Growing up....

Today's ramblings are just musings of my heart. They probably won't come out in the right order, but I hope you can follow it.

I've been a Christian now for nearly 11 years. I made the decision to follow Christ because I knew in my heart that God was real, and I couldn't ignore that fact any longer. My life had been a mix of good living and bad living, but being two faced was something I didn't want to be anymore, so it was time to choose one lifestyle or the other.

Don't for a moment think though that this meant I lived a life that was in any way Christian all the time. I made many mistakes. I messed up friendships. I mistreated girls. I got drunk a couple of times. My language at times was shameful. I disobeyed my parents. I abandoned friends. Worst of all, I led others into sin, and even though I know everyone is responsible ultimately for their own choices, I can't help but feel that I may have played a part in leading young Christians away from God. My worst sin. For the most part I tried to walk the walk, but failed often. I was heading away from God but in His neverending grace and bottomless mercy, He didn't abandon me. He remained with me throughout everything, even though I took Him with me to places that must have broken His heart. I now look back and can see that God never left me; I just chose to think that He had.

As I look around at people, I see some Christians growing with God (at least judging by appearances), and I know others who are struggling. Those who are choosing to go down paths that are not Holy Spirit directed. Those who have failed and feel a burden of guilt which is stopping them from connecting with God. Those who are putting up appearances and obstacles in order to keep their lifestyles secret. So my question is this:

Does everyone have to go through a period of rebellion in order to grow into a stronger Christian?

Why do so many of our young people become Christians, grow and then turn away from God, and why do only some of them come back? Should we allow young people to go through this and risk losing them, or do we try to fight for them?

I was openly rebellious for a year, without concern for God or His ways. God's Word was empty to me; a night's drinking held more attraction than spending time with God's people; relationships were for physical gratification; anger and guilt caused me to turn my back on Him.

But I've come to realise that this was not my only "time" of rebellion. Rebellion happens all the time. I choose not to do the right thing, but instead do my own thing, and possibly even justify it as the right thing in a hope of brushing aside any possible twangs of guilt that may come my way. Is this just part of Christian growing up? That as time goes on I hope and pray that I'll be less rebellious? I don't buy the idea that when I'm a Christian "grown up" I'll be less rebellious. I look to those in the generation above, and I can see broken marriages; unfulfilled lives; and people searching for satisfaction in the here and now. Rebelling against God's intentions is obviously not age-related.

My concern is for young adults though that have become Christians and now are struggling or even turned away all together. They have known the truth of Christ; tasted it and experienced it, but yet they allow themselves to go on journeys that take them away from that truth. Proverbs 19:20 says we should listen to advice and counsel in order that we can become wise. But who does that?! No-one really learns from the mistakes of their elders; they learn once they make the mistakes themselves and time allows them reflection. So my personal experience will not speak to them. My heart breaks for them as I see them slip away, knowing that they may or may not come back to God. My love for them doesn't seem enough to encourage or strengthen them. Do I let them go for it, mess up, and pray that God will not let them wander too far?

I just can't help but feel that this is not the right thing to do. So what do I do? The question is playing over and over in my head. I love these people too much to let them walk away from the God who loves them; who forgives them; who transforms them; who cares for them; who wants to share in every special moment of their lives and not be restricted to an early chapter of their life story, never to feature again. I want them to become stronger Christians without the rebellion. So they don't wake up one day with guilt on their shoulders. So they can hold their husband or wife and know that this is the first person they have given themselves too. So they don't have to look back at photos of nights they can't remember. So they don't have a long list of friends, many of which they no longer speak to because they grew distant. So they have real, genuine, satisfying life; a God-centred life.

