Training Log - January 31

It's only -10 today, but I didn't have the will to bundle up and go for a walk. It's an easy "cross-training" day so I did a 30 minute hilly walk on the treadmill. You would think that a treadmill would be "easier" than actually running or walking outside, but it isn't. The fact that every footfall is exactly the same stresses the muscles identically with each stride. Outside the slight variation in the surface places slightly different stress with every footfall. I can tell when I've run a couple of days in a row on the treadmill. I needed the easy day today.

Training Log - January 30

I woke up this morning and read the thermometer. -25 degrees. Certainly not the coldest I've seen, but the swaying bird feeders agreed that it was way too cold to run outside. The wind chill was about -50.

So today was another 3 mile run on the treadmill. This time I watched the first half of the Georgia Tech/North Carolina game. The game was predictable, and so was the run.

Training Log Jan 29

Today was definitely a treadmill day. The temps were well below zero and the wind was howling out of the north. So I did three miles on the treadmill at my usual slow pace. Living in the north country the treadmill is a run saver, but how I hate it! It is so much more fun to run outside.

If anything makes the treadmill run go faster, it is having something interesting to watch on TV. Today it was a recorded Gopher/Hoosier basketball game. The Gophers lost, but it was close so it held my interest until the end.

Why "The Faster Pastor"?

The title for this blog actually goes back some time. Many years ago I shaved my beard into a VanDyke. I shook my head as I looked in the mirror. My wife asked me what the problem was and I said that I now looked like a "sinister minister." Well, the VanDyke has stayed and is slowly turning to gray and it is probably here to stay.

A couple of years ago I began to get serious about running again and when I did I announced that I would no longer be the "sinister minister"...I would be the "faster pastor".

I'm not sure that I can really be called the "faster pastor" in comparison to others, but I'm faster than I was when I took the sport up again.

The running, and the VanDyke, are here to stay.

Why a Running Blog?

There are several reasons, but I have to admit that they seem pretty selfish. Perhaps that's okay. In fact, as I look at many blogs, it seems like a good number of them are "just for fun." So here are a few reasons why I am starting this blog:

First, I figured that a web log of my training would reduce the clutter around home just a little bit. In a world that wants to go paperless, I sure find myself drowning in paper. Anyone who has seen my office knows this is a constant battle.

Second, running in January is hard, and I thought that perhaps keeping things on-line would help keep me disciplined. Sometimes just doing something differently is all it takes to keep going. If anyone does check this blog, they will be able to tell if I have been keeping up with my training or not.

Third, I write and talk a lot about faith. I think it would be good for me to write about something else from time to time. Since running is one of my passions, I decided that this would be it. Talking about running is a joy, but there aren't too many runners in these parts and this is a harmless substitute.

So that's it for now. School has canceled afternoon activities and I have to pick up the boys.