faithrunner

I have been riding off and on a 1988 Dave Scott Ironman bike for the past four years. Jim Schuchard loaned it to me, and I have loved the bike. It has served my purposes well and took me through the 2004 Hotter 'n Hell 100 mile bike ride and two sprint triathlons. It was a great steel bike with a good ride with excellent components for its age. If I rode up to a group of seasoned riders, they would comment on the bike like a group of guys would a 66 Mustang. But, if I rode up to young riders or the uninitiated, I would get nervous looks for riding a "pink" bike. Add the spandex shorts, and my wife really is worried about me. I have begun to ride more this year after a heavy year of running last year, and I finally was seduced by a group of riders to buy a new bike. (I think they were nervous about my comfort with pink, also.) I took the big plunge and got a Specialized Allez Elite Double from Richardson Bike Mart . Woody Austin fixed me up. He was excellent help. If yo...

On Saturday, July 8, I gave my daughter Storey in marriage to Graham Cook. The day was filled with every emotion from elation to grief, each one appropriate to this event in a family's life. You can read about how Storey and Graham met at their wedding website . Truth is stranger than fiction. No one could have orchestrated such a love story that began with Graham living in his future wife's room and house before he every met her. So many friends and family members joined us for the celebration, and Kim and I, as well as Storey and Graham, were overwhelmed by the generosity and prayers for all of us. Our prayer is that the wedding was truly a celebration of Christ's love in this marriage. Here's a picture of Storey and Graham coming into the wedding reception at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame . The guys loved the Hall of Fame. When the food and small talk ran out, you could tour the facility. (One of my high school team mates, Louie Kelcher of Beaumont French HS, was in...

After 14+ years of owning lap dogs, we finally got a real dog! She is mostly yellow lab. She's about 3 years old. We got her from DFW Lab Rescue , a class organization that we would recommend to anyone wanting a lab. This morning Summer and I took Madison, "Maddie," to the Chisholm Trail and dog park and then home for a swim. She took to the water immediately. As for running, she was on crate rest with heart worms for a month, and her foster home was an apartment. Running is not part of her routine yet, but she is strong and healthy (thanks to her foster, Carol). She shows signs of endurance, and I am looking forward to extending her walks/runs in the future. Only one thing I have trouble with: she gravitates to the concrete paths and doesn't like the grass! That's got to change!

On April 22 I made an effort to run the Ouachita Trail 50 Mile run . I had driven up with 3 other runners and was even able to see Grant and Amy English and their family the night before. Grant was an intern at Legacy before landing in West Little Rock. The Start/Finish of the run was less than 15 minutes from the Grace Church parking lot where Grant serves on staff. I had not trained hard for the 50 miler, but I felt I was rested and strong enough to take a second run at the Ouachita National Forrest trails. I had heard the course was rugged, but I had no idea how rugged until I had begun the run. Here's a picture of the approach to Pinnacle Mountain . That's the peak in front of us. Also, this is about 3 miles into the run. As we approached the "mountain," I found myself climbing the face of a boulder field. I definitely was not trained for this...Still only 6 or 7 miles from the start! But, like with every hard climb there is a beautiful sunrise to view from the ...

I have run two runs in the last two months, and to say the least I am finding my desire is greater than that of my feet and my lungs! On March 11, I ran the inaugural Waco-50 event in Cameron Park in Waco, TX . At first glance Waco and run seems like an easy combination, but if you have ever been to Cameron Park that runs along the Bosque River, you know the terrain can become quite steep and rocky. Here's what I looked like starting the 3rd loop. Lesson learned: I tried to fuel with only manufactured products: Heed, Hammergel and Perpetuem That was not enough for me. I loaded up at the beginning of my third loop and although I was already behind schedule, I was able to finish. I need solid food on my long runs. The spiritual lesson is that I need solid food for the run of faith. ( Hebrews 5:12-14 ) Supplements don't cut it by themselves. Second lesson learned: Encouragement from others make all the difference. Shawna Brown, a member of NTTR, saw me dragging at the end of lo...

I created this blog to tell the miraculous story of Alan Ford's recovery from a car accident in August of 2005. You can read that story in the archives of this blog. I want to change course here and begin to use this blog to tell my story from a runner's perspective. First, the disclaimers. I can speak from a runner's perspective because I run. That's all. Running is a hobby of mine, not an obsession. I have joined a running group , which I am proud to be part of and love the community that group offers. I have never won a race or my age group, but I love the sport and will participate in it as long as I can or until, like Forrest Gump , I'll stop one day and say, "I'm tired. I think I'll go home now." I just finished running the inagural Waco 5-0 in Cameron Park in Waco, TX. I'll post later my lessons and how I am training for my next run, the Ouachita 50 Miler outside Little Rock, AR.

Hello... Well, it is January, the holidays are over, and so are those anticipated six months post injury. As I have mentioned before, the first six months are where he makes the most progress, and he has definitly done that. His speech is almost back to normal. His double vision is still present but continues to make itself less noticeable. His left side is doing so much better and though his left arm and shoulder are still not what they were, it is a miracle that it has come as far as it has. Alan is enjoying work and continues to work so hard. It has not gone unnoticed and his boss says that he will attend the next MIT program that they roll out in June. (This is training for a management postition, one he had just acquired the week before the accident, so after one year, he is back to where he was. Praise God.) His spirits are up though he does still struggle with his limitations and accepting what has happened to him as a whole. This is completely understandable and I just...