It has been nearly two years since writing my last blog post. My hope for this blog is to continue with sharing my experiences as a weekend warrior triathlete who loves Jesus. How those two worlds combine through blog form is a work in progress. All I know is that I desire to be writer. So here it goes...
The past eighteen months or so has been a mix of some awesome life changes, most notably becoming a dad, and a few frustrations. My daughter, Everly, is an answer to years of prayer. Simply stated, Everly is a blessing from God. Prior to her arrival I always envisioned having two little boys (probably because I come from a household of two boys), but the moment Julie and I found out we were having a girl was incredible. Incredible quickly turned to fear; fear of the unknown (for me). I had almost zero experience with being around little girls. Julie and I went to lunch following our doctors appointment. Lunch turned out to be one of those reminders that I married a wise woman who fills in the gaps where I fall short. As I rambled on about being excited and nervous and unsure of how to play with girls, Julie patiently listened. When I stopped for a minute, she simply stated, "We will be okay. I was a little girl once." For those of you who don't know my wife, she is on the quiet side. But when she speaks you know it is important and most likely wise and insightful. Those two little sentences was all I needed to hear to cast fear aside. Everly is now almost 8-months old. I love coming home each day after work to give my two girls a hug and a kiss. An added bonus is that Everly has learned how to clap; so I get a round of applause every day when I come home. My words do not do it justice to the blessing Julie and Everly are in my life.
My frustrations are on the injury front. My Achilles heel is really my Achilles heel (and my calf). In addition to the lingering Achilles injury I had for most of 2012 and 2013, I injured the other Achilles while playing in an Ultimate Frisbee league this year. One of my last blog posts (2 years ago) was about my top 10 events I would like to complete. I am not on a very good pace to reach my 50 events in 50 states goal. However, I was able to mark RAGRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) off the list in 2013 as I completed that with 3 of my friends and 10,000 new ones. In the past 18 months or so I have gained more empathy for my patients than I ever really wanted to experience. I have rehabbed, experienced frustrating set backs, and all the while continue to pursue my goal of eventually participating in an Ironman 140.6.
I have my sights set on Ironman Chattanooga in 2015. To complete an Ironman event would be the pinnacle of my athletic goals. I believe that God has put it in my DNA to be competitive and use my abilities as an endurance athlete to glorify Him. I wouldn't go cuing the Chariots of Fire theme song just yet, but I do feel like I can relate to Eric Liddell's passion to do what he was created to do. I am by no means elite or even close to it. At best I am an above average age group competitor, but I have been blessed with the love of exercise. Some mornings are tough to get out of bed, but once I get going I love it. I am one of those weirdos who gets an 'exercise high' while out running, riding, or swimming laps.
To get back in the swing of things in the triathlon world I plan to participate in a sprint event in October at Lake Murray. In May 2015, a couple of my buddies and I will be riding in the Assault on Mount Mitchell. This will be a nice 'how do you do' for my legs in preparation for Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga. I have recruited one of my physical therapist colleagues to help me develop a strength/injury prevention program in addition to my swim/bike/run training. I know that I will benefit from the accountability of having someone checking in with me and getting outside perspective on my training.
We'll see how it all goes. I hope to have some entertaining, funny, and real stories to share as I try to be more consistent with writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment