House repair and pumpkin patches

The rest after the marathon was short lived as we jumped feet first into the final repairs to our house after the tree hit it in August. The chimney is repaired, the roof is repaired and the gutters are back on. While T busied himself mastering the art of drywall taping, I experienced deja vu up on the extension ladder scraping, priming and painting the exterior second floor of our house where the damage was repaired plus the areas I couldn't resist scraping as the paint was peeling. Last time I attempted this, I was about 10 years younger, obviously in a lot better shape and a lot less scared of heights. Perhaps I am wiser in my old age, or just more aware of the consequences of a misstep. Needless to say, I clung so tight to the ladder, I have bruises up and down my legs where each rung was! After the weekend, I am half done and look forward to finishing the other half, yah right! In our spare time, we have had a chance to get to one of the local pumpkin patches and a very nice halloween party.
On the adoption front, we were excited to hear this week that at least 3 families received referrals for baby boys! Congratulations! For those keeping track, the families that received referrals submitted their dossiers to Ethiopia in mid March. Ours was submitted in mid August. If the process continues at this pace, it should be about 5 months before we might see a referral, though we have heard that a lot of dossiers went to Ethiopia over the summer, so that might slow things a bit. 5 month, that should be plenty of time to learn Amharic, right?

On the Road again..

Back in the saddle again. Getting back onto the horse. Hitting the pavement. There are plenty of other similar sayings. The bottom line. Its time to get running again. With no official training plan in place, the idea is to just keep a solid general fitness level.

Both Tim and I plan to run throughout the winter. While not terribly regimented, I plan to loosely follow Hal Higdon's Winter Training program. We hope to stay in good enough shape that we could do a 1/2 marathon without much addition training, and be prepared for a shortened marathon training program as well.

Besides, there is only 352 days until the 2008 Chicago Marathon...

Peace

The wonderful aroma of Ethiopian food.....

At last it was time on Friday for me to try my hand at cooking Ethiopian food. I consider myself a huge novice in this regard as I have only eaten Ethiopian food about 3 times, making it more challenging to figure out what everything is suppose to taste like. The spices and injera came from EthiopianSpices.com , the box smelled so good when it arrived I wanted to put some of the spices in a simmering pot! So with my berbere, shiro, koereima, koseret, wot kimem, turmeric, red lintels, and ground ginger, a huge bag of onions and a vat of oil, I set to work. Hubby came home from work and open the door to the smells of an Ethiopian restaurant. I tried my best to lay out a platter of food on a piece of injera, but ended up with the eggs from the Doro Wat rolling onto the floor before I made it to the table (3 second rule, right?). Our platter had Doro Wat which is a spicy red chicken stew, sega wot which is a red beef stew, kik Wot which is red lintel stew and shiro. I also served some bread with the neter kiba (seasoned butter...jury is still out on the butter, interesting flavor none the less) all was placed on the injera. I have to say, for my first try, I am pretty happy with the results, it all tasted pretty good by my standards. Next time I'll have to talk our friends children from Ethiopia into trying it to get a true sense of how good or bad it really is. Hopefully they will be gentle!

Angels in my midst, and on the course... (part IV)

The support, prayers and well wishes extended far beyond the city and the race course. After fighting through the mass traffic exodus from the City we arrived at our home to find some other Angels had visted.


While Jodie and I did our best to pretend that we didn't see our Angels. As they were still in our driveway it was a little difficult to miss them.











(Names withheld to protect the innocent, but lets call them Dave, Bonnie, and David) You guys are so great. Roles models to us. Inspirations to the whole community. Aside from a heartfelt Thank you we just want to say. You are never far away from "family". May the Lord Bless you today and everyday!

Angels in my midst, and on the course... (part III)

The day started at the Team World Vision tent with photos and goose bump raising "rally cry" that shook the ground of Charity Village.





We reached the start Corral C at about 7:40am. It was already quite warm, and downright balmy. The excitement in the air was so thick you could cut it. Helicopters overhead, Music blaring over the loudspeakers, and runners are far as you could see.



