Banjos, Studios, and Springs

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post.  Partially because I don't want to bore people with the mundane of my training, also because my training has backed off a bit.  Work and vacation have been tyrannical though I have been able to find some time to sneak some training in.

A week and a half ago I went on a great ride with Jeff.  We went into northern Wayne County-which has it's hazards-rural, wildlife...banjos.  The route stays flat for about 5 miles then goes uphill for five miles, it's pretty awesome on the way down.  Anyway, I have had enough of riding in the cold and I am looking forward to warmer weather.  At the "end" of the ride I decided that 24 miles for the day was not enough so I decided to head up Ridge Street.  As I turned up Chapel Street to change gears, I felt my chain fall off.  I got of the bike and while trying to put the chain back on I saw that my small front cog was bent in half.  Fail.  I walked the bike the mile through town and back home all the while snacking on humble pie.
My other notable sessions were this past week in Florida.  I as down there for a conference for the Free Methodist Church.  On friday I did 4.5 miles with Chris through around the grounds of Universal Studios.  Did you know that they do all the work on the grounds at 4-6am-pretty remarkable.   The trails around the Hard Rock Hotel were winding yet scenic.

Then on Sunday my parents to us to Alexander Springs State Park.  This is an aerial shot of the beach area.  There was a really nice trail that I ran three times.  I am guessing from my time that it may have been shorter than the 1.8 the ranger said it was.  As I got halfway through my third loop I started to get a little tunnel vision and nausea sure sign the body wanted me to stop.  I guess i am not used to the humidity.  But I did get to experience what the water may feel like on race day.  The water from the spring was between 68-72 degrees-and honestly it was perfect.  I feel confident about my decision to forgo the wetsuit in my first tri.
I was also able to get a decent swim in at the Eustis public pool.  I only had to pay a dollar to use it-that's awesome considering Woodloch charges 12(I have not gone, nor will I for that price)
I ate like I was on vacation which is never good, but we will reengage in healthy eating this week.  I have 23 days to get this body tuned up for its first real endurance challenge...CHARGE!!!

Fat Guy in a Little Trisuit

I spent the past month debating whether or not to buy a trisuit or not.  After much debating I decided to and found the cheapest on I could find.  It is a very nice color.  Royal blue with a wide black stripe down the side.  Today I got it in the mail-then I tried it on-then decided to stop eating.  I would post pictures but I want you to read my blog again.  Nuf said.

Good Form Old Chap

Just about every single article on triathlon swimming begins by hemming and hawing about how all triathletes dread the swim, it is their most feared leg, they always do bad-and on and on and on.  I actually really enjoy swimming and have enjoyed my increased endurance in the sport.  As my last blog outlined the Carbondale YMCA pool has a current when they turn the water slide on.  This current proved to be a challenge my first day out but this last time I was ready.  My first 500 was current free, my second and third were a different story.  I heard the pool turn on and felt the increased resistance.
I could feel the water pushing against me while I struggled to gain ground amidst the continued fatigue of my muscles.  There is a series of articles by Triathlete Jim Vance called "Dance with the Water" in it he says:

"Ignoring the water is like trying to dance alone to a song meant for couples. Swimming is all about the interaction of the human body and water, so we must better understand the water and what it is telling us before we can better assess our own movements within the act of swimming."

This truth rang true in my mind as I pulled and struggled.  The article goes on to talk about proper form in a very absract kind of way which is right up my alley.  I worked very hard on improving the different parts of my stroke as well as my body movement.  There is really a lot to think about when you are still learning.  But when I finally started to move in rhythm with the current I felt as if I could go on forever.  Unfortunately my foot felt otherwise via cramp and I was forced from the pool after 1650 yards.
This is how our journeys are.  Many times we so desperately want to force our will upon what we are experiencing.  We wish people acted more in the way we would like them to.  We wish circumstances were different.  More money, different job, bigger house, nicer car, better friends, etc.  We hit these currents that disagree with them and become so consumed by wishing for what is not that we fight the current.  This is bad form.
No matter how hard I tried to pull with muscle, only finesse would help me.  And no matter how much you try to pull and push your own way in life, you will never change many of the circumstances you find yourself in.  Many times it is just easier to throw in the towel as I had done in my previous workout.  But that was bad form.
I cannot stop that current so as Jim Vance says, I have to dance with it.  What is we start dancing with the difficult cirumstances in our lives.  Accepting them as the opportunities for growth that God has equipped us to deal with.  What happens if we grab the difficulty and turn it into joy.  I love the words of the Apostle James:
"Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trial of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
We need to realize that we will miss life if we do not live with good form.