Current Events

The Carbondale YMCA has been where I have logged 99.9% of my swims to date-minus my swim in Indy.  I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of their new facility. The pool is full size and the locker rooms are bigger too.  This and I have had to stop and turn twice as often as the normal swimmer.  Well last week the new facility finally opened HUZZAH!!!!  So today i decided to go over the mountain to try it out.  The facility is just a beautiful as I imagined.
When I walked into the pool there were at least 100 kids in and around the facility and it was pure madness.  And all the lanes were occupied by kids/teens.  I went up to the guard and asked him about lap swimming and he kindly cleared the lane for me.
I jumped in and started my work.  I immediately felt myself just flying through the water with incredible speed.  It was awesome.  My adrenaline kicked in with the realization that all this training is starting to pay off.  I made my turn and came back, I got through my first 300 without much problem then took a little 30 second breather.  I then started my second set.  As fatigue set in I started to notice something.  I was moving considerably faster on my down than I was on my back.   I realized why I had been flying through the water at such an incredible speed...a current.  Never had I anticipated such a thing in a pool, but it was there.  This current slowly became the bane of my existence.  Having to use half the effort down that pool and twice the effort back was really messing with my psyche.  After my second set of 300 I decided to call it quits.
On my drive home I was thinking about this new little debacle.  I was a bit frustrated because I just want to swim with no distraction, nothing messing with my head or whatever.  But the voice of a triathlete spoke to my mind and reminded me that my swims will be in open water with no lanes keeping other swimmers at bay.  I may run into currents and kicks and other things but I just have to work through them.
This is a great lesson for life.  We would just love it life were all roses and we never experienced any difficulty, but that is not how it is.  Adam and Eve ate the fruit and messed the world up.  So instead of complaining about how bad things are we should just keep swimming.  Working through the tough things knowing they are preparing us for the race ahead.

Relation, Relation, Relation

I started the day off this morning at 6am at the Plainfield, IN Aquatic and Rec Center.  It is a beautiful brand spankin new facility.  I am used to swimming in what I call "The Dungeon."  It is the basement of the YMCA in Carbondale, PA.  Word on the street is their new facility will be open within the month(I will believe it when I see it).  Anyway because the facility I swim in is sub-par I almost never have to share a lane with people.  Today was different, even though I was one of the first people in the building all three lanes were occupied, the outside lanes were occupied by seniors moving slowly and the center lane had a younger dude.  Another guy came up beside me and when the guy in the center lane came to our end we agreed to circle swim in the center lane.  I was a bit faster than both guys so I passed them a few times, but each time they graciously let me pass.  At the end of our swim I had a nice conversation with the one guy named Mark who turned out to be training for his first sprint Triathlon as well.  Very friendly guy.
There is a cliche saying in Real Estate-"Location, Location, Location" and it is so true.  Depending on where you live, the value of your home either has more or less value.  During my Missions Training one fo the big things they have stressed over and over is a different 'mantra' Relation, relation, relation.  Many times the stated purpose of a missions trip is to build, renovate, or do a service.  Sometimes the team for one reason or another is derailed in their project.  They become frustrated and feel like the trip was a failure.  Not so.  The relationships that a short term missions team builds with the native is more important than any building.
It is very obvious if we look at the example of Jesus.  Jesus never talked about building a church, school, or orphanage.  Though building can be used to love others, Jesus' biggest initiative was building relationships.  It was the relationships that he invested in that helped build the church after he ascended to heaven.
I enjo meeting new people, even though there is some apprehension.  I may never see that guy Mark again.  But I'll remember him because we talked about common interest and acknowledged each others humanity.  I think we need to be doing that more.  Just seizing opportunities to build and foster relationships with anyone we come in contact with.  No matter how short or long the conversation, sometimes all people need is to be acknowledged to know they are still alive and more so-they are loved.

A Different Kind of Training

This morning I woke at 3am to catch a ride from an ulrarunner to a puddle jumper which brought me from Scranton to Newark.  I then had a 4 hour layover then took another small jet from Newark to Indianapolis, IN.  Why? To train.
For me most of my training has been of one kind with one goal and that has been with my sights set on May 22.  My first Tri.  My running is going to have to take a back seat as I think I may have stirred up and old injury, swimming is going to get some more focused work and I am getting more confident with every ride.  But to be honest those things are about me.
I am here in Indianapolis to train for others.
Unless you have been living under a rock on another planet you have probably heard of the devastation in Haiti.  I am part of a denomination that has a very active church in Haiti and lost many of it's schools, churches, and its main hub in the earthquake.  And as it was put today during one of the sessions, the reset button has been hit on Haiti.  The whole infrastructure is being rethought, buildings and roads and homes are being relocated and changed.
What is unfortunate is right now helping Haiti is a fad and it just can't be that way.  This is a not a fashionable cause to throw money at and a huge flux of resources.  These are people with names, cares and concerns.  When a congregation of almost 300 Haitians was asked "How many of you have lost a loved one?" Everyone raised their hand, yet they picked up and worshiped the God who loves them.
I was very encouraged to hear that the Haitian Free Methodist church is not run by American missionaries but by Haitian leaders.  I am also glad that the Haitian leaders are deciding how the money being sent should be spent.
So this week I am here going through a training so a team of people from my local church body can also be trained to go, help, and to love.  I will be giving little snippets as to the things I will be learning over the next few days.
But in the mean time, think about training...no, practicing.
Practice loving someone other than yourself today.

Lessons From St. Patrick

Yesterday was another beautiful day in NEPA.  So I decided to do a new route that I planned out on the bike, and after my disastrous ride last week I figured a planned 18 miles would not be so bad.  It is an out and back on Route 6 from Honesdale to Hawley.

Mind you this was St. Patrick's day so I had to dress appropriately. 
My ride to Hawley was much faster than I had anticipated.  17 miles took me 1:20 last week so I figured the same, but as I rode into Hawley I realized that I had ridden it too fast and to turn around would cause me to not get my whole expected 1:20 in.  I decided to ride up the hill in Hawley to the Lake region IGA, this adds about 3 miles to the original plan and a monster hill.  All said and done it took me 1:30 to do 24.75 miles.
The ride back was good but I was a little more spent than I thought I would be.
This is where St. Patrick comes in.  Patrick was a teenager who was kidnapped by Celts and sold into slavery.  He spent a few years tending flocks and praying.  God told him to escape so he went back to England where he became a priest with a nice plot of land and other resources.  At the age of 40 God called him to go back to Ireland to minister to the Celts.  Understand the Celts were not nice people nor very welcome to visitors-especially escaped slaves.   Patrick sold everything he had and evangelized the Celts.  It was very expensive as he regularly had to pay off tribal leaders for protection.  But the result was people knew Christ and it was all worth it.
As I rode the second half of my ride I just thought about how hard it must have been for St. Patrick to continue the journey, but he knew the end result was worth every bit of effort.  He brought glory to God.
In everything we do there will be some difficulty, stress, opposition but the end result will always be worth it because you can look back at the route you had to take and say, "Yeah, I did that." And while you are at it, thank God for giving you the grace and ability to get there.

Off the Laurels

I can justify anything.  A cookie, a nap, a break from exercise.  You see I am not too far away from an incredibly unmotivated self.  It was only a year ago that I weighed in at 279 pounds and frankly exercise was the enemy(I weighed in this morning at 231).  I had been to the gym on and off and always knew I was strong, but kinda lied to myself about being in shape.  It was especially evident my first day on a snowboard this past winter when I had a ton more control over my body.
So today I came to a crossroads.  I had every intention of taking the bike out for a spin today, but as I lay in bed thinking through my day I came to the halting conclusion...there is no time to ride today-you have one option-run.  Normally I would have already been on the road but yesterday I put in a 5.7 mile run at a 9:28 pace which is a marked improvement over the 10:00 pace I have been pushing.  But I thought after my run yesterday I was going to have to take a couple of days off to rest them runnin legs.

So my battle for the morning began.  I have Liam till noon and the only bit of exercise he and I can do together is run/ride.  We picked up this great jogging stroller last year which has been awesome.  Right until I strained my calf muscle last fall I was putting in some regular mileage.
I called Chris and asked for some advice-he told me to go for it, so I did.  And as I ran I thought of the number of excuses just that morning I had come up with as to why I shouldn't run.  Then it kind of led me to think of other things that people makes excuses for.
I had a friend who in September noticed my weight loss and mentioned that she wished she had time for it.  Without thinking I looked at her and asked her "How long are you going to use that excuse?" She was taken aback and rightly so, but a month later I saw her and she let me know that my calling her out helped her get going with exercise.
You can make all the excuses you want as to why you should do it tomorrow.  Why you should exercise tomorrow, or start the new eating lifestyle tomorrow, or forgive that person tomorrow I will start reading my Bible tomorrow.  Just a bit of advice, if you keep putting things off till tomorrow-tomorrow will never come.
I ran because there is something in me the that is giving be a big boot in the rear and telling me to get of my laurels and get to living.

