7:00a

Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

The Chloe K. Run/Ride/Rock for Autism was a huge success! 79 runners and walkers completed the 3.1 mile course, more than 30 bikers did a 62 mile ride, and 3 bands played great music all afternoon.

We couldn't have had better weather in July. It was over cast with a little breeze for the 5K and motorcycle ride. By the time the bands played it was sunny and hotter but still not bad. Two kind souls bought 4 awnings and set them up so people could watch the bands in the shade. (Thanks Mom and Dad!)

All said and done, the event raised over $2000 for autism research. We also raised awareness in our community and had a great time doing it. Thanks so much to those who stood with us in support both financially and through prayer, all the volunteers and Devon's Doghouse who made it all possible and to my lovely wife Susie who did the lion's share of the work and planning.

Keep checking http://www.jeffrayburn.com/ for race results and pictures.

6:30a

You say it's your birthday

It's my birthday too--yeah.

They say it's your birthday,

We're gonna have a good time. -Lennon and McCartney

I just got back from my "easy 8 miler." It wasn't actually that easy. 74 degrees with 80+% humidity made it tough. Anyway, now I am sitting comfortably in the air conditioning.

Things are looking great for tommorrow's Chloe K. run/walk/ride for Autism. The weather looks good, the bands are finally all on a tenative schedual, and I think my beloved wife has us pretty well organizised, I mean organized.

We have also been getting good publicity. The Rensselaer Republican did a nice write up. Also WLQI did an interview for the radio with Doug Marocco, the OAR director for the Run for Autism. I only heard a snipit but it sounded pretty good.

Donations have really started coming in too. As you see we are almost to 20%! That's awesome. Praise the Lord.

Please continue to pray for us that tomorrow would go well and that the weather would cooperate. Above all it is our desire to serve the One who first served us, Jesus Christ, and to bring Glory and Honor to His Name.

Lots of hyperlinks today:) See you all tomorrow at the Doghouse for the big event!

6:45a

"You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now." - Joan Baez


Not much to say today. I just got back from an easy 10 miler with the CRC. It's a lot of fun to run with friends. I have ran by myself for the past 80 or so miles, it was a nice change to run with someone.

I am being bad this morning. Instead of my usual recovery drink and fruit smoothie, I am eating leftover sirloin and cornbread for breakfast.

Well things are really snowballing for the Chloe K. 5K. People are registering and final preparations are being made. The situation with the bands keeps fluctuating. I guess everyone will have to show up on Saturday to find out what bands are playing when. Musicians.

And as you can see to the right, donations to OAR's Run for Autism have started coming in. Blessings and thanks to those who have given to this worthwhile cause. Your donations will underwrite $400,000 in new research grants before the end of the year. Together we are directly supporting vital autism research that will begin in 2008.

8:00a

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. - Thomas O. Chisholm

I really did start this blog after I got back from running this morning, I just ran out of time. Anyway, I did my 20 miler for the month. It was long and hard but it was also the fastest 20 miles I have ever ran, so that is encouraging. Next week is sort of a resting week with only 8 and 9 mile easy runs...

I had to post this final picture from our Memphis vacation. It is of Zachary with his new electric guitar. This is a first for him and he bought it with money he earned picking up rocks from cornfields. (Along with some help!)

It is now afternoon. We had a baptism at Lake Benet this morning for church. Zach and I played guitars and I led worship. It was a perfect 70 degree day, with bright blue skies.

And now I am off to nap and recover from waking up at 4 am and running 20 miles.

8:00

A rose looks grey at midnight, but the flame is just asleep. And steel is strong because it knows the hammer and white heat. - Johnny Cash

Well I just returned from a tough 7 miles. There are lots of inclines here and a few steep hills. It was slightly cooler this morning and overcast. The run was only slightly easier today, I think being more familiar with the area helps.

Yesterday, we went to the zoo. The Memphis Zoo has two Panda Bears which was pretty cool. The weather however was anything but cool, 95 degrees, over 100 with the heat index. Chloe enjoyed herself and was a trooper, but eventually the heat did her in and she had a rough time.

In the late afternoon Susie and Chloe stayed back at the hotel room, while Zach and I road the trolley around town. Later we went to the famous Sun Studios where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins all got their start. The microphone above, was the very one used by everyone who recorded at Sun.

For dinner, Zach and I ate at B.B. King's. The food was great and the band was hot. Afterwards, we hung out on Beale Street amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Music poured out from the juke joints and bars, and there was a free concert in W.C. Handy park.

Well we are off to find breakfast and another day full of adventures.

8:30a

Ps 46:4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

Elvis here we come. Hey we are on vacation in Memphis, TN. Last night we ate at The Rendezvous. It's a back alley rib joint-literally.

We then went for an awesome carriage ride through the city. Pam, our driver taught us some of the great things about Memphis and it's history. Sonny, the horse doing all the work, was terrific. No "beef-a-reno" for him!

Then it was off to watch the Redbirds. The Redbirds are the AAA team of the St. Louis Cardinals. They didn't play so great but we had fun. Even Chloe enjoyed herself as she sang "Take me out to the ballgame."

We came back to the room and crashed. It was a long day for all of us.

I woke up late (6:00a) and went for a run along The Mighty Mississip, The Old Man, Old Man River, yep the Mississippi. It was hot and hilly and I tired easily. The view was quite scenic however. I also ran up the hill to the famous Beale Street. Outside the juke joints, clubs, bars, and "B.B King's", the street was littered with the waste from last night's "Wednesday Night Biker Night." We saw it in the distance from our carriage ride last night, it looked like fun. This morning however, I was the only one on Beale Street.

