusion show and several gospel presentations. Last year’s event had more than 10,000 attendees and this year’s event promises to bring more spectacular growth.

3FCT Run/Ride--Sunday, September 11

2011-08-25T14:30:00.006-04:00

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=216272988405519&set=a.150937521605733.32630.138378456194973&type=1&theater

I have some dreams around a Third Fork Creek Trail Run/Ride (3FCT). Here's what I have so far:

Sunday, September 11, 8:00am.
Meet at Sounthern Boundaries Park in Durham and be ready to run or ride at 8am.

Here's the route:
3FCT to Woodcroft Pkwy.
Take a left.
Take a left at ATT.
Then you can get back to Southern Boundaries on the path of your choice.
Last left turn option is MLK, but you can turn many places before. What's the fastest way home? You decide. My estimate on the distance is 10 miles, but I will let you techies confirm or deny.

--Fast cyclists might think about two loops.
--Self-supported event so bring your own gear and care for oneself and others.

Given that this is our September 11 Remembrance:
We are asking for a donation of $10 (or more) and all proceeds will go to supporting post-9-11 war veterans going to the State Fair. What's better than that??? Maybe they will let some TTC folks tag along!

From VA website: http://www.durham.va.gov/giving/
WE ARE CURRENTLY PLANNING THE ANNUAL TRIP TO THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR FOR OUR CLC RESIDENTS TO ENJOY. DONATIONS MAY BE MADE TO THE CLC RECREATION GPF OR TICKETS PURCHASED FOR OUR RESIDENTS

Want to RSVP?
Email: tobaccotrailchurch@gmail.com
text: 919.414.6565
Want to decide the morning of, the minute before?
Well then, just show up.

Queen of the Slide

2011-08-25T14:26:00.001-04:00

I am queen of the slide
and no one can stop me
not the sun
nor the wind
not my little brother
not a friend

I'm queen of the slide
but what do I do
when all my subjects have fled?
Who am I queen of then?
The slide still knows who's boss
but who else?

Perhaps
I will reign over the swings

Small, Local Businesses Speed Income Growth

2011-08-18T16:49:00.000-04:00

Small, Local Businesses Speed Income Growth

Ursa

2011-08-18T16:29:00.002-04:00

A Natseeho tribute
for that is what I am
not by choice
at least not my own choosing
still chosen

Yet, to tell the truth
I am in a Migisi season on the wheel
soaring high on the wings
of an eagle
looking down from far above and seeing mice, buffalo, bears

But I return home
because Lovett sings it proud
They just don't come no better than a bear

Bears have been driven out of the wilderness
yet they return
to compost heaps
trash cans
dumpsters
we are proud and mighty
saavy enough to scavange

Ursus americanus
you'll find us in the Southland
among the pines
omnivors
through and through
adaptable
as the wheel spins and the weather shifts
climates change
and so we shift as well
changing weight on giant haunches

Sharp claws
are best
for pickin' on that banjo in a stringband
one for which we were made

West to Cherokee
East to Wilmington
and points between
we lie resting
hibernating
in the rolling hills
of tobacco road

We take on the Bull
and take none of it

Birds are Busy

2011-08-18T08:21:00.003-04:00

Birds are busy in the morning
A fat cardinal flies low from fence to branch
Out of the reeds and rushes flits a brown one
Thrushes skirt the playground and perch on a tall pine
Blue bird seeks his mate guarding the eggs
White moon falling sees all
While fall threatens on a mild August morn
Green is abundant on this piedmont landscape
Good camo for these wing-ed friends

Utah Valley Marathon

2011-08-17T15:00:00.000-04:00

On June 11, 2011 I ran the Utah Valley Marathon. I'm using the picture above for a couple of reasons. First, the runners in the Hope Valley Marathon are angled downhill and that was the theme of this marathon. I also felt like I took along with me the spirit of the TTC, Durham, and the Bull City Track Club. There were a lot of folks rooting for me from NC and I really felt those good vibes. I even think that all the support helped me overcome what was a pretty tight and sluggish day of running. When I was trying to loosen up the legs before the run, I never really could. I felt tight jogging, stretching and even during the entire 26.2 miles. Some days are just that way--tight.

Like I said, I never really felt all that great during the race. It was downhill and that did not seem particularly helpful. It started at 6,000 feet and dropped to 4,500 feet which I thought would be a huge help, but a physiology guy informed that altitude numbers like these probably account for 3-5% drop in performance.

My feet were throbbing in the second half of the race. Here are pictures of me slogging it out. It didn't help that the first half of race was all asphalt only to transition into a concrete slab for the last 13 miles.

All complaining aside, I set a PR by seven minutes from Umstead in April and by 20 minutes from my best road marathon. Even feeling sluggish I was fit enough to keep moving at 6:30 pace throughout the race. I attribute my success to 70+ mile weeks since January and a peak training week of 100 miles in early May. My first and second half splits were only 90 seconds apart. So the numbers were good, but I felt that on a better day I could have gone more than five minutes faster. I ran 2:50 and had a great time with North Carolina friends, Bob Callanan, Holly and Dave Plotts. I had never been to the Provo area of Utah and it was a great weekend getaway.

I thought I would be done with the marathon for a few years, but sub 2:45 is well within reach. I think it will happen on Patriot's Day with a handful of BCTC folks all trying to run fast and enjoy the Boston buzz.

NewsObserver Gallery: Habitat Bull Moon Ride | 07.16.11

2011-07-20T08:34:00.000-04:00

NewsObserver Gallery: Habitat Bull Moon Ride | 07.16.11

FirstGiving - Your fundraising

2011-07-06T10:20:00.001-04:00

Support TTC and our fundraising efforts for Habitat for Humanity.

FirstGiving - Your fundraising

Casting the net: Extending the vision

2011-06-25T08:36:00.003-04:00

Today marks day eight for the teams in RAAM 2011. I wonder what they are feeling, those who are still at work somewhere nearing the east coast, those who have finished and are trying to get purchase on a life without the steady rhythm of pedal strokes and Five Hour Energy.

In the Race Across America version 2010 by this Saturday morning our team would have been sleeping, traveling, eating, or catching up with loved ones after having rolled up to the Chesapeake Bay yesterday morning. Early on the previous morning, still about ten miles out from the finish, with head barely held above my front stem yet still rolling forward with my teamates, Henry Kaestner asked me the question, "When will we hear from the Tobacco Trail Church next?" I said to him, an answer that seemed as natural as any other sort of pleasantry though I had no idea where it came from, "This is it right now. Us riding is the Tobacco Trail Church."

That was a vision quest sort of time for our community. I'm feeling it again.

I took a picture this morning of the bluebirds back at work, late in the season by my memory, casting their vision for new life, growth, maturity.

I think TTC is in growth mode, casting a wide net, seeing what will come back. I sense people getting a bit restless--always a good thing if not a comfortable thing. To be squirmy is to be ready to move.

Those eggs are filled with squirminess inside. I trust that. I did not touch them for that might scare mom and dad away. But I trust they are warm with movement, pulsing with cellular growth, ready to hatch.

What warmth is dwelling inside the Tobacco Trail Community today? I think it has to do with running and church, coffee and cycling. I'm looking forward to seeing it all come to fruition.

Cast your nets wide today. Risk an empty catch and switch to the other side of the boat if and when the directive comes.

Shoulda Set for Crete

2011-06-17T10:11:00.003-04:00

On the way to Rome
the winds were against us
and we shoulda set for Crete
and stayed a piece

Aristarchus from Thessalonica
was with us
bet he knew our people there

No good bein' a prisoner
when the sea and the wind burp and howl
against our wayward ways

The centurion had a fool plan
that had us doggin' on toward the big city
but he was a fool

Get us killed is what would happen in this weather
Right on past Crete
in the wintry weather violent and all a fuss

Fortnight later, well past old Crete now
I told 'em
stay on this ship
if you want to live
and they did
and we did

What Happened in West Virginia

2011-06-16T08:50:00.002-04:00

What happened in WV
was a ride on two wheels
up a hill
into the lush green
as the horizon
line
edged upward
False flats
and then up again
Curve and weave
Cut the corners
Or stay to the right
for safety and to abide
in the laws of the land
good laws
better not to surprise oncoming traffic
in a dart
for their lives
and his

DOUGHMAN--Support Durham Inner-city Gardeners

2011-05-19T12:52:00.001-04:00

I can't wait for The Doughman next weekend when we defend our title. Want to help our team, The Suffern All-Stars, raise money for SEEDS and DIG? Give at: http://tobaccotrailchurch.com/donate-now/ All donations will go to DIG http://www.seedsnc.org/dig.htm and you will help us reach our time-bonus goal of two minutes which requires $500. Come out and support, 8am on Saturday, May 28, in the Durham Centre parking lot (corner of Foster and Seminary).

