Now most people wouldn't title a blog new beginnings when it is about the same place that they have been the past year, but for me this year is different.  Last year I came into cross season having taken 2 weeks off for a missions trip to peru.  Now, don't get me wrong that trip was extremely inspiring and I wouldn't have rather done anything different that summer.  

So why is this year different?  This year is different because of a few things; I am older, stronger, more experience, better prepared, and I have a new mindset/confidence about this year.  I feel that this year is going to be different, and it already has been.  Running isn't just a part of my life anymore, it really is my life and I don't know what I would do without it.  However running doesn't run my life, how I feel is not directly related to running, well at least not all the time.  I have learned that stressing too much on how I feel, the day of a workout or race just makes the day all that much worse.  Worrying is a very useless emotion, it gets us nowhere.

Runners tend to be very big worriers, or at least I had been in the past.  But worrying about something we can't control is pointless.  Worrying about how we feel, what the weather is like, how good the guy standing next to us is.  All of that just messes around with our minds, and I got caught up in that kind of stuff last year.  This year I have learned that I need to focus on what I have done, on what I am capable of, and go out and do it, regardless of what I feel.  Now I will not always have an on day, but the least I can do is give everything I have on that given day and not worry about the results.  

The last point is especially true when working for a team, it doesn't matter how you feel or what the weather is like, you need to go out and give everything you have for the man standing next to you in the same uniform because you know they are going to do the same for you (at least thats what a good teammate will do).  I think this is why our team did so poorly last year.  No one was willing to pull for each other and everyone ran alone.  

I underline alone because in running that can be a very scary thing.  When you are out on a course and you feel alone, then what is there to work for?  And you do not have to have a team to have something to pull for.  Everyone should have a goal, something to shoot for, that way they are not running aimlessly.  You can be the best runner in the world or someone just starting out, but everyone should set goals.  I had none last year, and I faltered because of it.  I thought I had goals, but it turned out that they were shallow and had no depth or meaning to them.  One could almost say my goals were selfish.  I wanted to prove to people that I was good, that I wasn't a normal freshman, but in the end I became exactly what I didn't want to be, I fell short of my goals and was alone, no one supporting me, and many people being disappointed especially my coach.  

This year is different, I have goals, goals that are not shallow or empty.  This year I have support; support from teammates, from friends, family, my coach, and most importantly God who is always there for me.  Thats what is so different about this year, when I say I am older I am older in my relationship with the lord, when I say I am stronger I am stronger in my relationship with the Lord, when I say I am more experienced it means I have fallen and God has picked me up, when I say I have confidence I have confidence that no matter what happens out there on the cross country course... God Still Loves Me!!!!  And that is all that really matters.

I know many people who read this may not believe in God, and thats ok, I'm not forcing anyone to believe, that decision is between you and God.  I can pray that what I write impacts lives, the truth is I may never know, but doing nothing is worse than having tried and failed, because i know that I have done my job.

(P.S. I sort of just write these without prior thought, so what comes out is what is inside my heart at the moment, I sometimes surprise even myself with what comes out)

Also congrats to Ryan and Ritz on a great finish in the Marathon, they are both inspirations and I can't wait to see what happens in 2012!!!

-Jake

It's been a while since I have written a blog on here.  I was going through a rough time for a while right after I qualified for regionals.  I got sick the Sunday after the race and was sick for like 2 straight weeks which affected my conference race significantly and brought down my confidence.  So after my race I sat down and just let out a big sigh and tried to look at the positives.  I knew I still had one race left and I needed to make the best of that.  I was tired, my body had never been pushed this long.  Usually I didn't start track workouts until February and we started in December.  I knew that if my Regional race was going to go well then I would have to get healthy and get my confidence back.  So the next 2 weeks that is what I worked on.

I was able to run decent workouts the first few days of the week after conference which let me know that I hadn't lost a whole lot, but I still did not feel like I had.  I didn't have all my strength back yet.  Well the next week came along and my workouts improved and I started getting more and more confident all the while getting better physically as well.  Then the day before we left for Regionals we had a workout and I had a very rough time.  This made me nervous but I was still able to finish it even with the breathing troubles I was having so I didn't dwell on it too much.

Now that I'm here in Nebraska I get to see just how healthy I am.  We did a very light workout yesterday and I have to say that I felt great, I had no troubles at all.  So now here I am the day before my race trying to convince myself that I am in the greatest shape I have been in all year, and I truly think I am. 

Tomorrows outcome doesn't matter to me.  Whether I get first or last as long as I compete I will be happy.  In all the big races I have gone to this year I have worried too much about placing that I lost focus on competing.  The races that I have done the best in were the ones I was just competing just trying to beat the guy next to me.  Thats how I'm going into this race, just beat the man next to you.