Tomorrow, I am going to have to get up earlier and see if it is any cooler. This Yankee is more accustomed to running in about 65 degrees.

9:00p

Psalms 5:3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

Another busy week is coming to a close. Susie has been very hard at work doing things for the Chloe K. 5 K. Even my Dad has gotten in on the fundraising action. He hit up a few local businesses that we didn't and got us some more corporate sponsors. Way to go Dad!

Autism touches the lives of so many of us. I happened to run in to a corporate sponsor this morning at the gas station. As I was talking to him, the cashier said that she had a nephew who is on the Autism Spectrum and that she does a little running and would like to do the race in support of the cause. Things like that happen a lot. I received an email the other day from a lady who just lives a few blocks away who found out about us and wants to help. She has multiple kids on the Spectrum. With the current statistics of 1 in 150 kids being born with Autism, chances are that we all know people affected by this disability.

In other news, I completed my first triathlon yesterday. It was fun. I was apprehensive about the swim but did OK. The bike went alright until my chain slipped off near the end of the ride. I got it back on quickly though and only lost a minute or so. I was really happy with my running. I gained the most ground here. I had a hard time knowing exactly how I was doing though without my watch. Also running after biking feels really weird. Your legs are tired and rubbery. It was a great experience and I placed in the top third. Much love and thanks to my good friend Ben and his fiance Devin who put me up for the night, and generally treated my like a king. I owe you guys big. It was a blast and I hope to make it a yearly tradition.

So today was my long run for the week. I had 18 to do before going to church early for music team practice. This equaled about 4 1/2 hours of sleep for me last night. I just kept telling myself that it was worth it and that I could take a nap in the afternoon.

It was a great run. My pace was where I would love to be on race day. With a lot more hard work, I hope to maintain that pace for the whole 26.2. I ran by myself today and left the mp3 player at home. I feel that that is good to do sometimes. It helps strengthen my mind for these long runs. The mental aspect of running for 3 to 4 hours can be daunting. Besides a morning run alone is a good time to pray and spend time with God.

6:00a

1 Samuel 14:6 " ...nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few."

Things are really coming together for the Chloe K. 5K Run/Motorcycle Ride for Autism. Bands are wanting to play, corporate sponsors are coming through, and the word is getting out about the ride, run and walk. Also the bracelets are in and the t-shirts are coming along.

What a beautiful morning. This is my kind of running weather. It was sunny and 60 in Northwest Indiana at 5:00a when I started my run. I had a 5 mile tempo run today. A tempo run is where you do a 1 mile warm-up, do the 5 miles at a pace that is "comfortably hard," followed by a 1 mile cool down. I did the tempo part at about 7:20 minutes per mile. That's pretty good for me. Tempo runs teach your body to run faster before fatiguing (hopefully farther too.) To be honest, it was on the running schedule, so I did it. Anyway it was a good confidence booster.

Well tomorrow is a rest day. (yea!) Then on Saturday I am doing my first Sprint Triathlon in Valparaiso. A triathlon consists of a swim, bike ride, and run. "Sprint" just means that the distances are shorter. It is a 1/4 mile swim, 12.5 mile bike, and a 5K run. I am just doing it for fun and to see what it is like. The friend who talked me in to it is pretty serious about it and has a great chance at winning it.

Anyway thanks for the support and continued prayers for the "Chloe K. Run for Autism" and the "Chloe K. 5K." The Lord works in Great Strength when His People wait upon Him.

7:00p

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. "
Ronald Reagan

Hey all! Sorry for not blogging much the past few days. Things have been hectic around here as usual.

We are consumed with the Chloe K. 5K run/walk/ride/concerts event. The planning is huge and Susie and the crew are doing a great job. We really covet your prayers for this event.

I trust and hope that everyone had a great Independence day. We had a pretty laid back one ourselves. (If you call an 11 mile run "laid back.")

Running wise, I did another speed work day at the track Thursday. This involved a 4 mile warm-up, then 2 "1 mile" repeats with a slow 1/2 mile in between, and then a 1/2 mile cool down. It was tough, especially that second one.

This morning I did my 16 mile "long run." I was alone and it was very quiet and peaceful. As I ran along the county roads, just outside of Rensselaer, I saw some deer and a beautiful sunrise. The run was just under race pace, so it was tough. I am fairly sore, which I thought was odd because this distance is really no big deal. I guess I was just working it, and that should have huge dividends come October.

Thanks for reading.

9:45p

"The truest lengthening of life is to live while we live, wasting no time, but using every hour for the highest ends. So be it this day." Ch. Spurgeon

Well I apologize for not blogging earlier, faithful readers, but I have been either busy or tired.

Anyway, most of you are aware that Zach, Justin Rule and I spent Thurs, Fri, and Saturday at the Cornerstone Festival in IL. Cornerstone is a Christian Rock music festival. We camped out and had a good time. Zach and I ran a 5K race on Friday. Zach finished well even though he was actually too young to race. I won my age division and in general, kicked butt although I nearly vomited at the finish.

The terrain at Cornerstone was quite hilly, mostly gravel trails. I ran a 9 mile course there on Thursday and then the 5K on Friday. It was quite the workout. Sunday then I did my 16 miler, at home. It was tough, but I had company.

Tomorrow looks like an easy 9 miles. I feel good and with the 5 o'clock forecast being 59 degrees and no wind, I am sure that it will be a great run. I might even do a few extra.

Things seem to be going well with the 7.28.07 event. It is stressful though, having never done this before. Also we have no clue what the turnout will be, nor what the sponsorship will be. We have to remind ourselves that it is in God's hands and He is in complete Sovereign control of the whole thing.

Until later, Peace be with your soul.