The Wild Roses

2011-05-05T09:16:00.004-04:00

Blooming
they can't be contained
never thought they would
unleashed
revolting from dormancy
no one can stop them
no one can contain them
they bleed on a green backdrop
no matter that I see them behind black iron bars
that's just a fence
with a gate for me
but for these buds
they will grow through if they so desire
perhaps even clinging and wrapping
becoming one

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

2011-04-24T15:55:00.000-04:00

The Road to Emmaus

2011-04-24T15:44:00.005-04:00

In Luke's 24th Chapter we get everything we need to be the church: Gathering, Word, Practice, and Sending Forth.

Today at the Tobacco Trail Church we will scorn death as People of the Resurrection and try to make sense of this story. We are also eating cake because our family has had the practice of eating a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas and why not have another one on the weekend that he was raised to new life.

Thirsty Thursday

2011-04-08T10:08:00.003-04:00

I ran my fastest Thirsty Thursday this morning. That's strange because it is Friday. Does that mean it is yesterday?

For one thing, I am rarely able to make it out to Carolina North on a Thursday so waiting for a chance to run with the normal Thursday crowd could have been far down the road on the calendar.

I was of the mind to try and run a fast fitness test. Probably not a good idea with the achy and snotty symptoms of a sinus infection, but I had an axe to grind since I am not running the Duke Invite 5K this evening. I will be pulling for my teammates, though, Alex Varner, Patrick Reaves, and Sarah Lee. I think they will all have great showings.

As for me, I scratched on Tuesday knowing I was not race ready with the coughing and spurting that was worsening with each day.

Still, this morning I decided, probably against my better judgment, to try for a quick time. I didn't have a date listed for my previous best Thirsty Thursday of 37:50, but based on my other notes I think it was 2008 or 2009. A while back and it was time to try for this one again.

I didn't feel good. Not at the start, not in the middle, not coming home. Yet, I ran 36:53. Not bad considering. I'm definitely a lot faster than I was a few years ago.

In a few weeks, I will try for a 36:30. Today and one more attempt are good yardsticks for how I might fair at Philosopher's Way on May 7.

Love Wins

2011-04-06T11:20:00.000-04:00

Everybody and their brother, folks two on a mule are criticizing Rob Bell these days. The safe play from the orthodox world is to condemn Bell. I heard him in the Fall in a live speech. He wasn't very good.

He was great. He spoke of the Gospel as being both simultaneously "light" and "heavy." I get that.

I press those who watch these videos and possibly even read the book to consider how much this merging of Heaven and Earth is the message being offered to us by N.T. Wright in his work of the last few years.

ABC Video
All worthy of consideration.

Reunion discussion of Chariots of Fire 1/2

2011-03-31T21:41:00.000-04:00

Reunion discussion of Chariots of Fire 2/2

2011-03-31T21:30:00.001-04:00

Not to oversimplify, but this is basically my entire model for ministry

2011-03-31T20:26:00.000-04:00

Keyser to Cumberland, WV to Maryland, on a hot 35th birthday

2011-03-27T20:36:00.000-04:00

One of the most famous recoveries in cycling occurred as Lance
Armstrong avoided a huge crash...he instinctively scurried through the hillside and though skipping the switchback, gained no advantage and rejoined the leaders.

It was my birthday, June 18 and Dave Hoffman and I would be riding out of the Walmart parking lot, but logistics made it such that it was just me for now.

At 4:26pm on June 18, 2010 we crossed the time check just South of Keyser, West Virginia. What that meant in real time was Henry McCoy was barreling down WV SR 220 and soon and very soon it would be my turn to ride a bike.

About 15 minutes earlier I had doubted.

I stood there, out on the highway in the blazing sun, wondering if I was going to make it. I had not slept in days it felt like. I was so tired--pumping Five Hour Energy's like chewing gum...around the clock. It seemed so far until the end of this race, the sun would set again before we would finish. How much longer could it go on?

No one on my team was ready. Not only were people tired, but we needed some van transition time so that trash could be removed and new food and gear and riders loaded in. This was going to take a few minutes even if we were alert and we were not. The other riders and the drivers could barely move so the going was slow, but Henry was coming fast. So I waited, just me and my bike. I had the turns written on my arms so that I could find my way down the road in this Five O'clock traffic.

Moments before I had walked across the Walmart parking lot in the 90 degree heat just having used the facilities and in a haze of fatigue unlike any that had ever come my way. I've been tired before, but not like this. I wondered if I could go on. Could I get back on the bike and do my part to help Durham and my team?

I was feeling the weight of the world and I thought this is what I came here for, to see if I can go through this moment and find out what's on the other side. I wasn't sure that I could, but I looked back at the hot asphalt behind me and saw that I was not exiting my physical body, and no part of me had been left back there in a greasy puddle. I must have been walking back to the curb where Lance was poking around his stuff. I poked around mine. I put on my race bibs and jersey one more time, and made the necessary preparations to ride a bike for about the 40th separate time over the last six days.

It seemed like we were a million miles from Oceanside, CA (more like 2500) and million more from Annapolis, Maryland, (more like 400). This is the kind of spot in these races where teams quit. A waterfall of fatigue and despair washes over the group and they just say, we did good. Let's call it a day and find a hotel. Nobody said that in this group.

I'm back on the bike and coming back to life. Once set in the motion of bike riding I was starting to return to the land of the living. Cars were flying by and I was enjoying the excitement. I didn't necessarily stop for red lights if it was clear, this was a race, and I was in a hurry.

I was by myself, because like I said, no one was ready, not even the van. If something went wrong, I was on my own, just out here on the road. It was kind of nice. Not much true solitude during this race. Usually a van nearby to point the way or shine lights to help illuminate the road ahead. Now it was just me in rush hour traffic, sort of rural rush hour, but still rush hour.

I motored down the road and finally heard the van behind me. You get the sense because the rest of the traffic is sort of stalled. I was moving fast, but bike fast, maybe 22 miles per hour. Not car fast.

So why would I ever think to lead with that heroic recovery by Lance Armstrong? Well, it was what flashed through my mind when my tired hallucinogenic body made a wrong turn and went left against a one way street. The van yelled behind me, WRONG. I darted right, over the curb, through the grass in the Exxon parking lot and I bunny hopped an eight inch curb. To this day, it's the coolest thing I have ever done on a bike.

The day before I saw Lance, this one was Lance Condray, do it on a bike. I had tried it once. Now it was instinct. I leveled the pedals, front and back, parallel to the ground and picked the bike up with my feet, jumped the curb and with the forward momentum, cleared the back wheel and landed flat on the concrete in front of me.

I turned back to the right, back toward the road I had been on, but it was a two-way street and I was now on the left side of the road. I rode facing traffic, five or so cars passed and honked, I found my gap and made my way back across the road and onto the right side.

One block more and there is the left--the one I should have taken. I got lucky, because now luck seemed clearly to be on my side and I flowed right into the left turn lane as the cars were moving forward and with no stops and at a busy intersection I was turning left and hauling past one of the solo riders. She had a caravan behind her, but it was such a rush to see one of these brave souls who had started three days before our eight person team.

Within a half mile up the road, even more excitement. The 4th place team, the one we had been chasing down for 24 hours, there they were and I passed the rider on the uphill as if he were standing still. We assumed they were 45 minutes ahead of us. We later found out that they had made a wrong turn, but whatever the circumstances, it was one of the crowning moments in the race. Our whole team had been focused on this since the middle of the night before and now it was our job to gap them as much as possible between here and the finish line.

I had been riding more than 10 miles, a long pull for our rotation. Only one van was behind me, but I pulled off and Dave Hoffman and I began our beautiful work together. I rode the uphills and he hammered down. For four rotations, back and forth, we blistered the hills outside of Keyser, West Virginia. We were like machines. Zbow and Ben handled the logistics, bike on, bike off, try not to hit anything with the van. As I recall, we may have lost a rear-view mirror along this stretch, whatever, seriously, whatever, collateral damage at this point. We were all focused and pushing the limits of what we were being asked to do. It was a beautiful sight.

When Lance took over for us, I basically blacked out for 45 minutes.
Is it weird that I am a little sad that we are not all going to be in California the second week in June?

Christopher Gergen bear-hugged me at the start of the Great Human Race on Saturday, and I thought to myself, any person on that trip is a friend for life, a brother or sister in a way that is intimate beyond words. We have been to hell and back. I love you all.

Umstead Race Details--March 5, 2011

2011-03-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

Weather was high 40s at the start and low 60s at the finish. Windy but fairly protected by the trees.

