Friday, August 31, 2007

Endurance


Slow and steady is the motto for me in sprint triathlon training. This journey started by looking backwards on my life this summer and asking the question, "What do I want to do before I die?"

I know it sounds crazy, but I want to be able to say "I did it!!" about a sprint triathlon. I'm realizing that this process and the actual event will take a lot of endurance as well as specific training. A few times this week I mixed up the workout, running and swimming on the same day or biking and swimming to begin to see what it will be like to do three events in a row. Yesterday's bike ride was a killer! For some reason, I had a hard time (but I did it!) completing the 14 mile bike ride. I've done this ride along the Truckee River a few times before, but for some reason it was tough.

Triathlon is an endurance sport. Building and logging time in these three events is going to be part of the key to finishing well at the actual event. This means increasing the pressure to build endurance. This morning I read in Romans 5:3,4 that pressure, affliction, hardship and suffering actually produce patient and unswerving endurance. This type of fortitude actually develops our character to maturity.
When I looked up the word endurance, here's what I found.

"the ability or strength to continue or last, esp. despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions;lasting quality; duration, PERMANENCE, DURATION."

I am trusting that as I train for Triathlon, these lessons will flow over into other areas of my life as well. Specifically as a believer in Christ there are areas of trusting God with my life and my future that I NEED endurance. Sometimes I get fatigued or stressed in the waiting but God's ability and strength will help me to continue in His promises, to last against the pressures of this world around me.

Ultimately in every area when I stand before God I want to hear him say to me, "Well done my good and faithful servant." I want to run the race of life to win.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Burnt man?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070829/ap_on_re_us/burning_man_burned

I'm curious how this came about. But I can imagine. Can you?

Monday, August 27, 2007

Spidey Man Spotted In Reno

The darker spidey man has been officially spotted in Reno. He happened to be hanging out on the back of a camper with bikes. Was he going to Burning Man? I believe so.



Yes, I stopped and took a picture in the Wild Oats parking lot because I thought it was so cool. No, he wasn't alive. He was stuffed, a real work of Burning Man art. Someone's trying to be funny. Get it? The darker side of spidey? His altar ego....

So last minute shopping for the kids before they go back to school tomorrow brought me along with Noel to Wally world. As we walked around Walmart store we were talking about the Burning Man event.

Quick history. Burning Man takes place in Black Rock City which is known as the third largest city in Nevada during the week of Burning Man. People come from all over the world for this event. One person described it this way "It’s a celebration of everything — the art, the people, the creativity, the randomness, the mind-bogging experience, the harshness, the inspiration, the music, the surprises, the disappointments, the reality." People are encouraged to have an "altar ego" or be whoever they want to be. Maybe it's a lot like Woodstock with free love and all of that.....? I know real Burners get frustrated at our ignorance but unless you've been there, you don't fully know and all is mysterious except for strange pictures that seem to evolve every year.....

Some of my sisters neighbors are die hard Burning Man folk and so she has become a pro at spotting them and at seeing them gather down the street for the big weekend. One question Noel had was how do they go to the bathroom because they don't have running water and there aren't showers. She was curious. I don't have the slightest idea, so I just wondered with her. Although they have some friends who go to BM every year, I guess this particular question was yet to be answered.

As we were loading up the car an obvious Burning Man girl walked by. Noel, in her very endearing way said,
"Excuse me. Do you happen to be going to Burning Man?"
"Yes, I do"
"Well, I was wondering how do you go to the bathroom out there? I mean do they have sanihuts?" The girl really didn't know what Noel was talking about with Sanihuts....
"Well, they have port-a-pottys"
I thought to self and Noel expressed out loud once the girl left "Aren't they the same thing?"

So there you have it. There are bathrooms at Burning Man. I wonder if Spidey has to worry about those kinds of things with his altar ego.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

A few more weeks....



So as I'm waiting for the visa, I've already had some amazing times! Noel, Gina, Andre and I saw India Arie in concert in Tahoe Saturday night! Wow. India kept it real, rocked the house and wow!! I was really blessed.

Laughed so hard with the sissies and Andre. Thank you God for good family and friends! Nothing compares. When the concert ended, we met Anthony David who opened for Indie. He wanted to know if bears actually come into houses in Tahoe! Great guy! Funny.

Which brings me to the growing list of people I want to see before my return flight to Budapest. ahhh......thank God for family and friends...

Greg's ongoing house project is bringing me great joy because I get to pick and choose when and how I want to help him and he can't fire me! Ha! I don't think I've had this kind of time with Greg in a long while. So, bonding with the brother always takes place as we are doing something....and that's cool. Today it was painting the inside of his house and next weekend after he finishes a lil' more prep work, we will work on the outside. His house is going to look sharp! Fun times with my brother, his girlfriend, and the occasional friends who pop in to help.

