Tag: Running

National Championships

The 2009 Master’s National Championships are being held in Wisconsin this July.

Here’s a link to the site – 2009 Master’s National Championships

It occurs the same time as a previously scheduled commitment.  Most likely, I’ll be absent.  

If you could only pick one, the National Championships or the World Championships, which would you pick?

The National Championships are less expensive in money and time.  Plus, the odds of a higher finishing place our much greater.

The World Championships are way more expensive in time and money.  And, the odds of a high finish are dramatically reduced.

Seriously, which is the obvious choice?

The correct answer is completely subjective, so there is no wrong or right.    Carpe diem, jeff  🙂

Who’s watching you?

Who’s watching me? 

Everyone probably.   It’s the same for all of us, I think.

People like to watch other people.   Of course, there are exceptions to just about everything.  But generally speaking, this is a great truth.

So the question then, to me, is “So What”?

Well, the answer for me anyway, is that I use that fact to be careful.

Careful?

Yes, careful.

Why?

Simple example.  Our son is eight.  I can not teach him patience with impatience.  Being around a young child has a tendency to test an adult’s patience.

By being aware of this fact, I can anticipate losing my patience before it happens and actually develop habits to remain calm, even when “my buttons are being pushed”.

This can help anyone, anywhere.  How cool is that? 

Funny thing.  I’ve even applied this to running and use it to stay motivated and focused.  It’s what has taken me from an amateur runner to a world-class runner.  

While this was never my goal, it’s where the path has led.  

Yogi Berra, a former famous baseball player who has funny sayings, once said, “When you come to the fork in the road, take it“.   Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Ever get a perfect health score?

Ever get a perfect health score?

Friday’s strength test and core test proved one thing in particular.

A decade worth of hard work, persistence, determination, goal setting, set backs, failures, successes, sweat, pain, motivation,  lack of confidence, confusion, stress, progress, injuries, rehab, physical therapy, core workouts, speed work, and endurance work.

Plus, stretching, flexibility training, 5k’s, 10k’s, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,500 meters, obsession, surrender, thinking, smiling, hoping, visioning, praying, playing, involving family, sacrificing family, nutrition, reading, studying, working full time, volunteering, dreaming, sleeping, lying awake, and probably many more – but I better stop now.

The result?

A perfect score!  My physical therapist determined my core was a perfect score of 21 out of 21.  She used a test used on professional athletes to look for imbalances and weaknesses.

The leg strength test showed my right versus left leg was only 2/10ths of a percent apart.

The staff at Florida Hospital Rehab awarded me the “Most Symmetrical Person” they have ever seen there.

What all of this means is that the efforts have yielded extra-ordinary results.

Life is like that.  You reap what you sow.

I’ll try to not forget that simple truth.  Even though I’m easily distracted.  “Oh look, a bird”!

Make today a day to at least consider your physical health and ask yourself, “Am I investing in my health”?   Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Good new, bad news?

Good news, bad news?

Bad news is I still have left heel pain, intermittently.

Good news is the staff at Florida Hospital rehab center said I’m the most symmetrical person they’ve ever seen.  🙂

What else would they say?  It’s their job to make people feel good about themselves.   Let me tell you, it sure worked yesterday.  🙂

The goal was to test my core.   Why?

After three consecutive years of season-ending injuries, it’s time to start a season with a good, honest look at weak spots and opportunities.

While I still have work to do, overall, my core and symmetry is excellent.

Gotta go run five miles.  I’m praying for a pain-free run, plus world peace, an end to hunger and poverty, and a wish that everyone will be blessed beyond measure today.  Carpe diem, jeff  🙂