It started off as Tim and I. Shortly however, we found 3 other Team World Vision runners all with the same 3:30 to 3:45 pace goal. Congratulations to Ginny, Kristin, and Burt. I hope you all were satisfied with your race in spite of the heat.






At 8am the race started. Full of energy, we crossed the start line at about 8:02:23. The sea of bobbing heads in front of us was indescribable. I wish I had taken a picture. Just a soon as the race started, Burt, Kristin, and Ginny were all lost in a sea of runners. It was back to just Tim and myself.


It was very exciting and uplifting to see Jodie, our son, and Jodie's sister at the 1 mile mark. My Mom and Dad were in the huge, orange World Vision cheering section at the 3.5 mile marker. Amazing!! Thank you all, your cheering made such a big difference. Even with only 3.5 miles down, it was already a difficult race.

By about mile 6 or so, Tim and I separated. I was feeling pretty good at the time, so I was trying to stay with the 3:30 pace group. As the miles ticked off, they started to tick off slower and slower. By the 13.1 mark I was on pace for a 3:41 pace. Slower than my goal, but I still feel pretty good. In the next few miles, that's went my race went downhill very very quickly. It started with some tightening in my left calf. It was intermittent so I persevered. The right calf then started in on me. That's when the weirdest experience in all my sporting occurred. Imagine your feet as you try and curl your toes under. Well my toes started doing that involuntarily. As you might think, you cant run, heck you can't even walk like that. I was only able to slowly jog a 1/2 mile or so at a time. Frequent stops were needed to try and stretch, which helped and would allow me another 1/2 to mile of progress.

After feeling a bit lightheaded I realized that my fluid intake, while quite a lot, was not enough. So I started to gulp Gatorade and water, and that all cleared up quick enough. It was at about miles 18 or so that I looked up. There he was. Head slung low, and methodically jogging along. It was Tim, my training partner. I literally hobbled out to tap him on the shoulder. Our conversation went something like this. "Hey! How are you?", Tim says. "Tim, I'm not doing good. I don't think I'm gonna make it." "Come on we can do it", Tim says. "No Tim, I don't think so. its not good. I'm having to walk very often. I'm all cramped up. I don't want to hold you back, go on, you can do it". "No we are going to finish together", says Tim.

8 miles later. Dozens of cups of Gatorade. Even more cups of water used to douse ourselves to stay cool. Multiple walking breaks for me to rest my calves, and Tim to rest his hamstring. Past the Dragons of China town. Past Forrest (a colleague of Jodie's) screaming at me slow loud, lifting me up, at just about my lowest point of the race. Past hundreds of other screaming fans cheering us on. Past Tim's wonderful family lifting us both at mile 25, and his daughters running beside him carrying an Ethiopian flag. Up the hill on Roosevelt, turning left towards the finish, Jodie, with our son, and her sister there with only 200 or so meters to go.

Together, we crossed the finish line. We trained as a team. We started as a team. We finished as a Team.

When the day started, the goal was 3 hours, 30 minutes. The day ended with a time of 4 hours, 23 minutes, and 48 seconds (47 seconds for Tim).

An amazing day. A brutal day. A memorable day. A day that I owe to Jodie my wife for putting up with all my training this year. A day I owe to our son and his smiles that fill my head when spirits drop. A day I owe to Jodie's sister, My parents, to Tim's family, to Forrest, and to hundreds, no thousands of cheering spectators that braved the heat and humidity to cheer us and everyone else on. A day I owe to our Lord and Savior for giving me the blessing of strength to carry on and persevere. A day that was without question, full of Hope, Sacrifice, and Purpose.

And I would be remiss if I didn't thank the Angel that stood by me when I needed it most. My training partner, my Brother. Thank you Tim. Without you, I do not finish that race. You are an amazing, and inspirational man. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you man...

