Wednesday, November 3, 2021

A Truly Beautiful Thing

Here's a great tip on how to shorten your stride when running (and increase your running cadence as well). 


I tried to put this tip into practice today on my 5K run at the high school. 

I was able to add 5 spm to my average cadence! If this sounds dramatic, it is, for me at least. Even if you're not shooting for elite times at races, you still want to make improvements in your running mechanics whenever you can. Overall, I enjoyed today's training run immensely. The day was drop dead gorgeous. 

And to top it all off, I got an A+ on my annual physical this morning. The doc gave me a green light to continue competitive running and high elevation climbing. As you know, next summer I would like to return to Zermatt and try to bag a couple more 4,000 meter peaks. And then there's the Richmond Marathon, which will be here in just a week and a half. This marathon will be my last peak race of the year. I am blown away by the number of races the Lord allowed me to do this year despite Covid. My races in 2021 proved to be quite a variety:

February: 

10 Miler in Newport News, VA.

Dahlgren Trail Half Marathon in Dahlgren, VA.

March:

Loch Lothian 10K in Midlothian, VA. 

Live Well Half Marathon in Greenville, NC.

April:

5K on the Runway in Lynchburg, VA.

Blue Ridge Half Marathon in Roanoke, VA.

May:

Fawn Lake Half Marathon in Chesterfield, VA.

June:

Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon in Covington, WV.

High Bridge Trail Half Marathon in Farmville, VA.

July:

Run for Liberty 5K in Cary, NC.

August:

Bull Moon 5K in Durham, NC.

Luray Sprint Triathlon in Luray, VA.

Ashland Half Marathon in Ashland, VA.

September:

Virginia 10 Miler in Lynchburg, VA.

October:

High Bridge 50K in Farmville, VA.

American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler in Cary, NC.

Ah, running races, the sweetness of life sometimes! Does life get any better than that? And now, 2022 is almost upon us and it's time to think about the races I'd like to compete in as the new year dawns. My friend, in your life, don't forget to dream big and strive for passion in your schedule. "Wherever you are, be all there and live to the hilt whatever you are convinced is the will of God for your life" (Jim Elliott). 

Planning for the future, and for life in general, it is truly a beautiful thing.