You might be included in this post!!!
So lately I have become super duper excited about next years races. I'm pumped to start training again in January for Rev3 70.3 and other various races. One of my favorite races last year was the Knoxville Marathon. I literally only had been running probably 2 months when I ran the Knoxville Marathon Relay with Team Dirty Chai. This year I can't wait to do it again, I've started recruitmented people as of a couple weeks ago. My goal was to get two teams together for the 2011 race. Needless so say I want more a of a challenge, my goal now is to get 3 teams from the Thursday Night college group named Time Out. At the top of my list of people to get is:
Sam, Kendel, Melissa, Jaylin, Merrick, Stephen, Seth, Myself, JC, Chelsea P., Bobby, Clay and anybody else...maybe go to 4 teams!!!
** Please Add Patrick and Tim to the list too
This is the start of my list of people to nag into doing it haha. I think it would be tons of fun to do this many teams!!! Basically if you told you me you've run before I selected you to try and convince you to do it.
No matter how fast you are, how many miles a week you run, or how many races you've done you're a runner. If you've been doing it for 7 years or today is your first day running, you're a runner.
My word of encouragement to people is give it a try, last February I couldn't even run a mile when out almost killing over. But this summer I accomplished one of the most fun things of my life yet, an Olympic triathlon. So don't doubt yourself if you think you can't do it. I know you can! I know I haven't been running more than a year, but would love to help set up a group to train for the marathon relay. Running to me is a passion, its a way I find to Glorify God and find strength in Him when nothing else is left in me to give!
Hebrews 12:1 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is before us.
Showing posts with label CollegeLife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CollegeLife. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Psalm 37
So...I get to blog again today cause my job is doing nothing thus far this morning. I've been pretty productive: set up online giving, filled application for FE, written thank you notes, emailed peeps, and blogged!
If you've haven't picked up on my blog, faith is a big part of my triathlon experience. God has been a great "motivator" I guess you can say, and the reason I quotation that is cause it sounds cliche but I say that because I've lately seen the relationship between Christ and training. For example as hard as it is for me to get up at 5 in the morning and go swim, its just as hard to make sure every day I spend time with Jesus. In my head I know it will help me in the end, it plants a seed to grow. With both training and Jesus every time we do quiet time or workout we sometimes expect to learn something huge or accomplish a new goal. However most of the time its just planting a seed that will be a great harvest in the future. With so much going on at the beginning of the summer my quiet times quickly faded. And although life wasn't going bad, it wasn't like I was on cloud 9, I felt complacent, and that was the problem when in a relationship with God you never want that, and I knew I needed to get back on track and spend time with God daily. I knew I might not have a big ah ha moment everyday but I knew it was planting a seed.
I think what God as taught me the most this week is just to find ulimate joy in Him. We read Psalm 37 last night in Collegelife, which is one of my favorite Psalms, and it was great, it was a gentle reminder that I will be OK no matter what. What I must do is just find ultimate joy in Christ and put nothing else ahead of Him. But Gah that is so hard to do, I always want Christ and ... but that's my goal, to always LOVE Christ for what he's done for me, and just delight myself in Him, find joy in just Him and what he's given me. So many times we are caught up in theology and cross referencing the bible we forget the simplicity of God too. Sometimes we just need that rest in Him to get us going again, and that certianly has also been the case this week. I have enjoyed being able to be still and wait on God in his timing, I might have not been patient all the time, but I'm trying to trust God with all my heart even when it seems impossible, whether that be triathlon training or my life's circumstances.
Psalm 37
1 [a] Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish:
The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.
23 If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29 the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;
33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future [b] for the man of peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
the future [c] of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
If you've haven't picked up on my blog, faith is a big part of my triathlon experience. God has been a great "motivator" I guess you can say, and the reason I quotation that is cause it sounds cliche but I say that because I've lately seen the relationship between Christ and training. For example as hard as it is for me to get up at 5 in the morning and go swim, its just as hard to make sure every day I spend time with Jesus. In my head I know it will help me in the end, it plants a seed to grow. With both training and Jesus every time we do quiet time or workout we sometimes expect to learn something huge or accomplish a new goal. However most of the time its just planting a seed that will be a great harvest in the future. With so much going on at the beginning of the summer my quiet times quickly faded. And although life wasn't going bad, it wasn't like I was on cloud 9, I felt complacent, and that was the problem when in a relationship with God you never want that, and I knew I needed to get back on track and spend time with God daily. I knew I might not have a big ah ha moment everyday but I knew it was planting a seed.
