Another Year Older

Over the years what our birthdays mean to us seems to change. When we are young we are all excited. Then we start getting older, and another birthday is a reminder that we aren't as indestructible as we once thought. Then the years come where you are just ecstatic to make another year.

I am writing this the morning of my 39th birthday before everyone gets up and I have to head to work. The reality is that it still feels weird celebrating my birthday after losing my Dad on the same day in 2009.

The funnier thing is that I never have really thought about it feeling weird until a colleague at work asked me this week what it was like for me to want to celebrate my birthday while remembering it was the day I lost my Dad.

Well on one side I am still reflective and sad somewhat today, but then I think how pissed my Dad would be at me using him as an excuse not to be happy to be alive.  Then I also realize how sad it has to be for the rest of my family especially my Mom, but then you see how excited my wife and girls are to help me celebrate. Really how can anyone be sad when your kids are so happy for you. Even if all of the flip flopping gives me motion sickness the reality is that I am blessed to be here still with my family. I still have the chance to screw up, but I also still have the chance to do some good in this world.

 So I am choosing to do my best to not dwell on the years that I am missing with him, but instead focus on the years that I did have with him. Many kids never even had the chance to have years with their Dad, and I had 34 great ones.

I am also going to choose to really notice the blessings and the time that God is giving me to do the best I can with this life. Every day is a gift and we all take that for granted somewhat, but every day you get to wake up is a day you get to make a difference.

Here are a few pics that the great Kayla Hartzog took of those that remind me daily of how I have been blessed.

Finishing out 2013

Looking back on 2013 there was a lot that I could talk about not going right, but that isn't what someone named Keebler should do. The good and bad in our lives always really serves the same purpose, and that is making us into who and what we are. I won't lie and say this past year hasn't been a struggle, but it helped remind me that you have to look for the good in every moment of every day. The good in our lives is always there, but yes it is hard to find somedays. We want the good to be something big everyday, but the reality is that the good somedays can be as small as the smile of a child. It can also be as big as an evening with friends celebrating the end of a year that constantly reminded me to never give up.

So here are a few pics from our Feuerzangenbowle New Years Celebration.

I am sure you could tell by the above title the evening had to include Jurgen

Our mid evening concert 

The chef at work

A boiling pot of festiveness

A little more conversation while the concoction settles

There is only one way to melt a sugar cone into the mix

Nearly ready for consumption

Susan learning hand signals from Jerred 

Susan finally got it down
These were the only ones that could be pictured here:)

We were so glad to end the year with some old friends and some new friends. No matter what this next year holds for us we are very glad and blessed just to be here to enjoy it. All of us in the Keebler clan wish you all the best for 2014!

Happy New Year!!

Keebler

B.B. King, Thanksgiving, and the 1st Annual Turkey Waddle

The off season is not really off, but it is a time to slow down and recover. As I mentioned on my last post I have taken some needed time completely off. Then as soon as I got back to it I got sick, and then yesterday I strained my back. Things are better today, but everyday our bodies are getting older. So you just have to keep trying, and roll with whatever comes your way. The best example of this is a VM I got from my friend Jurgen updating us on his life, and the first thing he says is that he has been on the bike just trying to get back to being fit.

Now to the point of this post. The off season is that time to do other things besides always training. I have a short list of Blues players that I have always wanted to see, and of course B.B. King has to be at the top of that list. So after getting some great tickets to see him in OKC we set off in somewhat bad weather knowing that it was a gamble that he might cancel. After finally making it through the worst part near Amarillo we had smooth sailing all the way to OKC. That night while having after dinner drinks at a great place called Whiskey Chicks I saw on the news that the concert was cancelled. We were disappointed but we got to have a couple of days together just hanging out and enjoying the winter wonderland of OKC. Thankfully, we had plenty to do within walking distance, and we were able to get in some good workouts as well.

After we finally made it home safe we turned around the next day and headed to Snyder for Thanksgiving. Besides having a few days at home with family we also had the first annual (maybe) Turkey Day Waddle. I had got in contact with the owners of Kinetic COOP, a great local fitness and wellness studio, and since we were going to run on Thanksgiving anyway we might as well ask others to join us. It was completely unorganized and unsupported, but including us we had ten people join us. It was great seeing some old faces and new faces while burning some calories before the big feast.

So the last few days have been great, and to top it off we have tickets to another B.B. King concert in a  few months. Hopefully, we will be able to make this one :)

Keep going,
Keebler

P.S. Good luck to everyone racing Ironman Cozumel!

The road to Amarillo

Sante Fe Rail Station in Bricktown

Bricktown OKC

OKC National Memorial

A reminder why we should never forget what happened here.

Some fine sampling at the great TapWerks

A little target practice.

Some good outdoor time.

