Good morning.
I've been reading that restricting your overall calories is one of the best ways to lose weight and live longer. I realized that it's been a long time since I've felt hungry on a regular basis, and that came as a surprise to me. I think I'm eating too much. I'm a bit alarmed by this thought, so I'm going to experiment with calorie reduction. I'm going to cut my intake of processed foods by 50%. I don't know how this will play out, but to start with, I will eat half portions of anything that is considered a "processed" food.
My brother-in-law Matt is my height and quite a bit lighter than I am (he is around 185 most days). We both run, and I have heard him say on many occasions that the biggest boost to his weight loss (and current weight maintenance) is cutting his portions in half. There's more to the story, but that was the main point. Seeing a living example of weight loss and weight control gives me hope that I'm close to finding "a good fit" for my goals. I shall become a scientist of myself in this little journey towards healthy weight control. A 35 pound weight loss will put me at 195, a wonderful goal for my 6'4" frame.
This strategy feels correct, and I wonder where it will lead me.
Allergies are okay, though I just sneezed a bunch of times. Took my last Sudafed this morning and I will dip out at lunch to pick up some Claritin (or generic brand) at Target. I think I've had undiagnosed allergies for most of my life. I always chalked it up to "a summer cold", though they've never been severe, just irritating.
Did I tell you that I'm running this marathon without an iPod? In my mind, this is akin to announcing I'm running barefoot! I've come to learn that when I run without headphones I am much more in tune with my surroundings, the crowd, my body and my heart. I slip into prayer as I run, and my mind just kind of drifts away. It's like an "out of body" experience, but very much "in the body" too. I wonder what prayers I will offer up to God. This might be the best time to quiet my requests and instead practice my listening skills. I guess we'll see. 3-1/2 days away.
Take care. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope your week is a sweet one.
Frank
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
(229.5#) 117 Hours Until the Marathon
GOOD MORNING!!!!
Spring is here, and my heart cries out with elation and joy!
Seriously, this is one of the best payoffs for living in the Midwest.... spring and summer!!! We're 20 days til the pools open, 5 days til the marathon, and RIGHT NOW for good weather!!!
I hope this note finds you well. I'm on a mission... I'm cleaning house (internally) and knocking out everything on my immediate to-do lists. I'm focused at work and I'm reconnecting with friends and loved ones. I'm praying for my enemies and "sitting in stillness" early in the mornings... listening for God.
I'll tell you what, I find it EXTREMELY easy to pray, aka: TALKING to God, but it is a challenge for me to meditate, aka: LISTEN to God. My men's Bible study group has challenged me last night to go to God with an "open hand", offering full submission to His will for the direction of my Life. Wow. That's a challenge, for I REALLY like control, and submitting to God would be a conscious release of that control.
It's actually a tougher challenge than the upcoming 26.2 miles.
But I'm willing and ready.
I can't do this alone.
I don't want to do this alone.
I want God in my life as the captain of my soul, and I will happily go where He leads me. Through Him all things are possible, including the transformation of my wayward soul.
I started this blog because I wanted to lose weight. Today I'm looking to be released of my heart's heaviest burden, the extreme weight of my ego.
Please Lord, release me from my ego, and release me from my desire for control and independence from You.
Let my life be a living sacrifice for You.
This Sunday's run will be a run of joy and gratitude. Let every fiber of my being cry out in exultation of your Word!
Mold me, guide me, direct me. Let my loved ones see Your love shining through me.
Make me a channel of Your peace.
And together, let's run!
Have a great day! Sketches coming soon!
Frank
Spring is here, and my heart cries out with elation and joy!
Seriously, this is one of the best payoffs for living in the Midwest.... spring and summer!!! We're 20 days til the pools open, 5 days til the marathon, and RIGHT NOW for good weather!!!
I hope this note finds you well. I'm on a mission... I'm cleaning house (internally) and knocking out everything on my immediate to-do lists. I'm focused at work and I'm reconnecting with friends and loved ones. I'm praying for my enemies and "sitting in stillness" early in the mornings... listening for God.
