Finally At Peace

On Friday June 26, 2009 at 3:10 AM, our heavenly father saw fit that the angel on loan to this earth had completed his work and called him home. Brandon suffered from a disease called Refractory CIDP. Evidently, it's a virus that causes the autoimmune system to attack the body. I certainly don't understand it, but I've seen first hand the destruction and debilitation that it causes the body. It's not for the faint of heart.

In Brandon's passing, I felt compelled to write something about how he affected me as a person and as a follower of Christ. You see, I wasn't a close friend to Brandon, I'm not a family member, I wasn't his teacher or any of that. I'm just a regular guy that is an example of the profound Godly effect that Brandon had on so many. Brandon taught me about my self. He helped me to have the ability to see some of the wrongs in my life from seeing the way he positively approached the adversity in his own. Brandon, and his approach to life, had a way of shining a light on things that are trivial in ones life and showing that they are just that - trivial. The hurdles that he had to cross at such a young age were far greater than any that I can imagine in my own life. And Brandon seemed to approach them with a fervor and drive that would rival anyone, and all the while having a good attitude and praising God along the way.

The little time that I was privileged to be with Brandon, and from talking with his family, never once did he ever ask, "why me?" Would I have been that strong given that circumstance? Would I have that much of a Godly mentality as my strength and limbs fail me? Or, did our merciful Lord give Brandon some extra insight that He doesn't bestow on we "normal" people? I believe that God gave something special to my friend Brandon. I choose to believe that in those dark painful drug induced nights, the Lord was speaking directly to Brandon, comforting Brandon, and getting Brandon ready to truly go home. Brandon had a special pipeline directly to our savior. That's where I believe he received his strength, courage, and commitment. He never seemed afraid. He never seemed bitter, and he never seemed to question his faith nor where he was going.

You see, I learned a lot from Brandon Klein. I learned that, at any time, we can be entertaining angels. Brandon was an angel and I've learned that his role in God's kingdom must be an important one. It was more important for God to have Brandon back, than for him to stay here on this earth. Brandon must be helping the Lord ready His kingdom to bring the rest of us home and for that, I'm a bit envious. Brandon also taught me about strength, courage, and being steadfast in my faith. God used Brandon as a vessel to speak to and reach many people. His life, his memory, his testimony and his legacy will forever live on in the many he has so richly effected.

Thank you Lord for the gift that you gave to his family and the many that you touched through the life of Brandon Klein. Through Brandon's temporary suffering, we saw your glory and honor. Through his adversity, we saw your grace and mercy. Through his life, we caught a glimpse of You. Thank you for allowing Brandon to be at peace. Please bless his family and wash your spirit of peace over them as they grieve. Bring them closer to you.

Rest in peace Brandon. From a friend, and one you so deeply affected,

Todd Collins

A Holy Place

Today was perhaps one of the most eye-opening days that I've had in my 41 years visiting this earth. Honestly, lately I've been struggling with many things in my life. Where do I go from here? Am I washed up professionally? Will I spend the rest of my life alone and pushing people away from me that love me? Will I continue to be the most selfish individual I know? When will I get some breaks come my way? You see, all of these questions have been lingering in my mind for quite some time and have started to have the trickle down effect. By that I mean, it has negatively effected my personal relationships, my finances, my business, my health, etc. Almost every aspect of my life has been correlated to these "life" questions. I've been making my silent inner fear and self pity a matter of prayer in fact. Well today my prayers and questions were divinely answered.

Late this afternoon I went down to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital to see the son of a member of the church that I attend. He has some kind of auto-immune disease that is far beyond my understanding than what my small mind can comprehend. At any rate, I knew going in that this would not be a walk in the park. It was going to be tough emotionally! Therefore, I tried to put on my competitive "game-face" (whatever that is) and go in there a strong man. Even knowing it was going to be tough, I still was ill prepared. Having never seen something to this magnitude before and trying to be mentally prepared for what was coming, I walked into that hospital room and was still blown away at the severity and human cruelness that sometimes life can dole out. I was humbled beyond words or description. This young man, Brandon, who is daily staring in the face of death, proved to be one of the most amazing, strong, brave, yet humble young men I've ever come in contact with. He was a normal 21 year old kid who loves music, girls, movies, sports, and even loves the Lord. We cracked jokes, we talked about music, we talked about girls, we even talked about the future! That was the most amazing thing to me. Brandon is strong, perceptive, smart, and grateful. Grateful? Yes, grateful! This is something that struck me as something I would probably never be - given this situation. You see, I went in that room wanting to be a light and a help to someone and a family that could use all the help they can get, yet I walked out of that room a completely different man. I received from Brandon and his family much more than I could've ever given. They showed me what leaning on Christ and His strength is truly about. They are people that I will not soon forget.

I say all of that to come back to those "life" questions that I've been in self pity about. How did God speak to me? Well, He revealed to me that all of those issues that I have buried deep within are all selfish "me" issues and all rooted in fear. Notice that all of those issues start with the word "my". They're not about someone else or putting someone else first. It's about ME! The Lord revealed to me, "There but for the grace of God go I". What if I were laying in that bed staring death in the face on a daily basis? Would I give God glory and be okay with whatever His will would be? Or, what if I were his father who had to fill out a living will at his son's bedside! Would I be okay with that? Would I still love my God in the midst of the lowest of low like Brandon does? This life is NOT about me as much as our society says it is. This life is supposed to be about putting yourself aside and putting others first . . . no matter what! That's living as Christ would have us live. That's how Jesus lived! I can now ashamedly say I've never been that way. However, my eyes were drastically opened to many things about my self this afternoon. I want to do some good for others. I want to do things with a pure heart, a pure motive, and with nothing expected in return. I want to be like Brandon! That's Christ-like.

Lastly, I was so amazingly moved by one other thing. Just before I left that hospital room that was filled with every imaginable machine hooked to his weak body, I touched Brandon's arm. I said to him, "Brandon, you are an amazing guy! Keep fighting!" As I touched his arm, I felt something shoot through my body that I can't describe. I don't know what it was. He just felt different. I don't know if it was the Holy Spirit or what, but he felt special. He was warm and soft and it felt almost electric. I then got over come with emotion and couldn't speak. I hugged his mom and just looked at her without anything coming from my mouth. My emotion swept over me like a crashing wave. I felt unworthy to be in that room. It was a Holy place. A place that undoubtedly the Holy Spirit dwelled and He spoke to me in a very real way today.

Therefore, this entry will be my last. The short time that I spend on this blog, I feel, can be better used in other areas toward helping other people. I don't know what that's going to look like, but I want to go where God is already at work and can use a broken and selfish man like myself.

Please pray that God performs a miracle in the life of Brandon and his family. If I've ever seen an area where a miracle is needed, it's there. They need as many believers lifting him up as feasibly possible. If Brandon passes on to be with the Lord, God has used him to make a short but huge impact on a guy like me. Bless you Brandon, and thank you Lord.

A Rare Freestyle

This post is something that I wanted to post just for a bit of fun. KJ52 is a long time working partner and friend. During GMA week (Gospel Music Association), he dropped by my house during some downtime to just hang out and do some catching up. We had a good time and he was kind and fun enough to do a freestyle off the top of his head for my twin girls after they asked him to kick one.

KJ is a good sport and this is part of why he's made such a great career out of what he does. Everyone likes him and he seems to have time for everyone. It's been great to see his career thrive and flourish. He's a very talented guy and what he does on this video is certainly very hard to do off the top of your head. It takes tons of talent and practice - which is something that he stays sharp on.

Enjoy!

