New Supersuit

My new Trisuit came in the other day and I have been just itching to try it out.  I have also decided that I will no longer call it a trisuit but a super suit.  I think it will make me faster.  Up here in in North East Pa we have had some nice weather this past week.  In fact it has been so warm that we had to open up all the windows in the apartment and employ the use of fans.  This has also been encouragement for me to get out and do my first open water swim.
Everything I have read says "Do not wait till the day of your triathlon to swim in open water." This is a challenge for me because the water stay pretty cold till June around these parts.  Yesterday I found a straw and decided to suck it up and take the plunge.  The water I will be swimming in on my first race will be between 68 and 72 degrees.  I have opted not to go with a wetsuit despite the many benefits it offers (warmth, buoyancy,  and better hydrodynamics) mostly because I don't want to spend the 40 bucks on the rental or the 200-500 on one to keep.
I asked Chris to come watch me and make sure I didn't drown and went down to a small lake that is probably 250 yards across and never has any traffic on it because it is private. 

I donned my new super suit and my goggles and jumped in.  Now I have been in very cold water before.  3 years ago Chris and I went whitewater kayaking in March on the West branch of the lackwaxen.  We launched off a snow bank and saw numerous ice chunks as we paddled down the creek.  Unfortunately I caught and edge wrong and over I went-that was cold.  I can honestly say that yesterdays dip was nothing compared to that.
The only thing that made me uneasy was the very dark storm system just to our south.  As I jumped in I could hear the thunder. Made it about fifty yards out and was so distracted by possibly being electricuted that I turned around and came back.  A I came close to the dock I cam face to face with something underwater.  I still cannot tell you what it was, but I let out and audible yell into the water...yes I am a wimp-but I'll have you know there are some very large Bass that live in the lake, though this was not a Bass.
Very short lived and pretty disappointing swim, but I'll be jumping in again within the week-thanks for reading and all your support.

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.

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.