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During my first long run in a few months, I got to thinking about the reasons I run.  I have this thought now and then, usually when I am hurting a bit on long or harder runs.  But I think it is a good exercise to go through occasionally to remind myself of why I enjoy running.

Of course, going through this on an 8 miler in the rain, with high humidity and muddy trails…you can get some interesting reasons.  But here are a few that I came up with.

• My health!  I have to be run to keep my body from slipping back into a cycle of high cholesterol, high blood sugar and more weight than I need on my body.
• Be here for my wife and kids.  I posted before that I want to dance with my daughter at her wedding, and that is still true.  I also want to enjoy being able to walk and dance with my wife for a LONG time to come.
• To feel great RIGHT NOW!  I feel so much better when I am running.  It is not just about the physical benefits, I love the feeling of accomplishment I get from a good run.
• Who doesn’t enjoy dripping sweat?
• The fact that most of the people I know think I am nuts BECAUSE I run.
• Being able to run around when I am doing something else, like playing a game with our church youth group, and not feeling like I am going to die.
• The quiet times that I get when I am out on the roads or trails.  I truly believe that I am more blessed when I come back from a run that before I head out the door.
• Because God has blessed me with the ability to run, and I feel like I need to use it to my utmost.

So, these are a few of the things I came up with on my recent 8 miler.  What are the reasons you run?  If you don’t run, what are some of the reasons you would like to start?  And if you aren’t interested in running at all, thanks for reading Rundad anyway.

Happy running,

Rundad

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One of my favorite things about working with my son’s cross-country team is that I get to RUN with them.  And one of my favorite things about that is I get to break up the monotony of my normal routine, which is running on the streets of my neighborhood.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my neighborhood track, but I like a little change in scenery once in a while too. My favorite place we run is a local nature trail. It is a mix of paved trail and bark dust trails that runs through a local greenbelt.

There are so many things to love about trail running!  I love the shade, the softer surface, the shade, the wildlife and of course, the shade.  I enjoy that there is something around me other than mailboxes and houses as I run.  I really love the changing surfaces as I run.  Did I mention the shade?  In my neighborhood, there are so few mature tress that it is very hard to stay out of the sun while running.  Most of the time, I don’t mind the sun.  But as the temperatures approach the mid 90′s, I like some shade now and then.

I really enjoy the solitude and the fact that I can enjoy God’s beauty from another perspective.  The trail gives me a chance to get a little more in touch with the God who made it all.  I know I can do that anywhere I am, but having a visual reminder is always a nice thing.

I love the fact that I don’t keep such a careful eye on my watch when I am trail running.  It is going to be slower, and for once, I am okay with that.  And believe me, getting me to give up my dependence on the all mighty watch is a big deal. Not that I am fast, I just am addicted to looking at the silly thing constantly.

One thing that is tough is one of the things that I also enjoy about going out on trails.  The uneven footing can really play tricks on my bum ankle.  It tends to roll anytime it wants to if I am not careful.  But a little extra care in foot placement is a small price to pay for all the positives I get from going off-roading.

What are your favorite places to run?  If any are in the SW Ohio region, please let me know, as I will give them a try.  If you haven’t already done so, find a trail in your area and give it a run.

Happy running(trail or otherwise,

Rundad

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I got to see an amazing thing this Sunday morning.  While driving some youth group kids who were visiting from Canada back to their drop off point, we came upon a very small young fawn on the side of the road.  I slowed down, and she started making her way across the street.  As she reached the center of the road, she saw us, and bolted for the forest on the other side of the road.  Unfortunately, there was a fence between her and her desired hiding place.  The top row was barbed wire and pretty high, so she opted to go THROUGH the fence.  She would have been fine if she had slowed down and squeezed through one of the lower openings, but she had it in her heart to jump up and try for one of the higher openings.  First attempt, fail.   She bounced off the wire, moved down a few feet and tried again.  Second, third and fourth attempts, fails.  She finally moved to an opening that had been stretched out by other animals and jumped through.  By that point, all four of us in my car were cheering her on and broke into applause.  She quickly disappeared into the woods on the other side and we drove on. You can see the larger hole she eventually made it through in the picture below.

As I was driving my family to church on the same road less than an hour later, I started thinking about some of the  great life lessons that little spotted fawn had reminded me of.  Here are a few of the things I learned from her:

• Persistence-  Sometimes, we have to keep pounding away(literally) to get to the place we need to be.
• Vision-  If we look around a little before we start pounding our head on the wall, sometimes we will find a door just steps away.
• Faith-  Even when things aren’t going as planned, Faith keeps us from quitting.
• Goals-  Sometimes you need to start a little lower and grow into the higher ones.