On a workout note, my swim session last night consisted of the below:

20 Minute Warm Up
20 x 25 :30, :40, :50
pull with band no buoy!
1-10 no paddles
11-20 pull with paddles if have them
8 x 75 1:30, 1:45, 2:00 Be sure to get enough rest after each 75
25 slow long strokes
25 fast short strokes
25 fast and long
Six Times::
100 FAST
100-200 Easy
7:00
Pull w/ buoy 10 x 50 10RI

Working Out With Taylor

Today was enjoyable in that I was able to go on a nice easy run with my daughter Taylor. She's on the high school track team, so she's already familiar with running and is in pretty good running shape. We had a nice time running and talking together and best of all, I was more impressed with her running ability than previous. I new she was pretty good, but I didn't really know how good. Well, I can certainly tell that she genuinely loves running and the feeling it gives you.

We ran for about 40 minutes and later that afternoon she even went to her high school track practice and ran some more. After her practice, I picked her up and took her with me to the swim complex where I had tri swim practice. There, she decided to run some more! I was a bit taken aback to say the least. If she stays on a path like this, she'll be the world's most fit teenager! I've been proud of how she's taken to eating more healthy and trying to get in some daily exercise.

As for me, I went ahead and did the full swim practice with foot cramps and all! It's an area of frustration for me. I'm sure it has something to do with hydration or nutrition or something. Anyway, I press on.

Today I felt truly blessed to have gotten to spend some valuable time with my little girl and continue to teach her something that will stay with her for the rest of her life. Health is one of the true gifts that God bestows upon us to be good stewards of.

Good luck to all who are running in the Country Music Marathon this weekend. Hopefully, I'll be able to join you next year.

Plans That Change

It's Sunday afternoon as I write this and I'm laid up on my couch on a rainy day watching NBA playoff basketball. This however, is not by choice. I woke up this morning and went to my church's early service then came home with the intent to get ready to go to swim practice. It didn't work out that way. You see, my body has really been trying to contract a nice head cold and I've been really trying to stave it off. Today was the day that my will succumbed to my body and I got fully sick. It's depressing because I haven't been sick in a few years now and I really wanted to get some swimming in this afternoon but I just don't feel up to it.

I also had intended to take all 3 of my girls downtown to the kick off of GMA week and go to the PB and J party where there would be tons of bands playing. However, that didn't happen either and I'm bummed about that as well.

This is not a good time to be getting sick as I've got tons to do this week that is very work related. I've got to shake this cold, get rid of this congestion, get back to training, and continue working. There's no time for sickness!

Friday GMA Bike Day

After a crappy day yesterday on the track, I needed a nice bike day with perfect weather. This weekend and the coming week is going to be crazy with GMA week on the horizon. This is always the week where the Christian music industry congregates to "show their wares." It usually pretty brutal with all the posing and the schedules. It's always pretty ridiculous. Anyway, it was great to get to get in a nice relaxing ride before all of the craziness begins. The reindeer games, for me, begin tomorrow with a speaking engagement in Nashville. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, here are the stats for today's ride.


Date: 04/17/2009
Time Taken: 01:09:25
Total Distance: 21.50 mi.
Burned: 1,120 (kcal)
Workout Weight: 190.0 lbs.
Effort: Hard
Quality: Good
Pace: 03:13 (avg)
Speed: 18.58 (mi/hr) (avg)

The picture to the right is of the appropriately named Heaven's Pass. This is my favorite part of any of the rides that I go on. It's beautiful at any time of the year but especially in the spring and summer. I have a spiritual experience every time I go through this area. It's amazing!

Frustration Again!

Today is Thursday and it's the day that I normally meet my triathlon coach for my weekly morning workout. Currently, Coach Baker has a bum wheel. He has a broken toe and has been unable to do "normal" workouts for him. Therefore, he gets to actually stand on the sidelines and coach rather than coach AND participate. I figured this would be a good thing this morning in that the workout would be especially intense because he would have my under a microscope. It was definitely headed in that direction until I had the old "pain in the calf" problem again. I got through a nice warm-up followed by some pretty good drills to get loose and get the blood flowing. After the drills, he had me do some striders which were basically 40 yard sprints at about 80% intensity. I like those because I feel like I'm best suited for those types of bursts of energy over the endurance stuff. Once those were done (which I liked a lot), we moved into the beginning part of the serious workout. He had planned to do, what he called a 4-3-3-2-1. More on the specifics of that at the end. Meanwhile, I started with a timed mile at what he considered my 5k pace. In a nutshell, I ran the mile in 7:00. I felt good and Coach said I was pacing about a 1:45 per lap pace for a 5k. I was happy with that and didn't feel too bad. I felt like I could keep going. Anyway, we moved on to the next portion which consisted of a 3/4 mile (3 laps) at a slightly faster pace. He wanted me to go about a 1:40 per lap pace for 3 laps. That's when the wheels fell off! On the back straight away of the first of the first of the 3 laps, I had that sharp pain that occasionally get in my calves. This time it was in my right calf rather than the left. It's so frustrating because I was really starting to fall into a groove. Richard had me stop, we talked about some things health-wise, and he told me we were going to do some tweaking to my run program to try and fix the calf situation. Basically instead of trying to mix in some hard fast and intense runs, we going to strictly focus on slow endurance building timed runs. That suits me fine if I can ultimately run long distances without any pain. Besides, isn't that the objective anyway? I'm in this to build endurance anyway - which is slowly coming along (and I mean slowly)!

The workout that Richard had planned consisted of:

800 meter warm-up
Various drills (2 each) - high knees, butt kicks, kareokes, skips, defensive slides
4 - 40 yard strides (80% sprints)
400 meter slow jog
1 mile - 5k pace
3/4 mile (3 laps) - a little faster than 5k pace
3/4 mile - same as above
800 meters - slightly faster than 3/4 mile pace
400 meters - slow
Warm down & stretch

Obviously, I didn't make it through the entire workout which really frustrates me. I can't figure out if it's a hydration issue, or a fatigue issue due to last night's swim workout, or if it's just a physical physique issue. I'm getting to the point where I want to go have it checked with a sports specialist. Hopefully soon. We'll see.

An Interruption

Last night was one of those sleepless nights again. I laid in bed staring at the ceiling as I prayed, thought, contemplated, worried, pondered, etc. I had my alarm set for 5:45 to wake up to go to the sunrise service on Easter morning for church. I finally dozed off at about 5:00 am and woke up some 45 minutes later. Frustrated that I couldn't sleep, I got ready to go to church to have service outside by the river. It was a beautiful morning and by the sweet sounds of the birds singing, I knew it was going to be a beautiful day in which I couldn't stay frustrated for too long.

I got to church, walked down to the river where there were hundreds of people already gathered, and decided to stand in the back like my good Southern Baptist upbringing. After the worship music, Pastor Steve started into his message on Godly interruptions and how they're good for us. He made the analogy that our lives are constantly interrupted by society but that most of the time it's a frustration and sometimes a set back that we learn to live with. Not 5 minutes into his message, two geese flew low over the tree tops calling out their bird calls. Trust me, it was loud. So loud in fact that Steve had to stop talking all together to wait for them to pass as he physically watched them pass over head. It was as if it were right on cue as he talked about allowing God to interrupt our lives for His glory.

I can't speak for anyone else there, but that to me was an incredibly powerful moment. It was as if the Lord made a grand entrance in a beautiful way to say, "I want to be close to you. I want your life to be interrupted so that we can have a closer relationship."

I didn't hear too much after that moment because I was so moved by what I feel was the Lord speaking to me and saying, "I know you're uncomfortable right now. I know things are difficult in your life right now, but rest in me. Have faith and know that though your life is being interrupted, you are growing closer to me and I love you for that." It was a moment in my life that I'll not soon forget. So in this case, my interruption will end up being a wonderful one.

Oh, and did I mention? Pastor Steve stated that the Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit is the goose. Pretty amazing how the Holy Spirit can move and communicate. Praise the Lord! For today, He is risen!