I think what God as taught me the most this week is just to find ulimate joy in Him. We read Psalm 37 last night in Collegelife, which is one of my favorite Psalms, and it was great, it was a gentle reminder that I will be OK no matter what. What I must do is just find ultimate joy in Christ and put nothing else ahead of Him. But Gah that is so hard to do, I always want Christ and ... but that's my goal, to always LOVE Christ for what he's done for me, and just delight myself in Him, find joy in just Him and what he's given me. So many times we are caught up in theology and cross referencing the bible we forget the simplicity of God too. Sometimes we just need that rest in Him to get us going again, and that certianly has also been the case this week. I have enjoyed being able to be still and wait on God in his timing, I might have not been patient all the time, but I'm trying to trust God with all my heart even when it seems impossible, whether that be triathlon training or my life's circumstances.
Psalm 37
1 [a] Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish:
The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.
23 If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29 the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;
33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future [b] for the man of peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
the future [c] of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Panther Prowl Race Report
Preface: This race was super exciting for me. I think it was because it was on my birthday and unlike the Foothills Sprint I was somewhat ready and had one tri under my belt. Also I had some goals to shoot for like place in my age group and get under an hour even though it was a short race haha. Well all the results aren't in yet but I'll do my best to give you a report.
This race course was great, lots of fun on the bike and the run. The bike was fast and flat and the run was in the shade on a green-way. We got there right at 6:30 when we were suppose to be there. Not many people were there which I liked, the set up of the transitions area was not idea, it was small and cramped and to get out you had to do like a zig zag that was really annoying. Sam and I got our packets and started warming up. It was a nice easy run and then we got on our bikes for a quick spin. I debated not doing this but I had to do some urgent bike maintenance early that morning and I wanted to make sure it was good enough for the race. On our way back I had a great surprise though, I saw a Benz S class driving and I knew who it was right away my only reaction was holy crap! Clay came! And that was only the beginning. After finishing the bike we did a quick swim warm up and got ready to race. Having Clay come early was great cause I he's able to give you the last minute encouragement in telling you you can break 2 mins on the swim and give you some pointers on swim too.
Here you can see Clay and I talking about the last minute swim plans...well not really but it sounds official and all professional sounding.
This race was very small which I liked, however not many people were racing in it that I knew except for a handful. I was glad to see Joel was there too. And with all the extra time before the race because of all the mass confusion at the pool you can see the 4 of us just killing time and talking about how these stupid tri tops create a lot of drag.
Another thing to add before I start my race report is that for the first time I was wearing a heart rate monitor. Under the recommendation of Shahin we wanted to see how my body reacted during the race.
Swim:
The swim was pretty good. If you saw me start you would have laughed really hard. I did one of those swim starts like the 10 and unders do in summer leagues. In tri's you're not allowed to dive, but I started to anyways but caught myself in the middle of it so it looked pretty friggin bad lol. I kept a good pace not sure how my splits were, maybe next race I'll get somebody to take splits. I may have finished under 2:00 too the splits haven't come in yet, but I know I was really close to it. If its not under 2 i'll blame the tri top because I could feel the drag from wearing that its not fun.
You know I hadn't looked at this picture closely til now, and I'm not going to lie despite the drag I felt, I'm looking pretty good. I've never really seen myself in photo or video, but I like the form I have. I just need to adapt my stroke for open water swims now.
Transition 1:
My T1 was pretty routine, I didn't run into any problems, I was seeded probably # 6 in the swim so nobody was there to get in my way. I felt exhausted from the swim thought so instead of rushing through the T1 and risk forgetting something I just took a couple extra seconds to make sure I was good to go.
Bike:
My bike was going to be lots of fun I thought. But I was still breathing very heavy from the swim. My first mile in the bike I was in just kind of a panic cause I couldn't get my speed up to 20mph like I wanted. I think when riding on Saturday I didn't factor in the fact I was drafting which means I was much slower on Sunday. I was fortunate on the bike though that there weren't many hills. What sucks about it being a sprint race, is just that its a sprint the whole time, I know I can do the distance, but I just now want to do it fast. I got passed by 3 or 4 people one being Ali, and I had counted that there were only 5 people in front of me at the turn around. So I felt pretty good. Unfortunately around mile 8 I felt that back cramp come back..which now I have to figure it out again. Cause I had a good bike posture this time, at least I thought so. In the picture below you can see that I have the flat back and hips tilted forward. This picture was also a huge point in my race. I turned this corner and was so focused on passing this girl that all I heard was people yelling GO Andy...and it wasnt just clay and my parents. I heard girls too lol, and I was just like wait thats different. Ah man what a great feeling, even in such a short race having supporters was my favorite part of the race.
Here is the bike in up to T2 as I was passing the cheering section.
And here are the great supporters that surprised me with a schweet sign.
As I said I was wearing a HR monitor along with my schweet new watch I got for my birthday. This gives you a good idea of what my speed, route, elevation and HR were like, pretty awesome I might add. Click on the run title too to see what my run data was like.