On the persistence front, I think about the times I have felt like giving up because things kept getting in the way of my plans.  Sometimes, just re-adjusting my approach a little makes all the difference in the world.  Whether it is my running, which has had plenty of setbacks, or the way I treat my wife and kids(again, plenty of setbacks), I can learn a lot from the get up, dust myself off and try again attitude that little deer displayed.

We are studying Acts right now in our Jr. High Bible class on Sunday mornings.  I am constantly amazed with Peter and how he continually bounced back from huge mistakes and ends up being such an amazing leader of the early church.  Imagine if he had given up after denying Christ, or sinking into the water while walking towards Jesus. What a great example of never giving up.  Like my little fawn friend, he just refused to quit until he got where he was going.

I hope next time you run into an obstacle, you think of that little deer, and keep on trying.

Happy running,

Rundad

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On a recent family trip, we found ourselves driving toward a massive thunderstorm.  I have to admit, I kinda like t-storms…as long as they aren’t rotating.  But as we got closer to this storm, it got blacker, and lower and I could tell it was going to be a doozy.  As we hit it, some of the cars around us on the freeway started slowing and some put their emergency flashers on.  Then the hail came, and some of the cars started pulling off the side of the road.  I have never been a big fan of stopping on the side of the freeway during storms.  I get a little scared about cars and semis hitting me from behind.  But the bigger the hail got, the more nervous I got.  When the hail got to golf ball size, I stopped praying long enough to tell the kids to get their heads toward the middle of the car and away from the windows.  After what seemed like a lifetime, we came out of the storm.  We were all relieved that it was over, but no sooner had it stopped than the heavy rain started again.  I did not want to go through the same thing again!  Thankfully, it never ramped up to the same level and we were able to finish the drive.  Amazingly enough, there was very little damage to the car other than a few smalls dents.

Sometimes life is just like that drive.  So many times, storms pop up in front of us and we have to make a choice.  Slow down and stop, and wait for it to go away.  Speed up and ram your way through with no regard for safety. Or maybe just keep going with caution until you come through the other side.  But the storm has to be dealt with.

I would love to say that after getting through a storm in life, everything is better, but that wouldn’t be true.  Sometimes the troubles stack up like thunderstorms in the August sky. But I do know that God will provide the strength and the way if we trust in Him.  We may end up with a few dents and bruises, but we WILL come through the other side.

Who knows, maybe the storms will make us stronger.  I know that when you finally overcome a particularly bad time, you are better able to handle the next tough time.  It doesn’t make the tough times any easier, but I always fall back on my favorite verse.  Philippians 4:13 says that we can do ALL things through Christ, because He will give us the strength.  What more do I need?

Happy running,

Rundad

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Nineteen years ago today, I became the luckiest man on Earth!  I know there may be some guys who question my top ranking status, but I so over-achieved when I married Jennifer that I can’t imagine anyone coming close to taking my title away.   Lucky for me, Jennifer was looking at my untapped potential, not my accomplishments when she married me.

Nineteen years ago, I was a very immature young man who really hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do when I grew up.  Needless to say, this did not make Jen’s dad REAL happy at first.  But lucky for me, he was able to see past  my less than stellar accomplishments and see that I had the best of intentions.  But it was touch and go for a while there.   Today, I can still have my immature moments…just ask Jen or the kids.  But I have at least figured out what I want to be if and when I grow up. Also, we have both grown in our faith as we have dealt with almost 20 years of life together.  Of course, kids changed everything!  And I wouldn’t have wanted to spend the years with anyone else.

So, thanks for allowing me to honor the beautiful woman who has blessed my life.  God is good…and He has a terrific sense of humor.  There is no other way to explain my ending up with the best wife on Earth.  I look forward to growing old with you Jen.

Happy running,

Rundad

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For the first time since 2005, I didn’t run a race at the Flying Pig Marathon.  Due to the ongoing battle I am fighting with plantar fasciitis, my training has been very lacking.  So, race weekend was looking like it was going to be a real bummer.  For those of you who are saying, “Big deal, it’s just a race”, you need to realize that THIS race is very big to our family.  We all gear up for it and enjoy the whole weekend.  The family has always gone downtown and supported dad in his running the marathon or half.  In the past couple of years, both kids have run the 5K on Saturday and I would run on Sunday.  We all looked forward to going to the Expo and shopping and just being there.  Like I said, this race is big in our family.  In fact, the kids were actually pretty upset about us not getting to go this year.  Which made Friday night all the more fun.

This year, we surprised the kids by entering them  in the 5K and not letting them know until the night before the race.  We made a pasta dinner, and put their race numbers on the plates.  You would have thought it was Christmas morning.