I woke after a fitful night of sleep feeling hungover with a sinus headache. I was still coughing up sludge out of my chest and my sinuses were blocked up. Oh well, I have dealt with this many times. The real test will be how my legs feel during a brief warm up.

I drove over with my teammate, Alicia, and coffee and conversation were starting to release me from the fog. We both seemed relaxed and in good spirits having each run hundreds of races. We got our bibs and did the usual pre-race small talk with friends. I saw the competition and tried to shut out the negative self-talk. When I went to check my legs, they felt great. I thought, the training has really paid off along with the easy week leading up to today. I had been running 70 miles per week for about six weeks and that is a lot of volume for me.

At the gun, I took it out much harder than the previous two years.

I wanted to break things open, because this race tends to start out very casually and I wanted to get to work early. More importantly I had two tough goals before the finish. 10 miles in 65 minutes and 20 miles in 2:10. This meant averaging 6:30 pace throughout the first 20 miles. I knew that with the single-track, which included two new miles on Sycamore, and all the hills this meant lots of 6:10-6:15 effort. I was confident I had the fitness for this endeavor. I wasn't really sure who else would be interested in this sort of work and somehow I was content to race the clock and not others.

The best marker that things were well on course or even ahead of schedule was around mile five. There is a very steep hill on the Sycamore Trail and I anticipated good news on the clock. This is shortly before the course pops off the single-track and turns left toward the aid station and turn-around on Graylyn. In years past I have seen this mile split at about 7:50. This year I clocked 6:40. That's fast if you know the hill. I was really clipping along and the proof came when the 10 mile marker showed 64:30 (6:27 pace) on the clock. At that point, I was alone in 2^nd place and feeling very good about exceeding my first goal.

Soon I was making my way out on the Turkey Creek Trail trying to find a rhythm like I have had on many tempo runs these past few months. These miles (11 and 12) are along a steady down hill and I clipped off 6:12 and 6:05. The sun was starting to make its' presence known louder than the mild tempartures, but nothing unrelenting. Drink as much as my heaving stomach could take and all would be well. I remembered a run out here in the Fall that was a bit too hard an effort and I kind of blew up on the tough hills on the backside of Turkey Creek. I hoped the same would not be my fate today.

I was doing okay. Blasting the downhills and making up time wherever I could. I knew holding 6:30s was only going to get tougher and I had to really concentrate and go deep into the hurt locker searching for motivation, oxygen, guts, muscle tissue, songs—whatever could take me further and further into the struggle.

As the pain intensified so did the demons. Strides were becoming a little more numb as the minutes clicked forth. Each step hurt more than the one before and doubt and self-flogging would creep in against a fierce opponent--Reality.

Doubt would interrupt: Run up here to the end of Graylyn (about 14 mile mark) and drop out. That will be a great workout. You can still run those 5Ks at the end of the month you were planning. Maybe even break 16 minutes.

It's a saavy deception that doubt tries to play.

Reality chimes in: What are you talking about? This can be your day. You can break three hours. Stop trying to renegotiate. Shut up and Run.

Sounds harsh, but it is actually a much kinder word.

The slightly schizophrenic runner looms inside us all, or so I hear (or would like to believe). On some level, it's a blood sugar issue. Still, the voices must be shut out. All I needed to see was the closest thing to 6:30 at each mile marker. That was my job. Short goals. Short assignments. Every few minutes clear and rational feedback as to my progress. No new deals. No renegotiating. Not now.

The day was immaculate. Hikers and bikers leisurely enjoyed the quiet Northern side of the park. They looked on with something like pity. I got it. Why put the body under such distress on a perfectly good Saturday?

Spring was reaching out to all of us. The wind was clearing out the debris of Winter from tree tops. Birds chirped and busied to welcome new family members. I huffed and puffed under great distress.

All the way out to the turn-around again on Graylyn and then back on Turkey Creek. I could only give the thumbs up to passing runners. It was all I had left and I was thankful for their words of encouragement, but mostly I could only gesture.

I reached the 20 mile marker in 2:11:30 (6:34 pace). This was 90 seconds over my goal, but still it gave me a very realistic shot at breaking my bigger goal. If only I could run a 48 minute 10K I would break three hours for the marathon. I knew I could do it even with the looming hills ahead—Corkscrew, Wheel Fell Off, and Cemetery. The goal was in sight.

It wasn't the prettiest 10K ever, but I moved my legs as quickly as I could. I was in a rush even though I knew the pace would slow. I had run 20 miles on a hilly course and basically felt like that could have been the end of the days work. But I wanted to see “two” on the left side of that finishing clock.

I knew I was being stalked by runners behind me, but I didn't let it get me down. Whether I fended them off or not, I had my goal in sight. I ran a humbling 46:20 for the final 10K (7:27 pace), but it was far from a blow-up and brought me to the finish in 2:57:52. George IV and Kathryn ran with me from the 26 mile mark. I knew they were there, but I could only look straight ahead and pump my arms as fast as they would take me. It was my day.

Finally--under three hours

2011-03-15T12:30:00.002-04:00

I finally broke three hours for a marathon. It was at a tough hilly course through Umstead Park in Raleigh, North Carolina and I ran two hours, fifty-seven minutes. I went out hard from the gun with an internal goal of running to the 20 mile mark at 6:30pace (2:10). I made it there in 2:11:30. Not bad given terrain which included five miles of single track trails along with those wonderfully soft bridle trails marked by a topography of steep rolling hills. I thought that if I ran hard for 20 miles and came close to my goal time, surely I could finish the last 10K in 50 minutes. This was an unorthodox approach, but it worked. I knew my body's capabilities after six weeks of 70 miles per week. I knew I had a race plan that I could execute based on my current fitness. I did it and everything else is just details. For those interested in race details read here.

For someone who does not really consider himself a marathoner, I went back to my notes, and I have completed 11 marathons over the last 13 years. I am like the retiree who keeps going to the office. He just cannot think of what else to do with his time. On my first attempt, I was 23 years old and I thought for sure that I would begin a marathon career by breaking the three hour mark. I ran 3:36 at Kiawah in 1998. I had prepared with a grueling Fall of hard training in Breckenridge, Colorado at 9,600 feet or higher. I ran 1:30 for the first half and 2:06 for the second half. I walked more than I ran from mile 16 to the finish. I wondered if I would ever come anywhere close to 2:59. I knew how to carry a bear by the end of that first race, but running fast for 26 miles was something I knew nothing about.

Over the next decade my greatest marathon successes were on the trails. I ran well in Breckenridge and at Black Mountain, but neither were races that had much to do with speed, but more toughness and mountain climbing. I was pleased with good results the two previous years at Umstead, but still found myself eight and fourteen minutes away from my big career goal. All of my road attempts, the attempts where I really should have been able to hold a 6:51 average pace, they were disasters, and I chalked it up to whatever excuse I could come up with at the time as a I saw 3:12, 3:20, 3:10, 3:30 and so on. Secretly, that internal voice that tells us what we are not, told me, you are not a good marathoner.

My father ran 3:04 for his personal best so I knew it was inside my bones to go faster. I had the genetics, but what else was missing? He had not begun running until his late 30s. I was successful by the end of middle school, running close to 18 minutes for the 5K when my tiny body had not even seen traces of puberty. Why couldn't I achieve this elusive goal in what was edging toward 30 years of competitive distance running? Was it toughness, health, training??? I could never say for sure, but time after time, race after race, I crossed the finish line in 3:12, 3:33, 3:20, 4:15. Some of these were trail marathons and not realistic places to even consider running under the three hour mark, but no less than five of my double-digit attempts at 26.2 miles were relatively flat and I crossed those finish lines scratching my head and quietly dejected. I'll be honest, I have lived a charmed life in the social world of running. Folks have given me more credit than was due and it seemed from other performances many just assumed I had run two something for the marathon many times over. Dern Frank Shorter, why did you have to make everyone care so much about the marathon? I pretended I did not care, but I did. I always did.

At least four of the last thirteen years, I did not attempt a marathon and I can faithfully say, I do not regret those lapses. It was so tiring to keep coming up short of my goal. I turned to the trails and had great successes and joys. The contrarian in me wanted my running to be something different than the masses on the roads, but I have always known that while I love the trails, there was an extra secret reason I sought them out. It was not just the beauty, serenity, and rhythm of the trails. There was a hidden agenda, an edge of self-deception and self-loathing. I was simply tired of dejectedly scratching my head while marathon prediction charts estimated something in the mid 2:40s for me. My pride kept me quiet in an endeavor which I could not give up. I had to return to running shorter and faster races again on faster surfaces. I could not hide in the woods forever. I had to strive for personal bests that I knew went untapped inside me. I could no more give up my version of running fast than I could arrest my need to breathe.

