Mike Outler's Blog

Marathon runners will tell you that, at some point in the race, you’ll “hit the wall“.  It’s random, it’s unpredictable.  But it has been known to occur at the 20 mile point or 200 yards before the finish line.  It’s about completely running out of energy.  Dick Beardsley (American long distance runner) once said about the wall, “It felt like an elephant jumped out of a tree on to my shoulders and was making me carry it the rest of the way in.”

During the 2012 National Marathon To Finish Breast Cancer, I hit the wall– at mile 5 when we began to run on Jacksonville Beach!  It wasn’t the normal “wall” that runners speak of.  It was a wall of 30F temperatures and 20-25 mph winds in our faces.  My hands were numb, in fact, they went numb, then tingled, then they simply hurt–pure pain.  The course didn’t turn south for good until about mile 16.  All I could think of was, “If this is as bad as it gets, I can handle it–I CAN DO THIS“.  I’ve never gone this far before.  In fact, I had only trained for about a month prior to this race.  Most people who train for a marathon, train for one year.  Me, one month.  My longest training run was just under 4 miles.  Crazy? YES!  Reason?  I’ll explain.

A small part of me wanted to finish the marathon to mark another item off my bucket list.  While that’s true, there was a greater motivation.  A few years back, my mom survived breast cancer.  She endured six rounds of chemotherapy and countless radiation treatments.  She was cancer-free for a while and making sure she went to her check-up appointments and followed doctor’s orders.  Well, cancer has a way of rearing its ugly head more than one time.

That’s right, it’s back!  She has it again!

This time it’s in one of her lungs.  The doctors have said it’s totally unrelated to her earlier BC (Breast Cancer).  I hate cancer!  I hate what it does to a person–I hate what it does to families.  However, as a follower of Christ, I KNOW that NOTHING takes God by surprise and HE knows what she’s going through and what she will go through and HE will give her the grace and strength to handle it.  With that said, I felt like I needed to do this.  Call  it therapy, call it what you want.  This is the way I saw it:

IF SHE CAN TOUGH THIS OUT ONE MORE TIME (AND SHE WILL), THEN I CAN FINISH THIS MARATHON!!!

My mom, without a doubt, is one of the toughest ladies (YES, lady–she is also a woman of grace) I have ever known.  I’ve always said that I hope to be a tough as her one day.

I ask that you join me and my family in praying for her.  Earnestly and sincerely. She will undergo surgery this Thursday (2/16/2012) to remove the mass in her left lung and take out about 20% of  that lung.  She’s a fighter and knows that she can overcome this obstacle.  Her attitude is great and as we all know, ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!

So Mom, this medal is for you!

Thank you for praying for her.  I will certainly update her progress from time-to-time.

Today I survived the 9:00 O’clock Spin Class at my local gym.  And I mean SURVIVED it!  One hour of torture orchestrated by a nice lady who evidently needed to vent.  I needed the abuse and I’m glad it’s over. 

Ice therapy.

Since it was my first time in a long time to take part in a group workout, I was very aware of my surroundings.  So much so that I noticed every little behavior and movement outside of the normal pedaling.  So I’ve listed people “YOU DON’T WANT TO BE” while in a spin class.

THE GUY WHO DANCES TO THE MUSIC

If you ever feel the urge to stand up on the bike and make the “Can’t Touch This” moves like MC Hammer, for the sake of everything sacred, DON”T!  Yes you look stupid and I just might hop off my bike and push you over! 

THE PERSON WHO HAS TO DO MORE THAN YOU’RE ASKED

You know who you are–teacher’s pet!  You don’t have to cycle twice as fast as everyone else while the rest of us are drinking water, towelling off, trying to catch our breath, etc.  I thought this behavior stopped in jr. high?

THE ONE WHO USES 27 PAPER TOWELS AND TOSSES THEM ON THE FLOOR

We know you’re sweating dude!  News Flash: The rest of us are as well.  Next time, instead of killing 3 Southern Yellow Pine Trees (Yes I work for a paper mill), bring a towel! 