T2: My T2 was good, it was a quick transition out of my bike shoes to my running shoes. The only problem I had was knowing where to go, I must have not been listening very well pre-race. Luckily people were yelling and asking where to go so I just followed.
Run:
As I said coming into the bike all I heard were people cheering for me "Go Andy" what a great feeling again I might add. So on the run out I got to see who all it was, and read the sign that was specifically for me!
The run was fine up until the half. I had a really good pace going of around 7:40. At the turn around though I was just ready to finish, I was starting to cramp and I didn't know it but my HR was going through the roof. I got through the next mile but the last half mile I got really nauseated and felt like I was going to varmic, that goodness I didn't and I made it to the end of the finish line. You can see where I did get sick though and walked for a couple seconds, but as soon as I stopped I was just like...NO Andy, You have to run this whole thing, you can do it. So I picked up up the pace and ran hard to the finish. At the same time I was looking at my watch and just thinking holy cow I'm going to be sub 1 hr.
I have to say of the few pictures of me running, they're not too bad some people look like they're dying but me, I look like I'm running on air in my Nike's.
Finish: The end of the race was rewarding the first thing I did was smile to Katie, Joel, Jessica, Clay and Kristin cause they were there with another sign! At the same time though I was schweaty and exhausted I cooled down quickly haha, and my mom got this funny picture
From there we waited for some fellow Fleet Feet people to finish and cheer Sam on as he finished his race.
What a finish - I was so impressed, Sam did a great job for his first tri, I'm sure he learned a lot and is still processing it all, cause I know it took me a while to after foothills. Look that picture too, look how jacked he is as bobby said about my picture below "Hey I need to do some laundry, can I use your abdominals?" lol great line The Bobs. Did I mention how surprised I was when he told me he had gotten people to come to the race.
Here is a picture of us all together at the finish :)
Results: Well I don't have the splits in yet, but I got both of my goals! I got 2nd in my age group WAHOO, my prize was a cool backpack, and I got below an hour!!! Quite possible the best birthday gift to myself from myself.
Birthday Gift: The best birthday ever! I think more than anything in that day I realized how loved I am from my community. I didn't tell anybody before, but really the only birthday gift I wanted was support from friends whether it was showing up at the race or getting together for me. I got both I had friends show up and support and I got a dinner at Aubrey's with my best friends. I had picked up on the dinner at Aubrey's cause Wasabi Bobby spilled the beans but it still meant so much. They even gave me the coolest cake ever it had little men on it dong swim:bike:run. I think what made it special is that I celebrated people's birthday throughout the year and was just glad to spend time with them on that day. But when its you're birthday and people gather in celebration for you its just a lot different. You see the love of Christ in that community. Last year, yeah I had some community, but none like I do this year. Like I said in my first post...its been one heck of a year. God has taught me so much, particularly through the community I have at fellowship. Love you all.
This race course was great, lots of fun on the bike and the run. The bike was fast and flat and the run was in the shade on a green-way. We got there right at 6:30 when we were suppose to be there. Not many people were there which I liked, the set up of the transitions area was not idea, it was small and cramped and to get out you had to do like a zig zag that was really annoying. Sam and I got our packets and started warming up. It was a nice easy run and then we got on our bikes for a quick spin. I debated not doing this but I had to do some urgent bike maintenance early that morning and I wanted to make sure it was good enough for the race. On our way back I had a great surprise though, I saw a Benz S class driving and I knew who it was right away my only reaction was holy crap! Clay came! And that was only the beginning. After finishing the bike we did a quick swim warm up and got ready to race. Having Clay come early was great cause I he's able to give you the last minute encouragement in telling you you can break 2 mins on the swim and give you some pointers on swim too.
Here you can see Clay and I talking about the last minute swim plans...well not really but it sounds official and all professional sounding.
This race was very small which I liked, however not many people were racing in it that I knew except for a handful. I was glad to see Joel was there too. And with all the extra time before the race because of all the mass confusion at the pool you can see the 4 of us just killing time and talking about how these stupid tri tops create a lot of drag.
Another thing to add before I start my race report is that for the first time I was wearing a heart rate monitor. Under the recommendation of Shahin we wanted to see how my body reacted during the race.
Swim:
The swim was pretty good. If you saw me start you would have laughed really hard. I did one of those swim starts like the 10 and unders do in summer leagues. In tri's you're not allowed to dive, but I started to anyways but caught myself in the middle of it so it looked pretty friggin bad lol. I kept a good pace not sure how my splits were, maybe next race I'll get somebody to take splits. I may have finished under 2:00 too the splits haven't come in yet, but I know I was really close to it. If its not under 2 i'll blame the tri top because I could feel the drag from wearing that its not fun.