Tomorrow starts a new week and I need to focus on a few things - Hungarian language and triathlon training. I feel like a major slacker with these things right now. When it comes to triathlon, I have to remember my motto is slow and steady. This week training was minimal and I ate crap food almost every day. So that wasn't exactly steady. Oh well. On Wednesday my little brother and I swam to the bouys and back at San Harbor. Wow. It's different swimming in open water and that's where I will be swimming when I do a triathlon......where and when, I don't know. Haven't actually signed up it yet but as I train for 4 months, I hope to be ready by the new year. Then we'll see what's out there. And when it comes to Hungarian language learning, I'm very thankful for my Hungarian friend here in Reno, Maryann who is keeping me accountable and thinking in Hungarian. We are going through flash cards and talking about the language. A few more weeks and then begins Fall in Hungary. Strange to think that summer is almost over. Wow.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Power Tools

So I talked with the Hungarian Consulate's office and it looks like my visa won't arrive until the first part of September. I re-booked my flight to Budapest for September 5th.

I wanted to blog about power tools and why I can see men like them but first I have to say that....

Yesterday I had an amazing day at Lake Tahoe with some family and friends celebrating a birthday. It was fantastic. For all you Reno/Carson folks, please get out and enjoy this incredible bit of earth! Lake Tahoe is so captivating.

And then there are power tools....

Today I helped my brother around his house as he's getting it ready to sell. He had to cut and chisel through some concrete in his washer/dryer room to make his new washer/dryer fit. I held the suction on the shop vacuum so I could get the dust and rocks while he used his power tools to cut and chisel. And I can see why some guys really get into this stuff. It's cool to see something come together like this room.

After we finished his washer/dryer room, I spent the rest of the day helping do the "prep" work for an outside paint job on his house. There are cracks that had to be filled with this really gooey white stuff that gets all over your hands but helps to make a smoothe paint job. He's been working on the "prep" work for weeks. I thought I might help a brother out. We got a lot done, but he still has a lot more to do. I keep telling him that the finished product will be fabulous!

In the meantime, I had a small epiphany while working on my brother's house. In my life, God is a lot like my brother with His house. God can knock out a wall, chisel an area that needs adjustment, rearrange furniture, do whatever He wants to make it what He wants. I thought a lot about the chiseling process and how sometimes it's not fun but it must be done in order to fit new furniture or new things in old rooms.

I want God to bring His super power tools to my house and make it fabulous. I know there will always be areas in my life that need knocking out, chiseling or rearranging. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the finished product will be good especially when it hurts to wait, to trust, to look to God as the source of everything. The more I allow Him to renovate my life, the more glory will be given to Him in the end. I want that!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Babysitting Baxter

The Scofields escaped to Disneyland yesterday. Bravo for them! I'm Baxter's babysitter. The Scofield dog does tricks! He can sit, lie down, roll over and shake! I give him doggie treats. He's actually a really good pup even though all he wants to do is play, lick your face and chew your shoes.

Because he was outside all day yesterday I thought I'd spend the night with him since he's used to four kids playing with him, jumping on him or just being around in the busy world that is Scofield. Well, it was a good idea but can I just say I'm not used to having a bed buddy? All he wanted to do was lick my face until I finally had to yell at him. I don't think I finally rolled over and slept until around 1:30 am.

This morning I took him to the doggie park at Sparks Marina. I went with Noel a few weeks ago and I remember how excited he got before we drove up to the Sparks Marina. I love to watch him hang out with his doggie buddies! So hilarious.

Can I just say that I wasn't walking the dog? The dog was walking me. I heard that the Sparks Marina is 2 miles around. Is that true? That would be a perfect run and I know that Baxter is up for it! I'm sure we'll have stories before the Scofields return on Friday.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Lake Tahoe's Beauty

Today I met a friend in Tahoe City and we hung out at Commons Beach. I'm always amazed that this beautiful bit of earth is where I was born. I could have been born anywhere in the world, but I was born here in beautiful Lake Tahoe.

I was waiting to use a public restroom when a guy with a really strong Texas accent said, "It's so beautiful here." I agreed and tried to figure out where he was from.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"I'm from Texas and this is the first time I've been here. I'm a school teacher and I've taught about this place, but wow."

"Yeah, I said. It's pretty amazing, pretty beautiful."

Then my friend and I found a restaurant called "Sol y Lagos" "Sun and Water" which served small, expensive portions of somewhat Mexican food and other yummies. Not exactly sure how Mexican baby back ribs would be considered, but they were delicious nonetheless and the view was fabulous. Boats were docked outside the restaurant. I felt like I was in Southern California at The Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach. What a treat!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Triathlon Training Continues


So training continues but at a slow pace. I'm no going to jump into this thing "gun-ho" and then regret it or get an injury, atleast that's the plan. Earlier in the week I completed a 2 mile run. Just need to add another mile on it and I'll have the distance for the sprint triathlon, but again, I am trying to take it slow.

Swimming techniques are coming along too. I'm improving my breathing techniques and I'm now learning how to do a turn at the end of each lap. The only reason to learn this is to help with distance swimming. A half-mile swim in open water won't exactly provide a wall to spring forward from.

The biking part of training is just building a base for endurance I will need to develop over the next four months. A 14 mile bike ride. I'm not sure how far I bike now but somehow I need to find out.

Oh well, slow and steady is the name of my game and I enjoy having a goal. Although my goal at this point is to give myself 4-5 months for training. Not exactly sure where I will actually enter for the race, whether near home in Nevada or California or in Europe. I guess we will have to see what is being offered at that time. Excited to continue this journey though.

This cute clip art I found on another triathletes blog. Just beginning to find things online to help in this endeavor.