Yeah I have not posted in forever, but it is not because I don't have ample issues to discuss and share. It's just that I found that I have blogstipation (that is constipation of the blog).
So although I am excited that my running is groovin, and that Usain Bolt is the most outrageous track athlete maybe ever, I want to share the idea that in this active life and maybe not so active life, it is up to you to KICK YOUR OWN ASS! Sorry to offend anyone, but you know I can't tell you what to do, when to do it, where to do it, or how to do it, although it sure seems that alot of people want to have that enabling screaming parent making our lives accountable. You need to wake up, take charge and KICK YOUR OWN ASS and get moving.
We all know what to do - eat a balanced diet and less, exercise, laugh and have fun, learn and explore, live in faith and pray, share and love openly, work with meaning, hold gratitude in your heart - not in that order or maybe in some different words. But you know what I mean - Nike said "Just do it" and I am saying KICK YOUR OWN ASS.
Quit complaining about your circumstances and about other people - don't kick their ass - kick your own ass and get moving. Quit waiting for your parent or surrogate parent to kick your ass. Now is the time - be accountable to be you, not someone else.
OK - I may be pushing the limit in the words "kick your own ass" of how a balanced life would feel, but you can't have balance without a commitment to perform your best, give your best, achieve your best, love your best, or align with your best intentions. And you cannot move forward into a rich life without pushing yourself to be your best.
Kicking your own ass isn't about beating someone, replacing someone, proving you are better than someone, it is about focus, determination, and doing your best. It doesn't mean you do everything, or that you do it alone; it may mean in a team, or that you let go so that movement and circulation continue, or simple surrendering to the Grace of God that is in all our lives every moment. You know how to do your best, hold yourself accountable and KICK YOUR OWN ASS. So do it.
Let me know how it is going.
Keep Moving,
Chris
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Lakeshore Miracle Run
July 2008
This past Saturday, I attended the Lakeshore Miracle Run south of Holland, MI. The race was started nine years ago by Adam Kunkel, and is a fund raiser for the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation. Adam is both a great endurance athlete who has done marathons, Ironman triathlons, and adventure races and a creative, caring businessman who loves to give back to his community and kids. He envisioned a one of a kind event that would absorb runners into the beauty of the Lake shore at it's best while raising money for children in need.
This 10K is no ordinary 10K - it is simply one of the most beautiful courses I have ever run (or walked or biked or hiked). The day started with a bang of thunder and lighting alerting the adventurous that they were invited to a special day of running. The storm gave way to a nice rain and while some decided to stay in bed, it provided others another dimension to enjoy under the canopy of hard woods as they ran through the trails.
It starts on a country road, but quickly heads into single track trails through the wooded coast line along Lake Michigan. As runners wind through the tight turns and loose dirt trails, they are immersed in a canvas of nature's colors and textures that speak deeply to their soul. Although the running is laborious, all the senses are super-charged with a raw energy that lifts up the spirit and encourages runners to find out what's behind the next bend.
The trails give way to beach and dunes as the run hits the second third, and the run dumps out onto the Lake Michigan beach. And again, although movement is slowed and more difficult through the shifting sand, nature invites the runners to keep moving and enjoy her diversity.
They are now stimulated by the view, smell, taste, feel and sounds of the greatest body of fresh water in the world and the beauty of it's ever changing shore. Runners find hard packed sand to make the run easier, but soon see the way out of this beach will be a huge challenge. Into site comes the turn off the beach - a giant bowl of a dune that clearly is a test just to walk up.
Now the wonder the landscape that has tickled the senses change to focused intention and survival to find the top of this sand mountain and nothing else. It is not a quest for the timid, but for the brave who endure the dune, the sight at the top (along with the water provided by awesome volunteers who haul it up in the morning) is inspirational. Some competitors move on quickly, but most linger a bit to enjoy their conquest and the victor's view of the sky, water, sand, plants and woods that have lined their way. Now they move on (carefully) down the back side of the dune. Gravity is the challenge now and a quick lean forward or a careless footplant will cause a tumble and roll that a child would welcome but the runners would like to avoid.