The Saturday Before Easter

Okay I'll admit, I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself. I'm having one of those weekends that I'm feeling depressed and quite stressed. The details aren't exactly that important but it's something that's somewhat of a life hurdle in a few ways. Yes, I know the Lord has a greater plan in all of this and I DO trust and have faith that He will make a way. I know that! However, in my infinite humanity, it's still something of a struggle today - and that's what I have to get through. Today, and today only. So because of my struggle for today and yesterday, and because I had a lot of alone time, I decided to do what I know levels me out the most - train. I decided to go to the pool and get in a short 45 minute but intense swim workout. It was good and I needed it. I ended up going about 2200 yards and felt invigorated afterward. The workout consisted of:

200 yd. light warm up
500 yd. swim @ 10:30
500 yd. kick/drill/swim with fins
500 yd. pull with pull bouy
6 - 50's on 1:00
200 yd. easy warm down

The Lord is a gracious and merciful God. In Him I choose to put my trust. He is risen and He is Lord! Happy Easter.

Tornado Run Day

Today was crazy! Last night at 4:00 am I woke up to some serious storms. In fact, I thought my front windows were going to break. From there, the weather didn't let up until about 3:00 in the afternoon. In the middle of all of that, were multiple tornado warnings, hail, and tons of wind and rain. That's not real conducive to running or riding outside which seemed to put a damper on my original plans. Therefore, I had to come up with different options. I ended up cleaning up the house, preparing me some meals for the days ahead and simultaneously watching the Masters and storm coverage. Exciting day for sure.

After the rains had subsided, I decided to go with my "plan B" - a nice easy run after yesterday's. I would've rather gotten in about a 45-50 mile ride but that obviously wasn't going to happen. So I journeyed out on an easy run. It ended up being a nice one with no cramping or serious soreness afterward. I guess this is telling me that my form is coming around nicely and I'm running more efficiently for longer distances. That encourages me.

I'm slowly learning a lot about myself, about my body, and about my life. Things I'd wished I had learned many years ago. It's quite humbling and thanks to the discipline of triathlon, I continue to be greatly humbled.

Swim Practice & A Busted Wheel!

Last night was my usual swim practice that, for this particular session, wasn't too hard for me. That's because Coach Ashley had all of us doing sprints and that's the particular area of swimming I seem to excel in. That's not much help when you're training for triathlons and supposedly doing long distance stuff. At any rate, I battled through some cramping in my feet and calves but managed to make it the whole practice without just dying as I normally do. I felt good. The practice consisted of:

20 Minute Warm Up
6 x 75- breathing pattern 3-5-7 by 25's 1:30
8 x 50--Slow/medium pace :50, 1:00,
8 x 50--Medium/fast :50, 1:00,
8 x 100--Freestyle (descend in sets of 2) 1:30, 1:45, 2:00,
8 x 100--75 build, rest 10 seconds, then 25 sprint 1:45, 2:00, 2:15,
8 x 50--25 medium, rest 10 seconds, 25 sprint (1:10 interval) 1:00, 1:10
Total Group 1- 3250 yards + Warm Up / Warm Down

Today after working on film and video stuff for the office, I decided to take a nice run in the great weather. I wanted to take advantage of it because, knowing my luck, it won't be very good tomorrow since we have the day off. Tomorrow would be a perfect day for training all day, but I believe we're expecting bad weather during the day. Go figure!

The run was nice and relaxing and I am starting to learn to keep it at a comfortable zone 2 pace. It's a slow learning process that I wish I could be faster at learning, but I'm getting there thanks to Triswami. And speaking of the "Coach," he's unfortunately suffering through a broken toe that he acquired during a training session (you can read about it here). I guess that means that I have some lag time to be able to catch up to his fitness and running level. I think I'm gonna go for it! :-)

Lastly, my devotion for today hit me pretty hard. It was, "Consider it not hard labor, but serve strangers and smile. Accommodate your neighbor, journey with him that extra mile."
Matthew 5:41

Sunday Training Day

I'm writing this on Monday night because I haven't had a chance to upload any of the blogging due to work schedule. Work has been crazy in a good way. It's kept me busy!

Sunday was a day of some serious training after a tough day of riding on Saturday. It was nice to be outside during some good weather for a change. Now if the weather would just stick for a while so the outdoor training could be more consistent.

The ride was a 2.5 hour 45 mile ride that literally kicked my tail due to the cold and wind. The Sunday swim workout/thrashing was as follows:

20 Minute Warm Up
8 x 75 fins 1:30, 1:45, 2:00
25 tarzan swim
25 fly kick
25 free swim breathing every 5

Group 2, 31 x 100
6 x 100 @ 2:00
8 x 100 @ 1:55
4 x 100 @ 1:50
3 x 100 @ 1:45
8 x 100 @ 1:40
2 x 100 @ 1:35

Wednesday Night's Swim

Last night was swim practice and after a nice moderate run that afternoon, the swim workout proved to be a tough one. That included some cramps and all! Oh well, I can take solace in knowing that I'm getting in better shape and the pain is leaving my body.

Here's what the workout consisted of:

20 Minute Warm Up

1 x 500 with fins
50 kick fly
50 swim free or back

8 x 25 Fast :45
200-400 25 drill/25 swim
No interval we will start when everyone is done

4 x 50 Fast 1:30
200-400 25 drill/25 swim
No interval we will start when everyone is done

2 x 100 Fast 3:00
200-400 25 drill/25 swim
No interval we will start when everyone is done

500- 1000 pull easy no paddles
Warm Down
Total:
Group 1- 2800 yards + Warm Up/Warm Down

Yesterday's Swim Workout

Yesterday was my dedicated Sunday swim flogging! For some reason, I was dragging more than usual and was feeling like the swim workout with the rest of the Tri team was a killer. Meaning, is was killing me - not killer in a good way! I was struggling to say the least! I guess it was just one of those days. At any rate, here's the workout for the few of you that are interested in seeing it and using it for later. Enjoy!

20 Minute Warm Up

4 x 125 Fins 2:30-3:30
50 kick on R side, making a fist
50 Kick on L side making a fist
25 swim

2 x 400 @ T30 Pace + 2sec /100
4 x 200 @ T30 pace
8x 100
Odd- DPS
Even- T30 Pace - 5 seconds
Intervals:
400, 200, 100
1. 6:40, 3:20, 1:40
2. 7:20, 3:40, 1:50
3. 8:00, 4:00, 2:00
4. 8:40, 4:20, 2:10
5. 9:20, 4:40, 2:20

Warm Down

Total 2900 meters + Warm Up/Warm Down

A Run With Kori

Today was a bit of a weird day. It started out as being slightly overcast and very windy. Then around noon, it cleared up substantially with not as much wind. It was then that I decided to fit in my Saturday run. As I was preparing to leave while stretching and such, Kori asked me if she could come with me as she rode her bike. Of course I said yes! So the two of us went out to the garage and got her all set up to roll out with me on her bike. Needless to say, it made for a much more interesting and fun run as we talked, laughed, I pushed her, etc. We were out for 45 minutes (until she had had enough for the day) and it proved to be the most meaningful and enjoyable run that I've had since this whole thing started. I always cherish the times that I can spend individually with my girls as I know they will become fewer over time.

After the run and doing some replenishing of fluids, I decided to get in an hour of cycling on the indoor trainer as I watched the NCAA tournament. It ended up being quite a nice little workout considering I couldn't ride outside due to scattered thunderstorms and high winds. The workout ended up being a constant spin in zone 2 during the actual game on tv and some intense zone 4 workout during the commercials. This was an idea given to me by my coach Triswami.

Once that was over, it was off to relax land for me. That's when the tornado storms moved in and dumped some serious rain and hail on Williamson County. The whole day's temperature was quite nice and in the mid 70's until the storms had moved through and brought back the cold weather. Man, when is Spring going to be fully here?

Today was a good day. Now off to church tomorrow with all my girls then swim practice. The Lord is good and merciful. . . thankfully.

Yesterday's TWO Workouts!

Yesterday was my day to meet my coach Richard Baker (@triswami) in the morning for a workout. He had originally planned for us to do an outdoor workout on the bikes that would include hill repeats. However, that didn't come to fruition because of the weather being bad. So his plan B was to do any indoor cycling trainer session that was a bit over an hour that would stay consistently in that zone 2 range. I have to say, I continue to learn and enjoy it as the old Triswami knows what he's doing and talking about. It's quite enjoyable learning the in's and out's of the sport and pushing my body to limits I previously didn't know I had.

Later that evening (after work, of course), I went to triathlon swim class where the class seemed a bit less crowded than usual. It looked like we only had about 60-70 participants rather than 100! At any rate, our coach Ashley showed no mercy on the feeble! It was a training session that left me beat to the point that I felt a little sick and going to bed at 9:00. That's usually unheard of for a creative night owl like myself.

It was a productive training day filled with other ups and downs. The Lord was heavily dealing with me yesterday. I count that a blessing as He's continuously letting me know that He won't let me get away. For that, I'm thankful!

Here's what yesterday's swim workout consisted of:

20 Minute Warm Up
500 Kick/ Drill by 50's with fins (work On streamlining past 3rd line off every wall)

8x50 pull @ :55
2x200 negative split @ 3:00, 3:20
4x100 fast @ 1:30, 1:40

300 pull smooth 6:00
2x150 negative split @ 2:10, 2:30
3x100 fast @ 1:30, 1:40

200 pull smooth 4:00
2x100 negative split @ 1:30, 1:40
2x100 fast @ 1:30, 1:40

100 pull smooth 2:00
1x100 negative split @ 2:00
1x100 all out FAST!!
100 easy recovery

100 cool down

Troy's First Ride of '09

Today was a monumental day in that Troy took his first training ride since our last triathlon back in October. It's been almost 5 months for him and as would be expected, he was out of shape but ready to back in to it. The weather was amazing and warranted the attitude of wanting to get out and be active. Troy caught the bug. . . thankfully. He's getting that itch again to get back into a regular regimen. It's been a week since he has gotten back on a good healthy weight losing diet, and if he stays with it along with exercise, he'll drop weight quick.

After our short easy zone 2 (for all you triathletes) ride, I quickly hustled home to put away my bike and head to swim practice for a butt kicking session that ended up being about 3000 meters of sheer hell! Toward the end of practice, I started battling cramps in my feet which is due from fatigue and lack of hydration.

At any rate, practice was good and it was great to be back out on the bike with my partner/brother Troy.

Today was a good day.

The Car Giveaway

Today, I woke up intending to do some riding on the bike. However, after sleeping in until almost 10:00 am (which I didn't mean to do), the weather forced me to change my plans. It was too cold this morning to ride so I postponed it until the afternoon - hoping to fit it in once it warmed up.

Also, today was the day that Troy and I decided to give the twins their new/used car for their 16th birthday. It's a Ford Taurus that used to be owned by our Grandmother Johnson. So the afternoon was spent cleaning and getting the car in tip-top shape. Troy and his wife Stacie were selfless, generous, and loving enough to give me their car after having it transferred into my name in order to give it to the girls for their sweet sixteen. In the phase of life that I'm in, and for the unconditional love that they have for their nieces, Troy and Stacie showed me their continued Christ-like love in their generosity to my sweet girls. I will never be able to express my gratitude to them and to the Lord for always being faithful in His provision for me and my family.

Throughout this whole life-changing journey that I've been on, I can now look back and see just how the Lord has continually had me in His loving hands and watched over my every move. I'm still learning to totally and completely put all of my faith in Him in every aspect of my life. However, it's this journey that He seems to be using to draw me closer to Him.

On a much more unimportant note, I DID get in an intense 45 minute bike training session in this afternoon before all of the "reindeer games" started. It was nice to be out with no music, no other riders, and just my thoughts and prayers. The weather was a little on the cold side, but overall it was nice to be back out on the road. I rode just under 15 miles and if you'd like to check the stats, click here.

Tomorrow is swim practice at the complex. I'd like to get in a short ride as well, but that may be wishful thinking with church involved.

Today was a great day! I'm a blessed man and a happy and proud father!

Opening Tourney Day

Today is the opening round of the NCAA basketball tournament. That means non-stop basketball all day long for the next four days. Then again next weekend! It's my favorite time of the sporting year!

The above video explains the last couple of days of workout which has been tough but good. The swim workout consisted of this:

20 Minute Warm Up

6 x 150 FINS 2:15, 2:30, 2:45, 3:00
odds- kick, drill, swim by 50's
evens- each 50 gets faster

40x50
- 16 @ :45, 50, :55, :60, 1:10 every 4th 50 FAST
Extra :60 rest
- 12 @ :50, :55, :60, :65, 1:15 every 3rd 50 FAST
Extra :60 rest
- 8 @ :55, :60, :65, :70, 1:20every other 50 FAST
Extra :60 rest
- 4 @ :60, :65, :70, :75, 1:25 ALL FAST!!!)

400 smooth (100 w/buoy, 100 swim, repeat)
Total 3300 yards + Warm up

That's all for now. Don't feel like typing too much because basketball is on! Gotta concentrate.

Sunday's Swim and Run - Post #201!

This post marks the official passing of 200 posts! I can't believe that this is post number 201. I can distinctly remember beginning this thing back in May of last year. It's been quite a journey of ups and downs and, for me, it's quite interesting to go back and look at some of the progress that's been made and the hurdles that have been crossed. The documentation of this multi-faceted journey has been therapeutic for me in so many ways. I'm thankful that God has put this on my heart to do for myself and for my children down the road at such a pivotal time in our collective lives.

This morning started with all three of my girls and me going to church. I love it when I have the opportunity to take my little ladies with me to worship. It means so much to me. This morning the message was about Jacob and ultimately his name being changed to Israel. Initially, Jacob's life consisted of being selfish, deception, conniving, and everything else that was temporarily fulfilling. In fact, his name itself meant sup planter or to prey on others. In essence, he resisted God's hand for many years even though he was considered a chosen one. Ultimately he wrestled with God and lost (of course). But in this entanglement, he finally came to a loving conversion. It's a wonderful biblical story that truly spoke volumes to me personally. I've wrestled with God and "religion" for far too long and I want to be used fully by Him. I've been broken and I, like Jacob, want to be a blessed but broken man with a constant reminder of where I've been. I'm so thankful that the Lord uses misfits because, in that, I know He can use me!

Jacob sold out in order to receive a birthright what was not rightfully his. I, in turn, have sold out in the past for things done in all the wrong ways. God is turning those thing into glory for Him in ways that I can't describe. I can see it with my own two eyes and I know that He's got some amazing things in my future. For that, I'm grateful yet undeserving so I'm humbled. Thank you Lord.

For lack of making this post too long, I had a wonderful workout today that was much needed after the debacle of last week and the weather. The above video explains it all.

Thanks to all friends, family, and on-lookers who stop by occasionally to check out what's going on after 200 of these needless things. I appreciate the support and emails. Please keep them coming. Even after 200 posts, I still feel new at this. Any feedback is welcome. Any questions on training is also welcome. If I don't know the answer, I've got a great coach who undoubtedly does.

Compete Life - because life is competitive in different ways.

No Outside Workouts!

As you can see from the picture, the Nashville area is in the middle of bad weather for the 3rd straight day! It's hideous, and I'm completely sick of the winter, cold weather, and rain. I'm overly ready for spring and good training weather non-stop!

Today, the only thing that I really did and felt like doing was some indoor training that consisted of:

- 3 sets of 15 swiss ball push-ups with the Perfect Push-ups.
- 3 sets of 20. 10 lbs. dumbbell swiss ball crunches.
- 3 sets of 10 Turkish get-ups.
- 3 sets of 20 (w/10 lbs. curls) - Because I don't have heavier dumbbells.

