Clearing a Hurdle

Here is an update from the training front.  I cleared the last big hurdle in training with the completion of a long ride on Monday.  I took a day off work and travelled to ride on the Chief Ladiga Trail in Weaver, AL.  This is a rails to trails project and it goes 32 miles to the Georgia border where it hooks up with the Silver Comet Trail.  62 miles later, the Silver Comet terminates in a suburb of Atlanta.  

The trail is in good shape and a chance to ride without cars.  There are numerous street crossings in the first 15 miles and then again in Georgia.  However, I take for granted that roads generally are debris free.  The same can not be said for bike trails traversing through remote areas.  The recent monsoon in AL deposited in places gravel, sticks, and pine straw.  Twice I had to dismount and climb with bike over fallen trees. There were a few areas where water was covering the entire path.  I negotiated all these obstacles successfully, but I did have one "Uh oh" moment.  On a long flat stretch I was in the aero position on the bike and was only looking forward every 10 seconds or so to ease the tension in my neck.  Just as I look up, there is a tree branch probably 4-5 inches in diameter right in front of me!  The thought that went through my mind was.  Well, this is it.  You are going to crash 40 miles from your van and you will be in trouble.  Somehow, I rode over the branch and was able to correct my swerving bike without incident.  Accident avoided!

People ask me what it is like to ride for 7 hours.  I am not a good cyclist and for me it goes something like this.  The first two hours are physically easy, but I think that there is no way this is going to end.  After about two hours, my rear end starts to tire and shift into a mode of working.  After four hours, I start to realize that there are only three hours left.  I've ridden three hours many times.  After six hours, there is almost a feeling of euphoria.  The end of the ride is in site and the feeling of uncertainty at the beginning is filled with a sense of joy at completing the whole thing.  

When I arrived at the van, I loaded up my bike and popped on my running shoes.  I actually enjoy a short run after the bike and this run went well.  My legs always feel strange trying to run after biking for hours, but after a couple of miles they start to get in synch again.  

Overall, the bike and run was a big success.   I did not crash into the hurdle in front of me and I think I had a little room to spare.  I asked myself after this session, "Self, could you have run farther?"  The answer was  definitive yes!  Could I have gone 23 miles farther?  I don't know about that, but I'm going to find out in a couple of weeks.  

Check back soon,

Chris

Doors Opening and an Announcement

The countdown continues.  One of the cool things that has happened as this one man triathlon has taken shape is the opportunity to make new friends and strengthen relationships.  I have a couple of thoughts on this.  They are not earth shattering, but are worth mentioning.  

• Meet new people.  What started as an idea to do a solo triathlon has moved into the chance to work on a missions project with two missionaries, Daniel and Magen Davis, and the missions pastor, Pam Bates, at Christ Church.  I have three new friends.  
• Learn new technologies.  Twitter, Facebook, gmail???  All new to me, but I'm getting there.  It's amazing what is available to connect with people and share information.  I had no idea.  
• See things from a different perspective.   Yesterday I had the chance to have coffee with a friend and run through my entire plan for the race, supporting Daniel and Magen, etc.  His response was, "Cool, a rogue ironman.  You ought to charge people to join you as individuals or as a relay."  Interesting idea.  Definitely one that I never contemplated.  
• Have people asking to pray for me.  A couple of folks have asked if they can be on the "team" and pray for me during the weeks leading up to the event.  Humbling.
• Get out of my comfort zone.  Virtually everything I'm doing is a first for me.  It's easy to look forward and get overwhelmed or anxious.  I'm trying to focus on today.  Tomorrow will come.  Phillipians 4:6 is a good one to remember.  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thansgiving, present your requests to God."  