What are you putting off?

And in case you were wondering where the phrase "Resting on your laurels" comes from:
In the ancient Pythian games held at Delphi in Greece and regarded as second in importance only to the Olympics, the winner was crowned with a wreath of laurels, which has remained a symbol of victory or distinction to the present day. The adjective laureate means 'as if crowned with a laurel-wreath as a sign of special honour'. To rest on one's laurels is (ill-advisedly) to live off one's reputation or refrain from further effort because of satisfaction with what one has already achieved.
http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayingsr.htm

The Image: Part 2

Long runs give you time to think.  Now I do not run nearly as long my buddy Chris so I may not be as wise but I do think about things. 
In the world of churchiness  there is something called liturgy.  Basically it is just a guide as to what you are supposed to be reading about during what time of the year.  Right now we are in Lent.  Lent is a time when all Christians are supposed to step back, do some fasting (giving something up in most circles) and reflect on the life and death of Christ.  We are supposed to be doing this all the time, but I guess Lent is another one of those "religious" things that help people understand God better.
The strange thing is I have gone deeper in my walk with God as I go deeper into my training.  I don't know if it is the extended amount of time each day that I focus on not only encouraging myself but calling on God to make me stronger than I am physically and spiritually.
Last week I posted a verse from the Book of Isaiah, one of the lines read-"with a shout he will raise up his battle cry."  This is a reference to God and the passion he feels about going into battle.  We also see Jesus doing a bit of yelling: at religious leaders in Matthew 23, at money changers in the temple as they exploited the poor, and finally as he died on the cross.
There is this screen printed t-shirt I can't get out of my head.  For one, I am not a huge fan of the screen printed Christian t-shirt.  I own them yes, but they were gifts.  I feel my witness and my faith are done much more justice than a message on a t-shirt.  But there is one that sticks out in my mind.  I really doubt that Jesus was this ripped.  The man was a peasant who walked a lot.  I undoubtedly think he probably had more the physique of an Ultra Runner. 
This particular image stand out because I see Jesus struggling physically with the spiritual weight of the world. 

I think it is interesting that when many people think of Jesus they think of this picture (which I am not particularly fond of.)  This is pretty Jesus, and he doesn't look very tough.  He's is kind of staring off into space at what we have no idea.  His skin is too light, his hair is too light and he is expressionless.  It is not wonder that more men don't follow Jesus, because this may be the only picture they see of him.
Jesus was strong, I know this because he was God incarnate.  He is also who we talk about when we speak of the one who gives the shout and stirs up zeal.
We need to start reinventing our image of Jesus, because the gent to the left is much to stayed, much too tame, and the fire that burns deep within me, the passion, the excitement for life does not leave me looking like him.  It leaves me burnt up, exhausted and alive!  This is the image I was created in.

Class Is Now In Session

Yesterday was another beautiful day-in fact this whole week has been spectacular and for people who have been jones'in for the outdoors it has been opportune.  Me being one of those people I decided to do my first legitimate road bike workout.

Before I left I went on LiveStrong.com to map out a route-they have a great feature that can help you do this, I highly recommend it.  The loop I charted was about 11.62 miles.  I was going conservative because, as I mentioned in my last blog, I have not spent much actual time on the road.  This ride was meant to acclimate myself with the bike and road cycling.  The course looked easy enough.  Watts Hill Road to Bryn Mawr Road to Oregon Turnpike to 191S which brings me home.  Here is the link to the route let call it the Watts Hill Intention.
The Big Picture:Drive the route you plan on riding if you are not extremely familiar with the area.

Lesson 1: Learn the Terrain
Now granted this route goes behind my house and explores the beautiful Wayne county countryside-I should know it.  But I don't and I paid dearly.  If you would like to refer to the topographical layout underneath the map at the above link you will find that the first 2.5 miles is a 400 ft climb.  Some of you seasoned cyclists are thinking "Big Deal."  I will tell you this...yes big deal for me.

