Listen to Your Heart

by   May 25, 2021 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Having a few poor runs is just part of being an everyday runner. Sometimes things just don’t click and some or all of the outing is a struggle. Such was my dilemma in early January. A couple days of just being out of sync got worse and I was pretty sure that something was up when my breathing became a struggle for most of a week. The defining factor was the inability to keep running for any reasonable distance past a quarter or half mile.

I went to a blood drive and the tech told me that my heart rate was irregular and wondered if I had heard that before. I had not, so she suggested I get it checked out. A call to my regular doctor resulted in several office tests and they found nothing. But I knew by then that my heart rate continued to be erratic with significant spells of what felt like missed beats, sometimes two of ten. I could feel the unusual beats in my chest.

Referred to a local cardiologist, the first step was to wear a 24-hour heart monitor. Quick results found that at least 5% of my heartbeats were classified as PVCs, or premature ventricular contractions. PVCs are quick beats that then leave a pause until the next regular beat. I was having them most mornings upon rising but occasionally any time during the day. The PVCs leave some of the blood and its oxygen behind, which in my case seems to be the source of shortness of breath.

Next came an overnight oxygen test which I passed wonderfully, meaning that sleep apnea was not a possible cause. A stress test, electrocardiogram and sonagram were all non-conclusive. I did OK on the stress test, but I didn’t feel strong and struggled with the quicker uphill running, which in normal times is one of my strengths.

Just last week, I had a CT angiogram, testing for blockages and any irregularities. All good on that one too. A common theme voiced by many of the medical professionals is that the PVCs or heart irregularities could have been cause by COVID-19, yet I don’t have the antibodies and have not experienced any of the standard symptoms.

The good thing is that over the last 10 days, my morning runs have been a little more energetic. Leg speed is a little better and breathing is too. Almost five months into this, I have been getting great help as we work toward a solution. Next up is a consultation on whether to use electrical stimulation to shock the heart back into normal rhythm, but that won’t come for more than a month. For the time being, I will just keep running while hoping and praying for continued improvement.

My son-in-law, Dale Baker, just spent nine days at Northeast on the heart ward and has now returned home. Lots of fluid around the heart was an issue and Dale and my daughter Ashley are making big lifestyle changes including diet and exercise. In Dale’s case, he almost waited too long to get help, but he is doing much better now.

One of our best 60-plus local runners is also having recurring heart issues. His heart rate takes spells of being too slow and during those times, his runs are a struggle. Discussion of a possible pacemaker have begun.

Another good friend, just in the last two weeks, was found to have a blockage and has been prescribed medicine as a first step to break it up.

At least in my circles, folks are talking about heart issues more than normal. My point with all of these examples is that we need to be aware of normal resting heart rate, any unusual shortness of breath, and just irregularities in general. If something seems off, get it checked out.

The Special Olympics Torch Run is Tuesday, May 18, at about 10 a.m. and is open to anyone. Contact Lt. Patrick Smith of the Salisbury PD if interested at psmit@salisburync.gov .

The next race ahead is the Main Street Challenge 5K on Friday evening, June 4. This is usually the biggest Rowan County 5K and caters to all levels of runners and walkers.

Look for more information on these and other upcoming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org .

Be Astounded

by   May 24, 2021 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

I understand, Habakkuk.

I really do.

Life sure can be a mystery.

Sometimes, there are things we need to know.

Sometimes, there are questions we need to ask.

Knowing that you — a minor prophet — took your questions to God, helps me know that God will answer my questions, too.

When reading your questions from Habakkuk 1:2, I felt your pain. I felt you crying out.

I sure have been there.

You asked, “Oh Lord, how long must I cry out and You will not hear me? How long must I cry out and You will not save me?”

I sure am glad you asked God those questions, because I really wanted to know the answer, as well. We may not often admit it, but sometimes it seems as if it is taking forever for the answer to come.

Yes, Habakkuk. God answered you.

God who created the world — and created us — is willing to answer our questions.

That knowledge takes my breath away.

As does the response Habakkuk received.

God’s response? In Habakkuk 1:5, God said, “Be utterly astounded! I will work a work in your days, that you would not believe, even if I told you.”

God was going to do an unbelievable work in Habakkuk’s days. “Will work a work”’ meant that he would begin, continue and finish. “In your days” meant it will not be deferred, put off or postponed. The unbelievable would happen in his lifetime.

