Memphis Marathon: Sub-3:00 Achieved

It happened: 2:58.49 (or within a second or two of that). Most all of the tumblers aligned for me to have a good race.

1. Trained well.
2. Avoided injury/illness.
3. Relatively flat course.
4. Decent weather (a little cool, a little breezy, but OK).
5. Run a smart race.

I went out a little fast (~6.40 pace) in the first few miles, and had to pull back a bit in Miles 7-9 (6.55 pace), but got into the groove I needed from Mile 9 through Mile 23 (6.45 pace). This allowed me to build a cushion for those last few miles. And, I did slow down a bit the last three miles (closer to 7 min pace), but to feel that good so late in the race was a new experience. There was fatigue and some pain, but I actually enjoyed this race from start to finish. By the time I started feeling rough, I knew I was going to break 3.00.

I am quite sore today, but no damage done. And, my switch to Adidas prevented the dreaded and ghastly black toenails I normally get from racing 26.2. They are not discolored at all or even sore.

Thank you for your support and prayers!

Memphis Marathon: T-Minus 2 Days

Alas, no online tracking for the Memphis race. Bummer. But, I will do a write-up after it's over.

Please say a prayer for safety, swiftness, and endurance, and that God would teach me about my limits and His Creation through this race.

Feeling good. Feeling strong. Weather will be chilly (30s), but that is not bad for racing as long as the winds stay down.

Please comment if you know of any "must" restaurants in Memphis.

Memphis Marathon: T-Minus 5 Days

The St. Jude Marathon in Memphis, TN, is five days away and this will be my first realistic shot at breaking 3 hours. I think it will be extremely close, as my training and recent shorter distance race times project me right at 3:00 to 3:02. It is a fairly flat course, the weather looks great, and I am in the best shape I've ever been for a marathon. If I avoid illness, I'll have a legit shot.

That said, it is unwise to underestimate or disrespect the distance that 26.2 miles commands. The teeth of this course comes in miles 15-19 during a slow ascent, but it's nothing drastic--it's more the timing. I'll be tired by that point and keeping pace will be tough. But, from 19 until the end, it's a slow descent, so that will be a nice mental boost if I can run at pace through mile 19.

If this race provides online tracking, I will post a link later this week.

Brown Skies, Smiling At Me

Check out these satellite pics from China. Also, read the NY Times story on the causes of these brown clouds.

World Record Marathon

Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) broke his own world record by 27 seconds and became the first human ever to run under 2 hr 4 min for a marathon. He did it in 2.03.59. Yep, one second.

I thought this might be a good time for a lesson in the speed of world class marathoners. Geb ran 4.43 per mile pace for 26.2 miles. I don't know if you know how fast you can run ONE mile. I am pretty fast by recreational runner standards (I can probably run 5.15 for a mile), but I certainly can't run this fast for ONE mile.

This little experiment will give you some idea. Go to a local track. SPRINT for 200 meters (just half a lap on the track). If you can't do it in 35.3 seconds (and most people can't!), then you know what pace Geb ran...FOR 26.2 MILES!

Amazing.

The Next Christendom 1

I am reading Philip Jenkins' The Next Christendom, so I expect to share some of it on this blog from time to time. Jenkin's basic thesis is that "Christianity was as authentically African or Asian as European" and that "far from being an export of the capitalist West, a vestige of European-American imperialism, Christianity is now rooted in the Third World, and the religion's future lies in the global South."(1)

He offers a couple of interesting tidbits in support of his thesis early in the book.

Of the five ancient patriarchates of the chruch, only one, Rome, clearly stood in the West. The others were at Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria--three on the Asian continent, one in Africa. If we can imagine a Christian center of gravity by 500, we should stil be thinking of Syria rather than Italy...(2)

When we refer to Christianity forming a relation with the secular state, Western historians think first of Constantine, who granted toleration within the Roman Empire in 313. Far less celebrated are the other early states that established Christianity as their own official religion in the fourth century, namely Ethiopia and Armenia. Almost certainly, Armenia was the first state anywhere to establish Christianity as an official faith, which it did around the year 300. (3) [bold mine]

For good measure, Jenkins plainly states that "monasticism is an Egyptian invention." I expect to gain a more balanced view of the history and direction of Christianity through Jenkins' work and I will try to pass along any jawdroppers that I encounter. I am about 50 pages deep, and I can already highly recommend this book.


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1. Jenkins, xi.
2. Ibid, 21.
3. Ibid, 22-3.

The Prune Effect

Today, I had a piece published in Rise Over Run, WKU's student-run online magazine. It is mainly a defense of the type of course that I teach called "University Experience and the Prune Effect."