Lesson 2: Scout Trouble Spots
Then come to find out, a whole mile and a half of Watts Hill road is dirt (didn't know that) most of it was pretty hard paced but being that it is spring in NEPA there were plenty of soft parts.  Did you know Road bikes are not make to go through soft mud? (don't worry Brad everything is still clean)

Lesson 3: Confirmation of the Route
There was a point where the dirt road split, one went uphill, the other went downhill.  Being totally blasted from my climb my head cried "Thank You Thank You Thank You for this downhill onto pavement"  I couldn't see where the other road went, but I was pretty sure I did not want to find out.  Turns out, that was my turn.  And my route went from the Watts Hill Intention to what I am calling the Watts Hill Insanity

I remember looking down at the odometer at mile 8 thinking "Somebody lied!" Either the odometer was way off or the map system was way off, because I had a general understanding of where I was definitely going father than 11.62 miles.  When the sign said ' <------Honesdale 9'  I laughed out loud-beared down and rode as fast as I could.  Luckily the second half of the route was not nearly as punishing as the first.  You can see that there was a down hill section of about 1 mile which allowed me some decent speed and some rest on the legs.

The whole route was 17.07 and it was stellar!  I really do live in a gorgeous area of the country and I was just thanking God that I could drink in his beautiful creation amidst the searing pin in my thighs.  But that is another blog for another day.

All in all I think I could get used to this cycling thing, it's really a blast and oh so challenging.  I also realized that in the past week I had exceeded the distances required for my first Tri in May.  I know I can put them together for a decent race.

So stoked for the training to come!

"This" is not "That"

So I am new to the whole triathlon training thing.  I decided last November that I was going to do this and I have been pretty steadfast in training.  Because Winter around here means very cold temperatures, icy roads and snowbanks that impede the roads, running outside is a maybe and biking has been a no-until this week.
I am loving on the spring weather and I am very excited to take my training to the great outdoors.  I have spent the past two months on treadmills, and stationary bikes.  This is where the fun part comes in.

When I announced to a group of my friends my goal of a Tri, one of them asked if I had a bike.  I do not so he said I could borrow his till I got one of my own.  It is a Giant OCR3-I think.
He told me the gear system is probably different than I am used to but I would be fine.  The bike has since sat in the vacant office next to mine since the middle of January.  I have not transported it home because I have no way of doing that, no bike rack, no room in the Jeep.
Yesterday gorgeous, sunny, 55 degrees-so I decidedyesterday would be the day that I would saddle up and ride it home.  Went a bought a helmet, ate a Clif bar, suited up in my bike shorts and a warm under armor base layer and away I went.
I quickly found out that "This" being a stationary bike is not "that" the road bike.
I was around about mile one when I got myself mixed up in what button shifted what gear as I panicked going up hill, I heard the tell-tale clunk and the loss of all forward momentum.  Alas I ate my first piece of humble pie, put the chain back on the sprockets and continued on my merry way, not without first riding over to the car wash parking lot to figure out how these things work.
The ride is mostly down hill out of Beach Lake which was nice after the series of little/steep hills.
In an effort to be kind a tractor trailer went around me by way of the median.  The median has a winter's worth of dirt and cinders which were promptly kicked into a thick cloud.  I was blinded for 200 yards and decided I did not want to do that again, maybe I will start wearing my swim goggles-it will make the swim to bike transition just that much faster!
When I got into town I came to a red light in front of the Arby's on route six-for those of you who are not sure what you do at a red light-you stop.  I pulled my foot out of the toe clip, and leaned against the telephone pole.  This is another one of those "this" is not "that" moments because when the light turned green, I was stuck.  I pushed of the telephone pole and tried to put my toe in the clip only to find I did not have enough momentum to go up hill.  I eventually got going up the hill and made it the rest of the way home without incident.
This biking thing is awesome, I am stoked to get better at it and do it more.  If anyone has any pointers...please share.
Peace

