Quest for Boston – Step 2 Complete

Last night after our mid-week worship service at Bellevue Church of Christ, Josh joined me again for the final run/walk in “Step 2” of the “Return to Running” program:

  1. 4 min run / 2 min walk x 4
  2. 5 min run / 2 min walk x 4
  3. 10 min run / 1 min walk x 3
  4. 15 min run / 1 min walk x 3
  5. 20 min run
  6. 25 min run
  7. 30 min run

We had a leisurely effort through the dark streets of Bellevue, and again my leg felt great. It was a very enjoyable run with my friend. I’m a bit frustrated with my elevated heart rate, but I guess this is to be expected after taking a 5 1/2-week break from running.

With Step 2 in the bank, today was a rest day from running, though I did get in 75-minutes of aqua jogging at the YMCA. This means that tomorrow will begin “Step 3,” and I’m actually supposed to run with Nathan!! Very much looking forward to getting back on the road with him. I’m also excited that Step 3 will include 30-minutes of actual running.

Beast Mode…ON!

Quest for Boston – A Boost From a Buddy

Today was my best run since returning from the stress fracture, and it was made even better by the fact that I had somebody to run with! My friend Josh was nice enough to join me this afternoon, even though I still have to take walk breaks in my “return to running” program. Josh is gearing up for the Murfreesboro “Middle” Half Marathon this weekend, and is obviously in much better shape than I am, but was very patient throughout the run/walk.

We did a somewhat out-and-back route on the Harpeth River Greenway in absolutely perfect conditions, and it was very enjoyable. In total we completed almost 3.75-miles in just over 36-minutes with an average pace of 9:46 per mile (with walk breaks). 

Once we finished the run I headed to the YMCA for an additional 45-minutes on the elliptical machine to supplement my running.

Beast Mode…ON!

Quest for Boston – Step 2 Underway

Having completed Step 1 of my “return to running” program on Saturday, today marked the beginning of Step 2, which includes:

  • Warmup – walk
  • 5-min run / 2-min walk x 4
  • Cooldown – walk

I ran in the late afternoon on the Harpeth River Greenway, and felt fantastic. My heart rate is still higher than I’m used to, but my legs are really itching to just keep going past the 5-minutes. However, I’m determined to follow the instructions and be smart, because I don’t want this to happen again.

In total I finished 3.5-miles in 33:45 at an average pace of 9:39 per mile (with walk breaks)

Beast Mode…ON!

Saucony Kinvara 3 – New Colors Coming in November

I generally love the colors of the Saucony Kinvara 3 that came out earlier this year, but was a bit disappointed that the original choices did not include one with a predominately red upper (My favorite color). Well, in November there will be 3 new options each for Men and Women, and one of those for Men will be RED (Picture Above)!

Even more motivation to get my mileage back up, because I NEED these! 🙂

Update:

New Colors Men:

New Colors Women:

Choosing the Right Foundation (Luke 6:46-49)

 

Download Here >> Right-Click On This Link To Download 

“Choosing the Right Foundation” (Luke 6:46-49) – Audio recording of my Sunday morning sermon at Kingwood Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN on December 31, 2006.

This sermon looks at one of Jesus’ most famous parables and focuses on examining the foundation upon which we have chosen to build our lives.

Luke 6:46–49 (ESV)
46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Quest for Boston – Step 1 Complete!

Today was a busy, but good, exercise day that consisted of a 30-minute Run/Walk, 1-hour of elliptical, and 1.5-hours of aqua jogging. My 30-minute Run/Walk marked the end of “Step 1” on my “Return to Running” program:

  1. 4 min run / 2 min walk x 4
  2. 5 min run / 2 min walk x 4
  3. 10 min run / 1 min walk x 3
  4. 15 min run / 1 min walk x 3
  5. 20 min run
  6. 25 min run
  7. 30 min run

This means that tomorrow will be a rest day, and then I should start “Step 2” on Monday. It’s slow going, but at least I felt great again today. I am noticing that my heart rate is a LOT higher when running than I’m used to, but I guess that’s to be expected after a 5 1/2 week break.

In total my Run/Walk was 3.05-miles in 31:08 with an average pace of 10:13 per mile.

Beast Mode…ON!

I Officially Have a Race to Train For!!

Even though I will not be able to run the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in early November as originally planned, my wife was able to talk with the race director and get me switched to the half marathon. This was a bit of a surprise to me since the half is already sold out.

I did ask my MD about this on Wednesday, though I was pretty sure it would not be possible to switch. He told me that running the marathon would be a big risk, but that doing the half should be perfect. Since I have his approval, I’m thrilled that it worked out.

So, not only does this give me something to train for, but it also means that were are back to having a “Team Agee” race weekend with Olivia and I doing the half and Kate doing the Kid’s Marathon. On top of this my dear friend Nathan is running the full, and my parents are also coming with us. Should be awesome!