Maybe you're reading this, and you think I'm talking to you. Don't worry, no-one else knows your reading this so you can respond whatever way you want. I hope this is you, because I've written it for you! I hope you can read this and realise that I am not judging you nor am I criticising you. You can forget you've read this, forget about about me, forget you ever made the decision to follow Christ. I pray you don't do that. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. I don't want you to let go of the faith that you KNOW deep down is real. Remember that you've experienced it! You know it's the truth. Grab a hold of it and don't let go of it (Hebrews 10:23). You can still grow.

I want you to know three things (and I've rambled on long enough) so I'll finish with these:

- God loves you.

- God forgives you.

- God wants you back.

Please don't give up.

The next big thing...

So I'm trying to think of ideas for next years big charity event, and one keeps coming back around. I'm in the process of chasing up some info about it, but will let you know as and when it happens!

In other news, I'm kindof getting into Geocaching! Sounds geeky, and I suppose it is, but I'll let you know how it progresses! If you don't know what it is, check out:

http://www.geocaching.com/

The Big Run is over...

It is done. As I write this, I actually have difficulty in believing that it is done, though the aches in my body plus the medal I have makes it seem quite real!

Firstly, if you have ever ran a marathon before, or are planning to, I have a new found respect for you. It is a physical, and for many people a mental challenge, unlike any other I have experienced, and I am in awe of anyone who goes for it. This is aimed especially at my good friends Ed, Dale & Clint!

Without a doubt, I found this the most difficult and challenging event I have ever participated in. If you have never ran a marathon, let me give you a brief summary of what it felt like, and my own personal experience of it.

At the beginning, you stand with thousands of other people, breathing in an atmosphere of nervous excitement. You try to stretch in order to warm up, but you're shoulder to shoulder and squashed into a large sheep pen so that's almost impossible. You look around at people on their own, in groups, but it's clear from everyones' faces that something is about to happen.

Suddenly a horn blows, and a large cheer goes up as the front runners take off like scalded cats, while the other 9'000 people shuffle forward like March of the Penguins. There's very little running for the first hundred metres of so until the crowd begins to space out. I can't really describe how I felt at this point, as I was too busy looking at the costumes of other runners and trying to avoid running over people. The sun was shining and I realised that this was actually it.

For the first few miles there is still an excitement amongst the runners. A lot of people are chatting, and laughing, though a lot of people look very focused and are trying to get away from the people who appear quite relaxed. As I crossed the Albert Bridge, I was fortunate enough to run into Dale Mitchell, who was running the relay. This was great as Dale was able to keep me at a good pace for the next few miles and provide me some tips, having ran the marathon last year in a good time. Every now and again there as water stops, and we grabbed cups of water on the way past. For the briefest of moments I felt like a marathon runner, throwing the water back and chucking my cup to the side of the road. If you are ever running the marathon or the relay, relish these wee moments!

As we approached 4 miles I paused to stretch and told Dale to run on as she can run faster than me. As I ran on to the Sydenham bypass, there was my other marathon friend Clint (who just ran his second London marathon recently) who had bought me a bottle of lucozade sport, jelly beans, and a lot of verbal encouragement! When he said "You're doing great" he appeared sincere, and so I took off in the genuine belief that things were going well so far! This was a great point for me in the race, and I would recommend that if you are running, get friends or family members to be positioned somewhere around the course so they can encourage you. It really does make a difference.

Another benefit for me was having my phone with me so friends and family could ring me and chat to me as I ran. This was great for encouragement on the move and took the mind off the distances. Thanks to everyone who rang me during the race, it was good to chat with you all! Sorry if I seemed breathless for much of our conversation.

As many of you will know, I only decided to do this race three months ago, and my longest run was 8.7 miles. A third of what I would be doing in the marathon. On the day itself however, I was running beyond my ability. I passed the first relay point, then the 7 mile mark, then the 8 mile mark, and I never stopped. In fact I was on to the Antrim Road before I had any sort of struggle. I passed the half way mark in a time of 2hours 40mins, which was roughly on target for my estimated finish time of 5hours.

