Week Two--"WHY?!"

 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

Romans 12:1 (NLT)

Why?  Julie asks me this all the time (her question is more about why I pay to do these things when you can swim, bike and run for free…)  Friends ask me why I’m doing this Ironman event and putting myself through around 14 hours of suffering and pain.  There’s not really a good answer.  I guess it’s easy though. WHY NOT?  And because I can. I like to be active and outdoors. I like to do hard things.  I’ve always been drawn to activities or events that others go “no way”.  Skydiving, SCUBA diving, hiking mountains, obstacle races, marathons, triathlons.  And now Ironman.  But I think the big reason as I really stop and think about it is because God has given me a body to move, to be able to do this, and He has given me the desire.  I want to honor Him with my body.  Taking care of it, training it, and using it to the highest potential.  

I don’t have any huge motivation in my journey except for that.  Many that finish an Ironman have reasons other than the one I gave above. In memory of a lost loved one.  To prove to their kids that dad or mom can do hard things.  To raise money or awareness for diseases or causes.  Sometimes just to prove to themselves that “Anything is Possible” (this just might be the official slogan of Ironman).  

I’m sort of in the middle. I want to prove to my boys that they can do whatever they want to if they strive hard enough for it. I want Julie to be proud of me. For selfish reasons and personal pride I want to be one of the only 16,000 finishers a year to complete a full Ironman (there are only 8 full Ironman distance races each year in the US, so that equates to about 1 in every 1000 people).  To honor God with my body is my ultimate goal, but to prove to myself that I can is a huge part too.  I want to know at the end of 140.6 miles of self-propelling myself in the water, on two wheels, and putting one foot in front of the other, that I went far beyond what I thought was physically possible.  Like I mentioned in last week’s blog, I always thought that a full Ironman was for super athletes. And I didn’t see myself as one.  But now I see that if I train right, eat right, and have a goal WITH a plan, it can happen.  It’s a huge challenge and that keeps me motivated. It’s hard to get to bed on time so I can get up at 5AM or earlier, or run when it’s cold, or jump on the bike when the leaves in the yard need raked or mowed.  There will be sacrifice.  Sleep, eating what I want when I want, saying “no” to something (even if it’s good) when I know I have to get up early to get my training in, or just pushing myself to do what I need to do when I don’t feel like it.  It will take sacrifice; it will take motivation; and it will take discipline. But it’ll be worth it!  

      As I worked through my weekly devotional, I was reminded this week to slow down and enjoy God and life. As I go through the busyness of life and all the things that completely fill my calendar, I often lose sight of what’s going on RIGHT NOW.  I am constantly looking ahead to what’s next.  I’m obviously looking ahead to Ironman Florida next November. One of the questions posed in the devotional time was “What are you missing in your life because you focus too much on something else?”  In between now and next November, we have high school graduation for Ethan, Matthew and Macey’s wedding, and all the birthdays, holidays, and other special events that will happen over the course of the next 51 weeks.  So, I can’t focus on just this one thing. I have to stay grounded in the blessings God is giving me right now and be present right where I am at this exact moment in time.  If I let those things go by as just a blip in my radar on my way to something else, I’m missing out.  I don’t want to do that. This week we had to put our Golden Retriever, Wrigley, to sleep as he was an old man with bad hips.  It was time.  It was hard to work through this week and think ahead to Thursday.  But I had to slow down and think about the blessing he was to our family and how he was there (unwittingly) to my boys as they traversed their high school years and tough times. Even things like this is what I was learning.  Take each week one day at a time, and be here today!  

    I’m going to need balance. I need to stay motivated toward my goal but remember there are more important things in life too.  There will be times I lose that balance, and I pray that I am able to see it before those times already pass me by. God, give me the strength to get to my goal of the finish line, but also the strength to be present.

    Here are my weekly stats.  I swam twice, ran twice, and biked 5 times (on my indoor smart trainer).  I’ll go into my plans and the “how” later!

• Weight:
• 178.8
• -.4 lbs from last week
• -.4 lbs from start on Nov 1
• Swimming:  
• 2.84 miles (5000 yds)
• 1:39:12
• Biking:  
• 48.47 miles
• 3:30:21
• Running:  
• 12.43 miles
• 2:00:01
• Totals: 
• 64.53 miles
• 7:34:20

Here is a link to last week's Ironman Florida Race Recap.  Take a look at what I'm striving toward, and listen to motivates some of these 2000 finishers!  

11 months, 3 weeks, 15 hours until I toe the start line.  Thanks for reading (if you made it this far….)