It is stating the obvious to say these things are happening because I took action.  That's the way it works.  Action leads to a result.  Why is it that in the spiritual realm (that's God for all those following along) so many people, present company with a season ticket in the front row included, are content to sit back and watch?  Is it because people don't know what to do?  Is it because people don't want to or are afraid to do what they think they should do?   I can say I have had all these feelings and probably will in the future, too.  But before saying no to something out of perceived fear or difficulty, I'll know in my conscience that the blessings that I received in the one man triathlon endeavor outweighed any fears or challenges.  Finally, thank you to all those unnamed people who too action, large or small, to spread the knowledge and the Word of the Lord.  It has helped me immeasurably.  

Announcement:  Our race flyer is finished!!!  I am attempting to attach a link to the race flyer on the right hand side of the blog.  We'll see how it goes.  

Over the next day or so I will be sending out emails with the flyer to friends, family, and contacts I have in the triathlon world.   It will be exciting to see what happens.  

Until tomorrow

C

Training Update: Getting Tired and Getting Stronger

I have not written much about how the training is progressing.  All in all, things have gone about as I expected which is positive.  My training weeks have been built around a long ride, a long run, and a long swim.  I fill in the remaining days with shorter sessions of each discipline.  I try to add core strengthening work in twice a week, but over the last three weeks that has fallen by the wayside as I have been really tired from the long sessions.  

With 21 days to go until race day or in this case event day, I have completed my longest "long run" and my longest "long swim."  It's a big psychological boost to have the longest workouts complete.  I have one more long bike to go and then I will begin backing off.  

Back tomorrow with another update,

C

Why France?

I had no idea about the need for missionaries or the state of Christianity in France. Below are a few facts from TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission). This evangelical and interdenominational agency has been working around the world since 1890. TEAM has been in Francce for over 50 years.

• France is a Post-Christian country. The people believe they have surpassed their need for God.
• Less than 1% of the people in France are evangelical Christians.
• 80% of the French have never handled a Bible.
• 54% of French people are atheist or agnostic.
• Islam is now the predominantly practiced religon in France and continues to grow.
• There are 35,000 towns without any evangelical witness or church.
• Despite what may be the popular understanding, there are few opportunities for people in France to hear the Gospel.

It only takes a generation or two for knowledge of the Lord to be lost in a nation. Once the knowledge is lost, there will be generations of people without the chance to learn about the Lord. Missionaries are much needed.

Meet Daniel and Magen Davis

24 more days to go! For newcomers to the blog, please read the first post on Jan. 3 for background on what I am undertaking.  

Today I would like to introduce you to Daniel and Magen Davis, missionaries to France.  I am attempting this 140.6 mile triathlon to raise awareness for what's happening in France with Christianity and to raise financial support for their mission.  

Daniel and Magen Davis

Daniel and Magen are in their early twenties and are both graduates of Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, AL.  They grew up in the Birmingham, AL area and they both share a deep love of the Lord.  Their official biography is on their website www.francemission.com and I encourage you to visit their site to learn more about them.  

Prior to meeting Daniel and Magen, the only missionary I had ever met was a kind lady working at the local coffee shop.  She and her family had spent almost the last 20 years in the Ukraine and I enjoyed hearing stories about their adventures.  I often wondered why someone would enter the mission field.  Was it an alternative to getting a traditional job?  Was it a dissatisfaction with something going on in the United States?  Was I missing something?  What did this idea of being "called" really mean on a day to day basis? 

Many of my questions have been answered as I have gotten to know Daniel and Magen.  Their actions, goals, and kindness have opened my eyes to a few things.  

1.  They are regular people.  Wow, this one is going to be interpreted in many ways, I'm sure. What I mean is that like many others in their early twenties, not only can they text message like a court stenographer, but things like Facebook, Twitter, and the iphone are a normal part of their day to day lives.  

2.  They are smart.  Both Daniel and Magen are sharp.  I am so impressed by the caliber of their knowledge, kindness, and enthusiasm that it is obvious to see they would be successful in whatever endeavor the pursued.  Any thoughts I had that becoming missionaries is a backup plan have been burst.  

