Ch-ch-ch–changes…

It seems that my Fall training time for the Dallas Marathon may be fairly flexible.  I received recent notice that my job of the last four years is ending this month.  That happens, though I was still unprepared for it.  I was rather liking what I had been doing the past four years.  Now, I have to decide what is next, which is just not that easy to accomplish.

I will do alright for a while as I did receive a good severance deal from my employer.  So, I have a little time in which to formulate a good plan.  There are lots of choices but no clear direction or answers.  I am toying with the idea of doing some tech work on my own.  I’m not a web designer, but I do know a lot about setting up the systems and technologies so that companies can communicate with their clients and customers (I will not argue with folks on the most effective color of purple).  It doesn’t really take a designer to get an organization’s presence and message clearly out onto the Internet.  Yet, many don’t really know what to do with some of the newer things like social media.  To paraphrase what I read today in an article by Bob Sullivan of MSNBC, organizations are being told they need to be in social media, but they don’t know how to use it effectively.

I have taken a little time to finally get off my duff on one of my personal pet projects.  I now run my own Linux Server, with a real name.  I kept it kind of low key for a long time but I got a good deal on a domain name this week and decided it was time to push things out there.  My server can be reached at http://www.tardisgallifrey.com.  I’ve called it the T.A.R.D.I.S. Server Project II, after my favorite BBC character’s transportation device.  It is a big blue police box on the outside, but it is much bigger on the inside.  I kind of see servers in that same light, bigger on the inside than on the outside.  It doesn’t do a whole lot just yet, but the web site is functional and I can receive e-mail via the address I have posted there.

I missed my 8-miler on Wednesday because of thunderstorms.  I literally woke up at 4AM and before I left the bed it was FLASH, BOOM…and oh well, back to bed.  I got caught out once this Spring in a thunderstorm and they aren’t that nice for runs.  So, instead, tomorrow I will run a 9-miler on my “usual” long run day as the prequel to my marathon training, which will start in earnest the very last Saturday of August.  Additionally, a very hard project at work had me on my feet most of the week and I even missed running Thursday just for an extra rest day.

After the run, hopefully, I’ll get on the bike for my last training ride before Hotter-n-Hell 100 2012!  Probably no more than just an hour on the bike after the long run.  Yes, I believe I am ready for next Saturday’s ride.  Or, at least as ready as I can get.  It’s been four years since I made the hundred the last time.  It’s time to do so again, and this year, we get to do it on a different bike and a different route.  This year, all the riders will get to go through the Sheppard Air Force Base rest stop.  I understand it’s better than cool.

I’m going to take my 1986 Fuji to this ride.  After the work I did in the Spring, new wheels, beefing components up and putting on new brakes, it feels like a new bike.  I’ve ridden it the most often on training rides and I can hold a good pace without working too hard.  That will be key in the first 60 miles of the ride.  You really need to hit 60 miles feeling like you have another 40 in you.  You don’t really, but you need to feel like you do.

Changes are coming around my house.  Fall will approach soon and with it will be a whole host of new things and events.  I have already signed up for almost all my Fall races, so at least I do not have to decide on those.  I know I’ll be busy, but my training does not stop.  I have to do just what I’ll be doing for my marathon training, put a plan together and then follow it out to its conclusion.  Been there.  Done that already.  Happy Running!

 

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In the Training Groove…

I waited an extra day to write this post, just to be sure.  I thought I felt this way last week, but haven’t experienced “the training groove” in a while; so, I waited to see if it would pass.  But, it didn’t.  I’m in the “groove”.  It’s a dorky term, but I don’t know a better one.  Training grooves don’t happen often, and if you’re new to running or cycling, they may take a while to show up.  The training groove is a little similar to the ‘runner’s high’ except that it happens over a period of weeks (months if you can make it last).  It’s that phenomenal kind of time when all your effort and persistence starts to pay off and instead of tiny little gains, you see big ones start to happen.

During most of the Spring, I was rebuilding my running and riding mileage; mostly due to an injury in January.  I have finally cleared that hurdle and have made some adjustments to my training schedule to work with Summer heat and get ready for Fall races.  I just finished signing up for the Dallas Marathon in December and I have the Hotter-n-Hell 100 that happens in late August topped off with a tri in September.  Therefore, I needed to get my running mileage back to 20 miles per week and make sure I had at least one good, long ride each week as well.

