Saved

(Thanks, Phil, for reminding me of this story.) I never could figure out what being "saved" meant. Saved from what?

When I was 7 or 8, my best buddy Kevin Owens and I were throwing the football in the front yard when some guy walked up and asked if we wanted to be "saved." Sounded interesting to us, so we said OK. He said a prayer over us, gave us a mini Bible, and declared us "saved."

We thought that was cool and went inside for some Kool-Aid.

The Secret to Parking at Winfrey Point

Shhhh.... There's a secret to parking at Dallas Running Club races that start at Winfrey Point. Interested?

It was frigid at the last February race -- below freezing before and near freezing afterward. With limited parking at Winfrey Point, many parked at the clubhouse and walked over. When it's not frigid out, it's not really very far -- a nice walk before and after the race, and maybe even a short warm-up run.

After the February race, I gave Mike and Sam a ride back to their cars. Sam drew the short straw and flopped over into the bed of my little truck -- like a piece of red, raw meat. It was so cold, and he looked so miserable back there. If he hadn't been so sweaty and gross, I would have thrown him the Mexican blanket I have over the seat in my truck.

But, this doesn't have to be. There is a secret to parking at Winfrey Point. Wanna know what it is?

Volunteer.

Those parking spaces right up by the door are reserved for volunteers. Well, not really reserved, but the volunteers get there first and have their pick of the prime spots.

Did you know you can volunteer and run the race? There are lots of jobs race runners can do before or after the race.

There's no telling what kind of new things Jason could plan at the DRC races if he could count on an abundance of extra volunteers.

If you've already registered to run the April 5-miler, you can go back and register to also volunteer. And, when you register for the May race, go ahead and register twice -- once to run, once to volunteer. You'll feel great about yourself, you'll get a prime parking spot, and your DRC will have a better race and be a better running club because you volunteered.

What's in your race volunteer wallet?

Now's the Time to Plan for a 1-Year Marathon

I'm carbo-loading for my second 1-year marathon. It begins Jan. 1 and ends Dec. 31, 2010.

If you've never read the entire Holy Bible, but have always wanted to, now's the time to start planning. You're runners; you're disciplined people. So, there's no doubt you can do it, if you want to. If you don't, no big deal. But, if you do... I did it in 2008, took off in 2009, and am going to do another one in 2010.

I've always been a New Testament junkie. I've read the New Testament over and over, enough times now that I feel I have a good sense of who Jesus is and how he would prefer we behave towards each other. I can't quote Bible verses, but I have this sense.

I had never read the Old Testament very much. And, I was getting indigestion from others taking a few lines out of their context and shoving them down my throat. I wanted the whole story so I could make up my own mind. But, how do I approach such a big reading assignment?

The One-Year Bible. The entire Holy Bible broken up into daily readings, starting Jan. 1. Old Testament, Proverbs, Psalms, and New Testament every day. A mere 15-20 minute reading commitment each day. And, on New Year's Eve 2010, you finish the whole thing. I like to start my day with it (say, 3:30 a.m. for me) and then I have my 4 a.m. run and the rest of the day to give that day's reading some thought. One could start his day in worse ways.

If you've ever wanted to read the entire Holy Bible, now's the time to go get you a One-Year Bible and lay it out so you are ready on Jan. 1. Good luck. You just ran a half-marathon or marathon. This will be a walk in the park compared to that.

My Work is On the Roads

I ran up on a young man this morning at mile 2. He was maybe 20. Maybe not that old. Walking, but didn't seem to really be walking anywhere. Short sleeves. It was 4:20 and 42 degrees. He looked scared.

I started doing a lot of praying. Praying for warmth. Praying he would get to wherever he was going. Praying a police car would come by and give him a warm ride somewhere. Praying for guidance on what I should do. I turned back towards home at mile 3, and when I got back to mile 4, he was gone.

Jesus and I had a pretty good little conversation the last 2 miles. What if he were my son out there? (Well, isn't he? Really? -- sometimes Jesus answers me with a question.) What would I have wanted someone else to do if it were my son? What should I have done? What should I do?

We came to the conclusion that I definitely needed to start carrying a cellphone. And, I've got plenty of room in my windbreaker pockets for an extra pair of gloves and maybe a Clif bar. And, a sweatshirt tied around my hips isn't going to make me any slower than I already am (and, who cares how it looks -- it's 4 o'clock in the morning, for crying out loud.)

I'm beginning to think there is work for me on the early morning roads of Garland.

Some Guys Buy Flowers

Dale Carnegie wrote that he goes fishing in Maine every summer. He wrote that he is fond of strawberries and cream, but that fish prefer worms -- so he fishes with worms.

Some guys buy flowers.

Kelly loves Handi-Wipes. She uses them for a week, throws them in the wash, gets a new one out, and uses the old one for cleaning. She hasn't been able to find them at the store for weeks. Last weekend, she was excited to discover a couple of old/new ones at the bottom of the tablecloth drawer at her mother's house.

I found a 72-pack of Handi-Wipes on eBay on Monday and ordered them for her. They came yesterday. No dozen roses could have brought the delight those six dozen Handi-Wipes did.

Some guys buy flowers. Sometimes I buy flowers. Kelly prefers gladiolas and gerber daisies.

But, guys, before you pick up a bouquet of flowers on your way home, you might consider what else might bring her more delight than a dozen roses.

You might try fishing with worms.

Stress Test Today

During my routine physical this week, I let it slip that my plan pays outpatient diagnostics at 100%. And that's why, I think, I have a stress test today at 2. (I'm wearing my DRC RUN shirt to it! I didn't think he could handle my Team Sprinkles shirt.)

I told my doctor that I had a 7 p.m. run tonight, and that 1-this better be a treadmill because I don't do bikes anymore and 2-if this was going to interfere with my run tonight, the deal was off. He was OK with that.

He also said, "You look wimpier this year." I replied, "Your hair looks thinner." (We have this kind of relationship.) He said, "No, I'm serious." I replied, "I am too." He said, "You need to eat more protein. At our age, we can't afford to have any muscle-mass loss." I replied, "We're not in the same category. And, if you want to go out back for a throw-down, I'll show you."

But, that's why I have a heck of a Dagwood turkey sandwich in my lunchbox today. And, a big ol' Sprinkles water bottle full of chocolate milk filled and ready to bring for my after-run dinner tonight.

A Run I'm Looking Forward To

There's a run I'm particularly looking forward to, and I get butterflies in my stomach when I think about it. It's a little over 25 years from now. It's on a late December morning, maybe even Christmas morning, well before sunrise. It's cold out, but above freezing. It's calm, and quiet -- not a creature is stirring. There is some frost on the rooftops, an occasional smell of a fireplace going, and several houses that have left the Christmas lights on all night. And, I'm thinking as I run that there's no better time to be alive, to be a runner.

All of my running decisions are made with this run in mind.