3.  They are different.   Read The Great Commission in Matthew 28: 18-20 where Jesus told his disciples, and I am paraphrasing here, to go to all nations and make disciples, teaching them all things I have commanded.  This is a powerful passage.   Jesus is asking all followers to do something.  Believing isn't enough, action is required.  

The difference between Daniel and Magen and many others is that they are devoting their lives, their careers, their jobs to following this commission.  They have received many Holy nudges from God and know this is their path.  

The most striking difference I see in Daniel and Magen is that their call to be missionaries in France isn't a "we have to do this" attitude, it's a "we get to do this."  

It's clear to me that Daniel and Magen are following a path that has value for eternity.  In a world that constantly barrages us with the importance of accumulating "stuff," the treasures Daniel and Magen accumulate as missionaries will be eternal.  I can not help but have a deep sense of admiration for this incredible couple.  

Kindest regards until tomorrow

CH

Home Course Advantage

25 more days to go! For newcomers, please refer back to the my first post on January 3rd.

We officially have a race name for this one man triathlon adventure. Daniel and Magen Davis (missionaries), Pam Bates (Christ Church Missions Director), and I have brainstormed regarding the race name and informational materials. The official name is

Swim, Bike, and Run to the Cross: 140.6 miles

The name is a modification of an existing Christ Church ministry called The Run To The Cross 5K. This event is popular in the Birmingham community and all are invited for a 5K run and an outdoor festival at the church. Hopefully the name will resonate with those familiar with the Run to the Cross 5K.

Informational materials are nearing completion and we are going to be sending them out through a variety of means. I have been exposed to new technologies like Facebook and Twitter by people much younger than me. I feel like an old man grumbling about kids and all that rock and roll they listen to. Everyone assures me these things are easy to learn and best of all, they're free. Nevertheless, email and Facebook are awesome tools to spread the word. If this event resonates with people, I have no doubt it will rapidly spread using these technologies.

Home Course

One of the benefits of starting your own triathlon is the opportunity to design the course. People not too familiar with triathlon always have a concerned look when the ask me about the swim. Maybe January 30th and swimming in the same sentence is a little disconcerting. My standard reply is, "You know that shallow pond in front of Veterans Park where all the geese roost?" "Yes, I do, " they reply. Well, I won't be swimming there. I'm going indoors and swimming in the pool. Some triathlon purists may cringe at this and quite frankly, I would much rather do an open water swim as well. The need to stage this event in the winter and the before sunrise start rule out an open water option.

The bike course is going to be on the roads of North Shelby County. I plan on sticking close to the home base. Oak Mountain State Park is nearby and aside from the need to ride up a short mountain to get into the park, it's a great spot for riding.

The run course will be on my regular training grounds at Veterans Park. The park has a crushed gravel trail and has both 5K and 8K loops. Right now, I plan on running the 8K loop five times and picking up the last mile and change at the start of the sixth loop. There is a pavilion in the middle of the run course and any spectators will be able to see me three or four times per 8k loop with minimal movement on their part (100 yards or so of walking).

I should have a really good time on this course. Time, of course, is defined in this case as the relative enjoyment one has.

What's Next

Below is a preliminary outline for topics that will cover the next few days.

Who in the world are Daniel and Magen Davis?
Why France?
Catalysts that Made This Event Happen

I'll be sure to sprinkle in some training updates, too, for those that wonder how in the world I can attempt such an event.

Best to all of you,

Chris

Wilting in the Heat - My First Ironman Attempt

26 more days to go. For those visiting this blog for the first time, check out my original post on January 3.

Today's entry is a copy of my race report from my Ironman Arizona attempt in April 2008. Isn't it interesting how a failure on my part has set up what I'm embarking on now? More on that topic another day. Anyway, on with the race report.