The Image: Part 1

I have grown to enjoy physical activity and exertion.  It started last year in April.  A friend of mine, Steve, asked if I wanted to do P90X with him.  Of course I had seen the commercials-Tony Horton and other similarly small and fit human beings doing a nauseating amount of pull-ups, push-ups and a self-mutilating workout called Ab-Ripper X.  For the record P90X lives up to the hype.  It helped me get into the mindset that exercise is what I enjoy.  These workout provided me with a base fitness to get into the endurance sport of triathlon.
During many of my workouts I have to give myself pep talks.  Sounds a bit strange, but it works.  Some words that have always pressed me to go a little further and to dig a little deeper are: warrior, monster, and animal.  Take a moment to laugh-I know you are.
Recently I came across a verse in scripture:

Isaiah 42:13

The LORD will march out like a mighty man,

like a warrior he will stir up his zeal,

with a shout he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies.

When I think of great warriors I think of William Wallace, Maximus, King Leonidas you know these men that I am talking about.  Their battle cries turn the blood of their enemies cold.  They ignite passion and inspiration in the legions that follow them.  Who doesn't get chills when William Wallace gives his freedom speech?
God is like these men, only so much greater-and we were made in His image.  I was asked the other day, "Why am I here, what is my purpose in life?"  The Westminster Confession say this "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever."  At risk of being cliche-Imitation is the great form of flattery.  In other words-to glorify God, I will try to imitate Him
I was created in the image of God so when I seek the heart of a warrior I seek the heart of God.  One who is never willing to back down, give up, or sell out.  When my body grows weary I remember that I was made in the image of the eternal.

Falling Footsteps

Today I ran outside for the first time since November.  Before today the coldest I had run in was about 32, but when I passed the bank this morning it was a cool 22.  If you are not a runner you might think, That's really cold, he's crazy" trust me there are crazier dudes than I.  (Chris Freet *ahem*)  You actually warm up nicely as long as you are wearing some decent gloves and a good hat, as well as performance gear that keeps the sweat from staying on your body.
Here is the route I ran today Honesdale Lowland Short Route  I ran it much slower than I would have liked, but I am giving myself a little grace right now because it is my first day back.

Back in the Swimming Suit

It has been two weeks since my last swim.  Went to the dungeon at the Carbondale YMCA and found something new today.  In the past I have always had to contend with children and the rope that keeps them in the shallow end.  As I made my way to the pool I could hear the delighted screams of children spalshing and playing in the water.  Though it would bring smiles to the hearts of many it does not for me.  In the past I rationalized saying "This is how it will be in competition-having to dodge and swim around other competitors."  Except I am sure there is rarely a time when another competitor will bob underwater and stare you down as you come to the end of you lane.  Or ask you questions every time you turn your head to breath.  Though I love kids when I workout I enter 'the zone.'
As I was getting ready to commence my workout the life guard asked my if I wanted to set up the lane buoy.  It was of great surprise to me that I was going to be able to swim without the hinderance of the children.   Who knew that this was even possible.  Of all the days I had never been offered this before!
My workout was a bit crummy.  I guess that is what I get for making so many excuses over that past two weeks. 
100 Yard Warm up
50 - Closed handed Crawl
50 - Ten Snap Ten
50 - 1 Armed Crawl
500 Main set (Took a breather after 325)
100 Cool Down

Really tried to be more consistent in my bi-lateral breathing, this may have been part of the reason I had such difficulty today.

Charge

Rough night. Board meeting till ten then had lack of judgment to drink a cup of coffee right be fore I left. Needless to say I lay wide awake in my bed till I decided at 11:30 to watch the documentary I just got from Netflix. A movie called God Grew Tired of Us. Awesome movie which documents the life of the Lost Boys of Sudan who were driven from their homes when the Sudanese government decided to wipe out all the Christians in the south. Amazing story of how they were resettled to the United States where they were given jobs and opportunities of education.
So I stayed up late for that coupled with Liam teething and running a fever led to a later more exhausting night than I had anticipated. This in turn effected the 5 a.m. run.
I have been knocked off my horse a bit with my training. One of the challenges of living in Northeast PA is the weather and lack of pools in proximity to my life. Also pool hours do not help. But enough with excuses I will make up run today and jump in the pool tomorrow. Got the Nerve Triathlon is less than 3 months away and I have a lot of work to do. My plan is to place in the top 20 in my age group 25-29. Looking at the times I really need to step up my swim. Thankfully the weather is getting warmer and outdoor training is not too far away.