Confessions of a Mock "Nile Ten Miler"

Today dawned wet with 25mls in the rain gauge. Within a couple of hours I had emptied another 21mls and as I write there is a further 11mls in the gauge. The temperature has been around 19 for most of the day and the humidity is still sitting on 99%. It has been so wet that the annual Penny Farthing championships at Evandale were cancelled because of the dangerous conditions. However, that will not prevent tomorrow's Nile Ten Mile being run on a flat course.

After trying to load a few extra carbohydrates into myself since last night I was ready to do a mock Nile Ten Mile along the Bike Track, which isn't totally flat. However, it is the best that I can do. I loaded up my Fuel Belt with Staminade and drove down to the starting point. It was still raining, but once I arrived there it stopped - but for how long I wondered. I even took a towel down so I would have something dry to sit on when I drove home after completing the run.

I set off trying to run conservatively at around 6 min/k and was surprised that after 1k I was running at around 6.10/k. Obviously I am still not very good at judging my speed. I increased my speed ever so slightly to try and run at what I was aiming for. At the 2k post I turned around, just slightly over 12 mins and made my way back to the starting post. Now that I had completed 4k it was a U-turn to begin the 6k leg to the old ferry terminal.

After 4k I was slightly ahead of myself, but that was OK. Just after running through 6k (the 2k post marker on the track) there are paint marks on the track from an official race some time ago marked out as "450" and then "400" so I doubled back within those marks to make up the extra 100m I needed. I decided to only check my time every 2k. At 8k I was under  my scheduled time but over the next 2k I began to slow, though I was not conscious of it at the time. At 10k I was slightly over my time as I turned around for the final 6k back to the starting line. But now I had a headwind which stayed with me for 3-4k.

My legs began to tire and though I kept on reminding myself that I was in a "race" it was difficult for me to keep the pace up. Every so often I would try to lift the pace but I am not mentally strong enough to keep it up. It was at that time that I recalled that I have become less mentally strong in everything over the years. Thus the struggles I have these days with prayer and my Bible reading - as well as concentration when it comes to preparing sermons, Bible studies and wedding and funeral services.

I kept counting the 1/2k posts off, being surprised at how quickly I was putting each one behind me. It was progress. I tried to estimate how long it would take me and was surprised at the time I had run to get to 15k. I tried to lift my game a bit further - but that didn't last long.

The end was in sight. As I rounded the second last bend I pushed myself up the incline to the last bend and valiantly strode on to complete the run in 1hr 38mins 03secs.I was pleasantly surprised as I had hoped to run between 1.40 and 1.45, so I exceeded what I had wanted to do.

At the end of the run I walked around the carpark to cool down (I was sopping and for the last part of the run  the sun had broken through) and there was the most beautiful Flame Robin you could hope to see. Its bright red breast shone in the sun and all I could think about was the blood of Jesus Christ shed for me for the foulness of my sins. I'm so glad he didn't weary in his "race" to save me and those like me who are so unworthy of his grace.

I drove home to find that my beloved had a hot bath waiting for me. What a joy she is!

After the bath I recorded my results and was amazed that I had taken 63 secs off last year's time! Wow! So I averaged about 6.05/k. One of these days I might even be able to get down to under 6mins/k. And here was me thinking in the latter stages of the run that perhaps I was getting past it and maybe should give up!

This morning our local paper had a check-list regarding diabetes which I completed. I scored 9 which meant I had an intermediate or 1 in 30 chance of developing diabetes. But my 9 points were made up of my age and my gender and I can't do anything about them so the running is definitely helping lower my chances of developing it.

Next on my agenda is an equivalent of the Run Devonport 10k in March (though, again, their course is flatter than mine) followed by the 10k Freedom Run in April. I have something to look forward to in the area of jogging to spur me on.

To those who have read thus far can I say that the most important race in life is the spiritual race as, putting our trust in Jesus Christ, we cast aside whatever hinders us or slows us down so we can run the course marked out for us and cross the line to the Master's "well done, good and faithful servant". May each of us strive to keep within our lane, which is the narrow road that leads to life. If we get out of our lane and into the broad road that leads to destruction because Jesus is not our first love then we will be excluded from God's heaven.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ encourage and strengthen your hearts at all times.

My last hit out before the big one

Yesterday, after a day of meetings and before an evening meal out hosted by one of the younger men in the congregation, I decided to run my last run before trialling my version of Sunday's "Nile Ten Mile". While the real race is a flat course I will have a few inclines in mine along Devonport's Bike Track. I know it will be slower than last year's time and even more slower than my best time trial over 10 miles but I accept that I have been so busy with funerals, etc that I haven't put in the miles.

Anyway, back to yesterday. I thought I would do an easy 8k along the bike track but just after I started realised that I needed to shorten the distance so as to get back in time for our night out. So I decided to cut it down to 6k and endeavoured to run at around 6 min/k. All went well for the first 2k and was just a couple of seconds faster than planned, but then I began to get a bit faster, especially the return 3k so that I ended up 20 secs faster than I had planned. If I do that on the weekend I think I will be in trouble before I get very far into my trial over the distance.

If I do the distance on Saturday the humidity is expected to be in the low 80s (as it was yesterday) but on Monday it will be in the low 60s, which would make it more pleasant. However, I have meetings in Launceston on Monday and an evening meeting back home. Decisions, decisions!

Preparing for the Nile Ten Mile

Over the last couple of months ministry has been very demanding. There might only have been two funerals in December but they were both friends that took a lot out of me. By the time I had conducted both of them it was the busyness of Christmas with all the extra services that I needed to prepare for and conduct.

Val and I took most of January off (though I did lose six days of holidays due to public holidays, coming back to conduct a wedding and returning early so I could be prepared for the Sunday.

At least we were able to go to some fabulous spots and my favourite activity was trying to photograph birds and insects - I don't know why but both subjects appeal to me.

New Holland Honeyeater at Cape Bruny Light Station

Grasshopper on Hanson's Peak Track, Cradle Mountain NP

Welcome Swallows, Cradle Mountain NP

There are just too many others to post here, but they are on Facebook.

We'd hardly been home when I had urgent calls to visit friends (younger than us) in hospital in Launceston. I made three trips that week to visit them - and both of them died. It was so emotionally wrenching. I conducted both of their funerals this week - and sobbed at the end of each of them. And now I have another one to conduct on Tuesday.

As a result of everything that has been happening I have had very little time to go running. I have only been able to get out once or on some occasions twice per week for the last few months. I knew that I need to get out, but it is so hard.

Anyway, today I did a 14k run from home and along to the end of the bike track at the old ferry jetty. This course commences with a short, though steep incline from home and I reached the turn around mark in 42 mins, which was good seeing the first k took 6.40 because of the hill. I felt comfortable but I knew I had slowed down after 6k.

The return leg saw me running at around 6.15 for a while but then my lack of endurance took its toll and I finished in 1.29.11. I didn't stop once (except on two occasions to pick up 5 cent pieces to go towards Naomi's mortgage). The last couple of k saw cramps coming on, meaning I struggled and had to run flat footed at times. I found myself wondering whether, at 62, I am getting past it.

Well that's it from me for now, except to say that I will be running my version of Sunday week's Nile Ten Mile   on either the Saturday or the Monday but I wonder how I will manage it. At least I don't have those two steep hills to worry about.