To accomplish these short-term goals, I changed my workout schedule about three weeks ago to more aggressively work on running mileage during the week and leave my Saturdays for rides.  That meant more running days per week than the three I had been doing.  My schedule went from the following:

Mon: 5K, Wed: 8 miles, Thur: 5K

to this:

Mon: 4 miles, Tue: 5K, Wed: 8 miles, and Thurs: 5K.

At first, it might appear that looks like too many miles to add.  However, I didn’t do it all in one week.  I added the extra Monday mile during one week and then hit a ‘cut back’ week where I didn’t run.  After that week, I added the extra 5K to Tuesday.  Because my routes aren’t perfectly measured on those runs, I was then at about 17-18 miles per week.  That left me with all morning Saturday to devote to riding.

I started getting up early on Saturdays so that I could be on the bike at first light, just when it got light enough to see.  I rode with a tail light and a bright yellow jersey.  The roads at 6AM were almost bare and by 6:30AM, the sun was up.  I also went north in my city to a long trail called Campion and rode there to cut down on road miles.  Campion is a 12 mile round trip on the bike.  Combined with getting there and an additional extension, I can do 40 to 50 miles easily before traffic builds too much.  However, with Summer getting later, the sun is also becoming tardy.  I’ve cut my ride back to 40 miles or so to compensate and will probably have to move it lower as time goes on to the Fall.

Two Saturdays back, I got a little bored on the bike and came home a little early.  I didn’t feel the workout should be over, so I put on my shoes and went for a short run.  At 10AM, it’s starting to get hot here, but I’d already been out for three hours and was acclimated.  I put in a good 5K that morning and decided it’s time to add in the brick miles.  In addition, I’ve moved my weight training up another notch, so the whole week goes something like this:

Mon: 4 miles running, Tues: 5K morning, weights and swim in evening, Wed: 8 miles running, Thurs: 5K morning, weights and swim in evening, Fri: Rest, Saturday: 40 mile bike/5K run brick, Sunday Rest.

Weights and swimming I was already doing and with no events until late August, I have a good long time of just working out.  So, where’s the groove, right?  I’ve felt it mostly in my runs.  My paces are picking up even though I am still running easy most days.  I mean, really picking up; like a minute or two of faster pace.  Additionally, the running is getting easier even with better pace times. And, this is all happening during a warm Summer (average morning temp 79 degrees).

On top of things just in general being better, I am also more ready to work out when it happens.  I do admit that last week was a struggle some days because we were working extra hard at work.  However, over the past three weeks, I have been more ready for my runs and rides than previously.  These things are the ‘groove’ that I am talking about.  I have noticed it mostly in connection with my running, though I also feel it when riding or swimming.  I have the feeling that improvement is really happening instead of just keeping up with the motions.

I have no idea if anyone else experiences these training grooves.  This is at least the second one I can remember and I think there have been others.  The most recent groove I felt was late last year when I was doing my marathon training.  A training groove probably isn’t an official term or phenomenon, but I know they exist and they are nearly as good as a ‘runner’s high’.  Possibly they are even better since they last a while.  I am hoping this one carries through at least until it turns cooler and I am working on my marathon training.  Tell me if you have experienced a similar groove in your training.

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Running is Incremental

I’ve just finished putting a new pair of brake hoods on the old steel steed (1986 Fuji Palisade).  Through a gift, I upgraded several components, including getting a set of mid-1990′s Dura-Ace brake handles put on.  However, I needed hoods, and it’s not easy finding replacements for the older non-brifter handles.  It’s all part of knowing the right terminology since no one puts the hood part numbers on the brake handle anywhere.  Luckily, I found a pair on Amazon and now the bike and I are ready to ride the Dublin Tour dePepper ride this Saturday.

I’ve also experimented this week with a new running schedule.  I tried last Summer alternating my Saturdays with long runs and long rides, but it leaves both lacking.  So, this week, I ran 4, 2, 8, and 2 miles on Monday to Thursday.  That leaves a rest day on Friday and I can do a long ride of some sort every Saturday, then rest on Sunday before doing it all over again.  Since I’m into my Summer survival running mode, there are no hard days or speedwork going on.  They are all easy-ish runs to match with the weather.  We’ll see how it goes.

I have noticed during this late Spring and early part of Summer that my easy running is doing fairly well this year.  I am only three months away from being a runner for four years and as I look back on the time spent, I can see that the improvements come little by little.  Usually slipping up on me without much notice.