Running at between 5mph and 6mph was what I hoped for, but as the Antrim Road continued to wind it's way up around Cave Hill, my energy levels continued to wind down. A few pains started to be felt in my feet and in my hip socket. I knew my running had started to slow, but it was reinforced to me when a wee girl stepped out from the crowd and yelled,
"Here mister, you're s'posed to be runnin'!"
Not the encouragement I was hoping for.

Runners will tell you about "The Wall". I'm afraid I can't tell you about it, because I never hit it. I have always had a strong mental attitude to things, and I had a theory that this race would be 50% physical, and 50% mental. This has now been proven. I would not recommend running a marathon if you don't have a strong mind. My 50% physical was used on the first half of the race, and the 2nd half of the race was done solely by the overwhelming desire to finish and not to fail. I saw people who looked a lot fitter than me giving up on the marathon, on the relay, and on the walk. I forced myself to keep moving, and though I was reduced to a physical mess by the end, it paid off.

As I continued in this race, I have also realised that the people on the side of the road supporting the runners will cheer, clap and shout for you in two ways. If you are in the first half of runners, then their support will carry tones of elation and excitement. If you are in the second half of runners, then their support carries the distinct tone of sympathy. Their faces change from bright, happy, ecnouragement, to sad, heartfelt pity; as if they want to say "This wasn't really a good idea for you now was it?" This may just have been my experience, so would like to know if anyone else has seen this!

The last two legs were horrible. I jogged, walked and limped. My pee had turned blue (BLUE!!) due to the large amounts of water mixed with Powerade drinks I had consumed. I had taken that long to cover the last couple of miles as I turned the corner past Maysfield Leisure Centre I was fortunate enough to see the race officials throw the remaining buckets of water over one another. There was some Powerade left, but I couldn't risk any more of that stuff in case I became a Smurf. This was the mental challenge. I could see Ormeau Park and knew it was only a few miles to go. Nothing was going to stop me. I bumped into my friend Alan Marsh who kindly walked with me a bit, and then on the last mile, Sharon, Peter and Dale met me and walked with me. Though my hip had now forced me to move at a snails pace, I was as determined as ever to cross the line. Once you are in the 20+ mile mark, you should continue. Even if you are in pain, retiring at this point isn't really an option.

The relief when I crossed that finish line was immeasurable. Knowing that I had been moving for the last 6 and a half hours was just mental. I was wrecked and could barely stand, but it was done. The satisfaction of crossing the finish line almost made the race worthwhile in iself, but the money we have raised for charity has definitely made it worthwhile. Together we have raised over £700 for Oasis Village Trust working in Ndola in Zambia. This money will be spent on building the ten new chalets to house 6 children each. I can't thank you enough for your support in raising this money. If you are reading this and have not yet donated any money but would like to, please use the links to the right of this post.

I am of course now open to ideas for my next "Big Challenge" for next year, so if you have any thoughts, get in touch!

Dave

It's nearly here...

This will be my last posting before the race. I want to thank you for your support, and I hope that you will remember the happy go-lucky, beautiful, care free individual I was, rather than the pain-ridden, blister soled, sweat bucket that you may see next week. Though similar to the guy on the right, I may be running long in to the night...

I also want to thank everyone who has sponsored me so far, it's been fantastic. However, there are many people who still haven't sponsored me. If you haven't yet found the time to do it, PLEASE do so today. I would love to hit my target over this weekend before the race on Monday. Just click on the link below or to the right, fill out a couple of details; it's that simple. Or if you want to sponsor me in person, please get in touch asap.

Run strong!*

Dave

http://www.justgiving.com/thebigbelfastrun

(*Apologies for the cheeseyness of that last comment, I couldn't help myself)

Two weeks to go...

We are now two weeks away from the Big Belfast Run.

I'm not going to lie to you, I am concerned.

Not that I will fail this challenge horribly; not that I face permanent ligament damage; not that I may not be able to walk for a week; nor even the fear of my bum and thighs being chafed raw.