My calf soreness has subsided from Tuesday after thinking that I may have slightly injured my Achilles or something to that effect. However, with the soreness now gone, I'm highly ready to be outside and doing my proper workouts on the road - be it running or cycling. The weather obviously has a whole other agenda, and it's quite discouraging.

At any rate, I'll be back at it soon and tomorrow is a tri swim team workout. It should be fun and tough at the same time.

Video soon to follow.

A Triswami Run Analysis

This morning I had to wake up at 6:00 am to meet with my triathlon coach Richard Baker at 7:00. His job is to make me better in the three disciplines and today was a run analysis. He was to take a look at my stride and running gait and make it more efficient and comfortable. Being from a quick twitch sports background, I figured that my long distance running form would be way out of whack. This was my thought due to the fact that when I run distance runs, I usually get some calf and Achilles soreness. I figured I was a mess. However, after doing some warming up and listening to the teaching of the Triswami guru himself, he told me that I had very good natural running form. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked, happy, and encouraged. During the workout session, he did however do some very minor tweaks to my arm placements and swing motion that ended up making quite a big difference over a long period. I could tell at the end of the workout after we had run hill repeats, run drills, tempo runs, etc. In all, we clocked in about 5 to 5.5 miles over the period of our workout and it didn't feel like we had done that much in that period of time. I was very pleasantly surprised because I was going into this coaching thing thinking that my run was by far the thing that needed the most work. That's still somewhat true. I just have to get in the miles now that I know the proper technique and form thanks to the Schwam!

Unfortunately, no video today because there's been no time. Between training, work, taxiing kids, and other things, I haven't been able to take the time to shoot some video. However, I'll get it in when I can and keep this updated as much as possible.

I'm having a great time training and learning a new competitive sport and I feel that I can be pretty good at this and accomplish my goals in the meantime. The Lord willing, we shall see.

A Sunday T30

Today, I must say, was a grueling workout for only 30 minutes. In triathlon swim/training class, we were measured how far we could swim in 30 minutes (without stopping, of course). It was brutal to say the least but it was something that I'm glad that I did as a measuring stick for next time.

I ended up swimming 1700 meters in 30 minutes and was relatively happy about that considering it was my first time at doing anything like that. I have a problem with pacing. I'm so used to everything being about finishing quickly or sprinting that it's been hard to shift my mentality to that of going out slow and methodical. I'm no longer a basketball player or sprinter so I have to stop thinking that way which has been quite tough. At any rate, I now have a barometer from which to measure from next time and I certainly did learn a thing or two about how to approach going about swimming a timed swim like that. . . or a long triathlon swim for that matter.

Church was wonderful this morning as the twins and I went to our Grace Chapel. Steve is continuing to go through the bible chronologically and this morning's message was about Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. I love how Steve can take an old and often heard story and make it so relevant and personal in today's world. It was almost as if he were speaking directly into my own situation. Praise God for the way He's using that church and Steve Berger to speak and minister into my life.

100k Group Ride

Okay, so it's been about a week since my last post here. It's been because I've been so busy with work, kids, training schedule, etc. I guess life is just getting in the way of my posting.

At any rate, I'm typing this blog while sitting on my back deck enjoying the perfect 74 degree sunny weather. I wasn't so lucky this morning. This morning the temp was mid 50's, overcast, and a slight mist. Not exactly perfect biking weather. By the time I had finished the ride, my bike and I were completely covered in dirt and water from the roads - but I digress.

I arrived at the meeting launch spot well before the 7:15 depart time. I wanted to make sure that I had everything in place and was not feeling rushed. Once we got going (myself and 8 other stud riders), I immediately realized that these guys weren't your average weekend warrior-type riders. These guys are vastly experienced in riding and/or many triathlons. I then knew I was in for a long day and I was out of my league. However, I felt good and stayed well within the pack. I went on relatively holding my own for the first two hours until we got to an unrelenting monster hill. Needless to say, I hit the wall. It was everything I could to to hang on until eventually I got dropped. Yes, I got dropped! It was humbling to say the least but a learning experience that I'm sure I'll draw from down the road. My coach (and quickly becoming a good friend), Richard Baker in all of his gregariousness, was kind enough to turn around, come back, and ride the last hour of the ride with me. That truly meant a lot to me and told me a ton about his character. He didn't have to do that. I could've made it back on my own, but he decided to use that time as teaching tool and I was accepting and grateful. We finally made it back and I was never so happy to see my car in the distance. However, I had a great time and truly learned a ton from these experienced guys that allowed a "newbie" to tag along. Thanks guys!

I certainly know now that I have a long way to go to where I want to be and today was an indicator toward that. I also know some areas that I can improve on and that also encourages me. I'm always up for growth.

Lastly in case you're wondering, my coach is not just a coach (in the traditional sense). He's a seriously competitive athlete and I have a long way to go before I ever get close to his level. One can certainly hope!

Beatdown After 2 Workouts

Today was a though physical day, but rewarding nonetheless. I've gotta say, I'm tired but feeling good and optimistic. Tired mainly because, for the last 3 nights, I've had some trouble sleeping and I don't know why. Maybe it's stress. That's certainly the reason for my afternoon run and it was well worth the release. I felt better than I figured that I would since my coach (Triswami) kicked my butt this morning for our first official "evaluation" strength workout. I'll tell ya; he's certainly seriously knowledgeable and enormously fit. . . for any age. I'm excited about the sheer Hell that he's probably going to inflict. He's a beast.

During the run, I was feeling a bit energetic due to the music and due to feeling like I had some bounce in my legs. That was surprising to me considering the onslaught of pain I received this morning. I had a good alone time on the run to relieve some stress and just focus on my life situations both good and bad. I find a lot of solace and peace from the Lord out on these runs and bikes. I truly feel the Lord has my undivided attention and He speaks to me the most clearly.

My run was:
45 minutes with 6 - 30 second intervals at a 5k pace (which means, not an all out sprint but a pretty solid pace). The non-interval running sections were to be run in zone 2 which is a slow methodical comfortable pace. And so the journey continues.

Sunday's 3000 Meters

Triathlon swim class. Today I went out to practice with probably 35-40 other people. For me the practice was a bit unlike Wednesday's practice in that I purposely saved some at the beginning in order to have some left for the end. This was an obvious smart move because during Wednesday's workout, I ended up getting multiple cramps in my feet. This was due to not being adequately hydrated and going out too hard too early. Both of these were taken care of today. At the end of today's workout, I felt good and not too fatigued. That was nice, and I felt pretty good about being in good enough physical shape to not feel whipped at the end of the workout.

The workout consisted of (in meters):
- 500 easy warm-up
- 20 x 50's on 1:10 - stretch/glide drills
- 4 x 200 stroke swim
- 200 warm down

This coming week is the start of my official coach induced training schedule. I'm looking forward to the challenge and the gained knowledge of both the sport and how my body will respond. It'll be fun and tough at the same time.

Tri Swim Class & A Run

Today has been an absolute crappy day for reasons untold. However, after my swim workout last night, I didn't know how my daily run would go. In actuality, I wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be. At any rate, the day's run was tough but it was good. I dread next week when I'm with Coach Baker as he'll undoubtedly work to kick my tail. Be that as it may, my alone time was great and well spent. I found myself, once again, listening to the Katinas' Lifestyle worship album as I was running. That record speaks to me in such profound ways. Some of the lyrics that rang out to me were:

Lord I give you my heart. I give you my soul. I live for you alone. Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake. Lord, have your way and I'll obey.

That, lately, has been my prayer and what aspire to live by - as hard as that is for a selfish guy like me (and trust me, I've been told many times that I am!). At any rate, it's a daily process and I'm thankful for the strength and grace that I'm afforded from the Lord on a daily basis. I'm tragically flawed, and this I know. I'm just thankful that with each new day comes a fresh new start and that's exactly how I view it.

