“We’re trying to get an American to win this race.” – Story of how Ryan Hall helped Meb Keflezighi win the Boston Marathon (LetsRun.com)

American Strong: The Untold Story of American Teamwork and How Ryan Hall Helped Meb Keflezighi Win Boston (LetsRun.com)

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I’m sure like almost everybody who was paying attention to the Boston Marathon yesterday, I was blown away by Meb’s performance in becoming the first American winner since 1983.

Last night a story was posted to LetsRun.com by Robert Johnson about how American Ryan Hall, along with other American elite runners, worked together to help Meb accomplish this amazing feat. This is a great read, and an even better story. Amazing that Ryan coordinated all of this when his own personal race was going so poorly.

Must Read >> American Strong: The Untold Story of American Teamwork and How Ryan Hall Helped Meb Keflezighi Win Boston

So Is This A Running Blog or What?

So Is This A Running Blog or What?

It’s true that this blog has been little more than a mirror of my Instagram feed and a place for my Bible class notes for the past 6-months or more.  Honestly, my running has been fairly aimless since returning from my many injuries in the fall of last year, and there hasn’t been a lot to write about. I have been making goals each month, but very inconsistent in hitting them. My running base and overall speed is improving, but I need a LOT more structure to have any shot of getting back to where I was in the spring of 2012 when I set my current marathon PR of 3:12:28 at Rock n’ Roll New Orleans.

I also have to find a way to be more disciplined in cross training. To this point in 2014, I’m averaging just over 100 miles per month with absolutely NO cross-training. This is a sure-fire recipe for getting injured again. To get back to where I want to be will require 150 to 200 miles per month, and there is no way to do this without dedication to cross training.

So, starting this week I’m trying to get more serious about making a return to marathoning this fall. This will include putting together a detailed training schedule (trying to decide whether or not to hire a coach for this), and also schedule for upper and lower-body cross training activities.

Also today I put my name in the hat for the St. George Marathon lottery. This is a bucket-list marathon, and would be a GREAT place to mark not only my return to marathoning, but also my 40th birthday. I was hoping to get a group together for the race but didn’t end up having any takers, so if I get in it will be a solo effort. This seems appropriate since running is such an individual sport. It will also provide an opportunity for a little mini vacation with Olivia.

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However, I know that the odds are against being selected in the lottery, so I need to pick our a backup plan. Trying to find a marathon that would be a great destination for celebrating my 40th, but is also a fast and scenic course. Any suggestions for the fall?

Today’s Run

I went out to the Harpeth River Greenway after work with Olivia and the Girls. Both Sara and Kate are completing miles toward the ING Kids Rock Marathon this Sunday (Sara’s first kid’s marathon), and still have a little ways to go. I started off walking with the girls before moving into a progression tempo run over six miles. Here were my splits:

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My BQ time for a fall marathon will be 3:15:00 (7:26 pace), so it was nice to get in the last two miles under this pace. I felt really good throughout, and it was good to criss-cross the girls several times during the run. After the 6th mile, I ran an easy half-mile cool down with Kate as she was finishing her 4th mile, and then walked another quarter mile with Olivia, Kate & Sara. All-in-all it was a good afternoon run.

Cross Training

Tonight I knocked out a half set of P90X Chest and Back. I’m still feeling the affects of Brachial Neuritis in my left shoulder when attempting push-ups, but still got in a fair number of reps. I feel quite confident I’m going to be VERY sore tomorrow.

Looking Ahead

A week from Saturday I’m planning to run the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis. I had a deferred entry from missing last year, so I finally decided to give it a go. This will be my 5th Mini. Hoping to improve upon my 1:41 from the Tom King Half Marathon back in early March. I didn’t have a qualifying half-maration time from the previous year, so it will be strange not being in a seeded corral near the front.

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Beast Mode….ON!

So proud of Team A from Bellevue Church of Christ for their 3rd place finish at Lads to Leaders Convention in 3rd & 4th grade Bible Bowl. Way to go Carson, Kate, McClure, & Finley!! A special shout-out to Carson for finishing top-10 in individual scores. You Rock!!!

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The 3rd & 4th grade Lads to Leaders Bible Bowl Team A from Bellevue Church of Christ is ready to go this morning. So proud of Carson, Finley, McClure, and Kate for all of their hard work studying the book of Acts.

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The Life of Abraham: Lesson 13 – Sacrificing of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19) – Handouts and Notes are Now Online

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The Life of Abraham

Lesson 13: Sacrificing of Isaac

(Genesis 22:1-19)

For students in my Wednesday night class on The Life of Abraham: Handouts and Notes for Lesson 13 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this text tonight at 6:30pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!

The Life of Abraham: Lesson 12 – Summit with Abimelech (Genesis 21:22-34) – Handouts and Notes are Now Online

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The Life of Abraham

Lesson 12: Summit with Abimelech

(Genesis 21:22-34)

For students in my Wednesday night class on The Life of Abraham: Handouts and Notes for Lesson 12 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this text tonight at 6:30pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!

Close-up from Kate’s performance of The Beatles’ “Let it Be” at the 2014 Bellevue Church of Christ Talent Show. This was the first time she has done vocals in front of an audience, and she did great! She specifically learned to play this song as a Christmas present to me, because she knows that I’m a HUGE fan of The Beatles. This made it even more special.

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Kate Performing “Let it Be” at the 2014 Bellevue Church of Christ Talent Show

Screen Shot 2014-03-29 at 8.31.25 PMSo proud of Kate for this performance of The Beatles’ Let it Be at the 2014 Bellevue Church of Christ Talent Show. This was the first time she has done vocals in front of an audience, and she did great! She specifically learned to play this song as a Christmas present to me, because she knows that I’m a HUGE fan of The Beatles. This made it even more special.

Note: The audio is a little low, so you may have to crank up the volume a bit!

The Life of Abraham: Lesson 11 – Son of Promise (Genesis 21:1-19) – Handouts and Notes are Now Online

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The Life of Abraham

Lesson 11: Son of Promise

(Genesis 21:1-19)

For students in my Wednesday night class on The Life of Abraham: Handouts and Notes for Lesson 11 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this text tonight at 6:30pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!

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