6 Reasons

Next month I’ll be meeting up with a few college buddies at our alma mater, Harding University, for Homecoming. We’ll be camping the whole time and sneaking into dorms for showers. Good times.

Yesterday we decided to enter the 5K Bison Stampede they are having that Saturday. Ironically the last time I ran one (21 years ago) it was also in Searcy, and I came in first place in my age group. That won’t happen again, but I am planning on doing more than just completing it.

This morning while researching some training and tips for the run, I ran across a great article with Six Reasons to Run a 5K.

1. Ease. Most of you are busy, and training time is precious. Therefore, it’s really tough to find the time to train for a half-marathon or marathon. Not so with the 5K. You can work up to it quickly (from scratch) and train for it adequately on just three days a week.

2. Convenience. With a 5K, race day is a snap. You arrive at the race, warm up for 10 to 20 minutes, race for 40 minutes maximum, cool down, replenish with food and drink, and head home in your new race T-shirt before your family has finished breakfast.

3. Exhilaration. In a 5K, you feel like you’re really racing. And that’s a good feeling. Not many runners can maintain a 10K race pace that is much faster than their daily training pace. With a 5K, however, you can motor as much as one minute per mile faster than your usual training pace.

4. Improvement. Racing the occasional 5K is an excellent fitness booster. It will elevate your max VO2, improve form and efficiency, and make your regular training runs feel easier.

5. Change. Too often in our training, we run the same course at the same pace at the same time of day. Don’t get me wrong. Routine is good—essential, in fact, if you want to stay with a long-term running program. But too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing. You need variation, and a short-and-sweet 5K every once in awhile is a great way to mix things up.

6. Motivation. Races are great motivators. Each year, scores of runners tell me that having a regular schedule of 5K races gets them out the door on days when they would have stayed in bed in the morning or hit the couch after work.

… and it’s probably good for my cholesterol.

Filed under: Camping, Exercise, Harding University, Health

Vacation Plans

The 2008 Summer vacation plans are finally taking shape.

•  We’re going to start it all off with a trip to the UP. Specifically Escanaba and Munising, Michigan. A bunch of family are meeting up there and hanging for an extended weekend. I’m really looking forward to the R&R, as well as a trip to the Pictured Rocks.

• Next on the agenda is a trip to Silver Lakes and the Sand Dunes. Four wheelers and bikes to go along with some naps and book reading.

• Cedar Point is a must.

• This years ballpark is Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio vs. Seattle Mariners. (Previous Ball Park Vacations)

• We’ll be making another trip down to the Yogi Bear Campgrounds.

• I’m going to make a trip down to Arkansas to visit Harding University, and to hit up some Sonic and a movie with Neil.

What are your plans?

Filed under: Baseball, Camping, Cedar Point, Cleveland Indians, Harding University, Michigan, Sand Dunes, Silver Lake, Sonic Drive-In, UP, Vacation

Click Me

» Six Ways To Assertively Handle Conflict – Got conflict?

» Top 10 Outdoor Survival Tools – I still prefer the Rambo knife.

» Why Bother Having A Resume? – Seth brings it.

» Retailmenot.com – The first stop when shopping online.

» Myspace.com/blakelewis – I won’t lie. I like his first single.

Ragaumuffinsoul waxing poetic…

Filed under: Blake Lewis, Camping, Conflict, Internet, Links, Seth Godin, Survival

Halloween In September

Took a quick trip down to Fremont, Indiana this weekend to lounge at the Yogi Bear Jellystone Camp Resort. This weekend they had trick-or-treating for the kids. All of the cousins dressed up as the characters of The Wizard of Oz. We had Dorothy, The Lion, The Tin Man, The Scarecrow, Glenda The Good Witch … and even Toto!

Filed under: Camping, Family, Jellystone Camp Resort, The Wizard of Oz, Yogi Bear

Cinci

My favorite vacations are our short little weekend trips, just the three of us. We try to hit a new ballpark every year, and this year we ventured out to Cincinnati to see a ball game at the Great American Ballpark. This is the fourth MLB ballpark Tanner has been to in his short 4 years with us, (Comerica Park, Wrigley Feild, PNC Park) and it only gets better with each trip.

This park opened in 2003, but doesn’t really have the feel of a newer, contemporary park. It feels more like a Triple-A or Spring Training facility, but that was a good thing. It’s on the river where there are tons of river boats, so the whole park was an ode to riverboats. Ken Griffey Jr. did us a favor and hit his 590th home run while we were there, and I enjoyed a signature Big Red Smoky hot dog with sauerkraut. I’ve decided that it’s well past time to have a page dedicated to the ballparks we visit. Expect that to be created very soon.

While we are out we usually try to hit the local zoo. I don’t know if it was the 100° heat index or what, but this one just wasn’t doing it for me. The highlight was the bird show we happened upon at exactly the right time. It was cool to see some bird tricks, plus it was good to sit in the shade for 45 minutes.

