Run Tom, Run

Okay - so, I think I've come to the conclusion that I need a new running shoe. I've been running in the same model of New Balance for the last 5 years, but the time has come for a change (at least for the summer anyway). The shoe that I wear (The NB 880 - as seen above) is a more cushioned & bulkier shoe then most. Its good for minimizing the impact of the road and going on long-runs, but not so good for the Texas heat. I need a lighter-weight, cooler shoe. This can be tough to find though. I started using racing flats for the first time this year and I can't believe the difference you feel on the run. The flats are probably about 1/3 of the weight of my training shoes, but I haven't run more then a 5K distance in them - so I don't know how my body will hold up will the reduced support. I think Adidas has a shoe out that they designed for the heat that they will hit in Athens for the marathon this year. Its supposed to be extremely light and actually have ventilation on the bottom of the shoe. Might need to check that one out. I just never have much luck in finding new running shoes (thus me sticking with the same shoe for 5 years), but I'm thinking it might be time to branch out. The other problem is that there are no running stores in Waco. We have a couple of athletic stores here, but none of them carry a decent stock of running shoes/apparel and none of the employees have clue about runners. I don't know a lot about it, but I do know that heavy trail shoe is not a good option if you are looking for a race-day shoe for a 5K (which is what one girl tried to convince me of). So, that leaves me with a road-trip to Dallas or Austin to buy my shoes. I order my shoes online a lot, but you just can't do that when you are looking for a new shoe. You have to try them out. I like Luke's Locker for that. They have treadmills in the store and have you give the shoes a spin to make sure you like the fit. Either Run Tex, or Luke's needs to open a store in Waco. Surely there is enough of a running community in this town to support it!

Another thought - why can't I part with my old running shoes?? I ended up tossing a few when I moved back to Waco, but I haven't parted with a single pair since then. The right side of my closet is now starting to stack high with old running shoes. I think I probably have more then a dozen shoes stacked up in there right now. Somehow I just can't bring myself to get rid of them...

I woke up this morning feeling a bit worse then I did yesterday, so I'm home again today. My throat currently feels like someone took sandpaper to it overnight. Ouch. I've discovered the joy of Chloraseptic. It provides some temporary relief, but it tastes like crap. I'm not sure what the heck they were smoking when they labeled it as cherry flavor. Hopefully I'll be over this by tomorrow. I'm currently sitting in my den staring at water dripping off the ceiling fan to the floor. I'm pretty sure this is not a good thing. Apparently all the rain has led to several leaks in this room - waiting on repair guy now. I'm also listening to Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown. Good stuff. I think the new Wilco album is out now - I need to get that if so.

I'm bored to death at the moment. I tried to read some this morning when I woke up, but my head was in a cloud of Ny-Quil and too much sleep, so the concentration wasn't exactly there. This has led to me watching last nights Baseball Tonight for the 3rd time in a row and a MacGyver rerun. The sun is finally coming out and it look likes a beautiful day for a run, but this is not going to happen for me. Last night was even worse. I was really craving a run and it was one of my favorite times to run. It was about 70ish out and a light rain. Such a great time to run - you have to be in the right mood for that run, but I was definitely in it. Instead I watched tv. Tragic. I need to do some work this afternoon, but my head is seriously in a daze. Oh well.

I've realized from looking at my stat pages that I've been getting hits from people in Taiwan, Belgium, and Australia. I've got a few other countries on the list, but I'm pretty sure I know they came from due to vacationing friends, however I have no clue on the above three. So, if you are in the above let me know how you found the site, etc.
Cheers!

How is it that you feel great one minute and then an hour later you start to get this itch in the back of your throat and you know you're about to be sick??? I woke up this morning and my throat hurt so bad that I could barely swallow. I've always been one that believes that 90% of being sick is mental, so I got up, took a shower and headed into work. I quickly realized this wasn't going to happen once I got to office and left about 10ish. My doctor was kind enough to fit me in and sure enough had developed some type of throat infection, that I won't try to spell, and the start of a sinus infection. NO BUENO. So, now I'm home and about to take a nap after I drink a gallon of OJ. Only problem is I don't have any OJ, so I think I'll just go to sleep now.

I'm wide awake at the moment. I made the mistake of taking a nap this afternoon and now I'm paying the price. Currently I'm sitting at the desk and listening to Rich Mullins; A Liturgy, A Legacy, And A Ragamuffin Band. It has been a long time since I've listened to it and I have forgotten how much I love it. Its been a pretty good weekend and I'm actually looking forward to diving into work tomorrow. I've got a lot on my plate at the office and ready to plow through some of it. I think I spent a good portion of the weekend sitting at Common Grounds reading. I wondered over there Sat afternoon and ended up staying about four hours, and then spent another three hours this evening. I've been reading a book by Lauren Winner called Girl Meets God. Not the best title in my opinion, it somewhat obstructs half the general population from just picking up the book. Not just the title, but the cover as well. Had a friend not recommended it I would probably have never considered it. The book is basically memoirs of her faith and her conversion from Judaism to Christianity. I've found myself engrossed in it and just about went through the whole thing this weekend (which is a bit unlike me - I don't usually go through books very quickly).

One of the things I have enjoyed delving into is the tradition and liturgy of both Judaism and the Episcopal Church. I think in my embrace of postmodernism this something that may have somewhat been left behind. I can remember several things from my Methodist upbringing that are just not a part of my life anymore, but that I believe could still hold deep meaning for me. One thing that struck me as she wrote about saying the Lord's Prayer was the realization that I couldn't remember the last time I had said those words. For a moment I thought I had maybe forgotten them altogether. How could that be? Words that I spoke every Sunday that I sat in the pews at Schweitzer UMC have somehow now slipped from my mind. They quickly came back to me, but nonetheless I had to think about them for a moment. I'm not really sure what to do with that.



Confession. Since this is not really a part of Methodism and not really a part of my faith now, I can't say that I've ever done this. Winner speaks of her experiences and had questioned the purpose. She questioned the reasoning - why confess if I have already done so to God? Has he not forgiven me already? I think I would/do have the same questions of that myself. Here's a portion that struck me:

Father Peter will grant me absolution, but confession isn't just about absolution. It's not some kind of antinomian free-for-all, where, since we know Christ has already forgiven us, we can just keep sinning. The change, I think, that conversion gradually effects on your heart is this: you come, over some stretched-out time, to want to do the things that God wants you to do, because you want to be close to Him. So the point is not just to be forgiven, it is to be transformed. The religious languages have better words for this then English - teshuvah in Hebrew, and metanoia in Greek. A complete turning around.

That resonates deeply for me. I long for the time when I do the things God wants me to do because I want to be close to Him. Not just the things I want to do, but everything. Kyle spoke this morning of how in our lives as Christians our feelings & mood at the time doesn't really matter. I don't feel like praying today, I don't feel like reading the Bible tonite, I can't forgive that...etc. I think in some ways I've turned God into a God of convenience for me. That one hit home today.