Perhaps I am just not a marathoner and similar words were my punishment for years of under-performance. Someone will be saying, what is he talking about, I wish to God I could run those times. I get it, but we each have our story and they are not solely for comparison with one another. That just won't do. It is useless to make apologies over the simple fact that we all have different internal engines, goals, and realistic expectations. Running has a universalism to it, but not in the details. The runner who completes a marathon in 4:30 is no less a runner than I was last week or today. In fact, he is out there dealing with hydration, nutrition, and fatigue another third of the time. In many ways, slower pace brings with it far greater difficulties. Still, we all have different skill sets and expectations. Keep in mind, if only I had leaned at the tape 54 minutes earlier, I could have snuck under Geb's marathon world record. There is always somebody faster and slower.

As for me, a finishing time beginning with a two alluded me for more than a decade and I was growing weary of not meeting what seemed a very attainable goal. But I kept at it. What else was there to do? I am a runner. A week ago at this time I was not planning to run a marathon, but now, even with an infection in my chest and sinuses, I have done what I so longed to do. It is strange to be on this other side. I feel good. I'm sure I feel many more things, but I am still sorting those emotions out.

Here's one reflection. Now that it is done, I feel vindicated in distance running, in this goal that was more important than I hopefully let on so it would not consume me. This need loomed over me like a cloud, but no more. As Florence and the Machine belts The Dog Days are Over. Oh, I have many more races to run, but I'm not sure the marathon is a top priority to me. It never really was. Only in the most indirect ways do I get paid for running. My performances have to be for enjoyment and the marathon is not my favorite. Give me ten miles of technical trails and you will see the face of swine in muck. I struggle to race for such a long period of time and to be honest, I get a little bored. I know my heart and mind find solace between five and fifteen mile races--long enough to enjoy oneself, but not so tedious. The marathon has become the marker in our running culture, but it is far from my favorite. Funny that I have so much to say about something I claim as a lower priority. Oh well, you figure me out.

I held myself to the goal that I would never go to Boston without a sub-three no matter the qualifying standards of the day. It was my own personal standard as a nod to the historical years when men my age needed a sub-three, and for a brief time even a sub-2:50. Looks like we are now returning to 3:05. I believe the standard should return to 2:59, and I have held this opinion for some time, but no one is asking me. Umstead will not get me there, because it is not certified, but now I know I can break three because I have done it and on a difficult course. Someday I will do it on a road course and I will go to Boston. I am in no particular rush. Boston and New York are on my list of must-do races, but no rush. There is time.

What's next???

I've had a great Fall/Winter season and now I am off to a great start for a 2011 season of racing. I have recently set personal best's in the 8K, the 10K, and now the marathon. Based on the one road effort of these three, 27:46 at an 8K in Charlotte on Thanksgiving Day, here is my vdot information for the techies out there. You know who you are. To summarize: it is a useful tool and a great website for your own exploration and training. Vdot tells all kinds of things about training and racing and it can help you with your running plans. For instance, I might expect to break five minutes for the mile or run about 58 minutes for ten miles. I might just try both of those and some other races this year. 2011 is shaping up to be my best year yet as a runner. I love writing that as I roll into my 36th birthday this summer. So many will tell you why age and children and work keep them from being what they once were. I guess I have always been a late bloomer and now is my Spring, just rolling into Summer.

Perseverance paid off in the marathon and I am sure it will at many other starting and finish lines in races and endeavors to follow.

Justin Bieber - Somebody To Love Remix ft. Usher

2011-03-13T11:30:00.000-04:00

Should I pretend that I didn't enjoy Justin Bieber's movie, "Never Say Never?" Good, I won't.

Of course, I only went because our kids were begging, but I would be kidding to suggest I did not enjoy the show. Very impressive kid. He's not just the hair and the teeny bopper groupies. He's really a pretty cool kid and the songs are great.

Usher doesn't need this kid in order to keep his own star lit. He just knows a colleague/protege when he sees one and the two look like they have fun together on stage.

The Linney's were rocking out in the theater with a bunch of 10-12 year old girls and their moms. George (age 7) was looking at his role model with an entranced smile the whole time. Kathryn (5) and William (3) each rocked out to this teenage sensation and I was amazed how long he kept their attention.

In some ways Justin is a typical wide-open hyperactive teenager, but he has put that energy to good use. Let's all hope he has the roots to go a better route than some child stars who have come before him. I think he has a good shot.

Feet and legs

2011-03-01T12:46:00.001-05:00

Some scriptures for the feet and and legs:

He will guard the feet of his faithful ones. 1 Samuel 2:9

They shall run and not be weary. Isaiah 40:31

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:16

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Isaiah 52:7

Put on shoes worthy to proclaim the Gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:15

Craig Ferguson 11/5/10D Late Late Show Cornel West

2011-03-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

Watching these two just makes me happy. Good stuff about God
and jazz and justice.

Ben Harper - Morning Yearning

2011-02-24T07:33:00.000-05:00

Being: Krista's Journal | Planting the Future

2011-02-22T12:39:00.000-05:00

Being: Krista's Journal | Planting the Future
"I tell myself that of course now we're in a completely new era when we are learning to find God not in a place, but rather in ourselves, in each other, in nature. In many ways it's a contradiction, because the Church teaches you that God is omnipresent. Now if He is omnipresent, He's in Rome, but He could also be in Kenya. His shape, His size, His color … I have no idea. You are influenced by what you hear, what you see. But when I look at Mount Kenya — it is so magnificent, it is so overpowering, it is so important in sustaining life in my area — that sometimes I say yes, God is on this mountain." --Wangari Maathai

Run-filled weekend

2011-01-30T11:28:00.002-05:00

I ran 48 miles from Friday at 2:30pm until 9:00am on Sunday.
17 on Friday
14 on Saturday
17 on Sunday

Why? I had taken off Wednesday and Thursday with some funkiness in my nose and I'm glad I did. It seems to have cleared with some rest and rinsing. But I wanted to stick as best I could to my goal of 70 x 70. For 70 days beginning 1/11/11 I am attempting to run 70 minutes each day. Of course, by the letter of the law I blew it mid-week, but I was content to make up for the two lost days with heavy running Fri-Sun. I was 140 minutes short going into Friday and I managed to be +50min on Friday, +40 min on Saturday, and +60min on Sunday. I guess I made up for the deficit and even added 10 extra minutes.

Now if I can just stay consistent, I can ease back to just 70 minutes each day this week. Hopefully, these will feel like short runs after the bulky weekend!!!

Also, the weekend of athletic discipline felt like good readiness for Tobacco Trail Church worship this weekend. I feel cleansed and it feels good to achieve a goal in a somewhat dogged and even monastic way. Felt like 48 miles of prayer.

Tough parables will be preached this evening from Matthew 25. Help the Resurrection light to shine through.

Oh yeah, all the miles were run on the American Tobacco Trail. Maybe that counts for something in TTC preparation.

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73

2011-01-29T19:31:00.000-05:00

Three Races in Fourteen Hours

2011-01-28T19:17:00.000-05:00

A friend keeps pestering me (in the nicest way possible) to write about what he has called the Triple Crown, so here goes.

On New Year's Eve/New Year's Day a buddy and I decided we would jump in three local running races just to see if we could do it. They were sandwiched together over a little more than half a day. I don't know where I come up with this stupid ideas. Worst part is that I start blathering on about them and someone else thinks it's a good idea and then I can't back out. Oh well :)

I had a wedding to officiate at 4:00pm on the 31st, but the first race was not until 11:59pm so plenty of time for a little preaching and blessing, a couple of glasses of wine, some good salmon and then home for a quick hour off my feet.

I picked up Jason at about 11:00pm. We thought, what a cool way to spend New Year's. We headed to Cary and the R.I.T.N.Y. or Run In The New Year 5K. This was a great event with several of our local running friends also deranged enough to think this was better than being at home or at a bar. I had always heard about the NYRRC race in Central Park at this same hour and Cary is a lot easier to get to than Manhattan.

Here was my goal. Run tactically for each of the races and exert as little effort as possible, but still try to win each race. Truth is I had no idea if I could pull it off. If anyone running really fast like someone running 5:00 minute pace per mile showed up, I didn't have a chance. I figured I could run 17:30 pretty easily, but who knows how much it would cost me from one race to the next.

11:59pm--Gun goes off and we are all jazzed up for the New Year! YEAH!!! We meander around a Cary shopping mall and I hang back behind the first couple of guys, glad to see that we aren't running much faster than 6:00 minute pace. As long as no one pushes the pace, I thought this should be a good start. By the two mile mark I am tucked in behind one other runner and I can tell he is working pretty hard, so I was feeling good. We circle a bit more around the mall and about 15 minutes into the race I make a quick surge and think I've got it locked up. I ease up, almost too much, as a young kid almost reels me in, but I cross the tape with a two second gap. He was quick to point out that he almost caught me. I felt myself wanting to mention horseshoes and hand grenades, but I thought better of it. No problem--18:30 and legs felt good. It's always fun win and it had been a while so I was enjoying the moment.