Angels in my midst, and on the course... (part II)

Saturday night was the Team World Vision "team Pasta dinner". It was an evening of amazing witness, inspirational videos, and motivational testimony. Richard Stearns, the President of World Vision US was there and spoke of all the amazing works that World Vision is involved in. 500+ runners raised over 1/2 million dollars. Runners, Radio personalities, and a number of Pastors, and an army of friends and family all helped to pack a large banquet hall.

Tim and I were even asked to up and tell our story about how we met, our ties to Ethiopia, and how they all tie into our motivations for running the marathon. Pasta, pesto chicken, and some not so pre-race friendly but downright yummy, chocolate fudgy cheesecake like stuff.

It was a perfect, uplifting, and very motivating pre-race evening. "Where two or more are gathered" our Lord will be there. I suspect that we had a room filled with the Spirit...

Angels in my midst, and on the course...

So many thoughts. So many stories. Enough marathon experiences to fill up multiple pages on this blog. I'm going to break them down into multiple posts.

First off, I hope you'll all join in me prayer for the man, with a wife and 3 children, that died today during the running of the 30th Chicago Marathon. News reports indicate he was only 35 years old (two years younger than me). May we be lifted up to our Lord on Angels wings..

I hope you will all join me in another prayer for the greater than 300 race participants that were taken to area hospitals. May their Guardian Angels continue to watch over and protect them.

I think the following says it all in terms of the days (downright brutal) conditions.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Organizers closed the second half of the course just before noon, four hours after the annual race started and with temperatures already at 73 degrees with 86 percent humidity. By 10 a.m., temperatures had already reached a race-record 88 degrees. The previous marathon record of 84 degrees was set in 1979.

On a day that was about World Vision, and our team goal to aid those in great need in Zambia and Ethiopia, its a wonderful feeling to see that the women's race was won by Ethiopia's Berhane Adere.

Its here... Race Weekend

It just kinda happened. Without really thinking about it. Its Here. Chicago Marathon Race weekend. After hoofing it downtown to the race expo, my adrenaline is already pumping. The excitement was tangible at the expo. That alone was a cool experience.
But this blog, and this years journey is not about the average runner, or about this being my first marathon

Its about Hope, Sacrifice, and Purpose. Its about vision, on a global scale. Its about Team World Vision, and approximately 500 athletes that have come together to make a statement. A statement that it is not OK that children and family are starving in Ethiopia, while here in the United States we have an abundance of.. well everything.

At least for me, its a blessing to be able to run this race for something bigger, and something greater than personal satisfaction. I will be running for our Sponsored Child in Ethiopia. I will be running, inspired by the belief that all my joys and pains will be lifted up to the Lord, and through his Grace well come to the aid and benefit of others. The fact that my leg hurts heading in to the race, well that will just serve as further motivation to persevere.

Why am I doing this? Who am I? Well ..

We.. are Team World Vision

Peace

Friends, Politics, and Right to Life..

With headphones on, buried neck deep in work, I received an interesting message. A personal message that applies to my wife and I that goes back to the very beginning. A message that I feel applies to some dear friends that are facing numerous challenges in their lives. A message that ..needs.. to be heard by those that Drive by area Churches, see all the Cross in the lawns in support of National Right to Life month, and don't feel ill or choke back the tears.

"Have it your way" and other such Advertisement slogans tend to yield an attitude that we are entitled to many things. To what extent does "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" go? While many are likely to disagree with me on this, the fact remains, that it is not always the case that we are entitled to the things we feel we should be. If our own "pursuits" trample the very lives, the very happiness, and the very pursuit of Happiness of others... Especially the defenseless. Well when that happens, I can't help but think something may have gone wrong.

On so many fronts. personally, amongst family and friends, and politically within the US, I can't help but wonder if we need parts of our "World" to be torn apart. Perhaps then our society will value life and compassion over possessions, power, and a culture of death.

Todays Inspirational Song of the Day is:
Worlds Apart from Jars of Clay: