Adventures in Running and Kettlebelling

This entry is not about the whole family, but I thought I would share my recent adventures. I am getting ready for the Army Ten Miler and am trying to increase my running mileage and kettlebell training in the process. Here are some anecdotes from my recent running.
Most of you know that I use my run as time to listen to God. I play praise music on the MP3 and reflect on my Bible Reading and prayer list for the day. This morning, I found myself getting distracted as I started to wear down and needed a motivational song to help me finish the last mile. I started trying to run through my library quickly, but realized that I was not really listening to any of the songs I was flipping through. This was denying God the opportunity to speak to me through the music. At mile five of a six mile run, feeling worn down and slow, I said a quick prayer for God to use the next song to come up to guide the rest of my day. The next song was Michael W. Smith's BREATHE. That is exactly what I did - as hard as I could:-)
I also had a close call with a cyclist on the first part of this run. I drifted towards the edge of THE RUNNING TRAIL when I heard him yell, "On your left." I apologized, patted him on the back, and quickly explained as drove by that I had been distracted by the blackberries. The cyclist showed that he understood my words by holding up his Blackberry communication device. The ding dong missed the blackberry vines with loads and loads of ripe blackberries on the left side of the RUNNING TRAIL, so I pointed those out to him. If I had told him that I eat blackberries, it would probably have confused him tremendously, as I am not sure if he knows of the kind nature makes. He probably didn't notice the purple stains on the tops of my shoes, either - those were from transporting two hands full of the eating kind of blackberries to my kids on a previous run. So, if you are distracted by a Blackberry, I hope it results in a full stomach for you.
While running last week, I scared a big Marmaduke dog's back end so badly that it jumped in front of the dog's front end and told him to turn around and look behind him. His poor owner thought she was about to door some urban skiing and Marmaduke was going to be her motor boat. It was pretty funny and I was thankful Marmaduke didn't eat me as pay back. He did, however, alert all his pals on Monroe Street to my stealthy running techniques. They all stayed safely within their fences and barked their heads off at me as I ran home. Any of you who know me know that I am not too proud to bark back - and I did! And those dogs are stone silent as I run by, now.
On my first run after returning from leave, the big giant police car voice said to me, "YOU SHOULD USE THE PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL." From Benefield's brain, "YOU SHOULD USE YOUR LOUD PA VOICE ON THE GUY WHO STOLE MY GPS OUT OF MY MINIVAN WHILE I WAS UNPACKING FROM VACATION, NOT ON ME WHILE I AM RUNNING." I wondered if he really believed that was the most dangerous thing I would have to do this week. Running across a road with no traffic is nothing compared to getting into DC on the Dulles tollroad. For those of you who are not familiar with this hazard, I would refer you to the story of the witch who put a curse on my #5 spark plug to show her displeasure with my (superb) driving tactics. She is probably in the same order of witches as the one who reported me to Facebook for offering to share Jesus with her (after she offered to share Wicca with anybody interested, mind you)!
So, the running is going well for the most part, but I have really been improving my kettlebell techniques. I anticipated injuring myself or at least embarrassing myself in some significant way during the workshop this past weekend, but that didn't really happen. The only downside is that I don't have much comedy to write about, but I did have a small adventure on the drive back. The Quantico gas station had a broken air compressor that I tried to use to pump up my air shocks in support of the 250lbs of kettlebells in the trunk. Instead of pumping up, the broken air compressor deflated my shocks. Blue looked like she was doing a wheelie or had a dead body in the trunk. It was embarrassing and the whole car rattled like crazy at the least bump. Luckily, I found a functional compressor within ten miles and pumped my dignity back up to normal levels.
So, now you are up to date on my PT adventures. More from the family next time.