I think this will be easier as well because there are 2 heats of the steeplechase.  1 heat has 14 runners in it and the other has 5 in it.  I'm in the one with 5.  Most people would be disappointed by this but I think this is the way God set it up because it gives me the best chance to compete.  I can see all of my competition and it will be a much tighter race this time, I won't get lost or overwhelmed in a pack because there really will be no pack.  I am just going to stay focused on the leader and go after him the entire race and take a look at the time when I cross the finish line.  

God has interesting ways of doing things.  Things are not going to be perfect all the time.  For a while it seemed like everything was perfect and I was trusting God just like I should.  Then when things went bad I turned to myself to try to accomplish things, and that didn't work out so well.  He has a great way of humbling us and he knows our hearts.  I have realized this and I have came back to the right place.  I just hope that whatever happens this weekend I give god Glory.  I want another race just like my 1500 last year at the state meet.  That was the first race that I truly let God work in me.  I felt terrible before the race and didn't believe that I could win but I was going to go out and try, and I honestly felt him guide my moves in that race.  My move with 600 to go was completely inspired by God and he held off the competition just enough to allow me the win.  

There will be good times and bad times, but a true athlete will endure through both, and a true athlete will take the best out of his defeats.  I'm not saying I'm the best but I do believe that I am an athlete and I have a competative heart, and the lows in my sport are hard to take and brush off, but I know that if I am to get better I can't dwell on the past.  I have to look forward and do what I need to to get better and be the best that I can be.

-Jake Keyser

WoooooooHooooooo!!!!! 

Ok now that I got that out of the way I can tell you what happened.  Well we had a meet in Laramie Wyoming today, at good old 7,200 feet, not the ideal distance altitude.  Before I get to the exciting part I need to tell what had happened the day before.

Yesterday was possibly the worst weather there could have been in Laramie the day before a track meet.  It was 23 degrees, snowing sideways, with 50 mile per hour winds.  Yah thats exactly what I want when I know I have to run the steeplechase the next day.  Well down here in Fort Collins it wasn't much better, although it was warmer and we didn't have the snow but we still had the wind.  I was getting a little frustrated and thinking that it wouldn't even be worth racing if the weather was that bad.  Well our bus departure time got moved back an hour so I got to sleep in a little bit, all the while praying for better weather.

When I woke up the next morning I checked my computer to see how the weather was looking in Laramie.  It was sunny, but 17 degrees.  I thought to myself, "there is no way that I am going to be running the steeplechase today."  Well nonetheless we loaded our bus around 8:30 and headed out.  On the bus ride I kept pushing the weather out of my mind and tried to focus on the goal that I wanted to hit.  This was getting harder and harder the closer we got to Wyoming.  There was snow on the ground and the ponds were frozen over.  And when you see a frozen pond, there is not a whole lot of hope for a nice water pit.  But I still tried to focus on what I needed to do.  

When we finally arrived at the meet, the sun was out and they were shoveling snow off of the track and trying to make the ice melt quicker.  Well once we got off the bus, we found that it wasn't really all that cold.  This made me very happy, because there was no wind and it looked like it was just going to get warmer.  And get warmer it did.  By the time I started my warm up it was almost 50 degrees, which was just fine with me.  By race time the temperature had risen to 52 degrees.  

It was time, all things left my mind except my goal, as I took off my warm ups and headed towards the starting line.  There were six of us in the race.  2 guys from Wyoming, 2 from the Air Force Academy, and my teammate Kurt and I.  They called us to the line and gave us their instructions.  Then the guy realized that they hadn't set the computers up for the race, so they told us to take some strides.  Well it took them about 10 minutes to set up the computers for the race.  They then called us back and it was time to go.  

The gun went off and I quickly moved into third place behind the 2 Wyoming guys.  I followed them to a 72 second first lap, which I thought was a little fast but tried to keep my mind off things, and just stay focused.  The pace slowed down for the next few laps and I just settled into a pace.  I kept hearing my coach say that we were on pace as the laps went by.  Then an Air Force guy, passed us and I made a move with him.  We quickly dropped the rest of the pack and kept moving forward.  I followed the Air Force guy til one lap to go.  My coach was yelling at me to give it all I've got so I went and went all out.  as I came off that las water jump I really started to push it, I got over the last hurdle and gave everything that I had left to cross the line.  I ran through the line and placed my hands on my knees.  The air force kid came in about 5 seconds after me, and I congratulated him on a great race.  

Then I turned and looked for my coach, when I found him he was walking towards me with a huge smile in his face.  I then threw my hands in the air and knew that I had accomplished my goal, I had qualified for regionals in the steeplechase.  My coach came over and gave me a hug saying that it was because of my last lap that I qualified.  I can't express how excited I was.