As for the actual run, it wasn't that spectacular after the hard swim workout. I ran for about 36 minutes and the previous days' swim was clocked in at over 3000 yards. It was a rough go.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.

Psalms 37:37

The Presidental Address

Today was one of those days that wasn't exactly a good day and with no particular reason. It was just a day that loomed a bit darkly. As I sit here in my home, alone with my thoughts, I watch the Presidential address to congress on television and all I can think about is this: Whether you agree with our newly elected President or not, I find myself not really being concerned with the serious crisis that our country is in. I find that I have a certain peace about my personal situation. A peace that has been afforded me by my Lord and Savior. I feel that my God is bigger than any depression or national deficit. He's also personal enough to look out for my individual well-being and one that knows the future that He holds for me in His hands.

Yes, I've been through some major struggles and yes, I still have a way to go. However, I have hope. Hope in my future and hope for tomorrow. Have I suffered? YES! But God has allowed these trials to sharpen me and to make me a better man, father, and spiritual leader to my children. I've learned that every human will experience a certain amount of suffering in their lifetime, and I've certainly experienced my fair share to this point. For that, I'm thankful because this has obviously been in the Lord's plan for me and I accept that. I've realized that it's not IF suffering will happen, but how we navigate waters of suffering victoriously. It's inevitable.

God knows the greater outcome, which is why He allows the painful present.

What does all of this have to do with triathlon and training? Here's the bottom line for me. There's a certain connection between the physical suffering that goes along with training and the suffering that is inevitable that goes along with life. I've learned to embrace both and praise the Lord for it.

Now practically, this morning was a nice 4.5 mile run for about 38 minutes this morning before work in the cold weather. I'm truly ready for the chill in the air to be overtaken by the warmer spring weather. I'm ready to really push myself with my new coach to see how far I can take myself, better myself physically and mentally, and continue down the road to redemption.

Monday Morning Short Run

The video pretty much speaks for itself. Feeling good in getting my running legs somewhat back in order. Pressing on toward tomorrow.

Sunday Drama

Okay yes, this is a video-less post. Reason being is because I just haven't felt like filming anything today. You see, today started early by getting the twins from their mother's house and taking them to church to see their cousin Elizabeth (Mini) be baptized. This was quite a joyous occasion by every account. After church, I took the girls to a nice restaurant for a birthday lunch in which we had a lovely time talking, eating, and I gave them their birthday gift. We had a great time over lunch. Once lunch was over, we headed home to just spend some quality time together and watch a movie. That's when the drama started. Let's just say that fathering high school girls garners high school drama. We had a dramatic afternoon that pretty much derailed the nice afternoon that I had planned. However, I guess that goes with the territory of having teenagers. These events caused me to need to take a run, so I did! I ran a total of just under 25 minutes. I would've run longer but, quite honestly, it was extremely cold and a bit miserable outside but I was willing to endure the elements over the attitudes and heat that was going on inside. I felt much better afterward.

This run was also a first in running in a new pair of Lunaracer running flats. These sneakers are supposed to be the lightest running shoes ever made. I certainly believe it! They're amazingly light and extremely comfortable. However, the jury is still out on whether I like them better than the beloved Vomero 3's that I've been wearing for the past 2 years. I'll update on that after a few more intermediate and long runs. I'm hoping that they'll aid in my continued improvement on my gait. We'll see.

Run-Drill-Walk Day

It's been almost a full week since I've actually been able to get in some training. Due to the cold weather, my work schedule, and mostly my car being serviced, I haven't gotten in a run since Sunday of last week. Today, I ran for 55 minutes and at the end I could certainly tell that I've had a long lay off. However, it felt good to be out there and to have something to be working toward. That being me having a new coach! Thanks to my good childhood friend Karen Berry and her new found love for the sport of endurance athletics, she afforded me the opportunity to be able to work with my new certified triathlon coach - Triswami (check out his website).He's a wonderfully funny and knowledgeable man and coach in the three disciplines. I'm very much looking forward to learning, being pushed, and getting better at this new affinity. It should be good and very informative.

As for today's run, it wasn't my best by a long shot. Be that as it may, I did some beginning and ending drills that were given to me by my coach and some run/walking in between. All total, it amounted to right at 55 minutes and it felt good to get back out there after the layoff. Tomorrow is another day and weather permitting, I'll be out on the road again.

I needed this run to clear the stress-filled cobwebs out of my head. This weekend is my twins' 16th birthday and for me, it's been bitter sweet for many reasons. There's been much to think about, contemplate, pray about, and hope for. Happy sweet 16 Shelby and Taylor! You are the life blood that keeps me going and I can't express how much I dearly love you! May God continue to watch over you and keep you safe.

A Bit Too Cold

Since I'm currently "car-less," last night I decided to wake up and put on my running gear and get a run in before I watched and listened to the service via online. So, I woke up and donned the running gear and set out in the cold weather. It was tough to say the least but at least it was sunny and clear. I ended up running just short of 25 minutes but it was a relatively intense run. The first couple of miles were right around a 7:30 mile but substantially slowed due to some calf fatigue and some brisk walking mixed in. I guess I just wasn't "feeling it" today. At any rate, I was glad that I at least got out there and did it. I would've loved to have mixed in a bike ride additionally, but the cold was just too unbearable. Those days are right around the corner I'm sure.

During my run, I had a great alone time with my thoughts, with the Lord, and to just clear my head. These time are precious to me. Then after getting back from the run, I turned on my computer to tune into my church service in which our pastor Steve was speaking on the book of Job and the beauty in suffering. This message was geared directly at me! It was so convicting and encouraging at the same time. The main thing (for me) that I got out of it was; God loves me so much that He will allow me to suffer in some of my humanity in order to draw me closer to Him. There have been days where I've asked Him to turn His back on me and leave me alone, but God has been merciful and has seen my heart and through my suffering in this life has indeed continued to draw me closer to Him through allowing me to see just how gross I am in my humanity. The older I get, the more I want to be like Christ and leave a Godly legacy. Everything else will pass away and doesn't matter. Through my adversity and challenges in life, I want the Lord to use this to help others to draw people to Him. It's just that simple.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of suffering in You. Like Job, I know this is temporary and you are growing me to be closer to you for a greater purpose. Thank you for loving me that much. Thank you for my family and friends in which you speak to me through. I know you're real and I love you with my life. Thank you for drawing me closer to You. Amen.

Windy Saturday

Unbelievable winds were the standard fare for the day. They were gusting at 18 miles per hour and made for a really tough ride this morning. On top of that, it was in the low 50's and obviously cold! Not exactly perfect conducive riding weather, but with spring right around the corner, I'm really getting the fever to be out there riding and because of that, I'm still grateful to be out there.

The ride was just under one hour and 25 minutes and was quite enjoyable due to how clear and crisp it was outside. I'm grateful for the ability to be out there riding. Tomorrow is (hopefully) a ride with my brother and a relaxing run. We'll see how it unfolds.

A Windy Wednesday

When I say windy on a run today - I mean windy! It was crazy out there as I tried to quickly get in a run before the storms rolled in. The wind was so rough that a few times it was hitting me dead in the face and almost completely standing me up on the run. I had to forcably lean forward to keep my momentum going in the right direction. I don't ever remember running in wind this severe. It was a beast!

However, I had a wonderful one-on-one time with the Lord and my thoughts today on a run. He seemed to impress on my heart that no matter what I do in life, He is a gracious forgiving and merciful God. I feel that He has given me the strength to continue to make it through a dark period in my life and because of that, I feel He's given me a new lease on life. He spoke to me through a song this morning by an artist named Howard Hewitt. The name of the song is, "Say Amen" and the chorus says;

"I wanna thank you God for giving me one more chance, to raise my voice and to sing your praise. I'll sing it out loud. I'll sing it all day. This song is my prayer I give to only you. I know this can't compare to the gifts from you."

