Hell week(s) - A running/biking/swimming dialog

I'm a little under 4 weeks away from my Ironman race. Seeing as the last two weeks before the race are taper weeks, this leaves the next few to be "Hell weeks" in regards to training.

I just wanted to take the opportunity to document this time. As its probably going to be the most draining two weeks so far in my life, not only physically but also emotionally I think.

Friday - May 28th
Rode my bike in the basement for about 2.5 hours. I figure that works out to around 45-48miles. I watched the movie Legion (don't recommend it at all). Luckily it was over at the 1.5hr mark, so i took the opportunity to blast some worship music for the last hour. Riding a bike and singing at the top of your lungs is difficult.

Saturday - May 29th
Woke up early and got down to Greenlake for a morning swim. The lake is still cold, even with a wetsuit, but there is something about being up just as the sun is rising and being surrounded by water - I HIGHLY recommend this experience.
Ran around lake Union and the ballard locks for 1.6hrs. Did 12 miles I am pretty sure. Really hurt, this running thing isn't a whole lot of fun ;)

Sunday - May 30th
Woke up at the crack of dawn and jumped on the bike again. This time I rode to Fairhaven for the Ski to Sea festival (95miles). Tough to start the ride, but brilliant none the less. Beautiful weather, great music, and good nutrition made this bike ride to Bellingham much better then the 1st one I did.
SIDE NOTE: Also hiked Oyster dome and camped at the top. Not to mention trail ran to lake Lilly for a little excursion. Some places like that lake are hidden for a reason, the stillness there made the pain of running to it worth it.

Monday - May 31st
Woke up ontop of a mountain with the trees soaked with dew, raining on our tents. The root in my back made the night's sleep difficult, but Brian Bauer's body heat couldn't be matched! Haha. Got back to Seattle and ran around Greenlake a few times, 7miles. Then swam greenlake late at night 1.5miles. Swimming at night is just better'd by a early morning swim. I'm pretty sure at one point i switched to my back and watched the stars for a little. ;)

Tuesday - June 1st
Trying to get today's bike ride in what a tough cookie. Slept in til 8 instead of waking up early to bike. As I type this I actually have a editing project I should be working on...so this should really be short. But I biked Lake Washington today (51miles) and felt great! I did the math, and I think I averaged somewhere between 19 to 20 mph, which is pretty ridiculous. Best part is I feel great!

Wednesday - June 2nd
Today's lesson, don't eat a foot long subway sandwich, three white chocolate macadamian nut cookies (i needed the calories) an hour before you run 12miles. Yah. Off day tomorrow!

Friday - June 4th
Woke up bright and early this morning and swam 2miles in Greenlake. It was an overcast morning with a light rain on the lake, but the water was super calm. Felt great swimming, my own little world. Finished today with an 30mile bike ride in the basement, nice and easy. Longest run of my life tomorrow. Yay :/

Saturday - June 5th
I completed the longest run of my life so far today. 18miles. It was a beautiful day for the run, absolutely glorious, no complaints at all. My hampstring started to cramped at mile14, well have to work on that. Here's to hoping for the same weather for tomorrow's bike ride!

Haiti - Cries of the Oppressed

My friend Shane visited Haiti and edited a video of the footage he captured there. You can view the video here.
I was pretty affected by the power of the words and images in the video. I took the time to transcribe the dialog from the video. I suggest reading it then watching the video.

"Six weeks after the earthquake
I walked the streets in Port Au Prince
Collapse buildings everywhere
And I couldn’t escape the haunting reality of the estimated two hundred thousand plus lives lost here
Many Haitians say even that figure that is much too low
Which wasn’t hard to believe because finding a house that was still standing and in livable condition was a rare exception
It’s estimated that at least a million people were displaced from their homes and even those with homes have no electricity or running water
In the clinics and food distribution centers there was seemingly endless lines of people waiting sometimes a whole day to receive some of the aid that was available
Thousands of bodies still lie under the concrete rubble
Painfully difficult to move without the help of heavy machinery
Legal documents and records blew through the streets outside the national courthouse
And even now tons of food water and medicine lie waiting at the airport and docks as the government tries to tax the incoming aid to profit from the disaster and the suffering of the people
Its easy for anyone to look at the situation and be overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness because of the magnitude of need
I spent just three weeks in Haiti, I don’t assume to be an expert or that I can adequate access the gravity of the situation
But I know one of the simplest and practical examples of love is to clothe the naked and feed the hungry
And there is ample opportunity here for that
And though the problems the Haitian people are facing aren’t going away anytime soon
Many remain hopeful and encouraged that their nation can change
The earthquake in Haiti was one of the deadliest in history
But much of the problems here are nothing new
And they are as complex as they are desperate
But I believe that now there is more need then ever for those that are willing to dedicate themselves to the rebuilding of this nation
That Haiti would be a nation built on the foundations of love
An opponent of political and social injustices
And a blessing to the world
These unique and beautiful people are not defeated easily
And as you walk through the streets the smiles on their faces testify of their endurance
If its not our priority to spend ourselves on the needy
And loose the chains of injustice in our world
What are we left with?
In my opinion, just a shell of an existence
A pretense of compassion
The cries of the oppressed cannot go unheard
From child sex slaves in Cambodia
To the poverty and corruption in Haiti
Love must be tangible
It cannot be a concept
It can only be demonstrated in action
And unless we understand this
We will never see the change we always talk about
In a world where information and communication is more readily available then ever before
We no longer have an excuse of ignorance
And now that we know about the issues
We are faced with the decisions
Of how we will react."