All in all though, I am so very grateful for my savior who gave me the gift of running.  After watching that video in my last blog I was so excited because of God's greatness, and thats when I realized that it was possible for me to qualify for regionals, for "I can to all things through Christ who gives me strength" Philippians 4:13

After watching this video I was so happy, it brought so much eoncouragement to me and if you have an extra 10 minutes I would recommend that you watch it too. 

You know being a runner it is sometimes hard to find the inspiration to keep going.  Running is not easy and it definitely takes a toll on the human body.  For me it is sometimes really hard to get out and run, and I was looking back and wondering how I got through those hard times when I wasn't inspired or motivated to run.  

Well during cross country and indoor track season I was having a very hard time.  I wasn't running very well, my connection with God was far from what it used to be, and I just lacked the confidence and motivation to get out there and do it.  

Well somehow I got out of that slump, and I believe that it was the doing of one person on our team.  That person is Allison Gohl.  She is probably one of the nicest most inspiring people I have ever met.  If you have ever watched this girl run you would know why.  She runs with courage and strength.  As a freshman she was the Mountain West Conference indoor 5k champion and it was amazing to watch that race.  What else is awesome is that she never puts anyone down, she always has something nice to say, and always knows how to bring me back to God.  Without Allison I don't think that I would have been able to have the outdoor track season I have had.  Without Allison I would not have changed my relationship with God, and without Allison I would not have been able to enjoy this year as much.  

I'm just so greatfull that I have people like this to look up to.  Allison and Ryan Hall are probably the 2 most inspirational runners I have ever seen.  

I guess what this blog is really about is if you are down and feeling like there is nothing to work for, then find something, don't give up, and create some goals.  I believe that with these things and some good training you can go a long ways.

-Jake Keyser

Well here I am back in good old Fort Collins, Colorado.  Our travels home were great, we had numerous games of 20 questions to pass the time on the drive home from DIA.  Overall it was a great trip.  I got to see my family and friends, raced at Hayward field and ran a pr, and got to have a great time with my team mates.  But the best part was God's blessing, in more than one way.

First of God gave us all great weather to race in.  The temperature was perfect, there was minimal wind and the sun was out.  Being from Oregon myself I really appreciated how nice it truly was this weekend, especially when I found out that it had snowed in Fort collins this morning.  

Second he gave me the strength to run strong.  I feel like my confidence has improved a lot, but in a good way and not a bad way.  I know I'm not the best runner out there, but I do know that I have the capability to compete in every race that I am going to run this year.

I think that it is awesome how God uses us.  I was doing my devotional yesterday before my race and I came across this verse.  It's 1Corinthians 3:17 and it says "We are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building."

 I found this to be really encouraging verse.  It says that we work with God, we are his field, and his building.  This is awesome because the way I see it, we work with God in our daily lives.  Our job is to be a light to others and share God's love, and this verse just says that we work side by side with him in this, so we are not alone in this work.  I think that a lot of times we feel that we bear the complete burden to lead someone to Christ, but in reality it is a joint effort between us and God.  We are his planters, and waterers while he does the rest by calling that person.  

The third part is really cool.  We are God's building.  I like how in this verse Paul puts the words you and are in italics to add emphasis.  This is really cool because a building is the work of a builder.  So this verse says that we are the result of God's work.  He built us up exactly the way he planned.  He had his plans laid out, and then went to work building us, not just creating us but putting us through our lives situations to make us exactly how he envisioned us.  And the best part is.  He is still working, and never will stop.

-Jake Keyser

Now its crazy that its already here.  My first race back at Hayward field since the State Championships last year.  I have been waiting for this day all track season long, and now its here.  We were at the track yesterday and I love the atmosphere of Hayward.  I jogged 2 laps around the track after our shake out run.  I could still see pictures in my head of past races, both good and bad.  There is no place better to run than Hayward, I truly believe that.

I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my Lord and savior.  He has given me the best birthday gift I could have ever asked for.  My mentality about racing has completely changed lately.  It's not about winning or running fast anymore, its about going out there and beating my body into the ground because its the least I can do for my savior.  I won't be able to experience the pain my savior went through for me, but this is the closest I can get.  Don't get me wrong, my mind is never 100% focused on this before racing.  I'm human and tend to be selfish because of it.  But I know where my heart is and no matter how many times I forget my goal and my reason for being out there, my heart always comes back to it when I'm done.  I guess what I'm trying to say is, that I'm not thinking of God every second of my life because that is completely unrealistic, but as long as my heart is in the right place and I have a relationship with the lord, it doesn't matter because he loves me no matter what.  

So tonight I'm going to go and run my butt of for the lord in front of that crowd and if it goes well then it goes well, and if it doesn't then it doesn't, but I'm not going to walk away from that track saying that I could have gone faster, or pushed myself harder.  I'm going to give it my all for my savior!!!