We need to believe God will do the unbelievable. Really believe — not just for the past or for the future, but for the here and now. God is here. His presence is real. He will work a work in our days.

Mark 11:24 tells us that whatever we ask in prayer, believe that we have received it, and it will be ours.

Jeremiah 33:3 says that we are to call on him and he will answer us, and show us great and mighty things, that we did not know.

• Lord — your plans are bigger than we could ever imagine.

Help us to imagine the unimaginable.

• Lord — you still do the unbelievable.

Help us to believe the unbelievable.

• Lord — you still can — and you still will — astound us.

Help us to be utterly astounded.

Lord, may we expect to be astounded by the unimaginable and the unbelievable. Amen.

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at  annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

Garden Pests

by   May 22, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I looked out the window at my vegetable garden the other morning, enjoying all the seedlings that were growing and producing their first leaves. Joy flooded my soul. I breathed in peace. But that peace suddenly evaporated at the sight of a rabbit in my garden. He was eating my precious vegetables.

            I ran outside and TRIED to scare him. He froze. I was close enough to pet him before he moved; he didn’t want to leave the breakfast table. I chased him back into the woods. There was a little damage, but I thought we would be alright.

            One evening my wife looked out the window and saw THREE small bunnies jumping and playing in my garden. Off I ran to chase them away. One other evening I saw the cutest little baby bunny in the yard eating clover. I walked over and explained to the bunny he was allowed to eat all the clover he wanted, but he better stay out of the garden. He was a good bunny.

            I put some fences up around my vegetable gardens last year, which helped keep the deer out of the garden. I know they visit the yard, as they nibble other things and leave some little presents in the grass for me. The squirrels aren’t deterred by the fences. They can crawl over or under them.

            While there are some pests in the garden, there are also some good bugs and critters in the garden. I never chase a ladybug away because they eat bad insects. We are all dependent on bees or we wouldn’t get any fruits or vegetables. Butterflies, besides being beautiful, also help to pollenate plants. Even the neighborhood bat helps to keep the mosquito population down.

            I have been teaching my Chinese students about the benefit of worms. They do a lot of work in the garden to help loosen the soil, and create great fertilizer. I once had a friend tell me I was like a worm in his life. I was quite offended by his comment, but he said that he meant it as a compliment. He said that I helped him go through the tough places in his life and I helped to break up the fallow ground. I jokingly told him that I would prefer to be called a roto-tiller, it sounded better and stronger.

            If we think of our lives like vegetable gardens it might help us understand the dynamics of our spiritual walks. Being in fellowship with our brothers and sisters is like having the good bugs in the garden. They will help us break up fallow ground. They won’t let us be lazy. They will encourage us to be fruitful and productive in our lives. Probably most importantly, they can help us get plugged in to where we can serve in the kingdom.

            There are many bugs and pests that can keep us from being productive in our Christian walk. We all know that sin keeps us out of God’s presence and makes us unproductive. We all also know the solution. We have to confess our sins and turn away…repent. I believe that sin is not the major thing that keeps us unproductive.

            It’s all the things that distract us and keep us from being about the kingdom business. Many of the things are not bad or sinful things. Watching TV is great and relaxing, but sometimes we keep watching instead of doing kingdom business. Social media is fun and helps us keep up with family and friends, but it can also be a huge time waster. Exercising is very important for the physical body, but some people will spend hours on workouts and never lift the cover of their Bibles.

            There is always yardwork and housework that needs to be done. We will never be done with either one. They have to get done, but we can use them as an excuse to keep us from doing kingdom business. It’s important to do good deeds and help others, but we need to ask God what He wants us to do for others.

            I want to encourage you to honestly evaluate how you are spending your time. It’s not a guilt trip. There are so many pests that can pull you away from the purposes and plans of God. Ask God what’s on His priority list for you today. Do that first and you will have a more fulfilling day. God wants you strong, fruitful, and productive in all areas of your life. Make choices to spend time with Him and to serve Him, then you will produce a harvest for Him.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Key to Stumble Free Life

by   May 19, 2021 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

1 John 2:10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

  • Undoubtedly, God is love and that is the greatest force on earth.
  • If we walk in love, we can do no evil and certainly it is the evidence of God in us.
  • We will not stumble spiritually if we live this life of continually loving others, even if they are undeserving or do things wrong to us.