Ironman Arizona Race Recap

Thank you to everyone for your support, prayers, and encouragement as I headed to Tempe to race in Ironman Arizona. The following contains a race report of the good, the bad, and the ugly of my race day. I had hoped to write a report about what it is like and what it takes to complete an Ironman race. Unfortunately, I collapsed midway through the run and only completed about 127 of the 140.6 mile race. The heat whipped me pretty good. Instead, my race report is about what it is like to get in a fight with dehydration and come out on the losing end. Beware: This report is a long one.

Race Details

Location: Tempe, AZ

Size of Field: 2100 contestants from all 50 states and 30 countries

Race Conditions: Hi 94. High winds and blowing dust on the bike.

Course Description: 2.4 mile swim (one loop), 112 mile bike (three loops),
26.2 mile run (3 loops).

The Swim

With an official start at 7 AM, race officials had us enter the water about 6:40 and move toward the starting line. An armada of kayaks held everyone at the imaginary start line and we were facing directly into the sun. The water temperature was approximately 65 degrees and everyone I saw except for one woman was wearing a wetsuit. I heard people complaining about how cold the water was, but after 30+ summers at Nags Head, NC, the water did not seem cold at all to me. Visibility was maybe six inches in the murky water.
Our challenge was to swim 1.2 miles down the lake, turn at an orange buoy, and swim back another 1.2 miles

Of the three sports, I am strongest in swimming. I lined up about five people deep because I did not want to get trapped behind slower swimmers.
This was a judgment call as I was risking lining up in front of faster swimmers. When the starting gun went off, we all tried to start swimming at the same time. There was plenty of hand to hand combat as my arms and legs were hitting other people on every stroke. I was getting pummeled, too.
After about five minutes, I moved toward some open water I spotted along the outside of the course. I found a good rhythm and kept my eye on a land mark in the distance. Before I knew it, I was rounding the halfway point buoy and heading for the finish. I stayed on the outside of the course again in open water. I've been told that no one is a straight swimmer and my tendency is to veer left. Whenever I saw I was getting close to someone, I would veer back to the right again.

Coming out of the water I glanced at my watch and saw I completed the swim in 1 hr and 6 minutes. I haven't checked the results, but family members told me I was about 415th out of 2100. This was the highlight of my day.

The Bike

One of the consequences of being a fast swimmer and a slow biker was watching hundreds of top dogs pass me on the bike. Although this was a "race," my goal was to finish and not burn myself out on the bike. The bike course was an out and back loop of about 37 miles. The out portion of the loop was all uphill and into a really strong wind. There were times when I was only going 10 or 11 miles per hour. When I made the turn to come back, I enjoyed going downwind and downhill. At times I exceeded 30 miles per hour without much effort at all. Although this was fun, it was much more dangerous as foreign objects in the road such as dropped water bottles, spare tires, refill cartridges, and potholes are a serious hazard at 30 miles per hour.

Each loop was progressively slower for me. I don't think I road slower, but I did stop at more aid stations on each loop. I finished the bike in about
7 hours which isn't very good relatively, but it was about what I had planned to do. Approximately 800 people passed me on the bike. In hindsight, I started to see the first signs of dehydration at about 4 ½ hours into the bike. Both my quads were starting to cramp. During training I had done probably two dozen rides longer than this on hillier terrain and never felt cramping in my quads. My fluid and nutrition replacement was going according to my plan, but I just couldn't get enough back into my system.

After 112 miles, the bike was over and I couldn't wait to get off the bike.

The Run

I left transition with about 8 ½ hours left to finish the race. Hey, I could walk the entire marathon and still finish, right? I walked about five minutes and then started to jog. My plan was to run five minutes and walk five minutes. The result: good plan, unable to execute. By now, not only were my quads quivering on the verge of cramping, but my calves were acting the same way. My stomach was becoming a big problem, too. Somewhere near the end of the bike, it decided to shut down. The normal pop that I get from my nutrition wasn't happening, either. Nutrition and water sat like a rock and made me nauseous.