I'll tell you what, I find it EXTREMELY easy to pray, aka: TALKING to God, but it is a challenge for me to meditate, aka: LISTEN to God. My men's Bible study group has challenged me last night to go to God with an "open hand", offering full submission to His will for the direction of my Life. Wow. That's a challenge, for I REALLY like control, and submitting to God would be a conscious release of that control.
It's actually a tougher challenge than the upcoming 26.2 miles.
But I'm willing and ready.
I can't do this alone.
I don't want to do this alone.
I want God in my life as the captain of my soul, and I will happily go where He leads me. Through Him all things are possible, including the transformation of my wayward soul.
I started this blog because I wanted to lose weight. Today I'm looking to be released of my heart's heaviest burden, the extreme weight of my ego.
Please Lord, release me from my ego, and release me from my desire for control and independence from You.
Let my life be a living sacrifice for You.
This Sunday's run will be a run of joy and gratitude. Let every fiber of my being cry out in exultation of your Word!
Mold me, guide me, direct me. Let my loved ones see Your love shining through me.
Make me a channel of Your peace.
And together, let's run!
Have a great day! Sketches coming soon!
Frank
Friday, May 6, 2011
Letter to a Friend
Good afternoon, my Friend.
You are... without a doubt, without a SINGLE DOUBT IN MY MIND, you are a surprise, a pleasure, and a joy! I hope this letter finds you well.
and HAPPY FRIDAY!!
Today, I am grateful for your place in my life. I can't wait to see you. I just want to give you a big fat hug, swing you around in the air and thank you for being YOU! I'm serious! You've been a wonderful friend to me, and a total lifesaver! Kind of like my secret "in-case-of-TRUE-emergency-I'm-here-for-you" person. You're my big guns, my honest surprise and such a delight! I'm saying a prayer of gratitude for you right now. I look forward to seeing you, laughing and sharing stories together. You've reminded me that I belong to God... anything good that's come from me has been a result of the love and time you've invested. We are a chain of hearts, linked by love and devotion, prayer and worship.
It seems as if there was a rough patch for the past couple weeks, as if I had lost my focus. Prayer and faith carried me through, and here I am with a new, calmer heart. "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." God just wants us to trust Him with whatever we have. He wants us to know Him, love Him, and put everything on Him. All I want to do is (as Liz Gilbert so eloquently put it) "Search for God like a man whose hair is on fire will search for water". Last Sunday's run was my longest training run, 20 miles. Out of everything that came from that run, do you know what meant the most to me? The last 2 miles. I turned off the iPod and just spent those 2 miles praying and giving thanks for the life God gave me, the air in my lungs, the strength to run and the heart to pump, eyes to see and enjoy this little corner of Creation. :) Those last 2 miles were effortless. I was carried on a wave of prayer and gratitude, and the running was a perfect vehicle for worship. This upcoming marathon will be a prayer said with every muscle, every breath, every fiber of my being. It may have taken 37 years to come back to God, but I'm back, and I'm smiling. There will be a day when we're all together, laughing and smiling and filled with joy untinctured with pain. (and yes, I think this is the FIRST time in my life I've ever had the opportunity to actually USE the word "untinctured". You bring out the Scrabble scholar in me.)
This life is truly a transformative journey, and I am daily encouraged by the progress of our souls. And now, may I offer a bit of advice? Continue to trust your instincts. You're strong in your faith. Continue to quiet your inner voice, and continue to make a space for God to indwell within your heart. Focus on the people and experiences that expand your heart and heal your soul. As the messages from the Virgin Mary say, so I repeat here: Pray, Fast, and Repent. Make it part of your daily life. And continue to send energy, love and light to those that need it, but use care to protect yourself from any emotional blackholes.*
*side note: have you ever noticed how some people seem to have quite a bit of bad luck, as if they've got a gray cloud over their head? I fall for this often... thinking the "storm clouds" are results of bad luck, bad relationships, checkered pasts, etc, I find myself trying to support and uplift them. More often than not it becomes clear that no matter the reason the clouds first appeared, these people maintain the "victim mentality", going so far as to have their egos identify with the pain as part of their own identity!!! yuck! These people end up sucking the energy of those souls who come in contact with them, and they allow their pain and misery to define them!!! Personally, I distance myself physcially, and pray for them privately. I pray for a space to be created within, so that the Holy Spirit rushes in and fills them with sunlight, peace, and happiness. It's all I know how to do in order to keep myself safe, yet also share God's Love. Things in this Life can shake us to our very cores... and leave us with deep wounds. You must get right with God to heal the hurt inside. Until that happens, a soul can't move forward.
