+FillUs

After being turned back from the airport due to weather on Friday, I finally made into Calgary Saturday night, less than 12 hours before my fundraising half marathon for eMi. This is my first race after injury. Going into the race, I wasn't sure what to expect - high altitudes, hills, and my performance with limited training. But with all the travelling delays and flying 2,000 miles plus made me realize being there for this great cause was half the battle. And that took the pressure off. We couldn't ask for better weather. It had been pouring ALL week leading up to it. And today? Blue sky and sunny the whole time. I was glad to be away from the muggy weather in NC for a little bit. I crossed the finish line at 1:53. Not a great race time, but I did have a great time at the race. More significantly, I was able to go back and pace one of the first-time marathoners to finish her race in under 4:00. Greg Hanssen from South Coast Road Runners paced my last couple miles during my f...

Day three of Charlotte UltraSwim. I was an anti-doping volunteer, helping USADA to carry out drug test on swimmers. While waiting, I watched a couple of final events, including Men's 200 Fly. Many great, world class swimmers were at the meet, but Michael Phelps was at the center of all focus. Winning eight gold medals in one Olympic has elevated him to the status of a hero. We wanted our hero to win. We cheered; We stomped; we roared. But I was left moaned as Wu Peng pulled ahead in the final 50m and took another win of the 200 fly which was once "Phelps event." Last month, Wu overcame Phelps, ending his winning streak. To see Phelps swim live for the first time and see him lose is a disappointment, I have to admit.

The Charlotte UltraSwim uses Colorado 6000 timing system. But when a stopwatch was handed to me, the thought that I could wreck months and months of hard work swimmers put in to take off fractions of a second in their performance kept me on my toe. As swimmers step on the block and take their mark, my eyes are fixed on the strobe. Once the strobe goes off, my stopwatch starts. When the swimmer approaches the wall on the last lap, I hunch over the edge of the pool to watch for his/her hand(s) to touch the wall and - as quickly as my reflex allows - press both the plunger and my stopwatch simultaneously. To say the least, it's an exhilarating experience. Michael Phelps took the Olympic Gold from Cavic by 1/100 of a second in 2008.  In a sport that time is (almost) everything, I am glad that technology has closed the gap of human error.

I did 16 miles on the trails at Latta Plantation this morning. Some horse paths, some rooty trails; some hills, some flats. I felt good. My body didn't, but I did. I felt good because today's run was the first in a while that I didn't let myself off the hook too easily. Latta Plantation has 14 different trails. Some linked and some are loops; but they all offshoot from the main road. I don't know where I am most of the time while on the trails, especially since I like making wrong turns. But eventually I'll come back out to the main road and find my way again from there. I took the routes I did with two other runners last week, clocked 11 miles. That wasn't enough for a long run, so I pushed myself back onto another trail, thinking anything more than a half-marathon (13.1) is good (enough). Although ideally, I should be putting in 16+ miles in today. But you know, trail is tougher than roads - more hills, uneven grounds, and people say the garmin is usually of...

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? -Ezekiel 18:23 Once a person passes from life to death, his/her eternity is set. No "but;" no turning back. God made it clear that He does not rejoice in "the death of the wicked." In fact, "if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die." This reminds me of an objection to Christianity we hear a lot. How is it fair that a murderer could convert at the last moment of his/her life and go to heaven, while a "good" person who never kills anyone, a caring neighbor, a faithful husband/wife, and a loving father/mother goes to hell for not believing in Jesus? Well, this is how grace works. Salvation is offered to anyone; but everyone also has the choice to accept and reject such offer. God's grace is ava...