No, I'm more concerned that I'm not going to reach my target sponsorship! So please sponsor me today! It's for a fantastic cause, and it's the only reason I'm persevering with this!

Some progress!

So I haven't been on for awhile, but have been running quite a bit! Doing 3.5miles regularly, and on Saturday just past, I did 8.7miles (albeit with some stops, a bottle of lucozade and handfuls of jelly babies!).

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far, but with only 3 weeks until the marathon, I need more people to get on board! Check out the JustGiving link to the right.

Thanks!

The Big Belfast Run

It's now 9 months since I completed my Big Cycle, and it still seems like only yesterday. Over 400 miles within 5 days, from the south to the north. With your support together we were able to raise over £1,800 to go to two projects in Uganda and Zambia! An amazing total you'll agree.

Following the cycle last year I got married, and whilst adjusting to the many changes that married life brings, the change from lean mean cycling machine, to contented couch potato has been quite dramatic. So the thought of completing any charity event, other than marathon XBox sessions, has been few and far between.

However, that was until my friend Annalisa was telling me more about Oasis Village Trust. This is a charity working in Ndola, Zambia, and is ran by Ziso & Nicki Moyo. Nicki is from here, and they are currently involved with an amazing project to house up to 60 orphans. The project is fantastic, and you can go on their website and read more about what they have been involved in. So as a result, I have taken on another challenge. I am going to run the Belfast City Marathon. Yes, the full thing. 26.4miles of pain, tears and sweat. Some might not think this is such a difficult task, but given how I could barely run the length of myself 6 weeks ago, it's really quite a challenge!

I am actually more anxious about the Big Run than I was over the Big Cycle. Aside from the inevitable comments about my insanity and stomach size, I would really appreciate it if you would kindly support me in this challenge as you all did so generously last year. Together we can play a small part in creating a future for children and young people in Zambia.

You can sponsor me by clicking on the Justgiving link to the right of the page.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions, training advice, or just want to let me know you're laughing at me!

Yours gratefully,

Dave

JustGiving now active!

You can now sponsor me online via JustGiving. See the box to the right!

One month later...

So alas, work has taken priority in life, and running hasn't. So I'm beginning to feel a small bit of pressure on me knowing that in just over 7 weeks, I'll be running 26 miles, which is about 10 times my best at the moment.

Due to me not competing at a professional level, I'm not going to be facing a random drugs test, so am seriously considering anything which may enhance my performance on the day.

Do Tescos sell Benzedrine?

One week later...

Last Tuesday I wrote that update between tasks over at church. We were having a large clearout due to ongoing refurbishment work, and I was finishing off carrying chairs and tables to new locations. By the end of the day my back was beginning to feel funny, but thought nothing of it. Got home and got changed, warmed up and went out for my run as planned, however this well intentioned evening was about to take a turn for the worse, when the pain levels in my back began to skyrocket!

After running for a mile (and now being a mile from home) I was doubled over, and struggling to breathe. I jogged / walked / crawled my way home (1st mile took less than 10 minutes, same mile home took 20) and collapsed on to a sofa at home. Following a couple of days off work, a doctors visit, large quanities of painkillers, a sympathetic wife, and no heavy lifting, I'm feeling a lot better, and intending to hit the tarmac again for some knee punishment.

On another note, I'm hopefully going to have a Just Giving page set up within the next two weeks, so the donations can start coming in!

The Running Man

So it has been decided!

I will be running the FULL Belfast City marathon on Monday 3rd May, raising money for Oasis Village Trust.

You can read more about the charity here and see all of the good work that they are involved in.

I have chosen to run the full marathon as people have continually laughed at me every time I told them I was thinking about it, so I am setting out to prove the disbelievers wrong!

Am hitting the road tonight, and not stopping until I throw up. Then I'll know I've done enough.

