Happy New Year

It may seem hard to believe, but I am planning to make this my most fulfilling running year ever. I have several reasons to say this:

• I am an assistant high school track coach. I will be coaching distance runners after assisting with the cross country team last fall. I will resume over the summer and fall and be the assistant cross country coach again. We have some good runners, all girls, whom I am looking forward to coaching.
• My own running, surprisingly, is going well. I have run 28 and 30 minutes Thursday and today (Saturday), with no pain. The last two months have been very productive. I have rested my sore Achilles tendons and left knee. Then I got new shoes, Saucony Guide. I decided to quit wearing my at least-10-year-old orthotics, and I am running on the grass of the Eastlake Park soccer fields. I was amazed how little pain I have felt the last two runs. Before, I had been feeling a pain on the outside of my left Achilles tendon -- not actually the tendon, but some soft tissue in that area. So, to relieve that pain, I have been running for only 20 minutes on the treadmill. It didn't hurt, and there were no after-effects the next day. Then, on New Year's Day, I decided to try running on the grass in my new shoes. I was able to, amazingly, go 28 minutes. There was no pain. Then today, I went 30 minutes. I will continue to run on grass, maybe around the WACO school grounds, every other day and see how it goes.
• I feel it is God's will that I progress on this course. I guess my New Year's resolution every year is to do the best with what God gave me, follow the path of Jesus as well as humanly possible. That means being the best husband and father I can be, the best Christian I can be, and the best at my "work" -- or role in the world. I want to have my best teaching year ever, and I want to share my love of running with these kids I coach. That makes me a happy man.