For some reason, that really spoke to me and impacted me in a major way. I think it was the Lord's way of speaking to me and saying, "I'm going to give you another chance. This time, use it to further MY kingdom rather than your own." And that's exactly what I intend to do.

As for my run - I went just below 25 minutes and was trying to beat the impending storms that are currently rolling in. I'm glad I made it and glad I got a run in for the day. . . even though it was short.

Season's First Ride

First outdoor ride of the new year, and even though it was a bit on the chilly side, it was great to be back in the saddle! I needed to have a few more layers on and that was evident within the first 5 minutes I was out on the road. Though having to tough it out, it was a great beginning ride and I had a great time alone conversing with the Lord. We had a nice "chat" about some personal concerns that have been weighing heavy on my mind. The ride and the prayer time proved to be a big stress relief for some reason. It's just like I remembered the last time I rode outside. What a great time it was and it's proved to be an essential growth tool for me. It keeps me centered, grounded, and spiritually focused. Something I've needed to be for years.

This weekend is supposed to be a nice one weather-wise and I'm hoping to be able to get some more quality training in tomorrow (Sunday) after church of course.

Training Coach

Finally, I was able to get in a solid long 5+ mile run and it felt good because the day was picture perfect! It's, by far, the nicest day of '09 and I ended up running in shorts and a light long sleeve due to it being in the mid to upper 60's. What a gorgeous day. Now if I could only get my bike cleaned up and tweaked out for spring I could get on it and start rolling! However, I'll settle for the long run with the nice weather any day.

I received a wonderful email today from a triathlon coach that I was referred to by Dan at Endurance Sports and Rec here in Franklin. The coach's name is Richard Baker, and judging by his email, he seems to be a wonderful and kind man. He graciously took my initial email and returned it back in far more detail than was necessary for a busy professional. I was humbled by that. In a nutshell, he said that he would love to sit down and meet with me face to face and see if there's any way that he can help me. At this moment, I can't afford a "for real" coach due to my circumstances and he totally understood that. He did however mention that it doesn't cost anything to sit down and discuss some things and even spark up a friendship. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'd love to be able to hire a coach to help me better my training and abilities, but for now, it may have to wait. Until then, I plan to get to know this nice guy and see where a training relationship and friendship may take us. I'm leaving this all in God's hands. . . which is where it belongs.

If you're interested in checking out the Triswami's blog, click here. He's very knowledgeable and just an all-around nice guy.

Strugglin'

I know it's been a while since the last update. I'm seriously struggling to find the time to stay current with not only this blog, but also my training. I HAVE been training, but not as much as I would like. Partly because of the weather and partly because of my job schedule. However, I'll get things back on a somewhat normal schedule soon. I can't take this too much longer! Be patient as I'm having to be as well.

Stay with me!

Many blessings.

Easy Like Sunday

Today's weather was unbelievably great compared to recent days past! I went for a 40 minute easy run and today was the first day I've been able to actually wear shorts since I can't remember.

It's Super Bowl Sunday. A day for tons of eating (which Americans seemingly do so well on any occasion) and fellowship with friends and family. I, however, will be spending the day alone watching the game by myself and not over indulging in junk food. I don't say that for any sympathy but because I'm actually looking forward to it. It'll be quiet and I'll be able to concentrate on what's happening in the game. Should be fun and relaxing.

Today the girls and I slept in on Super Bowl Sunday because we all had a good time staying up last night and watching movies until wee hours of the morning. We woke up and I made sure that we all huddled around the computer and watched the service streamed live from Grace Chapel. Steve Berger's message was, once again, on point and convicting for me personally as he talked about pride before a fall and restoration in the love of Christ. I can certainly identify, and it was nice to be able to sit and watch the sermon with the girls as they soak it in and then we be able to discuss it. These are always times that I cherish and I love seeing how they take in what's being said. Discussions always prove to be interesting and insightful, and I'm always amazed at how smart they've become. I thank the Lord for them daily.

The thing that stuck out to me from this morning's sermon was the question:

"What have you done with the grace and blessings that God has given you? Are you humble? Have you glorified God or glorified self?"

In my constant effort to pray and expect God to do big things with me and through me, these are questions that I want to keep constantly in the forefront of my mind. I want to be a vessel for Christ and use my blessings and gifts for His kingdom and not myself. I've done too much of that already!

What big things are you believing and praying for?

Go Cardinals!

Track Saturday

I'm seriously getting the Spring Fever! Yesterday and today I really felt compelled to do some serious training for long periods but I'm truly trying to be attentive to what my body is telling me and to not take things too fast in order to prevent any injuries down the road.

Today was another track and interval running day in the cold weather. The saving grace was the fact that it was gorgeous outside. . . for a change. I'm really trying to work hard on my running which is the one thing that I hate out of the three disciplines and the one thing that I'm the least proficient at. Therefore, I feel I need to spend the most time working in that area. I REALLY miss the biking though. I'm so ready for the warm weather to roll back around so I can get back on and get going. I'm really longing to find a group of riders that can push me and I can learn from on a regular basis. Hopefully in the Spring, I can find some of those people.

Great day running today and being alone with my thoughts. I touched on some these musings in the video so I'll keep the written portion to a minimum.

Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow! It should be a national holiday!

Hope you enjoy the videos. I'm getting a crash course in Final Cut and loving it! I'm getting pretty good at this editing thing! Could be my new career - ya never know! :-)

The Centennial Park/Swim Meet Run

Today was a day spent all day in downtown Nashville. Shelby and Taylor had a regional high school swim meet, and I happily took them to the Sportsplex to watch them and spend the day there. Those types of meets and days are extremely long, arduous, and time consuming. However, I'd do it for the girls every day if I had to. After their teams warm-ups in the morning while waiting for the actual meet to start, I decided to walk across the street to do some running in the beautiful Centennial Park. The weather was in the low 30's which made for a very cold run but it was sunny and clear. I bundled up in my cold weather running gear and off I ran. It was a beautiful day and after the hour of running I felt pretty good considering I haven't run in almost a week. I must admit however, I'm a bit sore now after running 6 miles. It's a good sore though.

Not much "spiritual connection" today as I listened to a bunch of podcasts on my head phones. It was a nice diversion and escape.

Looking forward to doing some training this weekend if the weather permits. One can only hope!

Thursday Morning at 9:00

So it's Thursday and I haven't updated this thing since Monday. Between bad weather for training, hectic work schedule, and being a taxi service for teenagers, it's been hard to get to update this blog. I must confess however, I truly miss the accountability of the daily updating of this blog. It's therapeutic for me to be able to get out what's on the inside whether I'm referring to training, things spiritual, or anything else. For the last 3 days, I've missed being able to document and write to what I feel has turned into an old friend and confidant.

Training-wise, I have been able to get some exercise in. Last night I did an hour on the trainer while watching tv. Not exactly the most exciting thing to do in the training world, but it did the trick for now. Monday was a swim day and Tuesday was a day of rest (but not by my own choice). I'm really fiendin' to get out and do some more running now that the calf muscle situation has run its course. Hopefully, there'll be good weather this weekend that maybe I can get in some sprints and a couple of long runs. I won't hold my breath though.

My scripture for the day was one that hit me pretty hard. It was penned from one of my favorite people in the bible - David. He's a guy that I feel like I can relate to in many ways.

"I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust."
- Psalm 91:2

Monday Night with the Twins

As I write this, it is 4:41 AM and the girls and I are preparing to leave for swim practice when we get notice that it has been canceled due to icy road conditions. Therefore, I'm going back to sleep!

Yesterday was a good solid workout as you'll see in the video.