I've also shelved my training theory, as I'm too late to put it into practice, but may embark upon it at another time!

A New Year

So it is indeed 2010, and what a start to the year it has been.

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who prayed for my wee sister following her illness over Christmas. God has answered those prayers and didn't take Kerry home to be with Himself, but has healed her of this illness. After a week of emotional turmoil, stress and no sleep, Kerry pulled through it and has made a miraculous recovery. Words fail to express how thankful we as a family are for your support. Kerry was well enought to come home on Christmas Day, which as you can imagine was the greatest Christmas present we've ever received! There is still some way to go, but we continue to ask for God's strength every day.

I am also just back from my friend Nicho's wedding in England. Sub-zero conditions and blizzards were the order of the day, but a fantastic time was had, and I only spent around 18 hours in the car, on a bus, on a plane or sitting in an airport! The guts of one full day!!!

Anyway, I'm going to try to get running this week again, and I may be about to commit to running for a specific charity. Last year my cycling was for two tearfund projects, but this year I've been looking at another charity that I want to support. more details to follow soon.

My wee sister...

So running has taken a back seat after my wee sister Kerry collapsed last Saturday (12th December) with a brain hemorrhage. She has just turned 17. She underwent emergency surgery on Monday in order to remove part of the clot, and is now in the intensive care unit of our local hospital.

If you are reading this, I would ask you just to say a simple prayer for my sister and our family. She has a strong belief in God and a personal relationship with Him, and though we know it's selfish, we don't want God to have her just yet.

Pray that she will make it through this illness and that we can have our wee sister back with us.

Thank you.

Distractions

So no running done for a week now. Not good. Too distracted by Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and put off by the miserable weather that I haven't been out for days.

However I did head out mountain biking on Saturday morning in the cold, the rain, and the mud, and it was fantastic. Haven't been for years, and raked around Belvoir Forest Park getting caked in muck, and whooping like a madman every time I came down a slope. I worry I may actually have been bitten by the MTB bug again, which means I could be rethinking my future bike purchase...

Anxiety

This week I have been sick, and so only got out on Monday night for a run in the rain. Managed to come in at 9m 20s, which was the exact same time as I had obtained on Saturday afternoon!

Sharon's brother Dave has asked to train with me, though was not impressed that I wanted to do the marathon in under 3 hours! But he keeps himself fit, so it's more likely that it won't be him that has any problems doing it!

However, he ran at 7.5 mph last year for the his leg of the marathon, and I worked out that if we ran at that speed, then we would complete the marathon in 3hr 49m. Which ain't a bad time, but if we're to do it in under 3 hours, we need to be running at 8.7 mph or faster! Which makes me considerably more anxious!

Every week I realise a little more that this task is actually a lot harder than it first seemed...

I'm going mountain biking on Saturday morning, so odds on I'll probably break something and the running will have to wait!

Improvement!

Ahhh, sweet caffeine.

Anyway, I went for my mile run last night, and am feeling pretty good, as I came in quicker than my first time!

1 mile = 9m 57 secs!

That's an improvement of 1m 21 secs! Made me feel like I was Usain Bolt for the rest of the evening!

So on that basis of improving over a minute a week, I should be able to run 1 mile in 5 minutes by Christmas Day. Then it's just a matter of increasing the distances! I hope...

BREAKING NEWS: A new challenge!

Well hello again blogging world!

So I thought I would let the world know that I have now set myself a new challenge, and that is to run the Belfast City Marathon on May 3rd, 2010.

Now of course, I don't do anything by halves, so instead of just saying I'm going to complete it, I decided to find out the average time for a marathon. 4hrs 30mins.

All my life I have been just above the average mark, so the first challenge is finishing earlier than 4hrs 30.

Then I decided that I should set myself a target of around 3 hrs 30. A target that many people would aim for.

And not even happy with that, I've decided that I'm going to develop my own training technique, and aim to do it in as fast a time as physically possible, i.e. less than 3 hrs. A target that seasoned and experienced runners would aspire to.

