NYRR

November 24, 2007 entry (Posted November 26, 2007)

As of today, it has been three weeks since the Olympic Marathon Trials. Sara and I finally returned home yesterday after a long three weeks of traveling. A couple days after the Trials we headed to Israel for what would be our first real vacation since our honeymoon two years ago. It was amazing to see the places were Jesus lived, to meet the people of Jesus decent, to be baptized in the water He was baptized in, and to take a boat ride on the water that He walked on. It was both a time of celebration and relaxation, as we floated effortlessly in the Dead Sea, and a time of spiritual enrichment, as we came to understand more about the context in which Jesus lived. As great as it was to travel and go to the Big Apple I can honestly say that I am excited to be home.

This morning I did my first run faster than a jog as I jumped in part of a “progression” run with Deena. Let me explain that a “progression” run with Deena is no jog in the park, rather it plays out more like a tempo run (Mike you know what I am talking about). But it is always good to run with Deena, as I always take something away from the experience. As we were running I was telling her what a humbling experience it can be to run a marathon regardless of the outcome.

Doing well makes me realize that God has given me a gift and even though I put in a lot work to develop the gift, it is still a gift, and not something that I have earned. I am also humbled by the fact that so many people have invested so much in me to help me do what I do. If it weren’t for my wife coming home early from Europe to be with me during my preparations for the Trials I think things would have turned out a lot differently or if Sara and I would not have stumbled into this perfect training group, place to train, and coach, we certainly would never have developed to this level. It is humbling to know that my success has always been a result of both God-given, undeserved talent and the investments made by the people that surround me......