The next morning, we were up early and out the door to downtown Cincinnati.  With 2 kids who run different paces, and almost 3000 runners to lose them in, Jen and I were a little nervous about the logistics of the whole thing.  But we had a plan and the kids knew where to meet us.

With the “good lucks” out of the way, they were off.  Matt had set up at the front since he was looking to start very fast, and Kaylee was back in the pack.  At the gun, my wife and I split up and she ran to the finish and I ran to the halfway point.  I barely got there before Matt came blowing by in 5th place!  He was flying!  A couple of minutes later, Kaylee came through and she was looking great.  At this point, I sprinted to the finish and met up with Jen.  The 2 leaders came in and I started looking for Matt.  First and second place were spread out enough that there wasn’t really any “race” to the finish for them.  But when I looked back up the homestretch, I saw Matt and another guy racing for 3rd!  The crowd was going crazy as they battled the last 400 meters.  Matt passed him and got about 5 meters away before the older runner dropped the hammer and passed him for good.  I was screaming like crazy watching MY son racing for a place on the podium in a major race.  He ran a 17:49 on a tough hilly course and won his age group.

I ran down to where Jen was and we began watching for Kaylee.  She came through in 9th place for her age group, out of 192!  Her time of 25:01 was good for a PR and not bad for not training to run a 5k.  She has been running the 800 and the 1600 in track, so this was a big jump up in distance.

As for the old man on injured reserve…who cares!   The kids ruled the day and the Rice family had a blast.  I could not be prouder to be a spectator.  Sometimes a disappointing injury can bring about a positive outcome.

So on this day, the big piggy stayed home, but his little piggies flew in the Flying Pig 5k.

Kaylee just realizing that the medals may not be that sanitary.

Happy running,

Rundad

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After my run yesterday,  I got to thinking about all the things that runners do and say that seem strange to non-runners.  I have seen other lists like this, but here is mine.

You know you are a runner when:

1. You say the words “easy” and “5 miler” together…and mean it.
2. You look at dessert and mentally calculate the miles it will take to burn it off.
3. You can calculate your pace on the fly.
4. ALL your shirts have sponsor names on the back.
5. You have trouble getting up for work during the week, but jump out of bed at 6:00 AM on Saturday for a 20 miler.
6. Your dress watch can record 100 split times.
7. New York and Boston are events, not just cities.
8. Your neighbors all think you are nuts.
9. When you see mile posts, you think, “I have run that far”.
10. You arrange Saturday activities around your long run.
11. You catch yourself checking out your own legs in the mirror.
12. You know what BQ means, and you hope your PR will someday get you one.
13. You smile and nod when people tell you that you will “ruin your knees”.
14. You can blow your nose on the run without a tissue.
15. You have a resting heart rate that scares your doctor.
16. You don’t feel that a black toenail or two is the end of the world.

I know there are lots more out there, feel free to share a few of yours.  I have intentionally left out any that involve chaffing, as I just don’t find that funny .  Whatever your reasons for running, or your “signs” that you are a runner, keep on running!  We are a strange lot, but we are good people.

Happy running,

Rundad

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More years ago than I would like to admit, I was an aspiring 8th grade track and field star…at least in my own mind.  I had spent my entire childhood admiring the running accomplishments of my father.  He had been an outstanding cross-country and track athlete in high school, and had carried the Olympic Torch for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.  The thing is, he never pushed me, or made me feel like I HAD to follow in his footsteps.  I wanted to because I loved running.  I am happy that he never pushed me too hard.  I see so much of that with the athletes I work with now, and it almost never ends well.

So, as I started coming into my own as a runner, I asked my dad if he would take me to the track (the same one he still held records at) and put me through some workouts.  I had done well enough at the city qualifying that I was moving on to the county championships.  He agreed and off we went.  He ran me through my paces on some 220 yard repeats…yes yards.   And as I ran, he would stand at the finish line with the stopwatch and call out my times.  I didn’t know it at the time, but one reason that he didn’t run them with me was he was a smoker!  He did a great job of not letting us kids see him smoking.  I am still thankful for that.  My later struggles with tobacco had nothing to do with his influence, just my own stupidity.

Well, I would love to tell you that his coaching was just what I needed to push me over the top and help me win the county championships in the 880 and mile run, but I pretty much got schooled!  I did however run much faster than my qualifying times for a couple of weeks before.  But more than anything, I gained a closer relationship with my dad.  He had taken the time to work with me and I know with his work schedule the last thing he probably wanted to do was go watch me run in circles at practice.  Both my parents did a great job of supporting my brothers and I in our various endeavors.