Hitting Reset

It has nearly been 8 years since I started the slow shift to a healthier person, and rarely in that time have I ever taken off (excluding sickness or injury) more than 2-3 days in a row. The struggles that I have been going through this year has made me want to truly hit reset, and after Palo Duro I knew that it was time.

I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my season of racing, but with a race where I felt great from start to end. The day after Palo Duro I went for a short recovery bike ride and I knew it was time to tell Tim I needed a break. I was not surprised to find that Tim knew why I was calling. I guess that is part of working together for the last few years that he knows me pretty well. A good coach knows when to push you and when the it's time to put the breaks on. So for nearly a full 2 weeks I didn't worry about or even think about training. I won't lie it was true bliss!

Finally near the end of the two weeks I was starting to feel that itch of needing to get moving again. Although it wasn't a very strong urge, but I am finally feeling like getting back out there.

These days it is very hard to keep the balance of a healthy lifestyle, but not only do you need to reset your health sometimes it is your spirit that needs to be reset. The thing that you have to always keep in mind is that the years we have ahead don't come free. We still have to work for those years even if we don't  know what they are to bring, but a break here and there isn't going to hurt. I have stated this many times before, but before I started living healthier I never knew that I couldn't feel better than I did. Now that I have been living this way for several years I know what good feels like, and I want to keep that feeling.

Are you sure you know what good feels like?

Keep Fighting,
Keebler

Running Down the Moon - Palo Duro Canyon 20k

A few weeks ago Susan and I met some of our friends at Palo Duro Canyon for the 50 mile/ 50 k/ 20 k run. I would have loved to have ran the 50k again this year, but considering how many ups and downs I have had this year Tim and I decided the 20k might be my best option. Plus, we were really excited that we were getting to hang out and race with some of our other friends we haven't seen in a while.

Friday we weren't able to leave until after work, and this meant we didn't get to Canyon until later than we would have liked the night before a race. Thankfully, our friend Theresa and her girls, were able to pick our packets up and meet us back at the hotel. Then our other friends, the Overbo's, got to the hotel a little after us but in time for the fantastic pizza we ordered. So after a late meal, maybe a little wine, and letting the kids run off some energy we all planned to meet at 5:30am to head to the race.

Now the night before we knew it was going to be cold, but when Susan and I went out for a little warm up jog that morning it was damn cold. Like frost frozen on the grass can't feel your hands and feet type of cold! I had thought about just wearing shorts and a long sleeve shirt, but I quickly forgot that idea once I couldn't feel my hands after a few minutes.

We all got ready to caravan to the race site sans Ashley,  Mimi, and the herd of kids. A quick side note, when you are going to a cold race make sure you travel with a transplanted northerner, they get up real early to make sure the car is super toasty, thanks Trig! When we got to the race site it wasn't too packed yet, but it quickly got that way. I was on the look out for a couple of friends Rod and Cody who were running their first 50k, but the temps kept me from searching too diligently for them. We all decided to stay in the car until we absolutely had to get out for the race. One great thing that we all noticed was that we were not going to need any kind of head lamps, because it was one of the brightest full moons we had ever seen. When we finally got out to go to the start Trig and I lost Susan and Teresa between the cars and bathrooms, and we never were able to find them before the start.

Susan and Trig ready to race!

Now for those of you that have been reading this blog for the last year you know that I have been struggling with many issues this year, and I was going into this race with no plan except to just run how I felt and enjoy.  I feel I have had a hard time doing this year, because it seems like everyone I know is improving while I  have struggled to just survive. I don't want it to ever come across that I am complaining about being able to race, but instead it is more about really knowing what good feels like. If I was't trying to live a healthier lifestyle I wouldn't know what that good should feel like. Yes of course I want to improve and get faster, but it is more important for me to know that this is a lifestyle and not just about the good or bad moments right now.

I was stressing about not seeing Susan before the start and kissing her good luck. Before I knew it the race had started and I was pretty far at the back. So I wished Trig, who was nursing a hamstring injury, good luck and took of on the inside. I knew from last year that if I didn't get closer to the front before the trails narrowed down then I wasn't going to be in control of my pace. The first mile or so is usually in the dark, but that moon was so big that it lit up the entire area. Somewhere around the first or second mile I settled in behind a guy in a gray shirt, and I was sure I couldn't take him so I stayed right behind him. If he reads this I should apologize for probably driving him nuts by literally staying three steps behind him for nearly 4-5 miles. It would have driven me nuts, but the only saving grace is that he had in head phones and couldn't hear me. As the sun rose over the first few miles I kept looking up and noticed that the moon was still hanging around right above the top of the canyon. The thought that kept coming to me was that I needed to not worry about anyone else's pace, but just keep trying to run the moon down. I was worried that the point that I have hit in every race this year where my body just starts hurting was going to happen any second. As I kept hearing Carmin the Garmin ticking off the miles I never once looked, because I knew that it wasn't going to matter what my HR was or what pace I was running. I just made a deal with myself that if I could hang with "Gray Shirt Dude" until the water stop at mile 6 I would just try to go for it, and if I blew up well I blew up.

