This spreadsheet is built on the Run/Walk method popularized by Jeff Galloway.  It is a standard Excel spreadsheet,  Download it and feel free to use as you wish.

To download, click on the "download" link...it should then be saveable for you as a spreadsheet.  

Note there are also tabs which allow you to print out a pace chart for a half marathon or a full marathon.  In both cases, you can vary the pace at which you choose to run any mile.  This can account for hills, fatigue at the end, varying pace or just a delay to talk with your mother-in-law who will be cheering you on at mile 16. 

This latest version allows you to have something besides a 1 minute walk break.  My thanks to blog reader Tom B for finding and correcting that bug.

If you would like more info or have questions, send a note to :     joeely618 at gmail dot com .   Let me know how you've used it!!

You can read my running blog here .

Thank you for reading!!  Run strong and smooth!!!

Persevere.  

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These photos are from the day after Christmas, 2009.  Drew and Nathan are in their new flannel PJs...with no feet...they were so proud. 

 

Berneice is in the tutu Gretchen made for her.

 

What cuties!

Christmas 2009

Greetings from the Ely house!

 

We wish you a wonderful Christmas!  Here’s a quick rundown on our family.

 

Youngest son Matt continues to prosper at Wheaton College in Chicago,   where he is now a junior.  We’ve been encouraged to see his growth.  It’s hard to believe in a year and a half, he’ll be commissioned as a US Army officer.  He’s already looking towards that major step…as are Gretchen and I. 

In early October, I had the chance to spend a long weekend with Nathan, who is still in Portland, Oregon.  It was fun to be in his world, meeting a bunch of his friends, watching Purdue football at 9am in the morning.  He asked me to bring my old catcher’s mitt; we played catch in a park which was a treat.  His company, which places temporary help in Portland area companies, has not been immune from the effects of the recession.  Nathan has seen, up close and personal, the challenges of keeping a company going.  His frequent phone calls are a point of joy to us, making up for the distance.

We continue to be very grateful to have David, Susan and their three kids in town after the long separations during his Army service.  David is now studying nursing, full-time.  It will be a solid three years of schooling for him but he’s fine with this career path.  Susan continues teaching Advanced Manufacturing at Ivy Tech, our local community college.  She’s also pursuing a Masters degree in Industrial Distribution at Purdue. 

Their three kids are growing.  Twins Nathan and Drew are in kindergarten now…what fun to see the lights come on as they begin to decipher marks on paper to see words.  They turn 6 in February.  Fascinating to us is how they are becoming individuals, each with strengths and weaknesses of his own, while still being best buddies and much alike.  Berneice is now 3 ½ and is her own person as well.  She readily throws herself into whatever wrestling and running her brothers are up to at the moment.  And she loves to wear pink!

We did a family first in August with a vacation together to our favorite place, Door County, Wisconsin.  While Nathan couldn’t get time off, the rest of us shared a house for the week.  David was able to introduce his family to the area we’ve loved for decades.  For little kids, there is nothing to beat having a large body of water next to a plentiful supply of small throwing stones.  I’m surprised Lake Michigan’s level didn’t rise as a result of our stay.

            Gretchen has had a good year.  Each week she gets time with the grandkids on a regular and occasionally an emergency basis.  Hiking in the woods and swimming in the summer are some of the activities which they enjoyed.  She loves to tend the garden here at home and leading a group of volunteers to do the same on the grounds of our church.  The on-line Christian ministry with which she began volunteering last year has continued to grow.  She not only reaches out to counsel and guide people (primarily in Africa) but also oversees and trains other on-line counselors from around the world.  All from our home computer.  She is quite excited about this opportunity. 

            There’s no real new news for me.  I’m blessed to have a fascinating job manufacturing medical devices which I look forward to each day.  The year also saw me spending a lot of time working on some significant structural and strategic changes at our church…it has been a difficult yet satisfying journey.  Outside work and church, I continue to enjoy distance running.  I finished four marathons and two half-marathons this year and enjoy the discipline of training as much as the fun of racing.  The silent rhythm of running gives me space to make sense of much going on in our worlds. 

            Gretchen and I continue to thank God for His mercy and grace to our family. We wish hope and peace to all of our friends in this New Year. 

This is my tool to know how to dress comfortably to run in any weather.  Feel free to download and modify to fit your own comfort level.  It is an Excel Spreadsheet. 

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

On Veteren's Day, 2009, I wore my son David's uniform top from Iraq to work.  It was a small way to pay tribute to him for his service and a salute to all the men and women who have served and who are still serving.  Coming just the day after the funerals in Fort Hood, it was particularly sobering and meaningful. 

 

Got a number of comments at work...mostly positive, with a few folks just kind of wondering, not knowing quite how to reconcile the fact of military service with their political views.  And that's OK.