After I completed the first loop, I hooked up with another "walker" that I met a few days earlier. We walked for about five miles together and my condition started to worsen. It was difficult to talk and I started to get sleepy and light headed. After about mile 11, he left me without a word. I think there is some unwritten code in endurance sports that if you are walking with another sufferer and he starts to falter, you just leave him.

By mile 12, I was in pretty bad shape. I wasn't worrying about whether I would finish or not because I couldn't focus on anything. I knew something was wrong. At mile 12.5 or so, the run course passes right by the finish line and the runners head down a long corral lined with spectators. My dad, brother, wife, kids, and boss all spotted me and all I could say is, "I'm not doing well." They said all the right things and encouraged me. I walked about 50 yards farther and rounded a corner. I was getting tunnel vision and people nearby seemed far away. I started to get really dizzy and I had to brace myself on a nearby Port-O-Let. I tried to start walking again and couldn't stand up. I fell on the ground and some volunteers came over to help. The earth was spinning. At this point, I couldn't see their faces. It was like looking at someone through a screen door. The medics came over and I had to tell them the dreaded words, "I'm done." A volunteer gave me about 2 oz of water and some chicken broth and said, "I know you don't want to drink these, but they'll help." I drank both and after another minute or so of pain (both calves had locked up), I could see the faces of the volunteers.

The medic came back with an IV and hooked me up quickly. I stayed on the ground for about five minutes or so, I think, and they helped me into their vehicle for a trip to the medical tent. I looked up and saw my dad standing there with a look of shock on his face. All I could say was, "Dad, I'm
doing a lot better." And I was. The IV was helping tremendously. The
screen door vision was gone. The tunnel vision was gone. All that was left was the dizziness.

The Medical Tent: The End of the Race for Me

The medical tent isn't the finish line I hoped to cross. Inside, their were finishers who collapsed and non-finishers like me that collapsed. Many of the non-finishers were crying and upset about not being able to finish. I didn't feel that way for some reason. I gave it everything I had until my body said no more. I trained as hard as my body would allow, I planned thoroughly for all parts of the race, and I stuck to my game plan. The distance didn't do me in, it was the heat. I never felt anywhere remotely this bad in training and I covered 100 plus miles on multiple occasions in training.

Do you remember those warning messages about how strenuous exercise in temps over 90 degrees can be hazardous to your health? They are true. I've tested them. I estimate that when I crashed I had lost 10 pounds of fluid or 5 percent of my body weight.

After two IV's and several cups of chicken broth, the medics sent me on my
way back to the hotel with my family. I felt 100 times better and my legs
were not cramping anymore and my mind was clear again.

Back at the hotel I started eating and drinking in mass quantities.
Including the two IV's, three bottles of soda, and multiple cups of chicken
broth, I pumped almost all 10 lbs back into my body. The medics told me
not to go to bed until I was able to go to the bathroom. I finally felt the urge about 10:45.

What's Next

I've been asked several questions since the race ended and I'll answer them below.

Are you disappointed? Sure, I put a ton of time and effort into this, but I was able to get to the starting line healthy and I was able to participate in the race. Not finishing is better than never trying. When it's time to give a final accounting of my life, whether I finished an Ironnman or not isn't going to be real high on the list.

Do you want to do another one? Not for awhile. I know I can make the
distance in cooler weather. I've never felt this bad after a 7 hour bike
ride in cool weather in training. With all that said, right now I don't want to put in the time and have others around me make more sacrifices to see if I can go 13 miles farther than I went at Ironman Arizona.

What's next?

The most important callings in my life are being a good dad/husband and continuing my spiritual development. I have a goal to read the Bible from cover to cover in 2008 and I've got some catching up to do. Kathy, Erin, and Ben supported me through all the training and at times they paid the price for this. Ironman training is extreme. I'm ready for moderation.
Any unfinished business with Ironman can wait.

Thanks to all those that supported and wished me well. It means more than you know.


Check back tomorrow for another post.

C