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

Acappella Music

Like it or Love it?

I grew up on acappella music. I went to a denomination that only allowed it. The college I attended was an extension of that denomination, and we had morning chapel services that were all acappella as well. I even own every single Sing A New Song cassette by Jerome Williams & Free Indeed.

I’ve always had an affection for the four-part harmony. Especially in our chapel services, when we had 4000 students with beautiful voices. It was awesome. But the restriction to only acappella in worship is what caused me problems. It never made sense that we tried to emulate instruments with our voices, but weren’t allowed to use the instruments themselves.

Now that it’s been a few years since the release of my bondage, I’m able to look back and enjoy this great music style once again. I look forward to getting back to my college campus soon and enjoying another chapel service.

Here’s a song I absolutely wore out quite awhile back.

Lift Up My Soul — Lost ‘n’ Found

Filed under: Acappella, Church of Christ, Free Indeed, Harding University, Jerome Williams, Music

Harding University Podcast

After reading Shane’s post about his college last week, specifically about how it uses the internet to allow alumni to listen to current things happening on campus. It made me wonder if my college, Harding University, offered the same courtesy.

Turns out they do. And it’s much better than I expected. I really have to give their technology and design departments a bunch of credit for the direction of their online presence. It’s leaps and bounds ahead of when I was a student there. Harding now has a nice little page on iTunes that has many audio and video podcast options available—About Harding, Chapel Programs, Courses, Sports, and Special Events.

I always miss the bubble that is Harding University. It has a very special place in my heart despite some of the disagreements I have with a few of their philosophies. I will definitely recommend it to my son when he gets close to looking for higher learning options.

Thanks for the hook-up Harding!

Filed under: College, Harding University, Internet, Podcast, Technology

Harding Dance Team?

So my Alma Mater made the local news. Oh, the humanity!

(h/t: Paul Vilela)

Filed under: Codes of Conduct, Dancing, Harding University, YouTube