When I was a kid, there was a literacy program around called Reading is Fundamental (maybe it still is, I don’t know).  It made me think of how my training as a runner has also been incremental.  Rarely, do I get great gains in either time or distance.  Most improvement comes sneaking up on me when I’m not looking.  Even the times that I seem to lose ground usually result in learning something that leads to further improvement.  It’s the little by little nature of running that makes the results very worthwhile.

I’ve noticed as I finally started putting some longer runs back into my workouts that even with the increased heat and humidity, I can still run the whole distance.  And, because I was aware last Summer of how much slow down in pace is necessary in order to hang on through the heat, I’m not concerned about my paces this year.  Instead, I can focus more on breathing and maintaining a comfortable pace during the run.  It’s awfully good to end a run in 80 degree weather to feel that there are some more miles left if you needed them.

That same process is also evident in my other pursuits.  Swimming is incremental and cycling is incremental as well.  It’s taken a while of consistent effort to get to points where I feel good about where I’m at in my fitness levels.  I hope that I can see the increments of each show up during the events I have planned for the rest of the Summer and up through the Fall.

Because I can see the incremental growth and improvement in the sports I pursue, I can also see that same nature works the same way in other things I undertake.  If you know that the best gains come little by little and that those hard-earned small victories are the ones that stay with you, then you have less worry about approaching other things in your life.  Just remember that running is incremental and happy running, swimming, or cycling!

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My New Triathlon Tool: Strength Training

Back this January, I injured myself while swimming.  Yes, while swimming.  The injury put a real cramp on my training; no running, no swimming, no cycling for a few weeks.  I didn’t want to stop training altogether and looked for something that wouldn’t aggravate my injury while it healed.  I found I use our city’s senior fitness center’s machines and work on strength training.

In my distant past, I had tried weightlifting on a couple of occasions.  It seemed boring and I didn’t have a way of measuring the effectiveness.  I tried and then quit.  I figured I could use strength training as a filler for not getting to swim, bike, or run and then dump it when I could go back to my previous workouts.

I don’t use a complicated workout.  Our fitness center has four machines that work on different upper body areas and another four that target legs.  I start with one of the machines for upper body and then switch off to one that works legs; back and forth until all are done.  I only do 10 reps (repetitions) of three weight levels.  The top weight level is just about at exhaustion for that machine.  It’s hard to lift all 10 reps of the highest level.  I only move up in weight when I can lift 10 reps on the highest weight with facility (not when it’s easy).

I kept that up for a month or so while I healed up.  Because my injury was a little complicated, it took a little longer and I’ve had to slowly work back into full workouts.  So, I kept doing the strength training twice weekly.  Then, I started to notice something.

I noticed that my running paces were starting to get quicker.  I noticed that I could run my longer distances a bit easier.  I also noticed that my swim speeds were getting better and my strokes were more true to form.  My swimming was getting easier.  Apart from the fact that I liked the improvement, I wanted to know what was going on.

It was actually my sweetie that noticed the connection.  It was the strength training.  Because I had kept my strength training up, I had increased my weight levels three times over a few months.  As I increased the lifting, my upper body and legs were better able to help me swim, bike, and run.

I have read a good many articles touting the good results of strength training.  Guess what? They’re right.  It does actually work.  With only a half hour of strength training twice weekly, I have improved my running pace by two full minutes per mile on a good day (11 min/mile down from 13′s).  My swims are still getting easier to do and more close to form.  I am currently working on getting a total of 600 meters with only freestyle.  I usually only was able to do that distance with half freestyle and half breaststroke.  I am almost there.

Therefore, my injury and the subsequent downtime did me a lot of good in my training.  Not that I would wish any injury on anyone.  It just took the injury for me to look for something different in my training and to focus on quality instead of just quantity.  While I’ve still got a ways to go to get back to my original distances, I know now that when I get there, I’ll be doing them faster and better than before.  Don’t leave out the strength training if you can help it.  Happy tri-ing.

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Quickie update…

AAAAAAAAAHHHH!

Things are just a little too hectic right now.  It’s very difficult to set aside time to write.  Hence, this quickie update.

I am slowly getting back into my routine with running, cycling, and swimming.  However, I am also keeping up with my weights workout on Tuesday and Thursday as well.  I do believe there is evidence that the strength training is improving my runs at least, if not other things.  Two weeks ago I put a four-miler on my Wednesday run (the longest since — ‘the injury’) and ran it with a 10:21 pace.  That’s really fast for me, folks.  My other 5K runs have seen similar improvements as well.

I have my swims back to mostly normal and up to thirty lengths (20 yds. each).  I am doing them slowly and leisurely, but still doing well.  I’ll stick at this distance for at least a couple weeks before moving forward.