Some Notes from Vacation

Parents, spank your children now because you can't spank them when they are adults no matter how much they need it. This observation comes from observing adults, not my children.
If Christians behaved like Alabama fans, we'd evangelize the whole world in one football season. A fellow fan ran up to me in Trader Joe's and we went over the whole plan for the next National Championship player by player and game by game. I rarely get this from fellow Christians. Of course, I have to ask if its easier to see that I love Alabama than it is to see that I love Jesus. I hope not.
If you want to know the stuff life is made of, look in your couch. We uncovered four years of popcorn, pacifiers, chex mix, hot wheels cars, go fish cards, and spare change as we rearranged the other day. The couch rattled like a toy chest when we moved it and we had to almost completely disassemble it, but there was quite the treasure hidden inside. I also learned that a staple can enter the meaty part of your palm (around your thumb) and go almost to your elbow before you realize that it is in there. I felt like I was doing a magic trick as I pulled it out and had to pull hand over hand for several minutes before it was free. Cammie showed her standard display of compassion for my injuries and laughed her rear end off.
I should also point out that I had to pull over twice on the drive back from vacation to whip and threaten my children into good behavior. They were so much better on the way to vacation, minus one accidental assault on their dad. I guess using, "I'll turn this van around and go home," as a threat on the way to Alabama was a bad call because I had nothing to threaten them with on the way back. By this point, they know I won't really choke them out (with their mother watching), so the little people have the upper hand. On the way to Alabama, the only significant event was when Carlie and Jay Allen were playing with his Taekwondo belt and let loose of it in a manner that caused it to snap like a leather whip right on my neck - while I was driving! I used all my best threats, but Cammie didn't help much because she was holding her ears and laughing.
Other notes, we learned that James will ask adults to leave the room before he misbehaves. That really helps in monitoring his behavior. If you refuse to leave the room, he will ask you to close your eyes.
The Lazy Donkey is still the best Mexican restaurant in the world!
I left my Tar Heel hat and my NRA hat somewhere on our vacation - not sure where.
Somebody stole my GPS, cellphone, and shades - and possibly Jay Allen's Leapster out of our van while we were unpacking.
My computer had crashed while we were gone, which is strange because we left it turned off the whole time.
I already rendered a report on Carlie's Baptism - it was great and so was the entire vacation, but we were away from home a long time and there's no place like home.
Hope you all have a great summer and enjoyed my potpourri of vacation notes!

The Benefield Camping Expedition

I promised my boys a camping trip while we were on leave, so AJ and his kids were able to join us. It is the only time I remember having beans, wieners, and Yoo-hoos for dinner, so you know it was a good time.
Originally, the blueprint for this trip was for all the boys to go camping, build a fire, eat beans, and toot. AJ decided to bring the girls, so that civilized the whole expedition just a little bit, but it was still an adventure. With all of our children, the adult to child ratio was 2-5. When both adults are dads, that ratio is perilously close to disaster, but we did survive.
I made the kids some fishing poles out of bamboo cane, thinking that would be safer since no casting was required. It only took about five minutes for Carlie to hook Jay Allen in the shoulder, so that theory was not as solid as I thought. I had to take a tactical pause and give the entire camping party a safety brief on the use of the cane poles. Happily, nobody else was hooked during the trip, not even a fish.
The next near disaster involved Jay Allen dropping the tailgate on Carlie. I know many of you are thinking, "PAYBACK", but it was clear that he did not mean to hurt his sister and was more scared than she was about the injury. By Benefield family standards, it was a minor injury - no blood, no broken bones, no emergency room necessary. It paled in comparison to James taking a header off the Braggs's top floor and breaking their steps.
After a feast of beans and franks and Yoo-hoos, I convinced all of the children to fish with me. This lasted for a few minutes and then the big kids wanted to go roast marshmallows. James had no interest in marshmallows and kept on fishing for a good while. When he finally returned to the fire, he realized his mother was not there and wanted to go home. So, we took him home and camped on with the big kids.
The kids all settled down and slept quietly that night, though Jay Allen and I regretted that we left the tarp that my dad laid out for us. We slept under an Army poncho liner and it left us just a little chilly when we woke up. AJ had faithfully kept the fire going through the night, though I suspect that had a lot to do with the fact that his dog, Hoss, kept licking his feet when he tried to sleep.
My kids woke up wanting to fish and go paddle boating, so that is what we did, in that order. The paddle boat worked pretty well, and we even docked for blackberry picking on the far side of the pond. Yoo-hoos and blackberries for breakfast are number one!
Well, two minor injuries and two of three kids making it all night is a success for a first camping trip. AJ left just before we did, but technically, I think his camping trip lasted longer, at least for Aaron. When we both got back to my parents' house, Aaron was still asleep on AJ's truck. I don't know when Aaron finally woke up, but I did see him a couple of days later

