Sunday, May 26, 2013
Yesterday's Bike, Today's Run.
I had a decent bike ride yesterday, followed by a great run this morning. I have my first triathlon of the season coming up on June 2nd, so I'm looking forward to that.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
I'm Running a Marathon In Uganda. Really? Really.
I can’t believe it, but this fall I am headed to Uganda with 6 other Team World Vision runners to run a marathon at incredibly high elevations, in a completely foreign country. My goal through this somewhat outrageous adventure is to attempt to raise awareness within my own group of friends of the plight of children living in poverty around the world. Each of the runners going on this trip has pledged to find sponsors for 50 to 100 children in a community called Lwamaggawa. Combined, our team is looking to radically change the lives, and futures, of 350 children through the generosity of our friends.
Sponsorship is an amazing opportunity to become involved in the life of a child thousands of miles away. Sponsorship dollars are used to improve the lives of everyone in the child’s community and go towards things like clean water, healthcare, education, and professional training for adults. The coolest part of sponsorship is that you get to build a direct relationship with your sponsored child, writing and receiving letters, sending them gifts for their birthday, and interacting with them as they grow up. Additionally, I want to assure you that your donation is not going to support any of my costs associated with this trip. World Vision maintains an incredibly low overhead and 88 cents of every dollar you give goes directly to those in need.
To see how child sponsorship can literally change the lives of those supported, check out this video.
Bob Pierce (founder of World Vision) once said, “Don’t fail to do something just because you can’t do everything.” Going to Uganda with Team World Vision is my small way of helping to combat poverty and injustice throughout the world. I’m extremely excited to see how God will use me, and this team, as we visit the community we are raising support for.
For $35.00 a month you can radically change a life forever. If you are willing to step up to this challenge send me a message via email, Facebook, or Twitter. Or for those of you who have my number, give me a call. Thank you so much for your generosity!
“Be the change that you want to see in the world.” – Mohandas Gandhi¬
Sponsorship is an amazing opportunity to become involved in the life of a child thousands of miles away. Sponsorship dollars are used to improve the lives of everyone in the child’s community and go towards things like clean water, healthcare, education, and professional training for adults. The coolest part of sponsorship is that you get to build a direct relationship with your sponsored child, writing and receiving letters, sending them gifts for their birthday, and interacting with them as they grow up. Additionally, I want to assure you that your donation is not going to support any of my costs associated with this trip. World Vision maintains an incredibly low overhead and 88 cents of every dollar you give goes directly to those in need.
To see how child sponsorship can literally change the lives of those supported, check out this video.
Bob Pierce (founder of World Vision) once said, “Don’t fail to do something just because you can’t do everything.” Going to Uganda with Team World Vision is my small way of helping to combat poverty and injustice throughout the world. I’m extremely excited to see how God will use me, and this team, as we visit the community we are raising support for.
For $35.00 a month you can radically change a life forever. If you are willing to step up to this challenge send me a message via email, Facebook, or Twitter. Or for those of you who have my number, give me a call. Thank you so much for your generosity!
“Be the change that you want to see in the world.” – Mohandas Gandhi¬
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Kids Against Hunger 5K
Yesterday Anne and I celebrated 6 years of marriage! Our morning was spent running the Kids Against Hunger 5K and we had a blast.
God blessed me with a win and Anne did very well too! A little race recap is below:
Mile 1 - 5:29 pace
I took it out relaxed and sort of watched what some of the other front runners were doing. This was a rather uneventful mile as we were all trying to see where each others fitness was and who was going to try to make the first move. I think I sat in 5th or 6th place at this point.
Mile 2 - 5:22 pace
On the northeast corner of Lake Calhoun just before the 2 mile mark there is a slight hill. As a passed a couple runners as we neared this hill I could tell their breathing was pretty labored, where as I was feeling pretty comfortable. So as we approached the hill I decided to make my move and surge into the lead. I believe I went from 3rd to 1st here.
Mile 3 - 5:30 pace
I was able to hold the lead the rest of the way. I looked back on two separate occasions to see what sort of lead I had as I was starting to feel the faster pace. With about 400 meters to go, I relaxed the pace a little knowing I had the win. I finished with a chip time of 16:58. God blessed me with the fastest 5K I have run in probably 7 or 8 years, so I was pretty happy with my time. Second place was about 1 minute behind.
The winner of the race got this awesome plaque. It is a great reminder of what this event was all about, raising money for those in poverty, the starving. The mud pie on this plaque is made of mud, sugar, and flour; this is what kids will eat once per day.
I run for 3 different reasons; to praise God for the gift of running and be a light to the endurance sport world, to raise money and awareness for poverty and injustice around the world, and for the pure joy God gives me through running. Yesterday I experience them all. To God be the glory!
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17
God blessed me with a win and Anne did very well too! A little race recap is below:
Mile 1 - 5:29 pace
I took it out relaxed and sort of watched what some of the other front runners were doing. This was a rather uneventful mile as we were all trying to see where each others fitness was and who was going to try to make the first move. I think I sat in 5th or 6th place at this point.
Mile 2 - 5:22 pace
On the northeast corner of Lake Calhoun just before the 2 mile mark there is a slight hill. As a passed a couple runners as we neared this hill I could tell their breathing was pretty labored, where as I was feeling pretty comfortable. So as we approached the hill I decided to make my move and surge into the lead. I believe I went from 3rd to 1st here.
Mile 3 - 5:30 pace
I was able to hold the lead the rest of the way. I looked back on two separate occasions to see what sort of lead I had as I was starting to feel the faster pace. With about 400 meters to go, I relaxed the pace a little knowing I had the win. I finished with a chip time of 16:58. God blessed me with the fastest 5K I have run in probably 7 or 8 years, so I was pretty happy with my time. Second place was about 1 minute behind.
