I have taken a bit of a break from posting while Kim and I went on vacation. This is our annual post-Easter week on the beach (if it happens in March we go to the mountains). We stayed at Seagrove Beach in Florida, and were blessed with six days of sun, temperatures in the 70’s and low 80’s, and nothing to do but enjoy it.
We rented bikes and rode all over scenic 30-A, enjoying Seaside, Watercolor, Grayton, and Blue Mountain beaches. We ate, mostly in our condo. One of the joys of these trips are the meals we prepare together for two. On this trip, we tried to do the meals we prepared as healthy as possible, and succeeded for the most part. The meals out?…not so much. I’m sorry, but this southern boy cannot resist a plate of fried fish or po-boy sandwiches, and French fries will always be my biggest weakness. So if I were giving myself a grade, it would be a C on the eating…maybe a B-.
I did run four days, including a long run of six miles on Saturday. It was really humid and quite warm, which made the runs difficult, but I got through them. With the biking and two or three long walks on the beach, I think I offset the eating pretty well.
Final result – I gained three pounds. erg….
The good news is that I’ve done well since being home, and I think I lost what I gained. I will weigh in on Saturday morning before the race to see how close I got to my goal.
The half marathon is Saturday. It is supposed to be in the high 80’s here, but I’m hoping to be off the course before the real heat arrives.
I’m going to give everything I have to get in under 2 hours, and it will take everything I have to sustain the necessary pace for the full 13.1 miles. We start at 7 a.m., so I appreciate any thoughts and prayers you might send my way.
A few people have asked me why I run. I’ve never really been able to answer that question before this year. But going through this more intentional process – especially during Lent – has opened my eyes to a few things, and I think I have an answer now. It comes from a line in the movie, “Chariots of Fire,” and it is quoted by Richard Foster:
“When I run, I feel His pleasure.”
When I put one foot in front of the other, I feel that I’m doing something that is making me a better husband, a better father, a better friend, a better pastor…and that all those things are helping me become the person God wants me to be. So yes,
“When I run, I feel His pleasure.”
That’s it, that’s why I run…
christopherjoiner 
Good luck tomorrow. Hope you beat the heat.
I’m praying for you – hope you do well.