James 3:17-18

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

God grant me the courage to live it today.

Mark

C25K Update

Monday -- We were going to run, but hit a snag when it started raining on our way out. So, we decided to do what everyone else does when a planned run is thwarted...Jillian Michaels workout DVD! No shame for me. It was tough...circuit-training combining strength, cardio, and abs. To say my upper body strength is non-existent would not be far from the truth. But it was good. We are going to try to work in Jillian once or twice a week.
Tuesday & Thursday -- Finished up week 3.

Saturday (today) -- Started week 4. 3 minute run, 90 second walk, 5 minute run, 2 1/2 minute walk, then repeat it all. Allyson and I did not have the strollers today because her mom and dad are in town. So, the run felt good. With the warm-up walk and walking back to our car, we were hitting the pavement for about 30 minutes. Good morning!

Mark

C25K

Thursday, we finished up week 2 with a good 26 minute run/walk. Saturday, we started week 3. We went to a park in town and walked on the track so we would know how far we actually walked. 5 minute warm up walk, followed by a couple sets of 90 second run, 90 second walk, 3 minute run, 3 minute walk. We finished out walking a couple extra laps to get to 2 1/2 miles. Total time was 33 minutes. Looking forward to getting back out there today!

Mark

C25K Update

Friday, we finished up our 3rd day of the 'first week'. We finished in 26 minutes, our quickest of the week. Saturday, Allyson's parents were in town, so we had decided to start the second week's training without the strollers. Well, it looked like it was going to rain us out, but the clouds broke for a few minutes and we decided spur-of-the-moment to forget the training and run as much as we could. We ended up running 6 minutes, walking 1, and finshing with a 13 minute run. It was good! Yesterday, we were going to start week 2. Allyson blogged about our experience. It didn't go as planned, but still got a good run in...and had a little unexpected fun. This afternoon, we were able to start 'week 2' officially. We walked 5 minutes, did 4 sets of 90 second run, 2 minute walk, and finished off with 2 sets of minute run, minute walk. We ended up taking a longer route than our normal 2 mile loop, so we had to walk a few more minutes. Ended up being 30 minutes total. Starting to get warm here, but sweating feels good.

Learning a lot about trusting the process. Hope to blog about that later.

Mark

Jesus Wept

Remember the Fairview youth choir tour? What a fun-filled, crazy week!  I remember driving a lot. I remember Kent's car breaking down. I remember going to an amusement park with Jim's group that was a shade above Lake Winnie's claim to be an amusement park. Oh to have a video and watch one of those performances! I'm sure that would be a riot. Good times.

Something I don't think I'll ever forget about the trip is visiting the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial. I remember when the bombing happened. I don't think I'll ever forget visiting the site that night. The pool, the walls that marked the ends of the building, the lighted seats, the tree of life. Stirring and breathe-taking all at the same time. I remember seeing a statue just outside one of those walls.

Underneath the statue is engraved the simple words from John 11:35; 'Jesus wept.' Growing up, the words of John 11:35 were nothing more than an answer to bible trivia. Lately, it has meant so much more than the right answer to 'what's the shortest bible verse?' I'm not a guy that normally cries very much. But the past few weeks have held their share of tears. What does it mean that Jesus wept? It means he understands our pain. He understands the brokenness of our world. He understands heartache...all the way to death. When we hurt, He gets it and cries along with us. In the midst of suffering, of difficult days sometimes facing things that are out of our control, we are never alone. Our tears are matched on the face of Jesus; the face of God. Thanks be to God.

Mark

C 2 5K Day 2

Today was the same routine as Saturday. We finished a little quicker because we walked a little faster and ran a little extra on the last running leg. Running felt good! Something funny about our run Saturday...Allyson keeps time for us. We got to the first run and she said, "Jog." I thought she said 'dog' so I said, "Where?". I started looking in the yard next to us. She said it again and I said, "Where?" looking across the street in another yard. She finally clearly spelled it out for me and I got it. Now, every time we start to run we say, "Dog."

Mark

Couch to 5K

Allyson started Couch to 5K training today...so I joined her. I could probably go out tomorrow and run a 5K the whole time. But I would be lying to myself if I said I am as healthy and fit as I want to be. The truth is I'm far from it. It was a little bit chilly here today which made it great for a family stroll. We walked 5 minutes. Then alternated 60 second runs with 90 second walks 5 times. Then finished out by walking home. 27 minutes total. Always feels good to get out and pound the pavement for a bit!

Mark