Percy Warner Park trail run

One of the best places to walk/run/hike in Nashville is Percy Warner Park. And there, a well-known location is “the stairs.” A friend of mine and I met there a few days ago and that’s where our trail run started. Let me just tell you, this is no walk in the park, if you’ll pardon the expression. It’s a rugged, tree-rooted, crops of rock-infused path rising to hundreds of feet from where it starts, then back down again. Here’s a view of the stairs, courtesy of Expedia. The hiking trail starts at the top of the stairs.

Expedia image of PWP stairs
image from Expedia.com

We saw some interesting things: Conan the Barbarian (or Outlander?) huffing it around the same path we were on, then saw him again sprinting up the stairs. He literally looked like a modernized caveman, but hey, he was running hard, so more power to him! We also saw a lot of people out to enjoy the beautiful weather we had that day. Then, the pinnacle of sights, a breathtaking view of downtown Nashville. A picture wouldn’t even do it justice, so you just need to go there yourself to see it. In the pic below, it’s the red peak point to the right of the gray 1 mile marker. It’s stunning.

By the end we both were exhausted. We’d climbed a total of 626.6 feet in elevation! My friend suggested as a way to finish our run, a sprint from the flag pole area up to the first wall (you can kind of see the wall in the picture above). Sooooooooo we went ahead and did that 3 times!

We’re crazy. Running with company is so much better than running alone, if only for the sake of having someone there to suffer with you. But I appreciated our conversation, and how he and I often find ourselves running side by side in the race of life, too. Here’s our course from that day…

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-Out of the Wilderness

I have a hard time saying “no”

No.

It’s a word I’m not very good at using. In fact, I’m not even good at the Canadian No. There have been many, many times in my life that I’ve actually said “yes” and regretted it. On the flip side, there have also been many times I’ve said “no” and regretted it. So this isn’t just about getting good at saying “no,” it’s about learning to say “no” to the right (or wrong?) opportunities.

I’ll definitely say “yes” to an opportunity to compliment myself: I’m getting better at figuring out my strengths, where I can really flourish, and where I can not be such a doofus! I recently had an opportunity that, on paper, fit me really well. So I jumped at the chance. I said “yes.” In the days leading up to it I was excited, although a bit nervous. In fact, my nerves and slight anxiety prompted a recent post titled Jogging in what’s left of Hurricane Irma.

I’m not going to give specifics but what I’d be doing is related to work I already do and an area that I am pretty good in. So it makes sense, right? That’s what I thought, too.

But then as I tried to sleep last night I had major anxiety about it. I didn’t rest well, probably waking up 8 or 9 times from the discomfort I was feeling. When I was able to fall asleep, I dreamt about it, which gave me anxiety in the REM world, too. Waking up this morning, all I could think to do was reach out to a trusted friend or two who would understand where I’m coming from, and then pray about it.

It’s just crazy because like I said, this opportunity appears to be right up my alley. It just goes to show that sometimes it must be OK to say no. It has to be. I think I must have an “obliger” personality. More on that here but basically it’s this:

Obligers don’t want to let people down. They want to be helpful. And in turn, they end up with way too much on their plate.

Now, to give a very brief history of my life and also to be totally honest, I’ve had opportunities similar to this recent one in the past. It’s been a while but I do remember a similar feeling of uneasiness with those, too. So this new opportunity that sprang up is probably one I should’ve said “no” to in the very beginning. Would’ve been better for my health, for sure.

I don’t often offer advice in my posts, I would rather you take what you can from each one and figure out if it can help you. But today, I’ll offer this to you…

You don’t always have to say “yes.” Don’t see an available opportunity as a sign that you are supposed to be the one to fill it. Know your strengths, and your weaknesses, what you enjoy and what gives you anxiety. Then make a choice that’s going to let you flourish, and at the same time be a blessing and a help to others.

-Out of the Wilderness

 

Jogging in what’s left of Hurricane Irma

I was about to title this The Art of Running in the Rain but I didn’t, for a couple of reasons:

  1. It’s too close to the title of a great book called The Art of Racing in the Rain*
  2. It’s not so much artistic as it is just keeping your head down and finishing

Yesterday, as Hurricane Irma continued to dwindle down to a misty precipitation, I set out to run. The original plan was to drive over to a nearby Greenway but it was 4pm. So while getting there would be a cinch, afternoon traffic in Nashville is anything but. I’d get stuck in Google traffics dreaded red line with all the other people heading home for the day. I kept the car in park and went on foot around the neighborhood.

As I mentioned a few days ago, my goal is to beat my best 5K time. This run, however, I wasn’t going for gold. Just a jog pace. I needed to be in the rain. Let my mind and spirit be refreshed. I used this time to turn a few things over to the Lord. Any frustrations, nerves, fears, I prayed for God to replace them with joy.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

img_20170914_111415.jpgGod wants me to give Him my anxiety, my worries and fears, which is totally awesome because I don’t really want them anyway! As I was running I confessed how I was feeling. I asked God to take on the burden and with the new space in my life, for joy and freedom. Freedom in my heart that will spill over into my daily life, which brings joy.