-Shane Prescott

Finding a book

Just wanted to follow up on my last blog entry.

Wanting intimacy with Christ isn't wrong. But we have to be careful to seek Him according to who He is and not who we want Him to be. God can be found in many things, afterall He is the author and perfecter of our fate, everything we are and have is by Him.

More importantly though, for me,

~He is the word of God - the bible, His character is woven into those pages.
~He is the people you invest spiritually in, your community your church your family
~He is the quiet peace, the voice of gentle wisdom that reminds me, even in the worst of times. That he is near.

------
That being said, I found the book. The taxi driver brought it back to the hotel he picked us up at. Very rare as I am told.

Funny how something seemingly important to you leaves, you grieve its loss, finally let it go, then allowed to see the error of your way, then it returns to you, yet now you no longer see it in the same light, indeed a better light.

God works in fascinating ways

Loosing a book

So a year ago I was dealing with a difficult situation in life. At this time I ended up going to China for work and the time away gave me incredible perspective on the situation. I drew closer to Christ during that trip and ultimately began to understand what he was putting me through. One of the ways I got closer to Him was through the book The Shack. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it, it will redefine the way you look at the trinity and your own walk with Christ (naturally in a good way :)

Well anyways, its a year later. I'm sitting in a Hong Kong hotel room in the middle of a trip that for all intensive purposes is the same as last years. While life is a tad bit different, I'm needing that same time away from the states for time closer to Christ.

Here's the funny part. I brought with me The Shack on this trip too. It was my intention to re-read it and to use it in much the same way i did last year. Here is the funny part.

While I finished reading the book in heartfelt tears on a Chinese Taxi ride. This time around at about page 90 I left the book on a Chinese Taxi ride. Totally spaced my mind and realized the book is gone for good. I can't help but romanticize this, imagining the book as a powerful tool in my life. It entered into my life in a taxi ride, and it left in one too. Like a person whose God given purpose in your life is to be apart of it for only a season, teaching you an invaluable lesson. The Shack is gone now.

When I take a step back though, and reflect on this. I think of it this way. I can't box God, pull him out of a book, even as good a book as The Shack. I think He removed that from this trip so I could focus on Him during this time.

Whether its a place, or a person, or even a thing. God isn't there. He's inside. A part of us, we have been given the Holy Spirit, a powerful tool to experience the love and presence of Christ at any time. While other things help us connect with Christ, ultimately they are just things. We may feel the presence and intimacy of Christ in a relationship, worship, in nature, in service to the poor, and these things are all God given and beautiful, but I'm learning that I can't use them. Even for as good a purpose as to be closer to God, because I inevitably start to rely on them and not God. While I can appreciate their place in my life, they come and go. And I have to be okay with that. Which only happens when I am not relying on them, but God. Who doesn't leave.

I don't think I will buy The Shack again. I'll let it go, as I'm finding I must with some of the concerns in my life right now. Who knows, maybe as it floats away into Chinese Taxi land, it will touch someone else's life as it did mine. I think that's a good prayer to pray.

Seasons in Life - Learning to Trust God

"You can't take what God wants to freely give you"

My Pastor said that yesterday as I sat in the pew jotting away the notes on his sermon. I couldn't help but hold my pen for a moment, struck by the sentence. At first glance I'm almost offended by the nature of the statement, God wants to FREELY give it, why would I ever wish to take it. As a boy, if the neighborhood baker wants to give me a doughnut, I wait patiently for him to place the wonderful bismarck into my cup'd hands. But what is patience, indeed a 12 year olds grasp of patience doesn't extend beyond a few minutes. Here at 24 years of age, have I managed to add onto that mark?

Sometimes I wonder, as I did yesterday staring at my pen as it hovered over my notes. God is indeed my baker, among other things, but am I trying to steal his promises? The word of God says He has promised me a life abundant, full of hope and joy. While I acknowledge my life isn't meant to be easy, I can only examine the desires of my heart. Love, intimacy, a family, a wife, travel, missions, videography, home. Whatever it may be, how insignificant or great the desire, how powerful and passionate, or how careless and indifferent. They are subject to, not my will, but God's.

That's where patience comes in. Speaking from more experience then I would care for, how often have I tried to understand His will. Why didn't this work out? Why have things changed? Why didn't you give me that opportunity? Why can't I do this or that? Rather then wait for God to reveal His work. I push, I say if only I figure it out I will be at peace with it. No. That isn't peace, that is living in fear. Living in the fear of the unknown, and attempting some small minuscule self serving act to figure it out. Even with the answer, we are left still searching for a reason, an answer to quell the underlying concern of our heart. Will this work out?