Fast forward a LOT of years, and I found myself this week out at the track with my 7th grade daughter running her through our own version of what the high school coach calls “heck week”…okay, he doesn’t use heck, but our family does.   She came to me before Spring Break and asked me to help her get faster while her friends were relaxing.  It was so wonderful to go and run with her.  Unlike my dad, I was able to run the 2- 1/2 miles we ran in warm-up and cool down.  That was all though, cause daddy can’t keep up with her when she is at full speed.

It may not make her any faster, and in the end, that really doesn’t matter.  We spent time together doing something good for both of us and making memories that will last a lifetime.  I also think she will blow away the competition when races start next week, but that will be icing on the cake.

I knew she was looking forward to this when her Grandma asked her what she was going to do over Spring Break.  She replied with a smile on her face, ” My daddy is going to run me into the ground”.  I may be sick, but it made my heart glow to hear those words.

So, thanks dad.  Your willingness to spend the time to work with me has been passed down to another generation.  Who knows, maybe she will be the one to be the Olympic champion I dreamed of being.  Or maybe she will just pass on her love of fitness to her kids, and that would be more than enough.

Happy running and Happy Easter,

Rundad

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Today would have been my father-in-law’s 80th birthday.  I am not one of those people who make it a point to remember a birthday after someone passes away, but this year, dad’s birthday was on my mind.

Before he passed away from multiple myeloma in 1997, he had been a preacher for over 40 years.  I can honestly say that he was a huge influence on me and I consider him a real father figure in my faith.  His love of God and his love for his wife and family taught me what being a man of God should look like.  It was a very hard time when he passed away, but it was also a wonderful visual of living your faith all the way to the end.  He touched so many hearts with his life of preaching and with his faith, even in the face of death.

As the family was coming together in the hospital as Dad was nearing the end, I was amazed by the number of people who came to share this time with all of us.  Instead of just tears, there was singing, laughter and stories of a life well lived.  After he passed away and everyone was in the family area, I was approached by one of the nurses.  She told me that she was touched by the way things went.  In most cases she told me, there is nothing but sadness coming from a terminal patient’s room.  She wanted me to know that she and the other nurses were moved by the love and joy that was evident with our group.  She said she could tell that we were Christians by the way we acted in the face of such a sad time.

I always try to teach our Junior High Bible class that our faith is always showing, even in times of trial.  How we handle hard times, like sickness and death is as important as how we live in times of happiness.  My father-in-law preached till the end, and we were all blessed by his life.

I hope that I can use my life to touch others for God the way my father-in-law did.  I learned so much from him.  I learned that you can’t love and honor your wife too much.  I learned that my life should be an outpouring of the love that God has blessed me with.  I am blessed beyond belief.  And on a comical note, I learned probably the most important lesson for a long-lasting, happy marriage.  One night at dinner, before I married his daughter, he shared a truly valuable marriage secret…”Just know when to shut up”.  I don’t always do the best job at that, but I try.

So, Happy Birthday Dad!  One day, all the people who you blessed with your life of service will be together with you again.  Until then, enjoy the well deserved rest.

Happy running,

Rundad

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About 10PM last night, my wife informed me that our clothes dryer had suddenly stopped working and she could not get it to start.  This dryer and I have had a love/hate relationship for many years.  It is now 12 years old, and for the last 6 or so, I have been taking it apart and cleaning all the lint out of it a couple of times a year.  This makes it happy and has been all I needed to do to it in the way of maintenance.  Not a bad investment of time to keep from buying a new dryer.  And as my wife told me last night, “you kinda have to buy a washer and dryer together so they match”.  I should make it clear that she was joking.  But it is true, if one goes out, people tend to replace both.  Whether it is so they match or not, I do not know.  But I do know that I have not gone out of my way to check the coordination of my friends clothing, much less their appliances…EVER.

So, as I contemplated the outlay of cash that was looming in my immediate future, I decided that I would make every effort to find and fix the problem before writing a check.  Believe it or not, in less than 10 minutes, I had not only found the problem, but had the broken part in my hand.  I made one phone call this morning, located the part less than 30 minutes away for less than $18.00, and had it installed in less than 10 minutes.

It got me thinking about how many people just throw in the towel when something isn’t working right and buy a new one.  After all, it’s only credit.  I am NOT that much of a handyman, but after spending a few minutes on Google I solved the problem.  And saved a BOATLOAD of money in the process!  But we tend to jump the gun when it comes to giving up on something that is having a bit of trouble.  How many cars, appliances, and other such items could be saved with a little research and maintenance?

Aren’t you glad that God didn’t give up on us?  I know I am very high maintenance!  What if God had the same amount of patience with me that I sometimes have with the things in my life that are not performing like they used to.  He not only didn’t give up on us, he paid a huge price to fix the problem.  John 3:16 is the receipt! Keep it, He gives a lifetime warranty.

Happy running,

Rundad