What I also wanted to mention was the church service on Sunday and the message that Pastor Steve delivered. He basically talked about the fall of man starting with Adam and why it continues. The main reason is our natural sin nature but these were the notes that I jotted down during the service and wanted to put them here to preserve them.

The Fall of Man continues when we:
1. Allow the word of God to be questioned in our mind.
2. Listen to Satan’s lies.
3. Believe that God is withholding good from us.
4. Disobey God’s commandments.
5. Try and cover or hide our sin.
6. Blame our sin on everyone else.

You will never sin and it not effect someone else.
- Steve Berger

This is something to really think about and ponder. . . at least for me. In the past, I've been guilty of all of the above but through God's grace and mercy I'm forgiven and covered for my sin. God continues to do a work within me, and through my training, he speaks to me. I am in Christ and I'm blessed and not cursed. I am the head and not the tail. Thank you Lord!

A Sore Calf Running Day

Have had a bit of a frustrating day after my morning run. What has gone from, what I thought was a cramp, has morphed in to a minor injury or slight muscle pull. It's now extremely sore and instead of being able to run tomorrow, now I have to spin on the recumbent bike and I'm not too thrilled about that. I would've loved to have taken a long ride tomorrow but the weather is supposed to not get above 40 degrees. This weather is brutal and I'm ready to move to a tropical region where I belong!

Today's run was actually not that bad aside from the so-called cramp that I thought I had. I felt good otherwise and the injury or pull just shows me how much I still need to work on the running portion of my training.

Heard a great podcast from Everyman Endurance that talked about making it through adversity from the perspective of Todd Crandell. It was very inspiring in many ways and in fact somewhat spiritual. Check out the link. Very cool.

The Black Hole

In the above video, I spoke of a song that the lyrics left me. The song is called, "God of the City." It's an amazing song written by Aaron Boyd from the group Bluetree. They're from Belfast, Ireland and they have an amazing ministry in Thailand. At any rate, I've been vastly convicted by how the Lord is using these guys and in particular, Aaron. He wrote a song that speaks deeply to my soul. Some of the lyrics are:

"Greater things have yet to come, and greater things have yet to be done in this city."

In context to the song, it's powerful and worth looking up on itunes or youtube. God is doing a massive work in this man and the group Bluetree and I'm humbled by being able to see it happen first hand. God is also stirring and working within our company at Maxx. I just feel priveliged to be a part of something that I feel God is working in. That hasn't been my prayer in the past. My prayers have been selfish in wanting God to bless what I do. Now I've realized that I want to find where God is working and moving and join in. I feel I'm in that situation now!

This morning, I was back to a bit of training and it felt good after not being able to do anything for a few days. I woke up, once again, at 4:30 to get the twins off to swim practice and I get a training swim in as well. I had a 40 minute session that consisted of:

- 500 yd. warm up
- 500 yd. kick/drill
- 500 yd. swim
- 500 yd. pull w/pull bouy
- 4 50 yd. sprints on 1:00
- 200 yd. easy warm down

Things felt good this morning. My only regret is that I haven't been able to be totally consistent with my training due to my work schedule. However, I'm certainly not complaining. God is working in His timing and I'm okay with that.

Random Act of House Searching

Another track workout day that consisted of:
- 1.5 mile warm up
- 5 minutes of stretching
- 8 - 100 yd. sprints
- .5 mile warm down

I wasn't able to do as much as I would've like due to having Kori with me and I didn't want her to get any more bored than she already was. However, she was a trooper by hanging with daddy as he repeatedly circled the track. That must be boring and tortuous and that's why she's my angel.

This morning was an amazing church service and message from Pastor Steve. The Holy Spirit was truly in that place and He spoke to me in a mighty way. Steve spoke about our lives being a flowing, living, and vibrant river moving through us. He correlated and made the connection between the old and the new testament and he shone a new light on the old testament perspective. It was truly eye-opening and revealing in many respects.

2009 is the year of optimism and praying for big things for me. Praying for things that are only possible through the power of the Lord and truly believing and having faith that He will answer prayer. I believe it!

Painting in the Cold

Today, the temperature at 10:00 AM was 11 degrees. Certainly not conducive to training outside. Plus, I had to be at the office literally all day painting the new studio that I'm relocating my equipment to. I'm tremendously thankful but greatly tired.

I haven't had a chance to train in 2 days due to schedule and the extreme cold. I'm so ready for the weather to be good and warm. I hate this crap! We're in the middle of a cold front and the weather is supposed to be in the single digits again tomorrow so it looks as though I'm going to have to do some indoor spinning on the bike. Oh well. Man, am I ready to get out and do some more running! Spring, please hurry!

Another Swim Day

Today was another early morning swim day. Get up at 4:30, get the girls going, off to the complex, then commence swimming. It's tough doing all of that that early I assure you. Even going to bed at 9:00 pm, it's still tough to wake up so early. At any rate, today's workout was an intense one. I decided last night that I wanted to do some long endurance sets with less sprints. I wanted to see how my body would do to the long continuous swimming without any sprint intervals with rest in between. I must say, my body responded a bit better than I had anticipated. I knew that I could do it; I just didn't know how arduous it would be on my aerobic levels. Needless to say, I was fine and felt relatively comfortable. That encouraged me.

My workout consisted of:
- 1000 yd. moderate swim
- 500 yd. kick/drill swim
- 500 yd. swim @ race pace
- 5 x 100 50 yd. sprints on 1:00
- 300 easy warm down

Also, my thoughts during my workout drifted toward my devotion that I had yesterday concerning praying for God to do big things in my life. Things that could be far beyond my control that would truly make himself known. I thought to myself that God is a God of increase. Where I am today is not where I'm supposed to stay. He has greater levels of favor and blessing in store for me. I have to dare to dream big and dare to keep a God-sized vision in front of me! I want to learn to take hold of every blessing that the Lord has in store for me - and I know there are many!

By the way, still no sign of Troy. I know he wants to jump back in to things and has mentioned it to me on a number of occasions, but I'm not pushing. He wants to "re-commit." However, I didn't realize we "un-committed" to begin with.

No Swim Lessons

This morning was the usual 4:30 AM wake up with the twins. We all got up, got ready, then headed off to swim practice. I swam for 30 minutes, which today was a relatively light day for me swim-wise. My sets consisted of:

- 500 warm-up
- 5 x 100 kick/drill sets
- 8 x 100 50 yd. sprints on 1:00
- 100 easy warm down

After the swim workout, it was off to the weight room where I had to get in some upper body and core work in. Overall, a good training set this morning, but it's still so tough to get used to the early early mornings no matter how early I go to bed.

Lately, I've been emailed and asked how I got into the swimming and if I've had lessons. That question is answered in the above video.

So, what big things are you praying for in '09? I've come up with a few!

Sunday Track Day

It's an extremely cold Sunday. It's supposed to snow some time today and currently it is 28 degrees. It's the kind of day that you just want to sit in front of the television and watch football.

Shelby, Kori, and I went to church this morning and we had a great sermon from Pastor Steve as usual. He talked about new things for 2009. He even mentioned Facebook and used it as a metaphor for we as Christians to seek Him and have our face more in The Book. That seemed to really connect with Shelby since she's of the "Facebook" generation.

Steve also talked about being consistent in praying for big things. In fact, he challenged me in being consistent in praying for things on a larger scale - whatever that may be. I don't normally do that and I want to be consistent in doing so. I don't really know what, on a large scale, to pray for in my life, but I feel that the Lord will reveal that to me in due time. Maybe during my time with Him in training. Like I've been learning, it's in his perfect timing.

As for today's workout & training regiment, it went like this:

- 1.0 mile warm-up run
- 5 minute stretching
- 6 stadium steps w/sprint intervals in between
- 6 hill sprints
- 1.0 mile easy warm-down
- stretching

This was again done on the track and was pretty tough due to the 30 degree cold weather. I guess what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.