9:00am--back in Cary, this time at Bond Park. I slept a quick 5-6 hours and I was feeling pretty good going into race number two. My suspicion was that the Saturday morning race might draw some quicker talent. I recognized one familiar runner and thought he might get in a hurry so my plan was to tuck in and let him set the early pace. We hustled through the first mile in about 5:15. I thought, this is not good. I don't want to keep running this fast. I pulled up for a little assessment and I could hear some pretty heavy breathing. Good sign that the pace was about to slow. I had thought I would use the same tactic as the night before, wait until the last few minutes of the race, but it didn't seem like the best way to go.

I made my move up a long but gentle hill shortly after the mile mark and had the hope that if I got a good gap I could slow down and he wouldn't try to close it thinking we were holding the same pace, but secretly I would slow down. Iy worked. I slowed to about a 6:00 pace for the next two miles and crossed the line in 18:12.

1:00pm--after a couple hours at home, I was not particularly looking forward to the third race. I knew the course for the Carolina Godiva New Year's Day 8K. It starts at the Duke School and meanders through Duke Forest. There are three tough hills on the course and I wondered if my quads would still be up for it. They seemed to discourage getting off the couch. Maybe I could still make a friend's brunch. But, Jason was waiting for us to finish our project and I couldn't back out.

Lots of folks were out for this race and great to see so many friends of the Tobacco Trail Church, Godiva, Trailheads, and Bull City Running Company. For all the good company, I was feeling rather business-like. I wanted to be celebratory and laid back, but I was tired enough that I had to get my game face on. This little three pronged project was starting to feel like a late-night Race Across America effort from back in June. Good thing was it would all be over in about half an hour. I knew who I'd be running with, Jim and Mole, so I let them know what was up. Luckily, they are the kind of guys who on another year could be talked into such antics, so they seemed to be good-natured about the whole thing, but I knew they'd be chomping at the bit to run my little legs into the ground. I made it clear I wasn't going to do to much of the work leading. That would be up to them. Jim seemed to think this would be fun and I knew he'd try to break my tired legs. Mole was a concern as well as his mild-mannered humility does not hide the fact that he is running himself into some very good shape. They both raced well a few weeks back at Cross Nationals in Charlotte so I was just hoping my legs wouldn't fall off.

A mile in and we were single-file the three of us heading up the big hill. I didn't push the pace a bit. We weren't going to go any faster than those two dictated. I knew any move I made would have to be late in the race, because I wouldn't be able to separate and drop either of them for an extended period of time. We navigated the second hill and then out again towards 751 and the turn-around. There was Gary rooting us on in his quiet way. I could tell he liked seeing a race. These events tend to get spread out and kind of boring, so I was glad we were having some fun. When we turned left to make the descent down the more narrow trail I got to thinking, "I wonder if I am going to make it back up this thing." It's a steep hill on the way back and if either of those guys had made a big move I don't know if I could have covered it.

We stayed together up the hill, but I could sense things were going to get interesting on the last big downhill. I was right. Jim stepped on the gas and I made sure that we did not have any separation between us. My legs were throbbing, but I made gravity do all the work. Hopefully, when it turned flat I would have more than overcooked pasta underneath me. If I could just hang on this steep downhill, then the hard pace might work for my secret plan.

At the bottom of a big hill there is often a let up in pace. I was counting on it. When we hit the wood bridge I turned my legs over as fast as they would go. Short and quick. Short and quick. As bad as it hurt, I planned to keep this cadence until we made the right turn off the fire road. From there we'd have about 600 meters and if I could just get 20 or 30 meters I might get lost in some of the final turns as we approached the school and the finish line. It worked. Mole was pushing hard, but my surge had worked. Jim faded, but no shame there. He had done all the pace setting and made the race very interesting by pushing as hard as he could on the steep downhill.

I pulled off the Triple Crown/Trifecta/Triple Threat. There were many names floating about at the finish line. After my unique achievement I promptly took off ten days from running. Probably a well deserved case of burnout. That will remind me to think twice or three times about such tomfoolery in the future.

Prayer before RAAM

2011-01-28T18:36:00.004-05:00

I stumbled across the prayer I read in California on June 12, 2010, just before we departed on bikes across the country. Here is how it goes:

Lord, we invite your Holy Spirit to descend upon us, to weave into our thoughts, our muscles, our hearts and our souls.
We are embarking on a journey and we beg you now to bless it and to bless us.
Bless this land that we will travel and give us eyes to see her for all her beauty.
California
Valley of the Gods
The Four Corners in Durango
The bounty of the Great Plains
The Ozarks
and Ohio
West Virginia
and the soft green mountains of the East
And finally roll us into your Chesapeake Bay.

We begin with left feet in your Pacific expanse of water and before we know it, our right feet will be in the salty waters of the Atlantic.
Let every thing we do between now and next weekend be for the lifting up of Durham and these great endeavors:

* A Helping Hand
* Achievement Academy
* Big Brothers Big Sisters
* Citizen Schools, Inc.
* Communities in Schools of Durham
* Crayons2Calculators
* Dress for Success
* Durham Eagles
* Durham Rescue Mission
* Durham YMCA
* Habitat for Humanity
* Housing for New Hope
* Kramden Institute
* Pregnancy Support Services
* Project Compassion
* Sales & Service Training Center
* Samaritan Health Center
* TROSA

And lest we not forget:
the real glory is yours and we hope to serve and follow you.
Amen, Amen, and Amen.

In case you were worried when you don't know what to pray...go on a pray. Your groaning will be heard.

2011-01-27T11:13:00.000-05:00

From Romans 8, The Message:
That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

www.DPRPlayMore.org

2011-01-27T10:06:00.003-05:00

Do you know our town's parks? This a great way to get to know the city. Two of my favorite parks are Southern Boundary and Solite.
Check out this awesome 23 page brochure and learn more: http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/departments/parks/pdf/playmore.pdf

Little River Trail Run 2008

2011-01-21T17:48:00.001-05:00

I'm in the last 30 seconds of this video.
Sad to not run the race last weekend, but good to take a year off and get a little perspective--remain thankful for the trail, the Trailheads, and this particular race.
I will run it again, someday.

Van Gogh's Open Bible

2011-01-19T21:27:00.000-05:00

Grooveshark Widgets - Music Playlists for Your MySpace & Blog

2011-01-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

Grooveshark Widgets - Music Playlists for Your MySpace & Blog

Wheatfield with Crows, c.1890 Print by Vincent van Gogh at Art.com

2011-01-19T20:59:00.000-05:00

Wheatfield with Crows, c.1890 Print by Vincent van Gogh at Art.com

Eugene Peterson discusses viewing our daily work as holy.

2011-01-19T19:41:00.000-05:00

We ought to all read The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris.

Jaw

2011-01-19T14:08:00.007-05:00

What saves from the Lion's mouth
Jaws that can break a neck with the ease of a yawn

the lamb's mouth is covered
his nose is snuffed out
slow choking
heart slows and then it stops
easy work under the tight clamp of the predator's jaw

For all the terror
the lion is first among the four in Revelation four
primary and primal
of the tribe of Judah
first even among the twelve

With a lamb in your mouth
seemingly gloating
the conquering hero
you are struck down
by a shepherd boy
carrying only a sling
the lamb escapes
for now

Benign
you and your friends are among Daniel
Why...what about your jaws?
Because Daniel trusted the Living God
Will that suffice?
Takes a great cup of faith

But you, Lion
Fierce
A Beast
A Predator
Hungry for Blood
Fresh warm Blood

What if you were winged
as Daniel dreamt it?
then morphing erect
standing like a human
rising from the sea

You are the one who opens the Scroll
You, the Root of David

Inspired by Rev 4:7, 1 Sam 17:34, Dan 7:4, Dan 6:20, Rev 5:5 and the vision of lions both good and bad.

The Younger Evangelicals by Webber

2011-01-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

Reflection forthcoming:
http://www.amazon.com/Younger-Evangelicals-Facing-Challenges-World/dp/0801091527/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top#reader_0801091527

Preaching as Holding a Precious Stone

2011-01-10T19:35:00.006-05:00

My greatest preaching mentor is as always, Rick Lischer. He wrote, "The preacher holds the text like a precious stone and turns it against the light until its greatest brillance is revealed." (Theology of Preaching, 1992, Preface). What an image. I remember when he spoke such a word in a 2004 class and I have never forgotten it. That means that preaching the same texts over an over will be plenty until the end of the age, and certainly the end of my life. I hope to be preaching for no less than another half century and this image makes certain that I will not run out of material because the stones can be turned and turned and turned again.