It’s April and cycling is going.  I’ve signed up for the Ride for Heroes in Aledo, Tx again.  It’ll be my first ride this year.  I’ve also signed up for the Head for the Hills Rally in Cedar Hill again.  I like both of these rides for various reasons.  I’m going to take the Trek to Aledo, but I’m getting the new and improved Fuji prepared for Cedar Hill.

Work’s been very busy of late.  But, things are headed in a good direction.  I actually have a building to care for again, even if it’s not completely mine to care for.

Tomorrow, I’ll add a 5-miler on Wednesday.  I’m meticulously watching the increase by only 10% rule.  I’ve had a few more incidents with the knot swelling up on the foot and causing pain, but they are lessening in intensity.  So, I think things are slowly on the mend.  I apologize for the quick post, but it’ll have to do for now.  Hopefully, I’ll find better time to write soon.  Happy cycling!

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Going forward…

It’s been busy round here.  And, dealing with an injury that comes and goes makes things more fun.  My work has been busy.  It’s actually moving.  No. Really.  My job is moving its location.  I work for a church and we are moving soon.  Lots of things to do.

Yes, it’s true.  I do something besides just run, ride, and swim.  I have a life.  I have a family.  I even have grandkids.  Folks like us aren’t odd or different.  We are people just like everyone else.  Except, for some odd reason, we like to do things that “normal” people don’t even think of doing.  Or at least, it seems that way some times.

With all the things I do regularly, it often takes extra effort to stay motivated, stay patient and work out when I’m supposed to. Now, I have an injury that I’m not 100% where it came from and it doesn’t seem to match up exactly with anything known.  So, I’m working on figuring out how to manage both.  Or all three.

It seems that the one thing that doesn’t affect my foot is running.  I haven’t done any speedwork lately, but some of my runs have been at 11 minute/mile pace.  Even those don’t seem to be a problem.  I am slowly building miles and will add a 4-miler this week.  If I have had struggles in running, it has been things other than my foot.

Last week, I had one morning on the trainer that set my foot pain off.  But, now I recognize the onset and get my foot in some ice and wait for a while and the pain goes down.  I thought maybe that was the trigger, but I’ve been out on a bike and not have any pain.  Go figure.

I’m still only swimming a little, just 16 minutes at at time.  I’m doing roughly 300 meters at at time and most of that is breast stroke.  I’ll add some more freestyle this week and see if I get any changes.

My most recent bout of pain with the foot happened just like the one that sent me to the ER.  Sitting in my chair and move my foot just so (whatever that is) and there it goes.  The knot swells up on the top, near the ankle.  The pain is horrible.  I can’t put weight on the foot at all, but just get it in some ice, give it some time, and I’m fine again.

Yes, of course–I should see a doc.  And, I probably will eventually.  However, even that seems like a hit-n-miss situation.  I’ve had two docs look at is so far and several x-rays.  Nobody seems to know anything.  Since it appears and disappears, I need to be able to see the doc when it appears.  Not that I want to make that happen.  For now, if I manage the pressure on the foot, it seems to keep it at bay.

I’m going to build things slowly and continue to manage the pain when it appears.  Maybe, if I keep watch on it, I’ll find the actual trigger.  Then, I’ll have something for a doc to check.

So, for now, I’ll be patient and I’ll be thankful to God that I still get to work out.  I’ll stay busy with my family and my work and just watch out for the foot until I can put things together so that a doc can do something worthwhile.  You have to help them out, you know.  Happy swim, bike, and run!

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Swimming Injury, week 3…

Yes, I think the jury might finally be in on the cause of my injury.  On my Thursday visit to the fitness center, I ran into a triathlete friend that is also swimming at Heritage.  He asked me where exactly I had pain from the injury.  He asked if it was right across the top of the ankle on the foot and I agreed.  He said his ankles are also having some pain issues in the same place.  Ah-Ha!

My friend is working on increasing his swim distance just like I am (only he’s a good bit ahead).  I had been in disbelief that swimming could CAUSE an injury.  I did some more research and found just what my friend and I are experiencing, though in different amounts.  Competitive and long distance swimmers can injure their foot/ankle in just the way I did.

It seems that the constant flexing of the foot during freestyle and breast stroke (my two) can lead to overuse injuries just as too much pounding can injure a runner.  I found information on LiveStrong and Lane’s Health Clinic.  So, I can reasonably rule out the stress fracture from this information and my experiences.  But, I still have to live with having a swimming injury.

