Well, ever since the triathlon, not a lot has been going on. I’m going camping on the Buffalo River Friday night, but that’s about it.

Amy and Iliana are doing great! Iliana is running everywhere! And, when we get home from work everyday, she proceeds to tell us all about her day. Too bad we can’t understand anything she is saying. It’s great being a dad! I love it!
I started going to a gym last Wednesday. So far, I’m sticking to it. It’s a pretty sparse gym. It’s good for people who actually want to work out and not just go to be seen or socialize. I worked on my legs Monday by doing the leg press and man, are my legs sore today. I still have to get out and run at lunch and then go to the gym again this afternoon.

Also, we’re doing a drama at church Sunday, so I’ve been working on that the past couple of days. Shane (our pastor) is doing a series called “Major Lesson from Minor Prophets” It’s been pretty good so far. This week is about Hosea. There is a lady in Shane’s community group that he asked to participate in a drama and asked if she would write it, too. She agreed and Shane wanted me to work with her. All I can say is that it is awesome. She is not a writer and has never written anything, but you can tell that God is working through this one because it is awesome! It is written as a contempory version of Hosea from Gomer’s point of view. She had me tearing up last night. Hopefully, it will have the same impact Sunday morning. I’m really excited about it.

Well, I guess that’s it. Not very interesting, but no one is reading this anyway.

Wow!! I can’t believe it! I actually did it. I finished the race. I was praying pretty much the whole time, but I finished. My unofficial time is 1:39:50. It was the most intense thing I have ever done. Also, the hardest thing I have ever done. It was all worth it though and I’m hooked. I’ve already started searching for other triathlons. Now, I just need to get a bike of my own now. I think I’ll rest up this week and start over again on training.

The scariest part of the race was the beginning: the swim. One guy said it best when he said, “It’s like swimming in a washing machine.” I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it. People were running into me, I was running into them, and it was crazy! Once I finished, I was a lot more wore out than I thought I would be…and I still had to bike 14 miles and run 3.2!

The bike was fairly easy…compared the rest of the race. I was able to rest up a little and get my breath back. I got passed a lot, but also passed a few people myself. Mostly on the downhill. That was the only time that being fat helped me out…I go a little further and faster with the help of gravity. Once I got to the transitition point out of the bike, I thought I was gonna fall over!

The run was the hardest part. I came out of the transitition and one guy that was running beside me said, “Hey, only 3 more mile to run, and we’re done.” I was thinking, “ONLY!?!?!” It was the toughest run I have ever done, but I ran the whole way. I kept telling myself, “Just keep running. Don’t stop. You can do it.” That combined with a lot of prayer. I have never been so happy to see the end of something as I was to see the finish line. When I came to the last stretch, I heard Amy and some friends calling my name and telling me to push it out and finish strong. So I reached down and pulled everything I had left and ran for the finish line. It was awesome.
I can truly say that God got me through this race, because there is no way I could have finished it on my own. I almost started crying when Amy and I were packing up and going to the truck. I can’t believe that I made it. It was awesome being able to set a goal and then attain it. I am now a triathlete!

Hey Everyone! Well, it’s coming down to the last push for training for the triathlon. I have less that 4 days until the race of my life. I’ve done all the training I can.

It’s hard for me to get a lot of time in on the swim because I don’t live near a lake or anything. Luckily, that was my strongest event going into it. I’ve run a couple of bricks (bike and run back to back) and that was an odd feeling. After riding 14 miles, my legs felt like jell-o when I started running. I’m really looking forward to the race.

I’m excited and scared all at the same time. There is no way in the world I could even come close to the Top Ten in my category, but I really don’t want to finish dead last either. I’ve been comparing the times from last year to my training times and I think I’ll do okay. I just ask that everyone pray for me.