THE LADY WHO GRUNTS LIKE A PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER

If you need to let out a yelp, scream like you’re giving birth, or grunt like Jimmy Conners used to, maybe this class isn’t for you.  You scared me and I’m just glad you weren’t giving birth.  Delivering a baby wasn’t on my to-do list today.

As I type this, one news source has reported that former Penn State Coach, Joe Paterno, has passed away from complications of cancer.  Other sources have not!  Sometimes, navigating the murky waters of the internet can be tricky.  While one website can be reliable, other sites can not.

Either way, if he has passed on or not, there’s only one word to sum up the last six months,

SAD!

 One thing that kept coming to the frontal lobe region of my head is this: WHAT IS THE PROPER RESPONSE, AS A CHRISTIAN, TO THE EVENTUAL DEATH OF JOE PATERNO?

I ask this because I truly believe there’ll be some who will spew vile comments about the former Nittany Lions coach, simply because of what has transpired in 2011.  Let’s get one thing straight, Joe Pa made a terrible mistake and had a lapse in judgment when he failed to report Sandusky for allegedly abusing young boys on school campus.  He admits it himself.  Monumental mistake!  There’s no telling how many kids could have been saved from the evil hands of Sandusky had he gone further with personally investigating the matter.

I certainly do not want to grant him sainthood, but as believers, we have an obligation to be careful with our words.

I vividly recall how some Christians responded to the sudden and untimely death of Michael Jackson.  Pedophile or not, it really bothered me how some almost rejoiced in the fact that he died.  It was as if they were thumbing their nose at such tragedy.  All I could think of was, “Wow!  You’re really not making a good name for us as Christians!”

Whether Joe Paterno has asked God to forgive him for sins of omission, I don’t know.  BUT, it isn’t our place to stand in judgement and ridicule him or point the finger, lest we make a similar mistake.

I believe our position should be as such: Be kind and thoughtful with our words and not come to a conclusion about him that isn’t warranted.  

Whether or not Joe Pa has passed from this life into the next, isn’t the main thing for us.  How we respond as Christians is important.

I would like to say that I hope he’s resting peacefully and not in pain–if he’s still alive.  If not,

God speed and Rest In Peace!

Long time friend, Michael Jones, who’s a minister near Detroit, Michigan, shares my frustrations with the common misconceptions about taking Christ out of Christmas as well as the greater part of American society.

However, THIS TIME, IT’S THE OPPOSITE!

Here’s what he said:

I say this every year. “X” in Xmas is not the English letter X, it is “chi,” the first letter in the Greek word “Christos” which means “Christ.” Since X is an abbreviation for the word “Christ” (and has been for two millennia), “Xmas” means “Christmas.” It is not a 21st century attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. Now please, can we all just let it go.

Check it outXMAS

Do you find that this sign is almost extinct?  If not, then it sure wins the award for the “MOST IGNORED”.

What sign do you see that people just can’t seem to follow?

LIKE IT

Can Florida Basketball Coach Billy Donovan catch up with Coach K?  I’m not so sure but I really have a great deal of respect for this man.  In my opinion, he’s a class act!  That’s right, coming from a Georgia Bulldog fan, through-and-through, I can say that Coach Donovan has my utmost respect. 

Yes, he did pull the first Urban Meyer “escape move“ for Florida but he quickly changed his mind.  Confused?  Check it out here.

Meanwhile, Coach D won his 400th win and he’s still doing a great job!

Read it here: 400th Win

LOVE IT

As for the situation going on at Penn State University, there are so many things that can be said, so many fingers to point, BUT, we must focus on those who have been victimized, not the ones who’ve covered their tracks or the ones who’ve made sure they are loyal to an institution.  Afterall, there are victims in this situation.  Innocent lives who’ve been forever damaged by the evil acts of one person. 

What point am I trying to make?  Just read this Open Letter from Tyler Perry to Penn State 11 year old.

I hope you enjoy this first of many!

Mike

Please take a minute to read this before you post your next status update.  If there’s one thing (among many) that gets on my last nerve when it comes to Facebook, it’s the misspelling of words.  Most noticeably in the status update section. It makes me want to climb to the top of the tallest building in South Georgia and scream, “For the love of everything sacred, please CHECK…YOUR…SPELLING!!!“

I could write for hours on end about the butchering of words while hammering out your thoughts on the World Wide Web, via the end-all, be-all of social realms–FACEBOOK.