Quest for Boston – Aqua Jogging then Aqua Running

It was day 3 of 4 on Step 1 of my “return to running” program (4-min run / 2-min walk x 4), and by far the best run I’ve had since starting back. Earlier today I did an hour of aqua jogging at the YMCA, since my running schedule is nowhere near enough to keep my fitness up. While it is still monotonous, I am learning to appreciate it as great, non-impact cross-training activity.

After an awesome dinner with my parents at Bonefish Grill (and FroYo at Sweet CeCe’s), I went out about 9pm for my Run/Walk, in what turned out to be a steady rain. I smiled a little to myself thinking that I went from “aqua jogging” in the pool to “aqua running” outside. I felt really good during the running segments, and my right-leg felt great with no discomfort at all. Even though I’m essentially starting over, it feels awesome to run with no pain, stiffness, or soreness in my right leg after dealing with it for over a month before being forced to stop in late August.

With the walking segments, I finished just over 3.1-miles in just over 32-minutes at an average pace of 10:16 per mile.

Beast Mode…ON!

Quest for Boston – An Evening Run with Kate

Just finished another run in Step 1 of my “return to running” program (4-min run / 2-min walk x 4), and this time I got to do it with my daughter Kate. She is running miles for the Kid’s Marathon at Chickamauga next month. I guess one benefit of this program is that it will allow us to run together some over the next few weeks.

This run also went well, with no pain in my right leg. However, I am quite sore after last night’s inaugural run, even though there was only 16-minutes of actual running. This is quite humbling considering that just over 5 1/2 weeks ago I was cranking out 55 to 60-mile weeks. I’m also noticing that my right quad is really right, but my MD said that I would have some tightness or aching during my first few runs back. I’m definitely jittery, getting a slight panic every time I feel twinge anywhere in my leg.

In total we finished right at 2.75-miles with warmup, cool-down, and the walk breaks at an average pace of 11.37 per mile.

Beast Mode…ON!

Quest for Boston – No Pain, No Complain

Well, last night marked my return to running after 5 1/2 weeks off due to a femoral (femur) stress fracture. It was only 27-minutes total, with 16-minutes of actual running, but it felt AWESOME! The biggest victory from last night is that I had NO PAIN!! It’s going to be a LONG process, but I’m so glad to be back on the road.

My “return to running” program consists of the following schedule:

  1. 4 min run / 2 min walk x 4
  2. 5 min run / 2 min walk x 4
  3. 10 min run / 1 min walk x 3
  4. 15 min run / 1 min walk x 3
  5. 20 min run
  6. 25 min run
  7. 30 min run

My instructions are to do each step for 3 to 4 consecutive days, and to take a day off before moving to the next step. Once I get to step 7, I can begin doing speed and tempo work again, and can start increasing my non-stop running time by 5 minutes, every 3 to 4 days. Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be back to my normal weekly mileage.

Again, I appreciate everyone’s support.

Beast Mode…ON!

Injury Recovery – Notes from the Bench

Well, here I am in week 5 of injury recovery from a femoral (femur) stress fracture, and thought I would share some more random thoughts….

  • As much as I despise doing the stationary bike, elliptical machine, and aqua jogging, it has been a whole lot better since I was released to do the elliptical. All of them are still monotonous, but being able to alternate between three, instead of two, has been much better.
  • I’ve mentioned before that since my injury I’ve been reading novels like crazy. Well I had completed one in the entire year leading up to the stress fracture, and am now about to finish number 10 since then (5 1/2 weeks).
  • I’m sorry that I’ve not commented more on the posts of others during the injury. Reading about running has been very hard while I’ve been on the bench, but I really do want to read all about everyone’s races this weekend, especially @Davidsgoals who is doing his first marathon in Chicago!!!
Well….good luck to everyone racing over the next few weeks. Hope that you have great weather, and most importantly that you have a GREAT TIME!

P.S.

  • Almost Forgot….I’M BAAAAAAAACK!! Got the clearance from my doctor this morning. Plan to resume the “Quest for Boston” later tonight. Will be a slow process getting back up to my regular mileage, but I can’t wait to hit the road. Thanks to everyone for their support throughout this process. I appreciate it!

Bible Class Handouts and Notes

Bible Class Handouts and Notes

I’ve just created a new page on my blog  to provide a way for my students to download electronic copies of the handouts and notes used in various Bible Classes that I teach. However, I would invite anyone with an interest to use these in their personal study or teaching efforts.

For the next two quarters (September through March), I will be teaching Paul’s Letter to the Romans on Wednesday nights at Bellevue Church of Christ, and will be posting the handouts and notes as they are completed. Also, I will be working over the next few days/weeks to add files from classes that I have taught over the past few years.

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