I like to think of preaching as holding the text up as something valuable when it may not seem worthy to most upon first glance. The text may not seem too amazing upon a first reading. It may seem archaic, lodged in the dirt or inside a lump of coal for many years. The text may seem outdated, the last thing that might shape us in 2011.
But that's not true.
The text from which we preach comes in the context of Christian worship and from the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation we receive a magnificent lens for preaching that can and does show us the nature of the very lives we live.
As I go to prepare for this week's sermon, I am brought into the language of stones in the opening verses of Matthew's 24th chapter:
Jesus then left the Temple. As he walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple architecture was. Jesus said, "You're not impressed by all this sheer size, are you? The truth of the matter is that there's not a stone in that building that is not going to end up in a pile of rubble."
How many ways can this be turned?
Is it simply about the structure of the Jerusalem Temple?
Christ's own body?
The Pharisees's inside the Temple?
The Eschaton?
All of these are possibilities and homiletical choices must be made. The danger in any sermon is to try to answer all the questions posed. This tactic is both superficial and too much the attempt to be God. Neither are a good idea.

What to do. What to do.
Certainly the revelation will come through prayer and fasting.
Lischer writes in the same preface that "the genius of preaching lies in the discovery of [the witness of the text] which occurs amidst prayer, struggle, and exegesis, in a moment of theological insight." It is quite a lot to expect this to occur each week, but it does or it does not and even in the moments of homiletical failure God can be witnessed as we preachers humbly fall short. This is not a safety net to be repeatedly caught by, but one will need the net more often when the greatest effort has been put forth. We can be so assured that our careful and dilligent preparation means we will hit a grand slam from the pulpit, and instead we hear crickets. Who knows what will be heard and what will be no more useful than chaff.
If the text shapes the sermon then all will be well, at least more often than not.
We chanted yesterday:
All the time, God is Good
God is Good, All the time.
This will protect homiletics in spite of our human failings. Stay faithful, stay the course. Do keep the audience in mind, just as Christ did. He spoke a word for a particular people. The audience always matters. Getting it right means having it heard and therefore the speaker must know his people. One of my best friends from seminary is Julien and when I went to preach at his church, he was so gracious with the words, "I know my people." That set me free to get it wrong. What I mean is that I trusted that his people needed to hear me because Julian had invited me, but I might not know them well enough to speak an intelligible word. That set me free to take chances. If I got it wrong then that would be the witness for the day.

I've been at the practice of preaching now for eight years and I enjoy it more now than ever. I worry about it less and have confidence not that I am good at it, but that with good habits it will happen week after week, year after year. I try to remember that I work for God before working for God's gathered people. That's a tricky one to negotiate, but an order of priorties that may just keep this pastor from dangerously becoming a quivering mass of availability. If the Gospel is not always satisfying and seems less helpful rather than a great problem solver, well, then that's probably a good thing. I doubt the fisherman who gathered as the first hearers of the word got an inkling of what they expected or wanted. Yet, they were still intrigued enough to stay the course, and continually follow. Being the Church means being patient, sometimes painfully patient. The first hearers of Dr. King's sermons seem to indicate that he wasn't all that good at first. I love that from his father's grumblings behind the pulpit in Montgomery, under his breath, "Martin, make it plain," we later have speeches, sermons, and letters that changed the face of the church in America. I live 300 yards off MLK Blvd in Durham and try to remember daily as I leave and return to my home that King started wordy and heady as a preacher and then became a prophet for a generation. The preacher with good habits, staying the course, just might find himself in a prophetic season where The Beloved Community truly has ears to hear.

Jack Johnson & Ben Harper - With My Own Two Hands [Full HQ Song]

2011-01-02T22:57:00.000-05:00

I've always been taught that there is a kind of theological problem with imagining that God has no hands, but our hands. I get that. God can do what God wants.

I still love this song. I listened to it on the way to protesting the Death Penalty in 2006. It gave me courage then and it still provides hope that I can do something with my hands and feet rather than sit on them.

In 2011, cross lines and prosper - Doing Better at Doing Good - NewsObserver.com

2011-01-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

In 2011, cross lines and prosper - Doing Better at Doing Good - NewsObserver.com

Bear Grylls on the importance of fruits and veggies

2010-12-28T12:37:00.002-05:00

It works for Bear Grylls.

Order and inquire at: www.monktakesjuiceplus.com

The Last Thing by Monk Gibbon

2010-12-28T05:03:00.002-05:00

My friend Stanley Hauerwas wrote that he reads this poem every day. That makes it good enough to print.

Who'd be afraid of death,
I think only fools
are. For it is not
as though this thing
were given to one man only, but all
receive it. The journey that my
friend makes, I can
make also. If I know
nothing else. I know
this, I go where he is.
O Fools, shrinking from this little door,
Through which so many kind and lovely souls have passed
Before you,
Will you hang back?
Harder in your case than another?
Not so.
And too much silence?
Has there not been enough stir here?
Go bravely, for where so much greatness and gentleness have been
Already, You should be glad to follow.

Eagle's Nest Camp

2010-12-26T19:01:00.000-05:00

Do you know the camp that I have attended for 11 years? It's so influential, better not to write to much, but I will just share this video.
PARENT VIDEO

Susan is Praying with Integrity!!!

2010-12-13T15:48:00.000-05:00

A win is a win--FHP

2010-12-05T22:57:00.000-05:00

One of my very best friends, David Tallon, finally won today in Statesville, North Carolina. I was not there. The last time we raced I came ahead of him, but he slipped. I knew it was not his best day in Charlotte. I had a pretty good day, gutsy, but sloppy that day in Charlotte. Still, I broke through from several 10th place finishes to a 2nd.

Jack was there today. They went 1st and 3rd. Hard to say where I would have finished. Jack seems like a much better rider than me. Every time we are training at Forest Hills I have a hard time hanging with him.

Maybe we can all race together in Winston-Salem. I am happy to be beaten by these guys. I like them a lot. I am learning a lot from them, about cycling, and life. It's all good.

Then there are the elder statesmen and women, Josh and Angelina. We are all, all of us, just good buddies. We are the Forest Hills Posse.

2010-12-05T16:32:00.000-05:00

I missed the cyclocross race today in Statesville. I hope it was a great one for the whole Durham Cares team and the larger, Forest Hills Posse.
I missed the race so I could stay home and prepare for church. It feels like the right decision. There was much praying and fasting that needed to occur in this transitional season for the Tobacco Trail Church. We take our worship indoors tonight and I believe it will be a great blessing.
Alta Walk Senior Living is hosting us for the next three months.
We have weddings to prepare for around Durham.
Christmas is coming and with it winter and cold temperatures. We are already experiencing the shortening days. Everyone gets bent out of shape that Christmas' date is close to a pagan holiday, but it's okay. The days are short and we do have the light, the Light of Christ, to look forward to that points us on our way.
Tonight we will explore Matthew 22 and the parable of the wedding banquet.

Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, we may recall that Jesus has come to feed us. He fed the 5,000 and the 4,000. We loathe the invitation to eat at tables that we think we are above.
Susan said to me yesterday, that we might be invited to have dinner with our hosts in the weeks to come. Will you eat at this Table?

The Alban Institute - 2010-11-15 There Once Was a World

2010-12-05T16:24:00.001-05:00

The Alban Institute - 2010-11-15 There Once Was a World

Among the good quotes from this excellent article: "Regardless of the nature of change, the church affirms that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God who has been active in history and who will be active in the future."

How are we responding to an era in the life of the church when we as Christians no longer have a growing presence in the culture? How is the church responding to meet an ever-changing world?

I believe one answer is the church in the market place. How are you being The Beloved Community where you work? This is not just a call for some, but a call for all who have chosen to follow him.

Dog Days are Over

2010-12-02T09:59:00.004-05:00

Did you know that happiness is coming and coming fast? You can't stop it.

Listen to Florence + the Machine

You should probably get up and dance to this song.

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
Because here they come

I'm reading more onto this song than Florence + the Machine might want, but such is the way with all art. I get to have my say as the listener.

I hear the horses thundering forward out of Isaiah's mouth (read chapter 40) and into this Advent season. The princes are brought to naught and such princes are brought to naught by the Prince of Peace not on a white horse, but on a donkey. First, the one for Mary as the Prince bounces along inside of his mother's womb. Later, the Prince strides along humbly on a donkey among palm fronds entering the gates of Jerusalem.
But in Revelation it is a white horse, a powerful steed and the rider has a crown.

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Advent and Eschaton
The waiting we do at Advent, the hope we have in this season of expectation is the kind of hope we have for the End-Times, the Eschaton. God is going to come again and bring this project to fulfillment.

