Beautiful Reclamation: New Kicks!

Despite my love of cycling, it seems that over the past few months I have become a bit of a runner. You see, I love the feeling of being on a bike, but it's just not as convenient as running. With my schedule the way it is and the days getting shorter, it gets harder and harder to find time and daylight to get on some decent trails and roads. Riding typically requires a little more planning. You need to have your bike together, extra tubes, air, etc. You need to find some good roads or trails to put together an enjoyable ride. Usually you want to stick to daylight riding. While running is not quite as fun as riding, it allows you the flexibility of needing almost no preparation, stepping out your front door and a taking off, day or night. Lately, I have been taking advantage of this convenience. I've been putting in between 25 and 30 miles a week and running has been doing a great job of keeping me in shape (Although I did put on about ten pounds in November . . . ouch).

One more thing keeps me running: I turns out I'm pretty good at it over the distances I have been going. I actually feel a bit like Happy Gilmore. For a long time I have insisted that I am a cyclist, always with marginal results. I started running just a brief time ago, and I am already running a pretty fast pace for up to eight or nine miles. Identity crisis aside, it has been fun to develop this new hobby.

Cyclists obsess over equipment. We always want something better and we always want upgrades. Lighter. Faster. Stronger. Carboner. You're always looking for something better. Running, on the other hand, requires almost nothing. Just some clothes to run in and some shoes. I'm guessing I have put a few hundred miles on the running shoes I have come to love, the Nike Lunaracer+. Over the past few weeks I have realized it necessary to replace these shoes. Another difference between running and cycling is that once you get comfortable running, you want everything to remain exactly the same. For this reason, I have been looking for a new pair of Lunaracers to replace my old ones. Unfortunately, the Lunaracer has been discontinued. They replaced them with a slightly different Lunaracer 2. I was wary to try something even slightly different, but finally decided to procure a pair of the new Lunaracer 2 (Thanks for the birthday gift, Mom and Dad). Below you can see my new kicks on the left as compared to my old, worn down but well loved kicks on the right.

The new Lunaracers are clearly not as sexy, as they are not dayglo green. But they are way newer and actually have some spring and cushion in them. Nike made a few important changes, not all of which I like, but I think they're going to work out great. As long as I keep getting faster and stay healthy, I'll consider them a success.

I had an awesome weekend over the last few days. Saturday, I was scheduled to go into the field and for the first time ever just did not feel up to it. I was just feeling like I needed some me time and some relaxation. Moments before I was set to go into the field on Saturday, my group was rescheduled, which gave me a nice break. I stayed in the office and helped paint, as Amor is currently doing some office renovations. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to relax and serve in a quiet, meditative way. After painting, I went down to Mexico for a Christmas party celebrating our Mexican pastors and their families. It was a great event to be a part of, featuring great food, fellowship and gifts for the Pastors' children. This was an opportunity to truly feel blessed. Afterward, I got a last second invitation to go to an awesome concert featuring The Temper Trap, The Black Keys and free beer with some great guys. The Temper Trap has been one of my two favorite bands over the last few months and they put on an incredible show, so seeing them live was an awesome experience. Getting some solid guy time in the process made for a great night. Sunday was a ridiculously gorgeous day in San Diego with highs in the 80's. I got out for an impromptu hike and breathtaking scenery at Torrey Pines in the morning. I wrapped up the day with a great church service led by two awesome worship bands.

This weekend was a perfect example of once again getting exactly what I needed when I needed it. I'm so thankful to everyone that was a part of it. I'm going to end this post with some Temper Trap videos. Just try to watch these guys without getting excited about life.