Prayer:  My Lord, I pray that You fill my heart with Your love continually.  I yield to You and do not justify any wrong thinking in my heart, but honestly want to be filled with Your love to love everyone with Your love, because there is no other way.  I feel blessed to be an instrument of Your love in Jesus name.  Amen.
 

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Biking can Improve Running and Fitness

by   May 18, 2021 with No Comments

By David Freeze

My running heyday (that means the best timed results) was back in the mid-’80s through the ’90s. I was mostly a self-taught runner, although a few really good books on the subject eventually came out. Two events in my life made me realize that a bicycle is a good training partner for running improvement.

One of my experiences involved a stationary bike, shortly after the South Rowan YMCA opened in November 1994. I was running well in races and trying to stay right on the cusp of not training so much that I became tired while still maximizing my efforts and focus on the next weekend’s race. At that time, I was running 70-mile weeks and sometimes more. Sleeping too little as well.

When the Y opened, I joined right away with the intent of improving my training concept. It’s the sort of thing that a coach would help with now, but having a personal running coach didn’t really exist then. Several days a week, I ran twice a day, something fairly common with super competitive runners then and now. The Kenyans sometimes run three times a day.

Experimenting with a few things, I exchanged the second run (often done at lunch or at night) with an intense stationary bike workout. The South Y at that time only had two upright stationary bikes, the ones that more closely simulate a real bike ride. I kept my early morning runs and then added an evening programmed intense ride on the stationary bike twice a week for 45 minutes, usually Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Two things happened. Because the bike rides were not weight bearing, I didn’t wear my legs out. I had more zip in my morning training runs and almost immediately faster times.

The second event was arthroscopic knee surgery in 2012, just ahead of my first cross-country bike ride. I had loose cartilage in the knee removed, and then immediately went back to run training. For several months, no matter what I did, the scoped knee remained weaker. I listened to a couple of favorite physical therapists and the operating surgeon and used both road and stationary bikes to help strengthen it. I began to make improvement but wondered if my knee could stand more than 4,000 miles of pedaling across America.

Not two weeks into the ride, I realized that I couldn’t tell which knee had been operated on. I credit the bikes for finally strengthening the knee to evenly match the other one.

Here are some other good ways to use a bike to improve performance and increase overall fitness. Most runners pick a certain number of days to train per week. They usually mix in a long day, a couple of intense days at near race pace, maybe an occasional hill workout, and a slightly less long run. Often they plan to take a day or two off from running, yet still want to get the mental boost from exercise. Cyclists would say that you can get all those things from a bicycle. The benefits are similar, and just for fun, you as a runner might try a high-intensity bike ride and see whether it can fit your training program.

If you feel the need to fill an off day from running, that could be the perfect time for an easy bike ride, stationary or road, just letting the body move and recover from the impact. Keep the resistance light for active recovery and to balance the stress load on your body from the week. It’s an effective way to increase circulation without impact, which can help speed the rate of recovery. Some runners find it much easier to cycle easy than to run easy.

Next Saturday, May 15, is the Ed Dupree 5K, held at East Rowan High and benefitting Hospice and Ed’s scholarship. Ed’s daughter Allison is the race director and will make all runners and walkers feel welcome as she and Ed’s grandson, Frank, join the participants on the fast course. As a long-time Salisbury Post sportswriter and editor, Ed was one of Rowan’s foremost advocates of running.

Let Go

by   May 17, 2021 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Letting go.

It is personal.

No one can do it for you.

Telling someone to let go can be helpful — but only if they let go.

As a 10-year-old, I attended swim classes at the YMCA. The instructor was nice. The water was not too cold. I would sit on the steps of the pool. I would then walk down the steps while holding on to the side of the pool.

The next step would be to let go of the side of the pool. I refused. Not one time during those lessons did I let go. I regret that my parents had to pay for me to hold on to the side of the pool.

As a 20-year-old, I was required to pass a swim test in college in order to pass PE. My teacher very calmly told me that I would need to let go of the side of the pool in order to swim.

I promised I would try. He waited. Nothing.

Finally he counted expressively, “One, two, three. Let go!”

After a few countdowns, he gently spoke these words, “In order to let go, you will have to open your hands.”

