Month: October 2026

Race Weekend, Day 2

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After 19 years of entering races, here’s the main lesson I’ve learned: I can trust what my body says.

I thought I may have pushed a little too much on Saturday’s 5k. But Sunday morning, all seemed well. I heard, “You may be up for a better run than you thought.”

Pushing at the end of the 5k to make each mile faster than the last

According to my Garmin, the starting temp for the half marathon was 39F. But it didn’t feel that cold. The 8AM start time probably had something to do with it. I heard, “You’ve layered just fine. Relax.”

Choosing no gloves or hat to manage proved ideal

When I crossed the 10k time mat just over 58 minutes, I thought, “I’m working, but I can push more and see what’s possible.” I decided to eat my second gel and push from there. I heard, “GO!”

That’s what I did. Around mile 9, a runner passed me that I chose to make a target. I heard, “Match their pace. Return the favor. No regrets.” That motivation led to my final four miles being my fastest and mile 13 the best of the day.

This weekend was a unique effort for many reasons. A tad ambitious. Ran the King Neptune Challenge not to survive but to test my 58 year-old body. I heard, “Thanks for the challenge. Thanks for listening. Let’s keep moving!”

Race Weekend, Day 1

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Drove to Atlantic City, NJ., to run two races this weekend. 5k today. Half marathon tomorrow.

This Floridian was thrilled to see the weather forecast earlier in the week. A cool down, lows in the 40s.

Not so thrilling was the delay of the rain through this morning bringing the cold, just long enough to make things interesting.

Thoughts crossed my mind to scratch the 5k. “This bed is warm. Who purposefully runs in the rain? I don’t have to overachieve today.”

Those thoughts didn’t win. Showed up. Surprised myself with an age group win (3rd).

These events always provide inspiration. It’s not hard to see if you pay attention. Today’s examples:

  • The 2nd overall 5k female finisher with a time of 19:38 was 10 years old. (Not sure if that’s inspirational or just mindblowing)
  • The oldest runner today was Alan Donziger. At age 83, he finished in the top 25% of all 5k runners with a time of 29:59.
  • At the turnaround on the wet boardwalk, one of the guys in front of me wiped out. He got right up and kept going. “Not the first time I’ve fallen.”
  • As I drew to the finish line, the 10k runners were looping by us. In that pack were two runners pushing wheelchairs of their disabled partners. Always crowd favorites.

To all 960 runners today, congratulations on showing up, not letting the invasive thoughts win.

See you again in the morning for day 2!

I’ll Tell You Later

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Listened to this book today on my drive, vacation day one.

Chapter 11, “Our Relationship to God’s World,” included this outline of Abraham’s life:

Genesis 12

God: “Go.”

Abraham: “Where?”

God: “I’ll tell you later. Just go.”

Genesis 15

God: “You will have a son.”

Abraham: “How?”

God: “I’ll tell you later. Just trust.”

Genesis 22

God: “Offer up your son on the mount.”

Abraham: “Why?”

God: “I’ll tell you later. Just climb.”

Active faith includes risk and vulnerability. Abraham was called to abandon everything he had relied on for meaning and security. Hebrews 11 tells us Abraham is a model to follow.

It’s okay to respond to a calling with a question.

Be ready to hear, “I’ll tell you later.”

77 in 78 Men Couldn’t Say “Yes”

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This morning a colleague shared a reality he experienced this week. He said, “It broke me, John.”

He works exclusively with men, emotional and spiritual coaching and mentoring. This week included a gathering of 78 men. Before the speaker shared, he asked the men at each table to share with the rest of their table the most life impactful statement they heard from their dad or significant male figure in their life. After they’d had sufficient discussion time, he asked the group this question:

By show of hands, how many of you could say the impactful statement you just shared was “I love you, and I’m proud of you”?

Knowing the line of work I’m in, he asked me how many I thought raised their hands. I answered, “Maybe four.”

“Only one…and it was me.”

That experience for him was on Monday. It felt like it just happened. Pain spilled out. He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

He didn’t tell me where the speaker went following that question. One could guess. I’m not going to, but here are a few reactions:

  • 99% of the men in that room are most likely trying to give what they never received.
  • Those men pulled up a chair to a table that felt safe.
  • The 77 that couldn’t answer yes now have the opportunity to voice love and affirmation to their sons and their generation.

May we say all the unspoken things.

Photo by 550Park Luxury Wedding Films on Unsplash