In addition, it seems that I managed a new slight injury.  My ‘enthusiasm’ at strength training may have given me a muscle pull in my neck.  For a week and a half, I’ve had headaches during the afternoons when I get tired.  The most intense days have been…hold it…the day after a workout.  This past Thursday evening, I avoided any upper body strength training and just worked on legs and walking.

It does seem that walking is just fine right now.  I can walk all I want and not have any pain.  So, me and the treadmill at the fitness center have become friends.  It has also meant I got to go walk some with my sweetie as well.

I also got on the trainer today just for 15 minutes.  Everything was fine.  I kept the gears down so I didn’t push hard.  I could feel the stress just slightly in my foot and ankle during the ride, so I will have to keep the trainer to a minimum during my “rehab”.  But, at least I can get on the bike.

Next week, I ought to be able to get back to my regular schedule of workouts, even though the level of working out will still have to be quite low.  I am in what is probably the critical time.  My pain level is down and I will have to be patient.  I still get reminders from time to time.  My ankle will not allow much twisting to occur without a zinger of pain.  I am happy with improvement and will just have to make my workout job to keep from any further injury.  And, then to figure out how in the world I created a swimming injury.  Happy running!

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Running injury, week 2

Yep, the big man is injured.  Really injured.  I am in my second week of not running.  I am not sure which it is, but I either have some torn ligaments in my foot, or possibly a stress fracture.  In either case, it is 6 to 8 weeks of not running.

I went the first week without doing anything.  I tried spinning on Friday, but that hurt after a while as well. I can walk fine.  I just can’t extend my foot or bend it backward much.  Any real side to side stress also hurts.  And, no I didn’t go to the doc.  I wasn’t bleeding profusely (well, not on the surface anyway), so I looked up the possibilities and their usual treatments.  It doesn’t matter which injury, both torn ligaments and stress fractures are treated most often with R.I.C.E.  That’s rest, ice, compression, and elevation.  I’m hitting well on three out of the four.

Of course, most of the literature says that any non-stress activities should be just fine; like swimming or cycling.  That’s not happening here. The injury occurred while swimming, so the movement of swimming creates the same motions as the injury and so does spinning.  Strike three!

Finally, this week, I figured at least I could do strength training on just the upper body and core.  Sweetie and I dropped in on the Senior Center to sign me up for a month of the fitness room.  I also thought maybe I could just do arms-only drills in the pool.  Those are where you hold a floatie or kick board between your legs and use just your arms to pull.  I might still get in some workouts anyway while I heal.

First night, this past Tuesday, Sweetie and I go to the fitness center.  She does her workouts on the dreadmill and the recumbent cycle while I move about the room and use my old weights routine from loooong ago.  Everything is going just fine.  I spy the elliptical and check it out.  It works!  The movements aren’t causing pain and the pedals keep my feet flat.  I make five minutes and stop just to not overdo it.  Then it’s off to the pool.

I forgot a bandana to tie my legs together, so I had to wrap my good foot around the injured ankle to hold the floating barbell.  It was working.  I could do a lap at a time then stop like when I first started.  At least it was swimming.  I made it 15 minutes and could start to feel the pain again. Uh-oh.

Yep, the pain was back.  OK, either I overdid it or the movements are still causing the pain.  That’s not good.  It hurt that night when I slept, but by morning things were getting back to normal.  I could still walk and the bruise on my foot was dissipating.  Today is Thursday and I’m fine again.

Ok, so just walking and upper body.  That’s all I can do for now.  Tonight is Thursday and Sweetie and I will go back to the fitness center again.  At least, I have a workout I can do.  I’ll just have to learn patience again.  But, you know I’m not good at that.

Cowtown half-marathon is out for me now.  Even if I could run by then, I wouldn’t be ready.  I’m just going to have to work on being cool until the time is up and then build back up again.  But, those are the breaks (maybe I don’t like that word so much now).  At least, I’m getting to sleep later since I can’t get up so early to run.  That’s pretty nice.  Happy running!

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New Year…Again?

I am really not sure why we humans tend to get all sappy and nostalgic at the end of each calendar year.  It seems to be a habit even if your year doesn’t end on December 31st.  However, reflection and remembrance is a part of human life.  Making resolutions also seems to be the wont of many people at this time of year as well.  I suppose all that reflection brings about regrets and memories of failures during the year.

