Eggs In One Basket

It was a beautiful morning this morning. Chilly and brisk, but the sun was poking through and gradually warming up the air. Christy and I did 6 x 4 minutes at half-marathon pace (about 5:50 to 6 minutes per mile) followed by 2 minutes of recovery at about 8:00 minutes per mile. We did a 2 mile warm-up and a 4 mile cool-down for about 11 miles total. She is racing a half-marathon in Kansas this weekend and will be defending her Lincoln Marathon title in a few weeks. She is running great.

Tomorrow, if I have time, I'll do 4 miles really easy and then take Saturday and Sunday off. The marathon is only a few days away. Let the eating begin!

Tomorrow I am having pasta for lunch courtesy of some people from the church and then Amber and I are going to Prima 140 where Paul, the owner, chef, friend, and fellow marathon runner will hook me up with with some needed carbs. Saturday it's fresh chocolate chip cookies courtesy of Midwest Airlines. Sunday it is whatever I can get my hands on. Monday morning it's Clif Bars, Jelly Beans, and Cytomax.

So the weather pretty much looks like a done deal. A Nor'easter will arrive in Boston this weekend and not leave until well after the race. Conditions are going to be miserable. Snow the day before on Sunday. On race day, temperatures will hover around 40 degrees, rain will be constant and heavy, and the winds will blow in our face from the Ocean at about 30 miles per hour for all 26.2 miles. My goal of a personal best time is not likely going to happen.

I was talking to Christy during the run yesterday about being a little disappointed with the weather. I have trained for a year for something that doesn't last three hours. I won't be able to run as fast as I hoped; there won't be nearly as many fans; it is going to be cold and wet, et. al.

I put all my eggs in one basket for this race. Now the basket has dropped and the eggs are broken. Turning back the clock, I wouldn't have done things any differently. I controlled what I could control and I'll will deal with what I can't control.

Other phrases exist for putting all one's eggs in one basket. A poker player calls it "going all in." A rock climber calls it "exposure." The investor calls it "risk." Disciples call it "getting out of the boat."

Matthew 14:24-29

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

Peter put all his eggs in one basket when he got out of the boat and walked on the water. He did what nobody else has ever done--he walked on water.

A person will never discover new lands in life without losing sight of the shore. Annie Dillard writes: "If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be too cynical. Well, that's nonsense. You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down." Mark Twain adds: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." And Ralph Waldo Emerson says: "People wish to be settled: only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them."

Take a step out of the boat and try walking on water. You will never succeed if you don't try. And know that God is with you. He promised us His presence.

So here's the deal, bite off more than you can chew and then start chewing.