If I had to list the top 3, they would go as follows, starting with the misspelling first:

ALOT- This word is commonly mistaken for the 2 words, “a lot“.  When typing this out, a good rule to remember is this, while writing similar words, would you write, “alittle“, or “afew“?  IT’S TWO WORDS!!!  Give them some space, please!

YOUR- This word is proper in some cases, but NOT when you are writing a contraction.  YOU’RE is a contraction of  “you are“, as in “You’re nice to me“.  YOUR is actually a possessive adjective.  It describes a noun by telling us to whom it belongs.  Example; I love your status update.  Got it?  Good (-:

THERETHEYRETHEIR- This one gets messed up and I just don’t want to get into the nuts & bolts of it now, I’ve got shows on DVR to watch–so go to this site.

If you have any other words to add to this list, please feel free to comment below.

As I view people’s profiles on Facebook, I have seen a trend this month and it has to do with being thankful.  To be specific, some are using the 30 days of November to post one thing they are thankful for, each day.  I was a little late on this as I do enjoy some of the trends that Facebook has to offer–I carefully say, SOME of the trends.  In other words, when I get the usual status update that says something to the effect, “If you love baby Jesus and don’t slaughter innocent puppies, you WILL post this to your status for the next 7 hours and 28 minutes…”, you can guarantee that I will NOT be copying that!!!

Anyway, this month I’ll be randomly posting a list of things that I’m thankful for.  There’s no limit to how many items I’ll have.  This particular post, I thought of some of the people I’m grateful for.  And when I listed each one, I very quickly wrote down the first thing that came to mind.  I could have very easily elaborated on each person as to WHY I’m thankful for them, but chose to stick with one per person. 

My God.  For continuing to love me unconditionally, no matter how many times I fail Him.

My wife, Alisha.  Her diligence in sticking to our goals and communicating about them.  It’s the little things.                 

My oldest daughter, Savannah.  For her keeping me in check and on the right track as a parent.  Both kids do.

My youngest daughter, Sydney.  For forgiving me when I fail them and realizing I’m human too.  They both do this.

My mom.  For being such a strong, disciplined woman.

My brothers.  For setting a high standard as men, husbands, and fathers.  It keeps me striving to be better.

My extended family.  For being genuine and caring.

My job.  For providing employment so I can take care of my family.

My friends.  For listening to me when I need to vent…and not condemning me.

THAT’S ALL FOR NOW!

The Head Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier, finally released his 5th year senior quarterback, Stephen Garcia–who should be thought of as a young Jerry Garcia–think left-handed cigarettes!  Garcia, after being suspended FIVE TIMES SINCE THIS SPRING, violated the no-boozing it up rule and was found in violation of smoking marijuana as well.  Six times to get kicked off the team?  Talk about getting a 2nd and 3rd and on and on and on….

Does anyone remember the defensive end, David Pollack from the Georgia Bulldogs?   Three-time All-American, 2002 SEC Player of the Year honors, the 2003 and 2004 Ted Hendricks Award, and, all in 2004, the Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. His 36 sacks for the Bulldogs remain a school record.  Just a few records!  Anyway, he has teamed up with the one and only Mr. Bachelor, Jesse Palmer to co-host the show, Palmer and Pollack.  They will cover the latest in college football, stats, analysis, games, etc.  In the 2005 NFL Draft, he was taken 17^th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. His NFL career was cut short, however, after he broke a cervical vertebra in a game versus the Cleveland Browns in 2006. The Bengals announced Pollack’s retirement before the 2008 season.

I wish him well–great guy!

For all you Tebow-Haters out there, now’s your time to rant and shout!  Come October 23rd, he will be under center for the Denver Broncos as the captain of that ship as they take on the win-less Miami Dolphins.  Miami has always been my team but I am hoping that Tim does well and quiets all the naysayers.  He’s a man of character, humility, and pure talent.