By the end of the run I definitely felt refreshed. It was good for my soul to be in that vulnerable place of admitting my feelings to the One who already knew them anyway. The frustration and anxiety were gone. All that was left was a happy albeit fast-beating heart…and wet clothes.

I didn’t break any records. No gold medals. I didn’t even run very fast. And yet yesterday did more for me than any 5K will ever do. As my pastor would say, I had a front row seat to see God work. A chance to take God up on one of His promises and know that He didn’t leave me hanging. I’d say that’s worth more than gold!

-Out of the Wilderness

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I will receive a portion of sales associated with this Amazon link

Fantasy football is back!

Hard to believe another year of football has already started. Is anyone else as excited as I am? Honestly though, if I hadn’t won week 1, I probably wouldn’t be writing this post because I’d be too T.O.’d to talk about it. My team is The Billy Oceans and we’re going on our 11th year with the “Caribbean Queen” singer as our namesake.

The best I’ve ever finished was back in 2010 when I came in 2nd. Standouts on my team that year, and these names are really gonna jog your memory: Peyton Hillis, Tony Gonzalez, Mario Manningham, LaDanian Tomlinson, and of course, my quarterback Matt Ryan.

Here’s my problem, though. I usually draft with my heart, not my head. So I end up with players I like, who may not necessarily be the best players at their position. It’s why I’ve had Matt Ryan almost every year since 2010. Fortunately, he’s an elite quarterback but an example of how this can hurt me is drafting Kelvin Benjamin in the first round last year. He had a great rookie season but there was no reason to use my first round pick on him when I could have picked him up in the 3rd of 4th rounds at the earliest.

So now it’s 2017 and I was determined to draft with my head, at least for the first two rounds. Did it pay off? Well, I’m 1-0 so maybe? Here’s who I had on my roster going into the week 1 matches:

Screen Shot 2017-09-13 at 9.33.09 AM

I actually drafted Allen Robinson of the Jax Jaguars but dropped him in favor of Sterling Shepard before the games started Sunday. And after winning week 1, along with a handful of injuries and new players available for week 2 (because of Miami being on a bye), here’s my team going into week 2:

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Not many changes but I was able to pick up Kerwynn Williams who will be the Cardinals #1 RB while David Johnson is out, and Sanu added in place of Sterling Shepard. I’m hoping to get week 1 production out of Ryan, Howard, Gillislee, Bailey, and the Steelers D; added value from Ajayi’s first game of the regular season, Golladay having a good game again; and more production from Kelce and Adams.

Who was your first round pick? Anyone you have your eye on for the upcoming weeks? Feel free to share in the comments below!

-Out of the Wilderness

Avoiding a “Talkative Tim” or a “Chatty Cathy”

The other day I ran into a friend of mine, one who could easily be considered a “Talkative Tim,” a “Chatty Cathy,” a “Wordy Wade.” If talking were in the Olympics, this guy would stand triumphant as a gold medalist…and he’d be talking to the silver medal winner next to him about how sturdy the podium is, why Kroger receipts upset him, or what Ryan Seacrest is up to these days, or if there’s time, all three of those topics.

For the sake of anonymity, let’s say I encountered my friend at the gym. The first time was fine. I get it, we’re both at the gym, we haven’t seen each other in a few weeks. OK, let’s talk about stuff. Eventually I was able to escape and get on with my agenda. Same time the next day, there he is again. The conversation somehow begins before I even knew it and there I am again, an introvert struggling to act interested in a story this guy would tell to a pole if it stayed in one place long enough. And poles usually stay in one place a long time, that’s what they do. But I’m not a pole, at this point I want to be in any other place! I know there are courteous ways of ending conversations so I do my best.

Well, that’s great, nice seeing you.

Well, let me know how that goes.

Have a good workout.

What’s that over there? *Run away when he turns to look*

This guy must be a pro because he blows through my “goodbye” signals like a Lambo on a straight road. Day 3 the same thing again. But this time, just like they did in The Cutting Edge, I can only think of one thing that’ll work. A last ditch effort. This is my Pamchenko moment. I slowly move away as we’re talking. Just the right combination of proximity (less of it) and a final thought might do the trick! I’m literally taking steps away from this two-some. Five feet. Ten feet. I’m now 20 feet away and think I’m in the clear. Phew, that was exhausting! Wait, what’s this? I’m a calf awkwardly hopping around because my feet are tied up. This “Conversation Cowboy” somehow roped me back in! I was 20 feet away!!!!!!! Dang, he’s good.

Have you ever had experiences like this? If you have any funny stories or successful exit strategies, tell me about it in the comments below!

-Out of the Wilderness