Trip to the Rick and Bubba Show Visit

AJ and I decided to spend our birthday together as part of the live studio audience at the Rick and Bubba Show. Not nearly as eventful as some of our adventures, it was nevertheless a great time. Cammie and Jennifer joined us for a great time together with our good friends who barely know us.
The most disappointing part of our visit was the fact that Rick Burgess was not present. He had surgery on his torn bicep the day before we visited and was too medicated to broadcast. Rick tore his bicep throwing a brick over a tree limb to hang a tire swing. That is an unusual injury and its a little surprising that a former athlete such as Rick would hurt himself by simply throwing a brick. I don't know exactly what to think of that, but I do know he wouldn't have torn his bicep in 1982. I just hope he can still throw a football over that mountain!
When we first arrived at the Rick and Bubba studio, we had to sign a waiver giving up all claims to the Peanut Butter Banana Cake we brought with us and promising not to yell out anything during the live broadcast that would incur an FCC fine. One of the intern€s, Aubie, brought us some slices of Mrs. Bragg's famous peanut butter banana cake in spite of the fact that we had already signed it away. Luckily, we did not have to sign away the rights to the cake's recipe or Mrs. Bragg would have strung us up by our toes.
For those of you not familiar with Rick and Bubba, you should know that they are not celebrities, but are regular folks who get to meet celebrities on behalf of those of us too busy. Their show could take place in your living room because it is simply a bunch of friends who sit around joking with each other, talking about the news, and telling stories from their lives. Rick and Bubba just happen to have hundreds of thousands of friends (fans) who listen in and participate in their daily visits. All the show members are authentic and genuinely nice people. Even though he was obviously tired from visiting with Rick and watching the College World Series, Bubba spent a lot of time during the off-air breaks visiting with the studio audience. He is just a nice guy (unless you show him your pet snake). The entire cast invited us in to watch them do their job (the show) and made us feel at home and included in the process. I am not nearly so nice at work and would have security remove anybody who showed up just to watch me do my job, so I appreciate their hospitality.
Even without Rick, the 23 June show was very funny and we spent the whole morning laughing. Even the parts of the show that weren't planned to be funny had their moments, like the guest who kept calling Bubba "Rick". Speedy finally had to write Bubba's name on an impromptu flash card and hold it up for the guest to get him re-oriented. We also saw first hand how the guys pick at each other when Speed Racer welcomed Randy Savage (the Macho Man wrestler) to the studio audience. Obviously, Randy Savage was not there and though I thought for a moment Speedy had mistaken me for this celebrity, it was actually just a well played joke by the rest of the staff.
Of all the members of the Rick and Bubba show, I think I identify most closely with Greg Burgess. Greg speaks his mind without apology and often with a bit too much candor. You more often think, "I can't believe he said that", than "I wonder what Greg means." I can identify with that. One of Greg's sayings is displayed prominently in my office, "Know your role and shut your hole." There are more offices that need those words displayed, but for now, we'll have to settle for my office. I am concerned that we may have inadvertently contributed to the softening of the hard-working, pole-climbing, blue collar Greg Burgess by bringing that Peanut Butter Banana Cake. I know its common practice to bring food to Rick and Bubba, but I am afraid Mrs. Bragg's famous cake may have been the straw that broke the camel's back for Greg. In the last half of the show, it was announced that Greg will undergo liposuction. I have a strong suspicion that the lipo-sucker tank is going to be filled with bananas and peanut butter icing.
Many of my friends who knew I was going to see the show had an expectation that I would end up on the radio. I would have been comfortable with that except that the past few members of my profession who sat in the audience have gotten themselves in a little trouble by getting on the radio. So, it was my goal to be member of the audience and not an on air guest and I left "mission accomplished". I strongly recommend a visit and if your goal is to laugh, then I suspect you are going to leave "mission accomplished", too.

Independence Day

Our Declaration of Independence was a God-inspired document that unleashed the greatest force for freedom our world has ever known. Our founders, in their great wisdom, protected that freedom by codifying our liberties and freedom in the Constitution. Each generation chooses whether to honor those efforts by valuing the liberties in the Constitution enough to preserve them.

Every military member takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Every military member knows that oath will require sacrifice, possibly even the ultimate sacrifice, yet it seems well worth it to protect for our fellow citizens the liberties that the Constitution guarantees. Historically, the American soldier has protected the liberties of his fellow citizens and also secured liberty for the citizens of numerous other countries. That list of other countries is still growing.

I have served with soldiers for almost twenty years and it is very humbling to have people thank me for my service. The most humbling thank you occurred in Bangor, Maine after my first deployment to the Middle East. As I entered the terminal in Bangor with other returning service members, there was a party of veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam standing alongside other Bangor residents to greet us upon our return. Not one of us returning in that particular flight had made the kind of sacrifices those veterans of previous generations had made, but they did not care. They valued their liberty and our efforts to preserve and spread it. We received the kind of welcome that an American President or the hottest rock star of the day would envy. Those folks provided food, drink, cell phones, and all kinds of support for us on the last leg of our journey home. We were all completely overwhelmed (see God Bless Bangor, Maine ). What an inspiring way to exercise this country’s freedoms!