You know I hadn't looked at this picture closely til now, and I'm not going to lie despite the drag I felt, I'm looking pretty good. I've never really seen myself in photo or video, but I like the form I have. I just need to adapt my stroke for open water swims now.
Transition 1:
My T1 was pretty routine, I didn't run into any problems, I was seeded probably # 6 in the swim so nobody was there to get in my way. I felt exhausted from the swim thought so instead of rushing through the T1 and risk forgetting something I just took a couple extra seconds to make sure I was good to go.
Bike:
My bike was going to be lots of fun I thought. But I was still breathing very heavy from the swim. My first mile in the bike I was in just kind of a panic cause I couldn't get my speed up to 20mph like I wanted. I think when riding on Saturday I didn't factor in the fact I was drafting which means I was much slower on Sunday. I was fortunate on the bike though that there weren't many hills. What sucks about it being a sprint race, is just that its a sprint the whole time, I know I can do the distance, but I just now want to do it fast. I got passed by 3 or 4 people one being Ali, and I had counted that there were only 5 people in front of me at the turn around. So I felt pretty good. Unfortunately around mile 8 I felt that back cramp come back..which now I have to figure it out again. Cause I had a good bike posture this time, at least I thought so. In the picture below you can see that I have the flat back and hips tilted forward. This picture was also a huge point in my race. I turned this corner and was so focused on passing this girl that all I heard was people yelling GO Andy...and it wasnt just clay and my parents. I heard girls too lol, and I was just like wait thats different. Ah man what a great feeling, even in such a short race having supporters was my favorite part of the race.
Here is the bike in up to T2 as I was passing the cheering section.
And here are the great supporters that surprised me with a schweet sign.
As I said I was wearing a HR monitor along with my schweet new watch I got for my birthday. This gives you a good idea of what my speed, route, elevation and HR were like, pretty awesome I might add. Click on the run title too to see what my run data was like.
T2: My T2 was good, it was a quick transition out of my bike shoes to my running shoes. The only problem I had was knowing where to go, I must have not been listening very well pre-race. Luckily people were yelling and asking where to go so I just followed.
Run:
As I said coming into the bike all I heard were people cheering for me "Go Andy" what a great feeling again I might add. So on the run out I got to see who all it was, and read the sign that was specifically for me!
The run was fine up until the half. I had a really good pace going of around 7:40. At the turn around though I was just ready to finish, I was starting to cramp and I didn't know it but my HR was going through the roof. I got through the next mile but the last half mile I got really nauseated and felt like I was going to varmic, that goodness I didn't and I made it to the end of the finish line. You can see where I did get sick though and walked for a couple seconds, but as soon as I stopped I was just like...NO Andy, You have to run this whole thing, you can do it. So I picked up up the pace and ran hard to the finish. At the same time I was looking at my watch and just thinking holy cow I'm going to be sub 1 hr.
I have to say of the few pictures of me running, they're not too bad some people look like they're dying but me, I look like I'm running on air in my Nike's.
Finish: The end of the race was rewarding the first thing I did was smile to Katie, Joel, Jessica, Clay and Kristin cause they were there with another sign! At the same time though I was schweaty and exhausted I cooled down quickly haha, and my mom got this funny picture
From there we waited for some fellow Fleet Feet people to finish and cheer Sam on as he finished his race.
What a finish - I was so impressed, Sam did a great job for his first tri, I'm sure he learned a lot and is still processing it all, cause I know it took me a while to after foothills. Look that picture too, look how jacked he is as bobby said about my picture below "Hey I need to do some laundry, can I use your abdominals?" lol great line The Bobs. Did I mention how surprised I was when he told me he had gotten people to come to the race.
Here is a picture of us all together at the finish :)
Results: Well I don't have the splits in yet, but I got both of my goals! I got 2nd in my age group WAHOO, my prize was a cool backpack, and I got below an hour!!! Quite possible the best birthday gift to myself from myself.
Birthday Gift: The best birthday ever! I think more than anything in that day I realized how loved I am from my community. I didn't tell anybody before, but really the only birthday gift I wanted was support from friends whether it was showing up at the race or getting together for me. I got both I had friends show up and support and I got a dinner at Aubrey's with my best friends. I had picked up on the dinner at Aubrey's cause Wasabi Bobby spilled the beans but it still meant so much. They even gave me the coolest cake ever it had little men on it dong swim:bike:run. I think what made it special is that I celebrated people's birthday throughout the year and was just glad to spend time with them on that day. But when its you're birthday and people gather in celebration for you its just a lot different. You see the love of Christ in that community. Last year, yeah I had some community, but none like I do this year. Like I said in my first post...its been one heck of a year. God has taught me so much, particularly through the community I have at fellowship. Love you all.
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