Chapter 40: Who Am I Becoming?

 

Ethan's first official night at MNU.  Roommates and organizing/decorating crew!

    That's a wrap! Week 9 in the books, and it was a hard motivation week for me for several reasons.  But I got most of my workouts in, and am 11 weeks from the big day.  Short post coming up as there really isn't much to tell....

Weekly Stats:

• Swim (3x)
• 3.41 miles (6,000 yards)
• 1:54:11
• Bike (1x)
• 48.36 miles
• 3:00:01
• Run (3x)
• 20.94 miles
• 3:35:02
• Strength (1x)
• 21:01
• Yoga (2x)
• 1:02:32
• TOTALS:
• 10 Activities
• 72.71 miles
• 9:52:47

Training Notes:

    Well, week 9 of 20 of Ironman Florida training is done. School is back in session.  Ethan is officially at college.  And my bike is fixed and back in play!  

   

    I completed my usual 3 swims, but didn't get up on Friday in time to get to the Community Center.  But I was able to get to the outdoor pool on Saturday after my bike ride to get a 1500-yard straight swim in (no prescribed workout plan).  On Wednesday, there was a Code-Brown emergency in the Community Center pool.  Fortunately, the lap pool wasn't affected, but the poop cleared out the kids' pool pretty fast.  Kids screaming, moms running and grabbing kids, and lifeguard whistles. Funny stuff!  

   

     With no bike for most of the week, my plan was upended for several days.  I did an extra run for one of the days, but just skipped another shorter bike workout.  I was able to get my bike back on Friday, so did my 3-hour ride on Saturday like planned.  With the extreme heat warning all day on Saturday, I decided to do it inside and did a group ride with a couple folks from Everyday Ironman Podcast. Still a really long bike ride on the trainer, but having half of that while in conversation was great.  Even indoors, there was serious sweat involved! 

   

    I switched a run out for a bike workout one day when it was still in the shop, but then on Friday didn't get my scheduled run in as we were finishing moving Ethan into MNU for his freshman year.  Sunday, though, I had my 1 hour, 50 minute (10.78 mile) run before church.  Even at 6:00AM, it was about 84 with heat index.  Pretty sure I didn't have a dry spot anywhere, including my squishing shoes for the last 4 miles.The "highlight" of that run was me crossing the street, hopping up onto the sidewalk and running straight into the street sign with my left shoulder.  Who knew they were low enough to jump out and hit me when I go by!?  Fortunately, I was slick with sweat by that point, so it glanced off, but it's a good bruise now!  Geez.  

    

    With the crazy schedule of school, a president's dinner for Julie's work, and honestly just a lack of evening motivation, I only got one strength workout and 2 yoga sessions in.  But I'll be back on track this coming week.  This will be my last week before my "race-specific" training begins.  It's getting a little more real as I check off the days and weeks on the schedule.  But I'll be ready.  I'm going to be an Ironman!

Daily Life:

"What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!"

Genesis 17:5-6

    During the parent evening on Saturday night at MNU with Ethan, the chaplain of the school, Brady Braatz, talked about making your own story. He talked about have a desire for something important and thinking about that story in a movie. As the climax of the movie builds up, the music crescendos, and right before the credits roll, how does the movie end?  In my triathlon world, it's the four simple words. "You Are an Ironman!" Those are the words that echo in my head each time I go out for a run as I visualize me hitting that final finish chute and cross the line under the digital clock with my name and race time on it.  Then they'll hang the medal on my neck, help me take off the tracker on my left ankle, and assist me as I hobble to wherever I go from there. I'll bask in the knowing that I finished what I started out to do. But the thing Brady challenged everyone was to pick a desire that means something.  Of course, finishing Ironman Florida will mean something to me, but does it do anything for anyone else?  What about eternally for the Kingdom of God?  The honest me says Nope! If for some reason, that finish line was taken away from me before I reach it, my life wouldn't change fundamentally. Of course, I'd be severely disappointed for a while, but I'll still be a follower of Christ, a husband, a dad, a son, and a friend.  As the movie of my life would come to a close, right before the final credits start rolling, Ironman (Florida as well as all my other triathlons, big and small) will just be a small portion of the story.  This really challenged me, although I don't believe that I have to give that dream up. It can't become ALL that I am.      

   

  Back in May, we stopped in Virginia and saw an old colleague of mine from the Virginia Game Department.  He called me an endurance athlete while we were talking and I didn't take much notice of it.  I never thought of myself as that, although that is what I'm becoming as I go through this Ironman journey. I wouldn't have given myself that title, but that's how people may see me.  But I started thinking about that this week.  So how what title or name does God give me? Years ago, Pastor Rick Power gave his first sermon at College Church on "Named For Your Becoming".  During that 35 minutes or so, he talked about how God doesn't name us for who I was before, or even who I am right now.  He will name me for who I am going to be; for who he has called me to be. And I don't necessarily know who I will be at the end of my life movie/story.  God continually is using me and the circumstances in my life--good and challenging--to mold me into his final image. That won't stop until the credits end.  God renamed Abram to Abraham with a promise of what was to come.  I need to continually follow God's plan for my life, do my best to further His Kingdom, and trust in Him completely.  Then I will earn the name He has chosen for me. It'll be awesome when that name drops.  But for now, "You Are an Ironman" is a good start!! God's name will be so much better at the end though.  

Final Thoughts:

    Now that school is back in play, my schedule is more solid, and my plan is increasing in time, I really need to buckle down and work hard.  Into bed on time, up early, and getting it done.  It's starting to get to crunch time.  I still have my 70.3 Eagleman wristband to keep reminding me what the hard work can do for me. November 1st isn't that far away. I've chunked it up into segments. 9/11. Parent-Teacher Conferences.  Then two weeks and I'm heading south. Scary how fast it will go.  Long Saturdays of biking and running are on the horizon, but it will all be worth it as I make that final turn onto the red carpet.  Until that day though, I will:

Show Up, Keep Fit, Stay THE Course, and Keep Moving Forward

    As always, thanks for following me along on this crazy journey.  I don't consider myself special by any means, but the stats show only .1% of the world's population will complete an Ironman. I'm just a guy pushing my God-given body to the extreme.  And I think God's pleased with that.  

CPC 

8/17/25

Olathe, KS

75 days, 13 hours, 12 minutes until Ironman Florida