Over the course of my deployments to the Middle East, I have seen and heard of many acts of courage. I believe the American public is hungry to hear these stories, but most never get told. The stories that do get into the media do not get the level of coverage that Michael Jackson’s death or Britney Spears habitual lack of underwear seem to generate. I believe there should be a cable channel dedicated to telling the stories of heroes like the channel dedicated to telling the latest on entertainers (E!). Maybe, we call it “F”, the Freedom channel, telling the story of men and women like the Georgia National Guardsman who led his convoy successfully through an IED attack while his appendix ruptured. He didn’t get a medal (as far as I know), just a MEDEVAC. I heard his story while he was recovering in the hospital and after we exchanged call signs, discovered that I had talked with him on the radio that night. I remembered every detail of that night, but I never knew that he was bent over double in pain during the ambush. The guy was a pro and did his job under the worst of conditions. He gave no indications of the pain he was in to me or his men. I would say he demonstrated courage that Michael and Britney never experienced first hand. There are countless other stories I can share in person if you have the time: my buddy who escaped the hospital while recovering from injuries so he could return to his unit (this happened in 2004, not 1944); the soldier who defeated cancer twice, even when he had to shop around to find a doctor as determined as he was to win those victories; the “Missing Parts in Action” soldiers who run the Army Ten Miler each year to declare victory over the handicaps they acquired in service of their country – if you want a motivating experience, try to feel sorry for yourself as a soldier with an artificial leg is in front of you on the Army Ten Miler course.

The American soldier not only demonstrates courage, but also inspires it. I had the honor of meeting a number of brave Iraqis who were risking their lives and the lives of the family to rebuild their country. Before security broke out in Iraq, many leaders had to sleep in their offices because it was too dangerous to return home each day. Most Iraqi leaders have been targeted if not attacked by the enemies of freedom, but continue to march on with a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Furthermore, insurgents and foreign fighters targeted every Iraqi, not just leaders, during the previous few rounds of elections, but voters still turned out in overwhelming numbers. I have no doubts that the Iraqis will persevere until they achieve peace and prosperity. I treasure meeting such brave men and have as my most prized possession from my last deployment, a picture taken with one such Iraqi leader.

The greatness of every country depends on the citizens exercising their responsibilities. Prisoners don’t have many responsibilities, but free men do. What a shame for free men to act like prisoners and not live up to their responsibilities. Despite what the Stoics might believe, indifference is not a virtue. As long as the American soldier pledges his life to protect the liberties in the Constitution for his fellow Americans, I believe Americans have an obligation to value the Constitution and exercise their liberties. If citizens do not keep themselves informed and involved, then they will no longer have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, but they will have government on the people. If you are not sure what that means, ask an Iraqi, they remember.

Every person who works for the U.S. government works for the American people. There is no better employer, but I would like to remind the American people not to be afraid to fire any government employees who are not doing a good job. The American people deserve the best from their government, but everybody has to do their part to hold the government accountable. An informed people will preserve liberty where an uninformed people will lose their liberty. Some of you could do a better job than many of the current members of government and should hire yourselves on as soon as possible. The interviews are called elections and they occur in pretty predictable intervals. It takes a little courage to live up to your responsibilities as citizens, but courage is still dominant in the American DNA.

Despite some people’s lack of understanding of the concept, American exceptionalism is alive and well, but it is very much an individual pursuit. God designed each of us for a specific purpose and has a specific will for our lives. Americans became an exceptional people collectively because they recognized God’s purpose for them as individuals and had the freedom to achieve that purpose. We will only lose our exceptionalism if we lose touch with God’s purpose for us.

Nothing motivates me more than to see people who are chasing their God-inspired dreams. I know dozens of people who have traded job security for the pursuit of happiness. To list a few:

* the Army Captain who left the service to become a priest
* the Army Captain who is now a successful high school football coach
* the Army Captain who left the service for the higher calling of
being a mother
* the Air Force Captain who left the military service to serve
others through a career in medicine
* my high school friend who owns his own music business and is
passionate about his work
* the other high school friend who is cutting a gospel album filled
with songs he wrote himself (I got a preview of the album and love
every song)
* the friend from junior high school who left a successful career to
become a writer

This is what makes our country great generation after generation and is what I celebrate each Fourth of July. I believe these people are doing what God intended them to do and it is inspiring. I am paying attention because I need to decide what I am going to do when I grow up in three or four years. Because I live in the greatest country on earth, I still have the freedom to do anything God leads me to. Because I value my freedom, I have the responsibility to do what God designed me to do. Because I know so many who have shown the courage to achieve God’s purpose in their lives, I have the courage to as well. Do you?

Have a great Independence Day this Fourth of July and every day thereafter!