“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Jesus

In one week I will race in my first long course triathlon—High Cliff Half Ironman at High Cliff State Park in Sherwood, Wisconsin. To date, the longest triathlon I have raced is the Copperman Triathlon—a 0.5 mile swim, 23 mile bike, 5 mile run. High cliff will be (roughly) a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. I do not feel nearly prepared enough, though I know I have worked hard and done as much as I could to be competitive for it. In the grand scheme of my triathlon summer, this is merely a stepping stone for where I wish to go. But it is a huge step which I will not be taking lightly. When I ventured into the sport of triathlon 16 months ago, Ironman was the goal. Next weekend will be the closest I have ever been, but the road to Ironman WI in September is longer and harder than the road behind me. I have my health in mind, but as Eminem says, “This opportunity comes, once in a lifetime… you only get one shot… do not miss your chance…”  For me, there will be no middle ground. It will be all, until I have nothing.

Insofar as my training is concerned, I feel greatly blessed in my progress. But I count the greatest blessing of this year to be the woman God has placed in relationship with me. On the day of my half Ironman race, my girlfriend will be serving God, sharing Jesus, and caring for less fortunate children in orphanages of India. If you don’t mind, please keep her and the team in your thoughts and prayers.

In the event that I survive my half Ironman next weekend, I will spend some time updating on my training and racing here on my blog. I appreciate all the support I’ve had from family and friends. I’ve gotten lots of advice on things, which helps a lot now that I am venturing into very unfamiliar territory of long course triathlon. The best thing that could really happen next weekend is that I receive a rude awakening and fail miserably, yet measurably. From that, I can learn.