Cracked Rib = Bad Day

On Saturday afternoon, I made the trip from Salina to Kansas City. I tried to stick with the normal routine, dinner at Noodles and Company (thanks Ashley for the company), hydration, and 8+ hours of sleep. What I didn't expect came Sunday morning!

I had been getting through workouts relatively pain free in spite of my cracked rib, but when I put on the wet suit for the triathlon, the added pressure to my chest made it very painful throughout the swim. To make matters even more interesting during the swim, a fellow competitor went off course causing me to add a few hundred extra meters of swimming. By the time I was out of the water, I had recorded my slowest 1500m swim in several years. With that portion completed, I was ready to try and salvage what I could of the race by hammering the bike and run legs. The morning had started off clear and calm, but the calm was quickly replaced by 15mph winds that made my bike leg decent; however, it did not give me the kind of time I needed to make up time lost in the water. Finally to the run, my favorite part of the race. I was able to run a decent first two miles but managed to get a giant blister on my right foot that bled through my shoe. I finished the race and thanked God that I had not gotten a flat tire. Then, I went to find friends to catch up with. Final splits: Swim:29:42, Tran: 1:51, Bike1:06.32, Tran: :50 Run 38:34, Final 2:17.26

Through the eyes of a child.

Just last night at the coaches' BBQ for Kansas Wesleyan, I was admiring the children who were playing. Their energy and imagination is truly a gift that I forget to enjoy myself. Today I was reminded of this fact when I went to the pool to clear my head of stress and anger. I was having a rough day and decided that a pool workout would be a good idea. I went there to be alone, because it gives me time to think. However, God did not want me to be alone and made sure that I would not be alone.
As I started my workout, I noticed a friend of mine was at the pool with his granddaughter. He came over to say hello, but he could see I was upset and wanted to be left alone to train. His granddaughter climbed up on the ropes to my lane, and in between sets,she introduced herself. After finishing my next set, she was still there, waiting for me to come up for air to tell me more about herself and to ask questions. Initially I was a little annoyed as I wanted to be alone, and Dan tried to pull her away. However, she was making a friend and was not to be stopped. Lola told me about her grandparents, how fast she could run, and that I had more hair than her father. As I swam, a verse came to mind, Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 14:19 I changed my workout and made longer breaks to allow myself to become friends with Lola. When it came time to leave the pool, I was no longer bearing the burden that I had when I arrived. I could not thank the workout for this, but instead a young lady who put a smile on my face. I once said, “The day I get too old for fun… dig my grave.” Well, I am not too old for fun, and I am going to make sure I don’t forget that. Sad or challenging news can get the best of anyone, but a conversation with a six year old showed me that God is always working in my life.

I hope that I can look at life more like a child, always wanting to learn, to grow, to understand, and make friends. I am so blessed to have a God who loves me and will do whatever it takes to get through to me.

You may ask how this really pertains to training, and my answer is that the next time there is a distraction in your workout, don’t necessarily look at it as a hindrance but instead an opportunity. I have no proof this will make you faster, but I do promise it will make you happier. Good luck to everyone racing the Kansas 5i50 this weekend!

Cracked Rib

One week away from kicking off the 2012 triathlon season, and my confidence is a bit shaken. What was originally thought to be a bruised rib turned out to be a cracked rib. Joking around with friends ended up with me getting tackled, and now I have spent the last nine days teaching my body better posture on runs and on the bike to relieve any pressure. The most painful thing is not training though, it's when I sneeze. Needless to say, I am learning to deal with a constant pain on deep breaths that may come in handy when finishing a triathlon. My kick off triathlon will be the Kansas City 5i50 Olympic distance triathlon. Hopefully with prayer and a little rest, I will be ready to rock it. This is the time of year I look forward to, as I will be returning to Colorado to train and race. Following this next race, I will have a week in Indiana at the NAIA National Track and Field Championships followed by a move to Colorado for two months.