This year instead of staying at a hotel, we stayed at a campground with our popup. We built in a lot of down time at the campsite, and we could have used even more. We swam a lot, built some bonfires, played catch, rode bikes, and just chilled. Great stuff.

But we’re back now and workin’ for a livin’. Next years choices are Boston, Milwaukee, Baltimore, or Seattle. I can’t wait!!

Filed under: Baseball, Camping, Cincinnati, Family, Ken Griffey Jr., Tanner, Vacations, Zoo

Hot In Here

We’re pushing off to Cincinnati in a minute for a weekend of camping, baseball & zoos. The weather looks a little warm.

More later.

Filed under: Baseball, Camping, Cincinnati, Ohio, Vacations

Spirit Song Wrap-up

We made our second trip down to Kings Island for the Spirit Song Festival and it was great once again.

For starters, I whole-heartedly recommend camping at Cedarbrook Campground. It’s a family run business and it’s so nice, and clean, and quiet, and only 15 minutes away from the park.

Secondly, I’d like to recommend you get a locker at an amusement park or water park rather than leave your stuff off to the side. We were reminded this weekend that people still feel the need to steal things. Major props to the Kings Island staff for helping us out in that situation. (By the way, I hope the thief enjoys the bra’s and kids shoes he got when he thought he was getting wallets and cameras. Nimrod.)

Finally, the music. I realized this weekend that I need to space out some of my concerts. For at least three of these artists, this was my third time seeing them in a year. I knew their setlist and I knew their jokes, so there weren’t any real surprises. Regardless, the music was still great. Here’s a breakdown of the concerts I caught.

BarlowGirl – One of the bands I circled as a must-see because I’ve never seen them before. Stellar. There is something very cool about three sisters rocking like that. Here’s a video of my favorite song of theirs.

Jeremy Camp – Second time seeing Jeremy. Outstanding as well. I came out of that one saying to myself that I really need to listen to his albums more often.

Jackson Waters – A band I had never heard of before, but I checked out their myspace page and liked what I heard so I made a point to see them live. Here’s the deal, I’ll be buying their album very soon.

Hawk Nelson – These guys reminded me once again why I love Canadians. If you’ve never seen Hawk Nelson live, you’re missing out. They probably have more teenage appeal (they reminded me a lot of Family Force Five in concert), but they were hilarious and the music was fun.

David Crowder Band – Nothing new to report here. David being David. He did break out his new Guitar Hero guitar again, and we were undignified, and sung like we were saved. I’d still see them again tomorrow if given the opportunity. I will say that it was sweet to see my boy singing the lyrics to most of his songs.

NewsBoys – Every time I see these guys I am impressed with their professionalism. They pay attention to every single detail. The lead singer quoted some scripture in-between songs which is now my new favorite scripture, and my new life mantra. (See post below).

TobyMac – Tons of fun here. You can’t help but sing along, and your body starts twitching. And that’s a good thing.

Casting Crowns – These guys are really tight as a group. I wasn’t aware that they had a new album coming out soon. The story behind the album title is awesome and something we all deal with. I took more from that story than I did from their music. Good stuff.

We really enjoyed the company too. Big thanks to Tim, Adele, Lizzie, Amy, Pete, and Haley for making this weekend a blast! Let’s do it again next year!

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UPDATE 1: Forgot to mention that we were able to stop by and grab some Sonic twice on this trip. Mmmmmmmmmmmm…..

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UPDATE 2: By the small chance the people that book the entertainment for the Spirit Song festival are reading this post, here are some artists that I would LOVE to see next year: Aaron Shust, The Afters, Audio Adrenaline, Family Force 5, Hillsong, Hyper Static Union, Lifehouse, Mat Kearny, MercyMe, Shawn McDonald, Switchfoot, Third Day.

Filed under: Camping, Concerts, Kings Island, Sonic Drive-In

Parting Thoughts

The name NOOMA is an English phonetic spelling of the Greek word pneuma, which is commonly translated to “spirit” or “breath.” Pneumatology refers to the study of spiritual beings, particularly the interactions between humans and God.

I’m getting ready to take off up north for some fartin’ and fellowship with the boys. When I get back on Monday we’ll jump right into the Nooma mini-series. In case you’re wondering, “who in the world is Rob Bell, what is a Nooma, and why do I care?” — stick around and enjoy what he’s got to say. Rob Bell is even getting a little press as a modern day Billy Graham. If you are ever interested in checking out one of the videos, NewSong owns all of them. They are all around 12 minutes long and are great for small group discussion starters.

While I’m gone I have no doubt that the blogging community will continue to thrive. With that said, I’d like to leave a little project for you all. With the DEP and his newfound appreciation for cuddling, I thought it would be nice to start piling on all the good information we’ve got stored up that he can now use. I’ll get us started. DEP, here’s a useful tip when buying clothing for your woman: Buy petite and save the receipt.

Filed under: Advice, Camping, Nooma, Rob Bell