Have I told you that I see you as a living example of Christ's love? You do indeed have a happy soul, and I suspect you were made on a special day in Heaven.
(deep sigh)
wow. I honestly wasn't intending to write today. I woke with a bit of a headache and the feeling of "tunnel vision" (aka: cue the opening bars of NERVOUS BEFORE THE BIG RUN). I thought today was just going to be a day to "get through it quietly". Ha! My soul is awake now! My eyes are bright and the weather outside promises a perfect opportunity for a good tapering run after work. I'm thinking 7-10 miles. I guess we'll just see what I've got in the tank. It's becoming less about the run and more about the quiet time in my soul. I can hardly wait!
Now get out there and have a GREAT weekend! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! In between times of meditation I'm currently reading and listening to Caroline Myss, Elizabeth Gilbert, T. Colin Campbell (The China Study), Jillian Michaels, the Gospel of John, Anthony Robbins, and, of course, my daily Calvin and Hobbes!
Thanks for reading this post. I've come to learn that these notes serve as a working diary for me, illuminating the journey and the miles traveled. It's also become a reminder of not only WHO we are, but WHOSE we are.
Thank you for calling out the best in me!
Your Dear Friend,
Frank
You are... without a doubt, without a SINGLE DOUBT IN MY MIND, you are a surprise, a pleasure, and a joy! I hope this letter finds you well.
and HAPPY FRIDAY!!
Today, I am grateful for your place in my life. I can't wait to see you. I just want to give you a big fat hug, swing you around in the air and thank you for being YOU! I'm serious! You've been a wonderful friend to me, and a total lifesaver! Kind of like my secret "in-case-of-TRUE-emergency-I'm-here-for-you" person. You're my big guns, my honest surprise and such a delight! I'm saying a prayer of gratitude for you right now. I look forward to seeing you, laughing and sharing stories together. You've reminded me that I belong to God... anything good that's come from me has been a result of the love and time you've invested. We are a chain of hearts, linked by love and devotion, prayer and worship.
It seems as if there was a rough patch for the past couple weeks, as if I had lost my focus. Prayer and faith carried me through, and here I am with a new, calmer heart. "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." God just wants us to trust Him with whatever we have. He wants us to know Him, love Him, and put everything on Him. All I want to do is (as Liz Gilbert so eloquently put it) "Search for God like a man whose hair is on fire will search for water". Last Sunday's run was my longest training run, 20 miles. Out of everything that came from that run, do you know what meant the most to me? The last 2 miles. I turned off the iPod and just spent those 2 miles praying and giving thanks for the life God gave me, the air in my lungs, the strength to run and the heart to pump, eyes to see and enjoy this little corner of Creation. :) Those last 2 miles were effortless. I was carried on a wave of prayer and gratitude, and the running was a perfect vehicle for worship. This upcoming marathon will be a prayer said with every muscle, every breath, every fiber of my being. It may have taken 37 years to come back to God, but I'm back, and I'm smiling. There will be a day when we're all together, laughing and smiling and filled with joy untinctured with pain. (and yes, I think this is the FIRST time in my life I've ever had the opportunity to actually USE the word "untinctured". You bring out the Scrabble scholar in me.)