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The kind of love that we leave behind is the love that has let us down. This is not God's love which never fails us.
We seek out the light for Advent, Christmas, and for The END that we can barely see. It is a long way through the darkest night, but reach out for Mother Mary and your Father in Heaven and the children of God and your sisters and brothers in Christ.
What we love on Earth are the things to which we hold to tight. Leave them behind. You can't take it with you.
We are not giving up on the world, but we hold it lightly because our tight hold is on the hope of Heaven. It is scary through the dark night, days are short in December, but light is on the other side. Reach for it. Run for it.

Chariots of Fire - They shall mount up with wings as eagles

2010-11-30T12:36:00.001-05:00

This scene has been as much a blessing to me over the years as any portion of film I can recall and I've watched a lot of movies. Eric Liddell reads from Isaiah 40 that the nations are nothing to the Lord. They are like a drop from a bucket. The Lord, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary.
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall run and not be weary.

At the end of this clip is Aubrey Montague finishing the steeplechase. He is exhausted and dejected, but he has competed in the Olympic Games. Aubrey serves as the narrator in Chariots of Fire. He is the poet for the film. He is not one of the star athletes, like the evangelist Liddell or the driven Jew, Harold Abrams. Aubrey finds himself watching and learning from the greats, but he observes cloaked by their shadows. Yet still, with less talent he has achieved his goal as an olympian. There is no medal for Montague, but is he any less a hero?

I looked at photos of myself running on Thanksgiving in a race near my parents home in Charlotte, NC. I feel like Aubrey Montague in these pictures--totally worn out. And yet, I ran a personal best last Thursday. I felt like I was moving through quick sand at the end of the race, dropping from 6th to 9th place overall. But it was the best I could give on the day and I was pleased with the effort. No matter the speed and talent of others, it is rare in our life-long habits that we breakthrough to our own best efforts. I've been running for 27 years and here I am in my mid-thirties setting new personal bests.

I must be honest, I've been waiting on the Lord for sometime and he has answered. He has helped me mount up with wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31). He has provided and blessed with the Tobacco Trail Church. Even other ministries are being considered in what might be called a two-point charge. I am open to it with God's help. I've personally and corporately developed partnerships with local para-church organizations: Child Evangelism Fellowship, Reality Ministry, the Durham County Detention Center, Habitat for Humanity, Alta Walk Senior Living, Durham Cares, Triangle Community Foundation and many others.

God has had me waiting all my life and 2010 has been a particularly renewed and strengthened year.

Chariots of Fire is on the top of my movie list. I always loved the running scenes as I have always loved running. More importantly now though is the marriage of running and faith. Eric Liddell exudes a confidence that comes only out of being a firm believer.

As he prepares for his last race, the 400 meters, he says to one of his competitors, "Good luck. Don't expect I'll see you until after the race." If you know any thing about running, he's trash talking, but politely. Liddell is implying that his fellow runners will only see his back. Some will say arrogance, but this confidence comes from God. Jackson Pollock, the great American sprinter, hands him a note from 1 Samuel chapter 2 which says, "He that honors me, I will honor him."

Do you believe this? Do you believe in a confidence that comes out of God's promise to honor those who honor Him? Consider.

Team Tobacco Trail Church at Habitat Halloween Ride

2010-11-30T07:46:00.000-05:00

Here are just some of the members of our team that assembled as team Tobacco Trail Church from the left:
Jim Ray, Don Rose, Jason Scoggins, Adam Rust, Thomas Pafford, and me, George Linney.

Below are David Tallon and myself. David and I also race in a discipline called cyclocross in a 14 week fall and winter series for team Durham Cares.

We still need your help in meeting our fund raising goals to provide $500 to Habitat for Humanity.

One story:

Our God - Chris Tomlin - Passion 2010

2010-11-23T10:06:00.000-05:00

And if our God is for us,
then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us,
then what can stand against?

These most powerful words come from Chris Tomlin's, "Our God" based on Romans 8.

In the song it seems to serve as strictly a rhetorical question. In the tradition of the Black Church, and even as it was chanted at the Tobacco Trail Church this past Sunday, it often has the same tone--uplifting, rejuvenating, acting and voicing that if God is purposing our lives than what can stand against us.

But it's not always that simple. Matthew 19 tells of a man who stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."
The man asked, "What in particular?"
Jesus then lists off some of the majors, no murder, no adultery, no stealing, but the man says he's been faithful to these laws and begs the question: "What's left?"
Jesus then really lets him and us have it in terms of what stands against us, as the song reminds.
"If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All you wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me."
The man sighed a big sigh and with his chest and chin hanging on the ground he slipped away. As Peterson says in The Message, "He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go."
That's what stands against us, despite God being for us--all the things that possess us. And it's not just wealth, though that is high on the list. It's violence, and sexual sin, deception, loss of family, and hatred of the neighbor in our midst. How do we give up these possessions?
I don't really know. I'm trying to give them up every day with God's help. Thanksgiving is a good start--a time to share food, family, and friends. Advent is even better--a time for renewed hope for that child coming who stands for GOD WITH US.
See, this Emmanuel child means that despite my not knowing God knows. God is for us and while we feel the weight of all that possesses against us, he promises to be faithful to his people. We are riding out a powerful storm and remember that he will bring us safely to the other shore.
Confess, Repent, Swim Across to that other bank.

Charlotte CX4 Cyclocross 11/14/10

2010-11-19T19:32:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday at Veterans Park in Charlotte was some of the most fun I have had in sports and I have been to a couple-three events over the last three decades. Sure, I finished well, second, in the CX4 cyclocross race. It was a breakthrough race and I am not quite sure what was different. Somehow I found myself near the front of the race early in the first lap which was new for me. In the previous four races I was dropped from the gun and as the field yo-yo'd I was somewhere in the middle of the pack.

But there was more than finishing place and that was only a feather in the cap of a day of biking and hanging with good people. There was a great vibe, great weather, great friends. I think a lot of us felt it. Dave, Joanna, Brett, and Erin--everyone seemed to be in great spirits no matter personal results. Josh, Angelina, and I couldn't let it go as we reveled in the post-race flow over fish tacos and margaritas in the NoDa neighborhood of northeast Charlotte. My hair was sandy. I mean seriously, sand-filled. My left elbow was lumpy from a cartwheel I managed to maneuver with a near perfect tuck where I landed on my back with my head in the sand, still clipped in with the bottom bracket of my bike pointed towards the blue sky.

This sandpit was more classically used for volleyball, but all traditional bets are off when it comes to cyclocross and we were riding through two, theoretically :), and carrying our bikes through the third pit because if you can ride through six inches of soft sand and make a 180 degree turn, well that's a neat trick. Now that I think of it, I'm sure someone can do it. There's is always someone who can do about anything on a bike, but consensus was that fastest way was to run the third sand pit as pictured above.

In Cross we run, ride, push, sweat, fall, gasp, and nearly puke over all types of terrain that one would hardly think to ride a bike. It is an absolute blast if you embrace it. I have only been at it for a month of racing and I am learning so much. Professionals and veterans roll through turns as if brakes never factor into how they cover the earth for an hour or less. It looks effortless like all great art does, but you have to know that inside these minds, muscles, and shifters flows the hard grinding work that only looks effortless. They have worked and worked and worked some more and it is shameful to say that it comes naturally and effortlessly, so I will neither say or write such fallacies. I have had that effortless flow from time to time in running and whitewater paddling and I intend to grow in the flow of off road cycling.

I have always shied away from mountain biking, but today my friend and Durham Cares teammate, DTallon, dropped off his mountain bike for me to borrow. Somehow, I gotta keep growing where off road cycling is concerned. If David (DTallon) had not lent me his cross bike last winter I would not be where I am today, enjoying a new discipline in what is still a new sport for me--riding bikes. Now David and I are running 1st and 4th in the CX4 point series and trying to get better every week, technically, mentally, physically.

This whole cyclocross vibe flows straight out of Durham too. We are well represented in the state-wide series. We have no less than four teams represented by our Bull City: Durham Cares, Garneau Custom, Bull City Cycling and The Regulators. We all train at Forest Hills Park and there are plans to unite the teams with something like a ghetto hat that reads: Forest Hills Posse. Look for it while sipping your next beer at Fullsteam.

Making Ready for Matthew 13

2010-10-02T08:08:00.000-04:00

Tonight we will study The Sower at 630pm at the American Tobacco Trail Bridge over Lakewood Avenue. Van Gogh's masterpiece is inspired by a parable from Matthew 13 about seeds.
Some fell on the road and the birds ate it.
Some fell in the gravel. It sprouted quickly and withered quickly.
Some fell in the weeds and was choked by those weeds.
Some fell on good earth and produced a harvest beyond the farmer's wildest dreams.

