Journey to Leadville - Byrne - February 23, 2012

177 miles until the 2012 Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run...

I thought this might get your attention - it looks delicious! Yesterday I was dropping my 10 year old Joseph off at school and being Ash Wednesday we started talking about what we were going to give up for Lent. Without hardly thinking, I said, "I'm going to give up all sweets for Lent - no cookies, candy, cake, or ice cream." As soon as I said it, I started thinking, "Oh man, did I really want to do that?"

Regardless, I said it and it was a 'Done Deal'. I made it through the day without eating any sweets and I only have 39 more to go :o) Ironically there was a large piece of chocolate cake left over after dinner last night that I stared down and watch Joseph consume but I stayed faithful to my commitment. 

It made me think that sometimes the most difficult part of executing a plan is making a commitment to the plan. Don't misinterpret this to mean that following through is a piece of cake (pun intended) - it isn't. On the other hand, I KNOW I will honor this commitment. I made it to God for Lent and I made it in front of my son - I feel an obligation to keep my word. Now Joseph has egged me on a bit (and I expect will for the next 39 days) - offering me a taste of several different desserts last night - the little turkey. There is something about a 5th child - much bolder and more streetwise than his older 4 siblings when they were his age.

I've also taken advantage of the accountability lever that comes with going public with a commitment. I think I'm strong enough to resist sweets but putting it on this blog and sharing it with my family and others has sealed the deal. If I were to eat some sweets during Lent, I'd feel horrible. I don't want to lose credibility that I have worked so hard to establish. What are the other areas in our life that we want to make improvements on? What types of commitments can we make and share with others so that we will follow through with our plans?

The long runs for this weekend are already in place and we will get them done but there is power in sharing what we are doing with others. We need to keep to our starting times and loop around times in case somebody shows up - it keeps us on track. Absent of some horrible weather - dangerous ice, super freezing cold, or blizzard like snow conditions, we WILL be running. I've already heard back from several who will be joining us - it is motivating to me to think that they want to join us!

This morning's workout with Rick Fountain was our standard fare of stairs at Bettendorf High School football stadium. We knocked out 61 sets in under an hour. 5 sets of 10 and a 6th set of 11. It was a good day and it feels like our leg muscles have fully adapted to this regimen. 60 steps isn't necessarily easy but it isn't really that hard anymore - I don't believe we would have said that 4-5 months ago.

Until my next post, have a great day! DIG DEEP!