Almost Home

Russian law requires three visits to the country before we can bring our new children home. The first visit will be to meet Ana and Tim. After that meeting if everyone - Val and I, the children, the adoption agency, the Russian officials - are in agreement, we will make a second trip to finalize the adoption in court.

Lord willing, the gavel will come down and the Judge will say, "We hereby grant you permission to adopt the two children Tatyana Deutsch and Artem Deutsch." 

And then we will wait. 

Because, you see, even though they will be our children in the eyes of the law and in our hearts, we will have to wait thirty days before we can bring them home. Within those thirty days, yet more papers will be filed, and any long-missing family members who want to contest the adoption will have their chance to come forward. 

At the end of our day in court, we will celebrate. We will cry. We will share a family meal. And at the end of that life shifting day, Tim and Ana will go back to sleep in the orphanage. Just like they have every other day of their lives. This time, though, it will be different. Because they will know that they have a home and brothers and sisters in another land. 

Just a little wait, and they will be home. 

Isn't that the reality of the Christian life? Every believer is an adopted child in God's family. We have a home and brothers and sisters in another land.

But still we have to wait.

Hope sustains us, though. Because we know in our hearts that our Heavenly Father has already made the arrangements. Our adoption has been finalized.

Just as I long to bring two more children into my home. Just as my sons and daughters anticipate welcoming their new brother and sister, my Heavenly Father longs to see me. My elder brother Jesus anticipates welcoming me into his home.

Saints who've gone before me will stand with open arms when I cross that final threshold. But for now, I wait.

Richmond Half Marathon: An Unexpected Race

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

The Unexpected Races

About this time last year, as we sat around eating holiday food, my buddy Michael said, Why don't we find a 5K to train for? It"ll help us get back into shape. So...one 10K and two half marathons later, and here I am writing this post

Two Half Marathons in 2012. Whoda thunk it?

And that's the least of the surprises: Going into last year's holiday season, adoption had never crossed my mind. But here I am, working and planning with my wife Val to bring two young people out of a Russian orphanage and into our home.

Funny. I had this feeling that God was telling me to prepare for something big. I just had no idea...

Adoption and racing converged at the Richmond Half Marathon. I thought I'd try using this race as a fund-raiser, and some incredible friends stepped up to the plate to support us. Friend Jeff upped the ante by challenging me to shave 10 minutes off of my previous race time. And he promised a bigger donation if I did.Yikes. No pressure there.

A Strategy Emerges

If you want to cut 10 minutes from your PR, here are my suggestions:

• Run the mile you're in. In Ashland, I kept thinking about the miles in front of me. In Richmond, I just concentrated on staying strong at the moment. It makes a big difference
• Lolly-gag in your first race. Seriously. I didn't know what to expect at the Patrick Henry Half, so my only goal was to avoid the ignominy of being picked off the course by a shuttle. Maybe could have pushed that one a little harder? 
• Concentrate on speed work. Between August and November, I spent more time on speed work. Part of the reason for this - honestly - was because my knees just weren't holding up so well on the long runs. . 
• Have a cause. Brady Murray, Iron Man and founder of RODS Racing told me, "You'd be amazed what you can do when racing for a cause." He was right. 
• Finish on a down hill. The Richmond race closed with a nice decline heading into Browns Island. I try to finish most of my training runs on an incline, so this made for a swift kick at the end. 
• Pray. Can't stress this enough. Things happen when you pray.

Thank You, Pace Team

Just before the start, I noticed a 2:15 pace team in the corral in front of me. Perfect. If I could catch them and then stay ahead, that would get me in the neighborhood of 2:10. So that was the first order of business. By the time I reached Bryan Park, around mile 7, they were long gone. I had a burst of energy inside the park - fueled by the clock that told me I was under an hour for the first 10K.

Expect Great Things from God, Attempt Great Things for God

The Richmond race is behind me. But there's still a lot of ground to cover before we can bring Ana and Tim home. One thing I am trying to learn, though:, is to run the mile I'm in. It's too easy to be overcome by the distance that stretches out before me. But God's grace, like Manna, is enough for the day.

Rainy Day Workout

Here in my neck of Central Virginia, Hurricane Sandy went easy on us. Still, I decided not to run Monday night in the cold rain and high winds. (I know. That's just weak.)

Falling back on some of the body weight moves I learned from Adam Steer and the guys at ShapeShifter, I still put in a decent workout with 30 seconds each of: 

• Bucket Drops
• Burpees with Push Up
• Mountain Climbers
• Jumping Jacks

Followed by a short rest.

I wasn't feeling terribly scientific, so I just cycled through this routine until I had worked up a good sweat and felt about the same as I normally do at the end of a hard run.

The Mountain Climbers, in particular, imitate the burn you get from that final kick. When I perform my Mountain Climbers, I only let my extended foot rest on the ground. I find that keeping the opposite leg slightly elevated puts some extra pressure on the core.

Give this a try next time you get rained in. As a bonus, here's a video of Adam Steer with one of his body weight cycles. This video demonstrates (among other things) the bucket drop. Of all the moves listed above, it may be the most unfamiliar. But it's a great way to get the whole body moving and the major muscles groups working together.