-Jake Keyser

Well one more day past, and now I am only 16 hours from heading back to good old oregon.  I'm pretty excited about that.  My family will finally get to see me run again and I will also get to see so many of my friends.  This is truly a gift from God, and I'm just about to tell you why.

So our team was scheduled to go to Arizona 2 weeks ago, and that would mean that we weren't going to be running in Oregon at all this year.  This was making me sad since I rarely get to go home and see my family because it's so expensive to fly home.  well when the week of Arizona came coach called all of us distance runners in and told us that he would not be taking anyone over 1500 meters because it was going to be so hot, 95 to be exact.  He though that it would be a bad idea because we had been training in 40-50 degree weather and 95 would just overwhelm us.  So I was a little disappointed with this until coach told us the alternative.  We were going to take that weekend off, run at our home meet and then go to the Oregon Invitational instead.  Now when i heard this news I was extremely excited.  Then I really got excited when I realized that I would be running the race on my birthday, so that means I could go to dinner with my family and friends on my birthday.  

So God truly does have a plan.  He basically gave me a birthday present this year.  God is so good to us and does everything for a reason even if it doesn't seem that great at the moment.  I'm so thankful that he is an awesome God and a loving one as well.  I am definitely not going to take this for granted, and I am not going to waste this opportunity.  

-Jake Keyser

So after another day of school and running here I am, reflecting on todays experiences.  It definitely was a good day, the sun was out allowing it to be around 70 today.  I find that when it is sunny and warm the mood around campus is very joyful.  Everyone is outside doing something and it just brings a smile to my face.  That's one thing I love about this state.  Everyone is involved with something athletic, whether it be running, biking, hiking, skating, or whatever else you could possibly want to do outside.  

Well I took this good mood all the way to practice, which was a light steeple workout today.  We did 2x800 with hurdles and the water pit.  They were supposed to be at race pace but Andres wanted to get something faster in to get used to finishing his race.  So we ended up hitting the first one in 2:21 and it felt really good.  I had great water jumps and pretty good hurdles.  Then on our second one we went out slower and tried to finish it as fast as we could.  I was unaware of what was going on so when Andres took off it took me a second to respond.  I once again had good water jumps and decent hurdles and also hit this one in 2:21.  Overall it was a great workout and I felt smooth the whole way.  

Being an easy day I find it a little harder to keep God at the front of the workout.  I sang worship this morning and prayed but it seems like as the day went on I lost that focus.  I really need to work on keeping God first at all times and not just when I think he will help me make it through something.  I need to keep turning to God when things are tough and when things are easy.  Its hard to keep that in mind, that God is by our side during the good and the bad.  I seem to take him for granted when everything is good.  But I'm very greatfull that he loves me even when I take him for granted.  It's awesome to have a relationship with such a loving savior!!!

-Jake Keyser

So I have decided that I am going to write a blog from time to time.  Hopefully this will help in some way in improving my running, either by bringing my goals out, or just reminding myself of why I am running.  I also hope that if anyone else reads this then I hope you get something out of it as well.

So today is Monday, that usually means an easy day.  What a relief!  After 2 really hard weeks of workouts I'm really excited to have a nice easy day and an easy week leading up to my race this Friday in Oregon.  Lately I have really been following Ryan Hall and I have decided that he is not only my hero but also my role model.  He's not my hero because he's a great runner, but because he has his priorities straight.  I have the same beliefs he has and I know how hard it is to keep God at the front of everything I do, but Ryan has it figured out.  There is a verse in the bible specifically Psalm 35:9 that says "But let me run loose and free, celebrating God's great work, every bone in my body laughing, singing, God there is no one like you!"  This verse is absolutely amazing, and if you read the whole Psalm you would realize why David wrote it.  He was being chased by his enemies at this time and for him to write something like this is awesome.  I like to look at my enemy as myself when thinking of this verse.  "Let me run loose and free" for me this means free of my body, my selfish and worldly desires.  Left me run with God in the forefront, let me praise him with every bone in my body, let my breath sing his praises, let every step praise his name.  I had gotten away from these thoughts for a long time, but since I really began following Ryan his ministry has brought me back to where I should be.  I know Ryan Hall will never read this blog, but I would still like to say, "Thank you Ryan Hall!  You are an inspiration to me and I will be praying for you in not only running but your spiritual walk as well."  If I had one person I would love to sit down and have lunch with, it would be Ryan Hall.  I hope as this week goes on my later blogs will reflect the attitude of this one.

Well I know this has helped me out a lot, I actually cant wait to write another one.  I more than likely will write it after my run today or my workout tomorrow.

Romans 15:30 "I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me"

I would love for anyone to pray for me as it is stated in this verse.

-Jake Keyser