The funny thing was that I would stop for a fraction of second at water stops and then run like hell to get right behind "Gray Shirt Dude". It was so cold during this part of the race that it wasn't until a few miles into it that I could feel my hands at all. After the water stop at mile 6 I caught back up to him and then knew that I couldn't keep ignoring nature any longer. When I hopped back on the trail I just knew that I had lost him for good this time, and to add to it 2 more guys were in front of me now. I easily could have panicked or just given up, but right then I knew I realized that for the first time in a long time I felt real good. This part of the trail was getting to some good ups and downs and it was some fun  technical running. I was also really having fun pushing that edge of running where you are barely in control, but I knew that I couldn't and didn't want to let up. I finally was able to get past the two guys that had gotten in front of me, and for a while I was running completely by myself. Then when I rounded a corner I couldn't believe my eyes but there was "Gray Shirt Dude." As I caught back up to him we were in an area of good uphills, and I knew it was either now or never. So on the next one I just went for it and got around him, and really pushed my pace. I was going so hard I just knew I was going  to go off the trail, but if I did there was no doubt I was going down in a fiery blaze of glory. I wanted to look back so bad, but I knew I couldn't. The reality was that it was better for me to believe that he was right behind me for the rest of the race.

 I kept thinking that if I could keep this pace until the last water stop I would only have 3 miles to go. Right before getting to the last water stop I came up on a guy and a girl that were going pretty hard, and I thought that if I could get behind them I might be able to take them at the end. Even though I was finally starting to feel the effects of pushing the limits, but I also knew at this point that I had plenty of race still in me. During the next mile I was able to get in front of the guy, and started trying to reel in the girl. I knew that I was about done in, but I was just hoping that if I kept the pressure on her she would crack at the end. Finally,  in the last mile I felt like I was gaining on her, but there just wasn't enough real estate to get the job done. She never let her pace up and even with the last incline in the parking lot she kept the hammer down. I didn't notice how cold it really still was until I stopped and started to cool down. The best graphic reference to show how cold just after a few minutes from finishing my sweat turned to frost and ice on my running jacket.

Regardless, of how I finished it was so good to finally have a race that  I felt I knew what my body could do and it was able to do it. I did feel the fringes of the muscle pain that I have felt for most of the season, but it was nowhere near the debilitating issue that it has been. This race for many reasons helped me feel like my life/physical/spiritual balance is coming back. Not only is this one of the best supported races I have done, but for me it is one of the most spiritual races. You get to experience such a beautiful gift that God has given us, and you get to do it with a bunch of people that are having fun being healthy.

One of the best parts of the day was for Anna and me to go out on the course and cheer on Trig, Theresa, and Susan. With Susan we were even able to run in with her. Then I was able to see Rod and Cody come in before they went out for their last loop. Those guys were animals and did great! Everyone had a great race, and for me it was the best way to end a crazy tough season.

As I am writing this watching Texas Tech play Kansas State seeing all of the guys in jerseys to honor veterans saying "Never Quit." I wonder if one of the best ways to honor our veterans is by doing everything we can to put more good out in the world. Keep that mentality that we can "Never Quit" trying to be better, and do better in all parts of our lives.

Keep Fighting,
Keebler

The kids taking over Cody and Rod's Tent.

Trig, Susan, and Keebler

The Road Goes On....

Since we last spoke I have done my best to keep going, but I am realizing that it is just taking longer to recover from workouts and races. I really thought that after a few weeks being off the statin meds I would just bounce back, but that hasn't been the case. The reality of it is that it isn't just the med changes this year, or the higher than normal work stress, but really just life in general.

To catch you up on the racing front since last time:

Off the Rock Triathlon - 2:16:47 4th in AG/ 12 Overall
Great new race by the Greer's, and I was happy with my result. Over the next few days after that race I was more sore than usual, and ended up with a fever for the first time in several years.

Side Note: My bike, Lucille, committed hari-kari on Hwy 84 after the race. She is now a beautiful road bike thanks to the greatness of Jurgen!

