kata skopon dioko

I press on toward the goal, forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:14). Not without some difficulty---January is a cruel month with grant deadlines, closing out year end books, reports, the first stab at taxes, budgets, annual meetings, and it does not help that it is cold. And then there are the new things---planning a running fund raiser for the Gargoyle and working on changes in web services for Augustana. It all adds up and takes a toll on work and home and even sport. This morning I just could not get moving and I decided to skip my planned swim, take an extra hour in the sack, and see where it left me. By late afternoon I felt better and I decided to stick the workout back in the evening hours. This is the second night-swim this week (and, I think, overall). I am surprised how much I enjoy it.

Did the core exercises from RW again. I thought that I was pretty weak in the core, but I am having no trouble with these exercises (some trembling at the end of a 2 minute plank, notwithstanding). This gives me some sense that the combination of swimming/biking/running is working the core adequately. I will keep these up and add some tougher ones down the road with the hope of trimming down more of the gut---but all in all, I feel pretty good about where things stand in terms of core strength.

The quote from Paul at the beginning has come back into my mind these past couple months and it strikes me as profound both for running and life. He does not see the run as a simple here-to-there, but as a long, continuous striving that reaches the prize at the END, but not at some interim end. Always becoming, always captured by the endeavor, always engaging oneself fully in the moment and the day---looking toward what is ahead. I will probably come back to this again.