ICTN Camp

Many of you know but some do not I'm down in Arizona this weekend coaching, leading and learning at the International Christian Triathlon Network's 3 rd anual Triathlon Camp. It has been a blessing in so many ways. Mom and Dad are down here for the winter and getting to spend some time with them by myself has been wonderful. Mom and I took a 1 mile walk on Thursday, talked and had a great time. I love my mom. She's an inspiration in spirit, humility and walking what you talk. She's just a good person.

I was a bit nervous about coming down here. At times my faith can be a struggle and I falter a lot. With this in mind it was nerve racking to come down here with so many strong believers and try to "fake it". Something wonderful happened- I didn't have to!!! The Lord has shown me every minute- why I am here, what he wants from me (ok well not everything but lots of stuff) and reaffirmed that my passion for this crazy sport and lifestyle is of his design and will ultimately bring him glory. All the pastors and speakers have been extremely moving to me but tonite was particularly moving because we were basically challenged (after a long story about the pastor struggling with this same problem) to put our season in God's hands and let him decide,through prayer and reflectiong, how or what we should race or if we should even race at all. I was extremely nervous because I've never been to good and listening to God and was really afraid this whole time (since I hadn't really asked or listened) this season may not be what God had really wanted from me. WONDERFUL NEWS- not that I "heard God speak" or anything but this overwhelming feeling of reflection came over me- all the people I've met , the inspiration I've gathered and even training tips I've recieved have led me to believe God wants me right here, right now and my season will be truly blessed for his glory- I'm pretty pumped!

The great people I've met have been wonderful. Chris Lieto, Jamie Whitmore (xterra world champ), Steve Born from Hammer Nutrition (who has offerd to totally tweak my nutrition and believes it can really make a difference), and Kirk Nelson (fellow pro) have all helped and inspired me to believe all things are possible and even crazy dreams like somehow qualifying for Hawaii at IM Louisville can actaully happen by God's grace if you only believe (and train) with all your might. I've heard this a million times but is has never sunk in until this weekend. I vow to let go, let God, believe and drive forward with all my might!
PS.
Getting to ride the new DA outside has been a true blessing, I also ran/ hiked up Camel Back Mountain and even swam in the unheated pool (about 50 degrees). I just really feel like a pro here.

May God bless all of you for his glory!

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

As I prepared for my long run this morning I contemplated how to achieve this seemingly daunting task. Driving down to the studio was out of the question with my three girls waiting for me at home. It was -13 and we won't mention the windchill. I actually considered getting a membership to the brand new Snap Fitness one block from my house so I could use a treadmill. In this process I dressed for indoor running then layered cold weather run gear overtop, planning to run past Snap or 24 hour Fitness (crazy in a tiny town we have both) and popping in. As I dressed something snapped inside me and it was decided- I'm running this 1:30 OUTSIDE!!

It began fairly well. Certainly there were bits and pieces that cooled but came back to warmth as I ran. Feeling the ice build on my eye lashes was a fun feeling and when I hit certain patches in the trial I actually felt warm. All in all it seemed the "professional" thing to do by finishing the entire run outside. It was certainly a character builder and a step in the direction of my goal of being truly professional this season. I want to bring honor to my family, my sponsors and glorify God by racing with all my heart this season. Here's hoping.

Have a warm day!

Just keep swimming

I worked with Mike Weaver (hope he doesn't mind my using his name) in the pool today. It's always extremely rewarding because of the progress he is making. It's hard for him to feel right now but I see a swimmer developing in him. Now the new challenge is what triathlon to do first!

My adventures in the pool afterward were steady. My coach hasn't had me in the pool too much yet so my sets of 75's did seem a bit daunting. I started out a bit slow by my own standards but finished a bit faster than I had anticipated. All in all a good swim.

I'm quite tired lately. Early season training always seem to get me a bit. Strength training seems to really fatigue me at this time but, hey, that's the point right? I'm heading to Phoenix next week to coach at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Triathlon Camp. It's very exciting to be working with the likes of Chris Lieto and Jamie Whitmore. I so have to say I'm pretty pumped to be able to run and ride in shorts. It will also be great to have some time with my folks.

God Bless you all!

Reaching for the ipod

In the last month I've not only entered the world of BLOGGING (still getting used to it!). I've also been blessed with a the wonderful gift of an ipod. This is a lot of technology to take on at one time for someone like me. This is a kid who's mother was afraid to get a microwave for fear of radiation (sorry mom) one of the last kid's in the neighborhood to get a VCR and the highest gaming machine we had until the late 90's was an atari 1500. I'm also convince I have some sort of weird polarity to my electrical system that makes most electronic devices malfunction. Anyhoo....

Today I was beginning my long run ( a 2 hour jaunt home from the afternoon mall trip with the family). It was so exciting to think that I could just pop on my ipod and groove my way though it- something I've never really done before outside. Well as usual with me I started off and had completely forgotten to use the ipod. I was really enjoying the crisp cold air, moving along quite nicely and enjoying the day. Then it dawned on me that I hadn't used my ipod. As I reached into my pocket I stopped. I began to walk and ponder why I would put in music and drown out the magical sounds of my feet, my breath, the trees, birds and everything else I was currently enjoying? I promptly put the ipod back and began running, more free than I had been before. It was great and made me think twice about reaching for the ipod on every long workout. I wish you all the peace of an ipodless workout every once in awhile.

Well we're off and blogging! I won't be a complete nerd about this for long but I just can't believe I'm doing this. Once again it's a bit tough to get comfortable talking about myself but that's what bloggs are about.
I failed to mention my causes for the upcoming season. I'm hoping I get a chance to talk about them at awards sometime this summer but that means I've got a lot of work to do. Leukemia/Lymphoma Society helps thousands every year with blood born cancers. Being a survivor and treatment free this year I feel blessed by such organizations. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes Endurance Division touches the lives of so many sharing the faith, hope and love through the ministry of endurance sport. Others will follow.

Training Report
- ate supper with my family last night while riding on my trainer- the girls had fun with it but I felt a bit weird about it. It was the only time to get a ride in so- there ya go.
-Had a tough and disappointing bike wattage test today. I've been know to not have great numbers but have great rides in races- I'm counting on it! One thing I CAN do is take a punch so on we go!
-Going to be LATE tonight and up early for a swim session!

Peace to all and thanks again to my family and sponsors.

My First Blog Entry

Wow! I've never blogged before and am quite nervous about it. My purpose for creating this site is to inform friends and family of how things are going, create awareness for both my sponsors and selected charities and hopefully, bring some light into the reader's day.
Believe me, not all entries will be bright and shinny but I hope to give insight into my life and thus inspiration or at least a feeling of realation to both the good and hard times.
I want to thank my all of my extended family, my sponsors (Rome Ltd. , Gear West, SCS Multisport) and my immediate family - wife Micki, daughter Quincy (3.5) and daughter Clancy (1.5) for allowing me to have a story to tell.

Peace