Texas Tech Rec Triathlon - 59:16 - 2 AG/ 17th Overall
As always a very fun short race. I was slower than I was last year, but it was all that I had in me. My swim time was also used for Team Velocity (Aaron Uzell on the bike and Jerred Hurst on the Run), and we won the team division of the race. After the race I went on a long ride with Aaron and Jerred, and they proceeded to keep me riding way above my usual pace. It ended with me telling Jerred after a couple of hours to just leave me on the side of the road for dead. If he wasn't afraid of dealing with Susan he might have done it :)


In the past these kind of efforts, even if extreme, usually meant that I needed to take it easier for a couple of days with easier workouts. Instead what happened was that it took me more than a week to even feel like I was starting to climb out of the hole I was in. Please don't misinterpret my complaining to mean that I don't understand how blessed I am to have good health. What has changed is that as I have changed things in my lifestyle to be healthier I have slowly developed more body awareness. That sounds slightly perverted so to put it another way I know what good should feel like, and I haven't been feeling that way for most of this year. Since I know what it should feel like, I want it, and I don't want to settle for just feeling good enough.

Another thing that I have learned this last few years is that it is ok to push yourself, because your body and spirit will surprise you with what they want to do. Not always can you push your mind, body, and spirit at the same time. Many of us always want to try to do it all, and we ignore that parts of us are yelling to take some down time. Which led me to not racing one of my favorite races of the year in Levelland, the Cotton Country Sprint. I was literally stressing myself out trying to make myself race, but I finally heard the words that it was ok to not race.

I have never been in this to win a race, or even to prove that I can do more and more each year as proof of something. Instead I feel like God has been teaching me a lesson this year to not forget how far I have come, but also to remember how fragile things can be in our lives.

I ask you today to take a moment to reflect on how you feel today, and say a big thanks for the health that you are blessed with right now.

Blessings,
Keebler

Ribbon Cutting at Covenant Heart Lab 3 Waiting Room

I can't tell you why, but this post has been one of the hardest to write. This year has been tough for me  with work, health issues, and trying to get life into balance. Then just when you think everything can't get any crazier you get some news that reaffirms you belief in the path that you are on. To me this news is that special kind of news that if you talk about it you might find out that it isn't real. The reality is that for the longest time I did think that was going to be the case, but as usual God has a hand in the timeline of things. He has a path and a plan for me to follow, and as much as I try to not follow he keeps bringing me back to where he needs me to do his work.

Let me start from the beginning. In 2010 I raced the Buffalo Springs 70.3 for the first time, and had greatly improved my performance from the year earlier in Oceanside. This was also my second year racing 70.3's, and after the first anniversary of losing my Dad. Well in all of the coolness that always surrounds Mike and Marti Greer, the race directors for Buffalo 70.3, they offered me a roll down spot for the 70.3 Ironman World Championships. During this time I was the Chair for what was at the time the Heart and Vascular Board for the Covenant Foundation. We were trying to figure out ways to help fundraise for renovations for the cath labs themselves, and the waiting room associated with them. One day over coffee with Valerie and Scott of the Foundation staff I asked if it was possible to use this race as a fundraiser. That meeting over coffee spurned a letter that was was sent out, and in 12 weeks we raised $26,105.00 towards the waiting room renovations. In our wildest dreams we never believed that we would raise that amount of money!

In some of the original plans we had all hoped that we would be able to name the waiting room after my Dad, but instead something even more special happened. It happened with a casual meeting with a guy named Eddie Dixon that leases one of the buildings that I manage in my day job. The first time we met I swear we talked to each other like we were long lost friends, and I think that I am safe in saying that we both feel that way.

(Here is a link for you to read more about what all Eddie has done, Eddie Dixon.)

 To me Eddie is just one of the coolest guys to talk to, and once we usually start talking we will go for awhile. It was a long time before I really understood how well known and respected he was across the  world for his sculptors. To me he is just my friend that I drop by when I can to share a few stories and laughs.

Well one day I am telling him my full story of getting healthier, about my Dad, and finally about the fundraising for Covenant. Right then Eddie offers to sculpt a relief depicting my Dad that could be displayed in the waiting room. I had never been more humbled that Eddie would offer such a wonderful gift to honor a man that he had never met.

 I am so proud to announce that this Monday, August 26th at 3:00 pm Covenant is holding a ribbon cutting for the the newly renovated Cath Labs, and Heart Center 3 Waiting Room. I have been asked to speak at the ribbon cutting and we are going to unveil a donor recognition piece that will include the relief of my Dad, Jimmy Don Everett.  If any of you can make it by Covenant this Monday it would be an honor to have you there.

This is a very special honor for my family, but my hope is that it will turn into something that can help so many more people. This room is just like the many waiting rooms that we have been in over the years (just a lot newer). Our hope is that this room will be full of comfort and solace for those that are worried and praying for their love one to come out better. Not only because of new finishes and furniture, but it will have the image of a man that fought heart disease for so long. It will be attached to a story about the son of that man that knew one of the last gifts he gave his son was the knowledge that he had to do everything he could to not let heart disease win.

Eddie Working on the Relief of J.D. Everett

Sincerely,
Keebler