Unfortunately our life isn't a book we are reading. We can't skim ahead. There is no earthly person, place, thing, or answer that can satisfy our fear of the unknown, of the direction our lives are going. We can never know where we will be tomorrow, who we will love, what we will be doing, and ultimately IF we will be happy.

I used the word 'unfortunately' earlier. Forgive me that this was a poor choice in words. It is with the utmost excitement that I say we aren't reading the pages of our life, we are living them! To use the words of Donald Miller, we are the characters, we are not the author. God is our author and we simply cannot write the story of our life with a fraction of the care love and joy that He can.

If you believe in the God of the bible, in His promises, and above all that he loves you and wants the best for you. Then if you ever feel scared of what is to come, if you are ever trying to figure it out yourself, to attempt to satisfy that deeply woven desire to know you will be happy. Let it go. Surrender your fear, don't live in it. Give it up to a God that has told us that His love is sufficient. Cause then you'll be free. Free to live in a story that you have complete faith that the author is writing the most exciting, powerful, brilliant, beautiful story, one filled with a happiness that is more satisfying that anything we could have discovered on our own.

And the cool part. If you live in a story where you have complete faith in its author AND you don't know what's going to happen. Well that fear of the unknown will change into anticipation and excitement of the unknown. That is the promise of God.

Don't live in fear, enter into the Joy of the Lord. A life of beauty and excitement.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus



Remember -
A peace that surpasses all understanding. You cannot understand it.

Thoughts

In an attempt to NOT put everything on my mind in a Facebook status. I thought I'd set up a running 'thought' list here on my blog. (so I do it on a blog instead of facebook - cut me some slack)

It'll be interesting to see what goes up here.

April 6th - 11:53AM
Listening to "can you feel the love tonight" and slightly singing out loud at work. Getting some stares ;)

April 7th - 9:34PM
Singing to worship music while driving out on country roads at night. Just a few of my favorite things

April 9th - 8:05PM
Okay how wonderful is this? Editing a video in the nook, while stuffed portabelo mushrooms are cooking. Goo Goo Dolls are playing in the background, and I am eating french bread with oil and vinger! I don't think I could ask for a better evening. Oh wait! I have a glass full of frozen berries to eat too!!

April 10th - 2:28PM
Biking through farmlands outside Duvall and Carnation. Life doesn't get any better

April 12th - 1:32PM
Attempted to blow very loudly into a Kazoo to scare Michelle at work. Went through 5 Kazoos because they were all broken and made no noise. Upon trying the 6th, I was made aware that you are suppose to hum into a kazoo to get it to make noise. Awesome..haha

April 21st - 1:47PM
'Angel of Music' just came on my Itunes. Reminds me that I still want to see Phantom of the Opera!

April 26th - 7:54PM
Sitting in hotel in Costa Mesa day before appearing in court as a witness for a murder trial. Little nervous.

May 4th - 5:11PM
I've had the song "Always" by Switchfoot in my head for the whole day. Such a marvelous song. I need to thank a special someone for making me an amazing CD and introducing me to it. Hopefully I will remember to thank them ;)

May 7th: 11:08PM
Friday night listening to Pandora, getting new and old music that I love. Hillsong: Stand. I love this song. I love this night

May 23rd: 4:04PM
Sitting in the nook editing and listing to new music for future projects. Wondering if you ever think of me.

A perfect moment

For some these happen far to few, I've started to believe that they actually happen all too often, and we pass them by obliviously. It takes a certain about of focus, training your heart to be tuned to the things that matter. Regardless, when you are in those still moments when the world stirs with color and your heart calms its a God given moment of peace. I had one of those this morning.

Imagine that feeling, its a stormy night, you are tucked into your bed with a good book. Your room, unfortunately, doesn't get enough heat, so you wrap yourself in more blankets than usual. The rain hits the roof. The soft drowning of rain rattling on the roof offers a security and comfort from the storm outside. Hold that feeling.

I woke up this morning avoiding the fact that I needed to ride my bike for a few hours this morning. I had been up the night before skyping with China, that coupled with me not being a great morning person made for a reluctant bike ride. I got dressed and set off on a cool crisp overcast morning.

Here is where God showed up on my ride. I turn down seaview road, heading down the bluff. Its been a light drizzle all morning, raindrops have formed on my glasses. I'm going down hill, so i lean forward and let gravity carry me down the road. That's when it happens. The skies opened up a little more and it rained. Just pouring on me. But. it was magical. My ears were covered by my skullcap and all I could hear was the patter of rain on my helmet just like being inside your room in a storm. It was just me, the wind, my bike, and the road. The world was quite. I wasn't tired, I wasn't hungry, I wasn't worrying about getting into work, I wasn't cold or hot, I was just calm and at peace.

I turned off of Seaview right into golden gardens. Usually a spot of commotion and people. No one in sight. The beach was the picture of peace and quietness. Large flocks of birds were skimming the water as I rode by. Everything was amazing.

God gave me a moment of peace this morning. Gifts like these are unexpected and beautiful. I pray your heart is open to the moments He has for you.

Thanks for reading

Follow up @ 4:19pm
AND now the weather is sunny and gorgeous!