Archive for the ‘Running’ Category

Colombia Chronicles – Part 3

Posted: 16 May, 2012 in Blogging, Leadership, Leading Trips, Military, Running, Travel
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Last week I returned from leading a 4-man Air Force training team to Colombia to teach high angle rescue techniques to Colombian Air Force helicopter crews and para-rescue personnel. I was hoping to blog daily about my experiences, but I quickly discovered that internet access was in high demand and I had to beg, borrow, and steal just to get a chance to check my email every few days. I was, however, still able to find time to do some writing throughout my adventure. These are the chronicles of my adventurous trip to Colombia…

Day 3

I woke up this morning and was greeted by a freezing room and a cold shower. Unfortunately, the problem wasn’t that all the hot water was already gone… there wasn’t any to begin with! There is only one faucet in the sink and shower, so nothing from the tap is heated or cooled. I guess it’ll be cold showers for a couple weeks, but at least I can be confident in the capability of our window air conditioner :)

I hope our room isn’t costing the Air Force too much…

Today was our first day of class. We started off with introductions and each of the instructors gave a capabilities brief. I talked about the UH-1N Huey, MSgt Friesz talked about the HH-60 Pavehawk and SSgt Dowd talked about what Pararescue Jumpers (PJs) bring to the fight. For our first experience using an interpreter, I think we did ok; but it’s definitely a skill we’ll need to develop in the coming weeks.

Once we got the basics out of the way, we separated the class into 2 groups (aircrew and PJs). The whole class was about 45 strong, but only 20 or so were aircrew members. Since we didn’t know our audience very well, I decided to take the first hour for them to brainstorm about their current capabilities and how we could assist them. I’m really glad I did too, because it turned out that many of the classes we were intending to teach were much too elementary for the technology and experience level of these Colombian Air Force veterans. Some of these guys have over 6,000 hours! (to put that in perspective, I have about 1,600)

Needless to say, it was a bit intimidating at first, but once we recognized their eagerness to learn the USAF way of doing things, we got into a groove and started teaching them the things they identified as valuable during our brainstorming session. Today, we talked about risk management, mission planning, searching psychology, crew coordination, and hoist cables.

We forgot that speaking through a translator would take twice as long and were surprised to discover how fast the hours flew by! Suddenly it was 430p… time to load up the truck and head back to dinner.

On the way back, I took a few shots and asked them what their base security was like. From what I can tell, the base seems pretty safe, but I intentionally use the word “safe” instead of “secure” because their security measures seem a little lackadaisical. There are houses within 5 feet of the outside gate and a major highway with a bridge that goes right over the base in one area. (pictures below)

They said the base was generally secure for Colombian military members, but there had been some issues with foreigners in the past so it was better to play it safe. Either way, we’ve been restricted from leaving the base while we’re here and can’t go outside our dorm area after dark, so I suppose there must be some kind of danger we are being protected from.

We generally have a two-man rule too, but it seems to be pretty flexible, so I took the opportunity to get a quick run in this afternoon before it got dark. Once class was done for the day, there was only only about an hour before sunset, so we didn’t get to spend much time outside today. I only had time to run about a mile, but I ran along the river and enjoyed the altitude and humidity, a stark contrast from the dry heat and mile-high elevation of Albuquerque.

For dinner, we ate at an outdoor food court near our dorms that opens in the evenings. I had a pretty decent burger, so I think we’ll be making this a daily ritual. It was great just to relax, talk about the day, and joke around in Spanglish with our new Colombian friends. I noticed a pickup futbol game going on in the quad next door too, so I might have to test my skills before I leave.

We spent the rest of the evening preparing for tomorrow and adjusting our lesson plans to fit their needs. Until then…

You can find Part 1 and 2 of the Colombia Chronicles here and here.

Got Discipline?

Posted: 13 March, 2012 in Fitness and Health, Leadership, Running
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When I think about fitness, I rarely think about my relationship with God. I think about hitting the gym, going for a run, and getting in shape. My focus is on the physical. Although I’ve always known there was an overlap between the 4 Pillars of a Balanced Life (body, mind, soul, and spirit), I always thought of them more like overlapping circles than building blocks. But as far as analogies go, I think the building block model may be more applicable.

My theory: your ability to discipline yourself physically is THE BEST predictor of your ability to discipline yourself spiritually.

Before I go on, I want to note that it is still a PREDICTOR and not a GUARANTEE, but I know of no greater predictor for success in living a spiritually disciplined life. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus alluded to this truth when he said of Peter, James and John: “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” His disciples wanted to be obedient in their minds and spirits, but their BODIES were the limiting factor.

Our primary physical habits – exercise, eating, sleeping and stress management – have a profound effect on the effectiveness of our minds, the clarity of our spirits, and the peace of our souls. Our bodies are the foundation… the gateway through which all of life is filtered. And our senses are the principal contributors to our mental and spiritual development. If we truly believe the Bible when it says that our bodies are a temple, we must alter our lifestyles to prioritize the upkeep of that temple.

Is fitness a priority for you?  Are unhealthy Christians living in sin?

Disciplining myself,
Curtis

Image: oskarn under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Hitting your Stride

Posted: 20 April, 2011 in Leadership, Running, Speaking
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As this blog develops, there are a couple other disciplines I am passionate about that I will be discussing regularly. One is the art of speaking. The other is the art of running. In a recent conversation with a friend, these two topics collided in a discussion that intrigued me as I pondered the relationship between the two. In both disciplines, you start off choppy, disjointed, and out of sync. But after a time, you eventually hit your stride. Your body relaxes, your mind focuses, and your movements become natural.

Over the past 10 years or so, running has become a staple of my exercise routines. What started as a training regimen for my future career in the Air Force slowly became a hobby, a discipline, and even a passion. I truly enjoy running now, but the real reason that I run is because I love pushing my limits. I want to see how far my legs will take me and I revel in the accomplishment of a goal that most people wouldn’t even attempt. When I’m in good running shape, I can go for a short 3-mile run and feel great the entire time. But when I’ve taken a few weeks off, my first mile is usually painful and it seems to take forever to find a good groove. The better shape that I’m in, the less time it takes me to find that groove.

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to preach at Destiny Center about “Family Matters: the influence of the family on the next generation of Christ-followers.” After preaching 4 times in one Sunday, I was worn out.  I developed a newfound respect for pastors that preach week after week!  And although it was tiring, I loved every minute of it! I love getting up in front of crowds and sharing the passions of my heart. I left the church that day feeling like I had done a pretty good job. I was grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to my next one.

But a few days later when I watched the video, I realized that my speaking skills still need to be developed quite a bit. The number of “uh’s” and “um’s” were overwhelming… but only in the first 5 minutes or so. Each time I spoke, the flawed time became shorter and shorter.

Afterwards, I realized that my cadence in speaking closely resembled my cadence in running. As I became more rehearsed, the moments of awkwardness before I got in the groove were predictably diminished.

But how do I eliminate the awkwardness from the beginning of my speeches altogether?

I’ve tried rehearsing it to myself. I’ve tried practicing in a mirror. I’ve tried doing dry-runs… all with no success.

I now think that the key to speaking articulately in the first 5 minutes is to become so familiar with your intro that it’s practically memorized. By the time you complete your intro, your nerves will be settled and you will already have hit your stride.

That’s my theory anyway. I’ll let you know how it goes the next time I speak.

How do you calm your nerves before speaking?