Who is the farmer? Who are the seeds? What types of soil are we talking about?

2010-08-31T10:33:00.003-04:00

This is a race report and letter on the USATF Trail 10K Championships. My friend, Jason Bryant, is the race director and this race report is from "Mole," a friend from the Trailheads. I did not run this year, but I hope to return next year. The problem is getting in shape in time to race by late August. Maybe next year we will get a break in the heat! It's a great race if you enjoy mountain goat climbing. You might want to add it to your calendar.

Mole wrote:
Monk,

You weren't exaggerating about the inclines on that course. Hill training would definitely be a big help to up the pace for that race. Both up and down! My quads are a little tight which hasn't happened in a while. Race was great though, amazing course and definitely a test of trail running skills. Plenty of technical, turns, off cambers. I decided on second hill (longest of the 4 majors) that I'd be better off to walk short stretches as I was so maxed out and I think that was a good decision in end. Of course, rock garden was using all 4's to make it up. Weather was super humid but not too hot and course fairly dry, just some slickness and black loamy earth from all the dense undergrowth on one side of the mountain.

Highlights were some of the blitzing downhill stretches, seeing the finish line and having at least a little juice to kick it in a little and passing a Kenyan on the final climb ( I had met him prior to the race and he trains in Fayetteville on flat road races!).

Didn't even bother watching heart rate as I knew I'd be maxed out for the entire race as I usually am. Averaged 171 with my max at 180 for the race. Finished in 17th overall, 3rd age group for USATF and 5th masters (with top 3 all out of staters--VT, MA, CO) with time 50:56. Was really pleased. Never so out of breath at end of a race. Was really well put on. Ran into guy named Coates Kennerly who said he knew you I think from ministry and you had been out few weeks ago visiting him. Had nice talk post race watching runners.

Hope Shut In training is going well. Would love to get some hill training in with you at some point. I was thinking of trying to do Oconeechee trails at some point as they sound like good hills.

Mole

--
Craig S. Heinly

Eagle's Nest Camp-A Reflection

2010-08-26T07:22:00.000-04:00

I have not been writing here at cog blog in a while, but here is one place that has kept me from the computer. George IV and I went to Eagle's Nest Camp for an amazing eight days in August. We canoed. We ran. We sang. We played. We "how, how, howed." This last cryptic quote is part of an ENC tradition surrounding Indian Village and spirituality. In my cynicism of days gone by, I marked it as rude or condescending to Native Americans. Now I have grown up and opened my eyes. Helen, Paige and all the rest of us never intended any harm, only love, admiration, and humble remembrance for those that came before us on the land in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. Cherokees and others lived here for years and many of us feel a connectedness to ancient ways as we wander around the Nest doing our thing with a few less of the creature comforts from home such as light all the time, or air conditioning, or constant access to cars and smart phones. We are not completely unplugged at ENC, far from it, but we make a nod to simplicity that goes a long way in the frenetic pace of life for many of us elsewhere.

On the final night of Session IV we celebrated a very rainy Indian Village. Now when the trees at camp are filled with water they hover like the thickest of canopies. You just do not get as wet in a light or medium rain as you would think. The trees hold so much of the water. I would call what we experienced 45 minutes of a light drizzle moving to a medium rain. Now, we were wet, but not that wet. Not as wet as a downpour over 3-5 minutes. Not as wet as an un-covered light rain for even 15 minutes. And ironically, we were still protected even though we weren't fully covered by a canopy of trees.

Indian Village is a naturally open-air stage. Somehow with surrounding old growth pines and old growth rhododendron and old growth other that I don't know as well by name, but some readers who have been to Indian Village will probably be saying under their breath, somehow there is an open space of pine needles that perfectly fits a semi-circle of about 100-140 in an audience and 15-20 players coming out of the woods and seated and standing center stage. Their are music makers and great chiefs, medicine women, and tribal chiefs. They all play a part in the drama we call Indian Village where we reflect on our time together at camp.

I thought to myself as I grew slightly uncomfortable in 45 minutes of light--medium rain and as I saw souls 100 pounds lighter than me grow even more uncomfortable, Eagle's Nest, as is true of many important communities, is not for everyone. Not everyone will find value being outdoors in the rain. Sure, this evening was debatable about whether or not we should have gone inside. We hoped for what happens more so than not, a light rain, turning to no rain and a beautiful hazy sunset on a mid-August evening in Southern Appalachia. But we took the risk and got something else and the night was what it was.

My son has been crying himself to sleep most of the last two weeks. That's how much he misses his eight days at Eagle's Nest. How is it that I am not overly concerned? Like him, I've returned to life outside the Nest after a second summer there as a camper. It was 1987 and Allison and I had spent seven weeks there as campers in Session II and III. Life in central Florida was fine, better than most 12 years olds lives' if I had to venture, but it wasn't a hill of beans compared to the time spent off 43 Hart Road.

I never was the same. I never really have been. It's alright to cry. Try to find something everyday at home that is good and different from Eagle's Nest, because though different, life at ENC and life at home can and should speak to one another. Hopefully, you will find your way back to the Nest, but if you don't, it was still time well spent.

Hills 5xSinai and 5xBlackwood Mtn.

2010-07-30T05:31:00.000-04:00

Untitled by monklinney at Garmin Connect - Details

http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2010/07/25/202830/minister-linney-the-holy-trail.html

2010-07-29T22:44:00.000-04:00

ride of my life

2010-07-01T06:36:00.000-04:00

Click on details above to track the Garmin date. This ride is highlighted in the video below beginning at roughly the two minute mark. Check out the rest of our RAAM videos at: CASE STUDY: RACE ACROSS AMERICA

RACE ACROSS AMERICA: Day 3 (UTAH & COLORADO) with Team DurhamCares from Jesse Oxford on Vimeo.

2010 RAAM Durham Cares

2010-06-25T19:51:00.000-04:00

2010 RAAM Durham Cares

2010-06-25T19:45:00.000-04:00

2010 RAAM Durham Cares

2010-06-25T19:44:00.000-04:00

2010 RAAM Durham Cares

2010-06-25T19:43:00.000-04:00

RAAM 2010: Day 1 with Team DurhamCares

2010-06-22T14:59:00.000-04:00

Finally, after 40 hours of travel and logistics in beautiful Oceanside, California we were on our way. The camera does not hide our happiness and excitement about embarking on an adventure that had been months in the making. I talked the powers that be into letting me join for all of the first 16 hours of riding though my team was scheduled to sit out the first eight hour segment. My argument was threefold: 1) I might go crazy if I didn't get on the bike. 2) I could help us get up the first steep climb. 3) I could scout the transition patterns and relay that back to my team of four riders (Jenny, Chip, Henry McCoy and myself) so that we could learn from the practices of the first team.
My race began with a transition from Lance and I had two steady miles before I began a 6 or 7% grade climb. I felt alive, fresh, and excited. I knew it was early and I had many hours of riding before my first long break, but I didn't really care. I more or less motored up the hill as fast as I could. The race was still crowded and I enjoyed passing somewhere between five and ten other riders. Jesse was all over the place with his camera and it renewed my spirits to think I might be connected by video to the work happening at home. I couldn't exactly imagine what the front of Tyler's looked like, but I knew Heather Jones and the team would have it set up well. My legs were fried at the summit, but I knew I had ridden well. "Coach" Dave Williams seemed pleased and it was clear to me from then on that he and I would be in "sync," anticipating ideas, supporting other riders. He was such an asset to our progress down the road from the very beginning. By the third day, when things were going rough with all sorts of bumpiness and sleepiness and sloppiness, Dave and I were finishing each others sentences. My guess is this guy and I will work together in the future. In fact, and someone's going to make me choke on this one, I might have him devise a summer swimming program for me. Just for training, of course.

Cross-country bike ride benefits DurhamCares - Local/State - NewsObserver.com

2010-06-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

A great article co-authored by one of my teamates, Christopher Gergen.
Cross-country bike ride benefits DurhamCares - Local/State - NewsObserver.com

Cross-country bike ride benefits DurhamCares - Local/State - NewsObserver.com

2010-06-22T11:58:00.000-04:00

A great article co-authored by one of my teamates, Christopher Gergen.

Cross-country bike ride benefits DurhamCares - Local/State - NewsObserver.com

Tim James - American English

2010-06-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

I rarely post videos like this and I actually happen to like Alabama, but this guy is hilarious. I want to see the outtakes, because it's sheer genius to have survived one of these clips without laughing out loud.
Politics sure are funny. The funniest part is to read some of the comments on Youtube. Of course, some use the comments as a forum to actually bash immigration. Good call. Good call.