Trust me — the side of the pool was not easy to let go of, but I finally did. Instruction became possible. I learned to swim that semester and earned my A in PE. My teacher was proud.

Until I opened my hands, let go and chose to trust, there would have been little chance of overcoming my lifelong fear of the water. I could have held on with hands tightly clenched to the side of the pool for the entire semester — and admit defeat. But I chose to trust my teacher and then began to trust the water that surrounded me.

Trust changed everything.

Trust. It is a small but beautiful word that brings out our emotions and resonates as a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or some thing.

When most of us were growing up, we may remember standing on some stairs yelling out, “Catch me, Daddy!” Then, with reckless abandon we would let go and fly through the air because we had complete trust that our father would catch us. He always would.

Or maybe we remember our children jumping into their father’s arms from the stairs, as they yelled out, “Catch me, Daddy!” and went diving through the air with complete trust that he would catch them. He always would.

The trust a child can have in his father — it is an amazing thing.

The trust we can have in our heavenly father — it is an amazing thing.

Which would feel sweeter?

How we feel when we know we can trust God?

Or how God must feel knowing that we trust him?

I think both make him smile.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 tells us that there is a time to let go.

Trust God! Do not fear. He will catch us!

Every. Time.

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at  annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

A Mother’s Love

by   May 15, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

A Mother’s Love

            My mother lives about an hour away and I try to get by and see her a couple of times a month. My mother is what I call “Information Central.” When I arrive at her house she tells me all the family news. There is lots of news when you consider her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She knows or wants to know what is going on in everyone’s family. Then when she finds out, she can’t hold it in. She is just so excited to share the news.

            Naturally, when I arrive she wants to know any news from my little corner of the world so she can add it to her collection of family news. I think my mother would have made a great traveling news person from long ago. She can tell stories in such interesting ways. I sometimes worry about who will keep all the news when she is no longer with us.

            My mother always has something she wants to show me. At this time of the year it will probably be related to gardening. It could also be the snake she killed in her house, have you heard that story yet? Sometimes she wants to show me something she found at the store for one of the grandkids. She is so excited and can’t wait to see their faces when she gives it to them.

            My mom is getting a little older, although she will tell you she’s a year older than she actually is. Her reason is that she is “working” on that age. Anyway, I like to help her with whatever chores I can while I am there. Our parents sacrificed and give so much of themselves for us while we were growing up, it feels nice to be able to pay some of that back at this point in my life. She always appreciates anything I do even though it doesn’t feel like much.

            I think most moms make great cheerleaders for any accomplishments in their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Moms are genuinely excited and proud of achievements. It is nice to be noticed for the good things and accomplishments in life.

            When it comes down to it, moms wear so many different hats in life. First, they go through all the trouble to bring us into this world. Their burden doesn’t end there. They have to take care of us when we are sick, fix all our bumps and scrapes, feed and try to keep our growing bodies in clothes, help us with our homework, take us to our many activities, listen to our problems, and forgive us when we say mean things. They take care of our physical needs, help us through emotional moments, and try to point us to God for our spiritual needs.

            The truth is no mom is perfect. Mrs. Cleaver or Mrs. Brady from TV just don’t exist in the real world. Moms are real people who struggle to maintain in an imperfect world. They do their best, and understandably, have to leave the rest. Our job, according to scripture, is to love, honor, and appreciate them.

            I have heard through the years of people who have been blessed to find a second mom. They discovered someone who shows them the love, care, and boundaries that they missed at home. It’s wonderful when we can find someone who provides that deep sense of comfort. The scriptures promise us that God himself will step in and be our mother and our father if we find ourselves in that place of need.

            God loves us far greater than any parent ever could. His love is perfect. It provides the support and corrective guidance to help us live godly lives. His love encourages and challenges us to fulfill our God-ordained purpose in life. His love draws us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him. His love fills the empty hole left by an absent parent. His love can and will meet us at any point of need in our lives. We just have to open our hearts to Him.

            I want to encourage you to open your heart to God. It doesn’t matter if you had great parents, absent parents, or something in between; God wants to heal any brokenness in your heart. God loves you unconditionally, but His love will not leave you in a broken state. His love will grow you and mold you into the image of His Son. His love wants to mold you into a vessel that can carry His perfect love so you can share it with others.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

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