Back into the woods, now two thirds complete, the runners find the orange markers that Adam placed along the course in the early morning rain and wind. The trails feel easier than the sand, but difficult enough that there is little rhythm, just movement though the woods in an individual dedication to completion. However hard the running has become, the soft surface, quiet surroundings, and energy of nature invigorates and propels the body forward. The last of the trails change back to a packed dirt road then a paved road and soon the finish line.
The race has been completed, and now the neural paths of memory are fired as the runners share stories of the trails, sand, dunes, woods, and the endurance it took to finish. The storm that threatened has since past and the sun shines down with renewing energy. The trail veterans and the newbies have a shared experience that reminds each that roads may be a necessary place that the body can use to train, but trails are where the runner's soul sings loudest!
Along with Adam Kunkel, I want to recognize and thank Dr. Joe Junewick and Advanced Radiology Services for the meaningful support that they provide to make this special event happen. And I want to thank Gloria dela Garza, who is a patient at the DeVos Children's Hospital, for helping us start the 2008 Lakeshore Miracle Run.
Keep Moving,
Chris
This past Saturday, I attended the Lakeshore Miracle Run south of Holland, MI. The race was started nine years ago by Adam Kunkel, and is a fund raiser for the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation. Adam is both a great endurance athlete who has done marathons, Ironman triathlons, and adventure races and a creative, caring businessman who loves to give back to his community and kids. He envisioned a one of a kind event that would absorb runners into the beauty of the Lake shore at it's best while raising money for children in need.
This 10K is no ordinary 10K - it is simply one of the most beautiful courses I have ever run (or walked or biked or hiked). The day started with a bang of thunder and lighting alerting the adventurous that they were invited to a special day of running. The storm gave way to a nice rain and while some decided to stay in bed, it provided others another dimension to enjoy under the canopy of hard woods as they ran through the trails.
It starts on a country road, but quickly heads into single track trails through the wooded coast line along Lake Michigan. As runners wind through the tight turns and loose dirt trails, they are immersed in a canvas of nature's colors and textures that speak deeply to their soul. Although the running is laborious, all the senses are super-charged with a raw energy that lifts up the spirit and encourages runners to find out what's behind the next bend.
The trails give way to beach and dunes as the run hits the second third, and the run dumps out onto the Lake Michigan beach. And again, although movement is slowed and more difficult through the shifting sand, nature invites the runners to keep moving and enjoy her diversity.
They are now stimulated by the view, smell, taste, feel and sounds of the greatest body of fresh water in the world and the beauty of it's ever changing shore. Runners find hard packed sand to make the run easier, but soon see the way out of this beach will be a huge challenge. Into site comes the turn off the beach - a giant bowl of a dune that clearly is a test just to walk up.
Now the wonder the landscape that has tickled the senses change to focused intention and survival to find the top of this sand mountain and nothing else. It is not a quest for the timid, but for the brave who endure the dune, the sight at the top (along with the water provided by awesome volunteers who haul it up in the morning) is inspirational. Some competitors move on quickly, but most linger a bit to enjoy their conquest and the victor's view of the sky, water, sand, plants and woods that have lined their way. Now they move on (carefully) down the back side of the dune. Gravity is the challenge now and a quick lean forward or a careless footplant will cause a tumble and roll that a child would welcome but the runners would like to avoid.
Back into the woods, now two thirds complete, the runners find the orange markers that Adam placed along the course in the early morning rain and wind. The trails feel easier than the sand, but difficult enough that there is little rhythm, just movement though the woods in an individual dedication to completion. However hard the running has become, the soft surface, quiet surroundings, and energy of nature invigorates and propels the body forward. The last of the trails change back to a packed dirt road then a paved road and soon the finish line.
The race has been completed, and now the neural paths of memory are fired as the runners share stories of the trails, sand, dunes, woods, and the endurance it took to finish. The storm that threatened has since past and the sun shines down with renewing energy. The trail veterans and the newbies have a shared experience that reminds each that roads may be a necessary place that the body can use to train, but trails are where the runner's soul sings loudest!
Along with Adam Kunkel, I want to recognize and thank Dr. Joe Junewick and Advanced Radiology Services for the meaningful support that they provide to make this special event happen. And I want to thank Gloria dela Garza, who is a patient at the DeVos Children's Hospital, for helping us start the 2008 Lakeshore Miracle Run.
Keep Moving,
Chris
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