It's been a while since I've posted. It's been a little bit of complacency and a lot of doing other things including running a lot. It feels good to get the blood pumping again. I am working towards getting my 5k time down to the respectable 21 minutes I was running 1 year ago right now. Three weeks ago I competed in a team relay with my wife and a friend in the LA Triathlon. I ran the 5k on zero training in 30:36 which would have been an easy training run last year - pathetic. Needless to say, it will take a little work.

Today at the Grove we had guest preacher Bryan Loritts, an amazing speaker with an incredible gift to inspire with his stories and beautiful communication style. I still remember his message from over a year ago about Wilbur Wilberforce and needing to go and be a light in our own workplace and through our own circumstances to stand up for those who are oppressed.

Today he spoke on 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 on finishing the race of life well. He used the analogy of a marathon and spoke of "the wall". Anyone who has run a marathon will probably tell you that if they give it their all there is a time - usually about 20 miles - when you want to quit. All of the glycogen (the fuel used by your muscles for exercise) in your body is spent and you literally have to "dig deep" to finish. Some people are able to train hard enough to get through this moment, but if you are running to be competitive and not just to finish you will hit the wall, it is just a matter of whether you can push through it mentally and physically or if you will perform a "death march" to the finish line.

In June 2007 I ran my only marathon the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego. Although I did not compete in this race to win, I am competitive with myself. I had a goal to finish in less than 4 hours. I was on pace through 18 miles and remember seeing my brother and sister in law at mile 18 and thinking "if I can keep this pace for 8 more miles I will finish right at 4 hours." Unfortunately, I did not meet my goal. Despite missing my time by a few minutes, I distinctly remember three moments from those last 8 miles.

First was trying to climb a little bridge at mile 20 which seemed like a mountain at that time. I remember having the overwhelming urge to stop. I just told myself to push through it and it would all be over soon.

Second was hitting mile 22 and seeing my father-in-law Charlie. He ran with me for the next mile or so and I remember just talking with him and telling him how much it meant to have him run with me. As I left him behind to finish the last 3 miles the band was playing "In the name of Love." One of my favorite U2 songs - just a surreal moment. I still get chills thinking about it.

The final memory I have is the last mile. The marathon finishes in the Marine Corps Recruit Depot and I remember seeing the marine guarding the entrance with his M16 and realizing I have less than 1 mile to finish the race. My pace quickened and the last mile didn't hurt any more. I remember looking into people's faces in the crowd and just smiling realizing it was finally over.

The finish line is an incredible place. I know the feeling of finishing strong and it feels like you are on a cloud (or perhaps it's just the low blood sugar). It is worth the pain you endure. My prayer is that I can finish strong in the race of life. I'm not sure if I've hit the wall or not. Maybe losing Karissa is just a little hill and the worst is yet to come. Every time I think that life can't get worse I find out it can. I need people to come beside me and run with me. I know in my heart God has an incredible finish line for Adrianne and I. My goal is to keep pressing forward even though it hurts.

I got a call last week from my buddy Josh to invite me to play in the Grove Shoot-out and of course I said yes. Even though I had to work late last night, I found out that I had the most sleep of all of my team which was 4 hours. Josh had put together a stellar team of Mike Lance and his other friend Mike (don't know his last name). Our team managed to shoot an 11 under par 59, which was just enough to win the tournament in a tie-breaker. Tom Lance's team of course had the low score, but they had a pro so it didn't count. I had an incredible time and I played pretty well which was a bonus. My blogging has been sparse lately. I've been worn out. I will get back to it next week. Stay tuned.