This life is truly a transformative journey, and I am daily encouraged by the progress of our souls. And now, may I offer a bit of advice? Continue to trust your instincts. You're strong in your faith. Continue to quiet your inner voice, and continue to make a space for God to indwell within your heart. Focus on the people and experiences that expand your heart and heal your soul. As the messages from the Virgin Mary say, so I repeat here: Pray, Fast, and Repent. Make it part of your daily life. And continue to send energy, love and light to those that need it, but use care to protect yourself from any emotional blackholes.*
*side note: have you ever noticed how some people seem to have quite a bit of bad luck, as if they've got a gray cloud over their head? I fall for this often... thinking the "storm clouds" are results of bad luck, bad relationships, checkered pasts, etc, I find myself trying to support and uplift them. More often than not it becomes clear that no matter the reason the clouds first appeared, these people maintain the "victim mentality", going so far as to have their egos identify with the pain as part of their own identity!!! yuck! These people end up sucking the energy of those souls who come in contact with them, and they allow their pain and misery to define them!!! Personally, I distance myself physcially, and pray for them privately. I pray for a space to be created within, so that the Holy Spirit rushes in and fills them with sunlight, peace, and happiness. It's all I know how to do in order to keep myself safe, yet also share God's Love. Things in this Life can shake us to our very cores... and leave us with deep wounds. You must get right with God to heal the hurt inside. Until that happens, a soul can't move forward.
Have I told you that I see you as a living example of Christ's love? You do indeed have a happy soul, and I suspect you were made on a special day in Heaven.
(deep sigh)
wow. I honestly wasn't intending to write today. I woke with a bit of a headache and the feeling of "tunnel vision" (aka: cue the opening bars of NERVOUS BEFORE THE BIG RUN). I thought today was just going to be a day to "get through it quietly". Ha! My soul is awake now! My eyes are bright and the weather outside promises a perfect opportunity for a good tapering run after work. I'm thinking 7-10 miles. I guess we'll just see what I've got in the tank. It's becoming less about the run and more about the quiet time in my soul. I can hardly wait!
Now get out there and have a GREAT weekend! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! In between times of meditation I'm currently reading and listening to Caroline Myss, Elizabeth Gilbert, T. Colin Campbell (The China Study), Jillian Michaels, the Gospel of John, Anthony Robbins, and, of course, my daily Calvin and Hobbes!
Thanks for reading this post. I've come to learn that these notes serve as a working diary for me, illuminating the journey and the miles traveled. It's also become a reminder of not only WHO we are, but WHOSE we are.
Thank you for calling out the best in me!
Your Dear Friend,
Frank
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
(228.5#) The Sun is Shining Everywhere
Good morning!
There are some things in Life that are completely worth the price. I love the opportunities to trade a few hours of sleep for reconnecting with friends and family, sharing laughter and relationship. And the cost? A couple zzzzs, a rush to get to work in the morning (with a quick face scrub in the sink instead of a shower), and a promise to "get better" on this whole getting to work/balancing Life thing.
Life is good, and I'm feeling both lucky and blessed. Money is tight but the constriction around my heart has loosened (a poetic constriction, that is).
The marathon is 11 days, and I finally feel ready. I managed to find my way back onto a course of training that feels right for me, and 3 days ago I ran my longest training run of 20 miles. Took 4 hours and 45 minutes. I stretched a lot, drank a lot, listened to a lot of music, ran past two full Little League games, prayed and offered gratitude to God and found my way forward again. I've got 26.2 miles within me. I not only believe that now, but I OWN it. :)
Have a great day! We're alive, and we've been blessed with this opportunity. Make the most of it.
Frank
There are some things in Life that are completely worth the price. I love the opportunities to trade a few hours of sleep for reconnecting with friends and family, sharing laughter and relationship. And the cost? A couple zzzzs, a rush to get to work in the morning (with a quick face scrub in the sink instead of a shower), and a promise to "get better" on this whole getting to work/balancing Life thing.
Life is good, and I'm feeling both lucky and blessed. Money is tight but the constriction around my heart has loosened (a poetic constriction, that is).
The marathon is 11 days, and I finally feel ready. I managed to find my way back onto a course of training that feels right for me, and 3 days ago I ran my longest training run of 20 miles. Took 4 hours and 45 minutes. I stretched a lot, drank a lot, listened to a lot of music, ran past two full Little League games, prayed and offered gratitude to God and found my way forward again. I've got 26.2 miles within me. I not only believe that now, but I OWN it. :)
Have a great day! We're alive, and we've been blessed with this opportunity. Make the most of it.
Frank
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