The winner of the race got this awesome plaque. It is a great reminder of what this event was all about, raising money for those in poverty, the starving. The mud pie on this plaque is made of mud, sugar, and flour; this is what kids will eat once per day.
I run for 3 different reasons; to praise God for the gift of running and be a light to the endurance sport world, to raise money and awareness for poverty and injustice around the world, and for the pure joy God gives me through running. Yesterday I experience them all. To God be the glory!
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Fargo Marathon 2011
Starting Temperature: 67 degrees w/ rain
Humidity: 75 percent
Wind: E/SE 15-20 mph
This morning was the Fargo Marathon; my seventh total. Because of the expected weather and wind, I went into the race this morning open-minded. Yes, I had a time I wanted to hit, but my main goal today was to simply run with joy, no matter what happened. John 15:11 says, “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” I thought of this verse many times throughout the race. I simply wanted to praise God out on the course today and have a good time, even if I didn’t hit my time goal. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” This was my prayer today, race for Him and not for men (or myself and my time goal).
Miles 1-20: These miles were euphoric. As each mile went by it was as though I was just starting the race. I was enjoying the presence of the bands playing along the way and the people lining the course. During these miles the sky began to open up and the sun began to peak through the clouds, causing the sort of “sauna affect” that every runner dreads during a long race.
Miles 21-26.2: As a result of the “sauna affect,” it seems as though everything changed in an instant. I began to sweat more and lose more sodium and electrolytes. I also experienced my first, well, let’s just call it a bathroom situation (I’ll spare you the details) during a marathon. So between sweating more and my bathroom situation I lost a lot of fluids. Around mile 21 or 22 my hamstrings began to cramp up, first the right side, then the left. I would run a mile or two and have to stop; I stopped three or four times total to stretch out. Before all of this happened I was right on target, 2:41ish pace. Due to the stops I had to make I finished in 2:47.28. Even though I finished slower than I wanted I couldn’t help but be overcome with joy!
For complete results you can go here
On a side note, this race has the best finishers medal of any marathon around the country. How you might ask? It’s quite simple, because Hebrews 12:1 is on ALL finisher medals! How cool is that? Below is a picture.
Humidity: 75 percent
Wind: E/SE 15-20 mph
This morning was the Fargo Marathon; my seventh total. Because of the expected weather and wind, I went into the race this morning open-minded. Yes, I had a time I wanted to hit, but my main goal today was to simply run with joy, no matter what happened. John 15:11 says, “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” I thought of this verse many times throughout the race. I simply wanted to praise God out on the course today and have a good time, even if I didn’t hit my time goal. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” This was my prayer today, race for Him and not for men (or myself and my time goal).
Miles 1-20: These miles were euphoric. As each mile went by it was as though I was just starting the race. I was enjoying the presence of the bands playing along the way and the people lining the course. During these miles the sky began to open up and the sun began to peak through the clouds, causing the sort of “sauna affect” that every runner dreads during a long race.
Miles 21-26.2: As a result of the “sauna affect,” it seems as though everything changed in an instant. I began to sweat more and lose more sodium and electrolytes. I also experienced my first, well, let’s just call it a bathroom situation (I’ll spare you the details) during a marathon. So between sweating more and my bathroom situation I lost a lot of fluids. Around mile 21 or 22 my hamstrings began to cramp up, first the right side, then the left. I would run a mile or two and have to stop; I stopped three or four times total to stretch out. Before all of this happened I was right on target, 2:41ish pace. Due to the stops I had to make I finished in 2:47.28. Even though I finished slower than I wanted I couldn’t help but be overcome with joy!
For complete results you can go here
On a side note, this race has the best finishers medal of any marathon around the country. How you might ask? It’s quite simple, because Hebrews 12:1 is on ALL finisher medals! How cool is that? Below is a picture.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Always Second Best
A couple of weeks ago I ran the campwannarunamileormore half marathon as a tune-up race for the Fargo Marathon in May. The race went really well and I ended up placing second. And that is the point of this post. It is humbling for me to never actually win a race despite constantly placing in the top 10 or better. I believe it is God's simple way of always reminding me why I run and race, to be a witness for Him in the endurance sports world. It is a reminder to me that the point of racing should never be to win a race, but to show Christ's love to others and hopefully plant a seed for Him in someone's life.
James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
What Is Recklessly Running?
I have felt led to start this blog for two reasons; my passion for running and because I want to bring glory to God through my athletics - I want to worship Him through my body while running.
Over the past week I have struggled with an Achilles Tendon injury that has prevented me from running for the last seven days. I know that when I begin to focus on myself and on my own athletic achievements for selfish gain God brings me back to Him one way or another, usually through injury. I know that this is Him saying, 'Hey now Aaron, remember what you promised to Me and committed to Me a few years ago...' The commitment was simply this - that I would give Him all the honor, glory, and praise for any running achievement I may accomplish and that I would run for Him.
When I run wholeheartedly for Him I am free; I am free from the pressure to perform. I am free to recklessly run - I am recklessly running.
"May the God who gives ENDURANCE and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 15: 5-6
Over the past week I have struggled with an Achilles Tendon injury that has prevented me from running for the last seven days. I know that when I begin to focus on myself and on my own athletic achievements for selfish gain God brings me back to Him one way or another, usually through injury. I know that this is Him saying, 'Hey now Aaron, remember what you promised to Me and committed to Me a few years ago...' The commitment was simply this - that I would give Him all the honor, glory, and praise for any running achievement I may accomplish and that I would run for Him.
When I run wholeheartedly for Him I am free; I am free from the pressure to perform. I am free to recklessly run - I am recklessly running.
"May the God who gives ENDURANCE and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 15: 5-6
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