My year has been topsy-turvy to say the least.  I have had significant changes in my work and career.  I am still trying to get used to some of the more recent changes.  I’m not one to dwell on failures so I don’t have a list of regrets.  Regrets also tend to be such a bad business anyway.  I guess the only significant foible this year on the athletic front was Hotter-n-Hell in August.  I had to DNF it because of a broken spoke.  That in itself doesn’t quite qualify as failure.  Yet, it did give me more initiative to learn how to overcome that problem through building (or rebuilding) my own wheel.  The proof in that pudding won’t show up until later in 2012, though.  I did have some sucesses as well.  I finally finished a ride that I had not completed in three years (Tour d’Italia – June).  I also completed my first triathlon and (ahem) my first marathon.  I’ve gotten to watch my kids grow up even more and learn how to deal with the world at large, and even to see my granddaughter at her school on grandparents day.  Yeah, I think there were plenty of good things happening in 2011.

I’m not sure when I decided to quit the whole ‘resolution’ thing, but I really don’t do those anymore.  I do prefer to set some goals for the year.  Resolutions are something you ‘resolve’ to do, but culturally and psychologically, they tend to be more judgmental and success/failure oriented than they should.  I also tend to think we set ourselves up with resolutions by making them unreachable then kicking ourselves for the failure.  Goals, on the other hand, don’t have to be that way.  Goals can be modified, adjusted, and reworked.  Goals can be delayed, if necessary.  One can measure efforts toward a goal as a percentage of success and then celebrate the percentage while making plans to continue.  I like goals.

I have finally gotten back to spending more time reading (grad school can really take that out of you).  I have several books lined up to read so far and I am going to try to keep at it.  I finally have back some of the desire to read more science fiction than I had in the past.  Hopefully, I’ll keep finding new works to read.  Spending more time reading is a good goal for 2012.

On the training front, I am already working on my eating habits.  I hope I can continue being diligent and will see my weight continue to drop.  I know that my speed in running and swimming has picked up because of weighing less.  I am also going to try and keep a longer long run going.  I am planning to do a 10, 12, 15-mile rotation beginning next month.  I had started doing 5-milers on Mondays.  I am not certain those will stay, but we’ll see.  I don’t plan on another marathon this year, but in 2013…we’ll see.  Running more miles with less weight is a good goal.

After ‘Santa’ brought me a Park Tension Meter for Christmas, I have succeeded in getting my Trek back together.  The rear wheel certainly feels solid and the statistics of the tension meter says I have a strong wheel.  Time will tell on that point.  It would be really nice to be able to ride my Trek all year, and my plans are to finish the 100-miler at Hotter-n-Hell again this year.  More riding is certainly a worthy goal for 2012.

I certainly enjoyed the triathlon I did this past September.  I am making it a goal to go back to that one come September 2012.  I am also going to work on the Olympic distance triathlon this year.  There is one in Waco in July that sounds good.  A 1500 meter swim in the Brazos river in July ought to be a hoot.  Two triathlons are good goals for 2012.

This next year, I will turn 52.  I do know that one of my goals for 2012 is to cease worrying about stuff.  If you know anything at all about me, you’ll know that is very hard for me to do.  But it’s a goal, nonetheless and one I am biblically commanded to do.  And, speaking of that general area, I am going to try and keep my mind open concerning theology this year.  I know that I am certainly becoming much more liberal in both theology and politics of late.  It’s rather refreshing sometimes, but it brings me into conflict also.  However, I think I am getting old enough I can just say to the…well, you know.

A new year is a time for us to reflect on the past year, and to prepare for the next.  I’m not quite sure why we do this just because it’s January 1, but it’s not a bad idea.  I do think it’s important for us to take our new year with a grain of salt.  Even with my plans to run, race, read, and worry less, I still have to factor in that I am not in control of all things.  God has designs that I don’t always know about, and it is important to be flexible.  He is the one that controls my steps and sometimes my plans run counter to His.  It’s always good to not let our goals take over everything.  Rigidity is not a pretty sight.  But, I look forward to seeing how 2012 will work out.  Some of it will be like I planned and some of it won’t.  In the end, I think I will look forward to the New Year.  How about you?

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Going Forward from Here…

Well, Christmas has come to an end for another year.  It happens all the time like this.  A big buildup to the grand day, and a sketchy period just after.  Its sketchy because it depends on how you deal with your ‘toys’.  I recently read an older article of John Bingham’s that he reposted on The Penguin Chronicles.  In it, he talked of how we, as adults, sometimes forget our need to enjoy and desire ‘toys’ and the ability to play with them.  It struck a chord within me that still stays with me after Christmas.

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