carleton1958's Xanga

Training Day 8

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:38:32 GMT

Since I just ran two miles last night, I just did a mile this morning along with ten minutes of walking and a good period of stretching. Listening to my iPod. (Secret pleasure - listening to a couple of my daughter's High School Musical songs while running. They are good energizing songs. Also some Newsboys......)

Jeff

Article: "Can gays, "ex-gays" find common ground?"

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:11:10 GMT

For those of you who follow "ex-gay" and "ex-ex-gay" news, there was an interesting PlanetOut article yesterday. Wendy Gritter is quoted in the article, who I referred to in my March 25 post. There are some interesting points in this article, which highlights the continuing evolution of what has been sometimes heated debate and is now becoming somewhat more understanding and conciliatory (in my opinion).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20080513/co_po/cangaysexgaysfindcommonground

Peace,

Jeff

Training Day 7

Mon, 12 May 2008 22:21:22 GMT

Had a very busy weekend of kid activities, shopping for Mother's Day and my son's birthday. Didn't get to the gym Saturday or Sunday, but I got there after work today to run two miles, some walking and some good stretching. The two miles was twice as easy as it was the firsttime I tried it.

On a separate note, the invites went in the mail yesterday for my dad's 80th birthday celebration next month in Cleveland. It's being planned entirely by me and my sister. My jerk older brother won't have a thing to do with it. What a nob. We figure he'll still show up because he won't want to look bad to my aunt and uncle and some of my dad's friends. Whatever. My sister and I are having a good time planning and aren't letting his narcissictic behavior get in the way. It feels a little subversive in a fun sort of way actually.

I found out on Friday that all of my daughter's baseball games are on Tuesday nights, meaning between work travel and baseball I'm not going to be able to attend Celebrate Recovery for the next ten weeks. I'm bummed. I will miss the fellowship, but I'm planning to meet my friend Matt after the meeting for coffee the weeks that I am in town.

Peace,

Jeff

Training Day 6

Sat, 10 May 2008 08:46:33 GMT

Still going steady with training, but I need to ramp it up with more time at the gym. I'm never allowing enough time. Did five minute warmup ont he treadmill, then ran a 10-minute mile, then five minutes on the elliptical. I have to get to an 8:45 a.m. soccer game with my daughter, so that cut the workout short today since the gym doesn't open until 7:00 on Saturdays. Oh well. I plan to extend my workouts this week now that I've gotten back to running a mile or two miles for a week.

Enjoy the weekend and Mother's Day.

Go Obama!

Jeff

Training Day 5 & Update on My Friend

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:33:11 GMT

Day 5 of training. Just a short workout again, but I ran a mile much easier than the first day I started back to running. Warmed up on the elliptical and finished with stretching. My plan is to work up to three miles every other day, first at a 10-minute pace, then work steadily up to an 8-minute pace. Then add a 4th mile a couple times a week in the 2-3 weeks before the June 21 race.

On a separate note, for those of who you prayed for my friend Matt, he's doing great, going on 45 days of complete sobriety, and selling cars for the past 2-1/2 weeks in his new job. I see Matt just once a week now but talk and text in between. If I could pick a new brother, I'd pick Matt. I'm praying for continued sobriety for him and success in reaching some of his personal goals.

Otherwise things are good.

Jeff

Support Justin's Trip to China

Wed, 07 May 2008 07:03:22 GMT

My Xanga friend Justin Green is going to China. He needs prayer and financial support to get there. Check out his May 7 post and help him out if the Lord so leads you.

http://www.xanga.com/JoHoDonKnow

Some great things for the Kingdom in China will be done through Justin and his team this summer.

Jeff

Training Day 4

Tue, 06 May 2008 09:00:25 GMT

Two miles on the treadmill in 20 minutes non-stop. Yes!! Best sweat I've had in a long while. And a good time of stretching both before and after. I ended up needing some physical therapy about four years ago when I overdid it on running and wasn't doing any stretching, so now stretching has to always be part of my routine.

Feeling good.

Jeff

Training Day 3

Mon, 05 May 2008 08:45:31 GMT

Quick workout today since I had to get some stuff done at home before work, plus I worked in the yard all yesterday afternoon, which was its own workout, especially digging out a big forsythia bush that was way overgrown. Just did 5 minute warm-up on the elliptical, then ran a good strong mile on the treadmill and stretched for five minutes.

I was surprised to get on the scale last night and see a weight of 181. Down 5 already.

My son got a good night's sleep. My wife will make a doctor's appointment for him today. Thanks for the prayers, words of concern and encouragement.

Time for work.

Jeff

Training break - requesting prayer for my son

Sun, 04 May 2008 08:33:06 GMT

It's Sunday morning and normally I'd go to the gym for an hour before getting ready for church, but I'm going to take a break from my training today. For one thing I have to go to church early for a Celebrate Recovery leader's meeting, but I also am skipping the gym and waiting till my wife gets up so she can keep an eye on my son this morning after he gets up. About 4:00 this morning my wife woke up after hearing a thud, thinking one of the kids fell out of bed (which never happens). When she ran to check (I was also coming behind her), she called in a panic from the bathroom. My 13-year-old son had fallen backwards into the bathtub after taking a pee, which was the thud we heard when he hit the bathtub. He was pretty much passed out, probably a fainting episode, and I picked him and laid him on the floor. He very slowly came to, complaining that his chest hurt and very groggy. He had no recall of being in the bathtub where he fell.

This is the third time that he has fainted over a period of probably four years. The first time was at a soccer practice, and the second time was at home in our kitchen. Both of these times he had just gotten over a fever, so we always thought there was a connection. We had him see a doctor, and they ran blood work and a couple tests. The only diagnosis was being prone to fainting and low blood pressure after getting up quickly, which could have been part of his fainting last night getting up to go to the bathroom. Plus he didn't really eat any supper since we were running errands last evening after a late lunch.

In any event, I sat by his bed for quite a while and then prayed for him with my wife who was very shook up finding him passed out in the bathtub. My wife wanted me to just hold her. Neither of us could fall asleep and we were thinking about getting up to watch TV or read, but then I woke up at 6:00 and she was sound asleep.

It's 7:30 and my son just got up. He seems okay, but I'm having him eat breakfast right away.

My prayer request is for the Lord to guard him with these fainting spells. This one could have been more serious if he cracked his head on the bathtub. We will worry about this happening again, or when he is on his mission trip to Nashville this summer. Pray that we not be overly protective and hold him back from what he should be involved in, but at the same time these fainting incidents have been scary times.

Thanks.

[Edit: 6:15 p.m.: My son seems to be fine, but we've been taking it easy today, and plan to have a doctor check him out this week, which we have to do anyway for a high school physical form. I had three elders in our church pray for him this morning after the service and anoint him with oil in the spirit of James 5: 14-17 (see below).

As I reflected today on finding my son passed out in the bathtub, tears came to my eyes a couple times. I pray that the Lord protects him from future such occurrences.

From James 5: 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.]

In Training: Day 2

Sat, 03 May 2008 09:53:59 GMT

I made it to the gym for just a half-hour this morning, but I ran my first non-stop mile on the treadmill in 9:27 without much effort after doing 15 minutes on the elliptical to warm up. I did a little stretching before I left. My upper leg cramped a little yesterday, so I'm going to make sure I allow time for stretching everyday. It felt good to run a solid mile today. My plan is to work up to four miles for the June 21 race. I felt back into the swing today.