Let me share my theory with you.

• Train until you can run flat out for a mile and do it in 5 to 6 minutes.
• Once you can do that, then increase the distance by 0.5 miles, and run that in 9 minutes.
• Once you can do that, repeat the increments of 0.5 miles and 3 minutes.
• Eventually your body will be able to run 15 miles in 1hr 15 / 1hr 30. This leaves you just over 11 miles to complete the race. Continue to train, aiming to do 12-15 miles on big training days (once every 2 weeks), but only aiming to improve your time.
  

I would love to come in at a record breaking Ethiopian pace of less than 2hrs 15, but I went for a run last night and it didn't go down so well. As I have only started running yesterday, I'm aiming for the mile mark.
Foolishly I thought I had retained some level of stamina from my Mizen 2 Malin cycle (see previous posts), but alas, I have not. After running nearly half a mile, I thought I was undergoing cardiac arrest, and was trying to wave down passing cars in the hope someone would stop and perform CPR on me. I arrived home gasping to Sharon that I needed an adrenaline shot to the heart immediately or I might die.

I completed my first mile in an embarrassing time of 11m 18s.

This is going to be tough...

Life

I will endeavour to update what has happened over the past few months, but if you are reading this and you owe me money from the Charity Cycle of the year, then be warned: I'm coming for you.

The Big Cycle is over

So everyone, I have cycled the length of Ireland.6 days away from home.
c.27 hours on a saddle.
c.400 miles covered.
1 Hybrid bike.
6 full Irish Breakfasts.
7 Gel packs.
1 pulled knee ligament.
2 fingers with nerve damage.
10 Carbmix Powerbars.
4 Protein shakes.
Too many litres of water to count.
2 burnt thighs.

I want to thank everyone who supported me in this, and for those who gave money. We have raised over £1,600 which is just amazing.

Thanks to Nick, Trevor, Ed and Peter for their cycling advice and a couple of items of kit.

Thanks to Uncle John for the use of the bike these past two months.

There's plenty of stories, but I won't bore you all with them just yet! Sorry I couldn't get online more often to update you as I went!

Again, sincere thanks to all of you.

God bless,

Dave

P.S. You can still donate money by going to
http://www.justgiving.com/mizen2malin
or when you see me in person.

Day 1 - It's Not A Race

So I'm sitting in the Killarney Court Hotel following a 79 mile cycle and my bum is, to be honest, a little bit sore! But I'm now a fifth of the way there! And a lot closer to home than I was a few hours ago!

I now know that most of the guys here are possibly part-time Tour de France types, and even though the phrase "It's not a race" is widely used, it's not widely adhered too! So I've continued my slower plod miles behind everyone else! Everytime we take a break, I cut mine short and take off just to get a mile or two ahead before everyone passes me again!

So following a long journey down yesterday, we arrived at our hotel and headed off for a bite to eat before retiring to bed in anticipation of the day that lay ahead. Mizen is actually my new definition of the back-ar$e of nowhere, and so by the time we got there we didn't set off until half 10! Up through County Cork and into County Kerry by travelling through the Caha mountains and through Moll's Gap. Two big climbs (for me anyway!) but what a rush coming down them! The villages down here are lovely, especially the ones right on the coast. If time was no object I would definitely have spent some more time down here, especially in Glengariff, Bantry and a few others. Though I might bring food with me, as these places are all tourist spots, and the prices are sometimes pretty wild!

So key facts from today's ride (I got a cycle computer and have nearly got it working 100%):
- Top Speed - 38.7mph (I thought I was going to die)
- Avg Speed - 13.8mph
- Total Distance - 79 miles (wrong turn in Killarney town!)

Hope all is well in the North with everyone! Thank you to everyone who has texted and wished me luck and said a wee prayer, I flippin' need them!

Much love,

Dave