Being a blessing and getting blessed instead.

As I have stated in a past blog (9-27-10) that my Triathlon Journey through life is changing.I believe the change started around the time of the Tremont Triathlon. I believe this due to 2 changes in my life at this time. The first is; I was mentoring 2 more people in various phases in their Triathlon Journey, and the other thing is I started running the sound board at the church I attend. Up to this point I still believed that hard work, good results equaled God's blessings. Although I was giving God the credit for my success, now in hind sight I am starting to see the much bigger picture.

I met Joe around April of 2010. Joe is a big guy at about 6ft and 300+lbs. He had a goal as well, he wanted to do his 1st Triathlon in under 2 hours. He also joined Tremont Team T3, which is the Tri team that I belong to. Joe would log his workouts on Beginner Triathlete.com and we all watched with amazement as he worked really hard toward his goal of doing his first triathlon. I started to notice a pattern in his workouts. He was progressing well in the swim and on the bike, but due to his size his run was a struggle. So I offered my help on his running and found him a couch to 5k plan, this helped increase his running. So now Joe was armed with a running plan and access to me via the world wide web. Joe was back on track for his goal of under 2 hours for a sprint triathlon.

I met Amanda at 5 Points Gym. I was introduced to her by Sonny. (the guy from my post on 10-04-2010) Amanda also was wanting to do a Triathlon. Her goal was to do a triathlon and not finish looking like she was dying. Amanda was a runner who was training for a 1/2 marathon when I met her. I told her to do her 1/2 marathon and then come talk to me. She was in constant contact via e-mail letting me know where she was at in her running quest. So after her 1/2 marathon (which she finished strong I may add) we agreed to meet and discuss a training plan. What was so surprising about Amanda was that she is proud to be a Christian. Although she was confidant in her faith she lacked confidence in herself. I would  have to remind her she could do this. I also reminded her that if she put her faith in God, He would carry her though her quest. She was a good swimmer and a good runner so we just had to work on her cycling. so we set up a plan. We would meet once a week to train. We would swim or run most times. We would talk about Jesus and what He was doing in our lives. So with her plan in place we were moving toward her goal as well.

On race day we developed a plan so that I could run with Amanda and Joe. First we all set up our transitions within the same area. Then based on our swim times (this race was a pool swim) I would be starting considerably ahead of them that I could do my race then meet up with Amanda first and run with her. Then run with Joe last. So immediately after I finished my race I went back to the transition area and waited for Amanda. Then out we went, Amanda and I. Now it was my job to keep Amanda focused. I talked to her about her swim and her bike ride. I also discussed how she was feeling and reminded her that she was about 30 minutes away from her goal.   We discussed how proud I was of her and that her daughter would be very proud of her finishing. As we rounded the corner, I told her this is your moment enjoy it and make your kid proud. As she finished my heart flooded with emotions I never felt so proud  of Amanda. So after a congratulation hug and, "I am proud of you" off I went to find Joe.

As I went out to find Joe I found out he had already went out on the run. I had to make a slight short cut to find him. when I found him I greeted him with, "did you really think I would not be here?" We laughed and went on with our run/walk. Joe had a stopwatch on and he kept me posted on the time. My job was simple keep Joe motivated and running with out him killing myself. Joe and I would run 1 pole to the next pole then walk 2 poles. The pressure was on and time was running down. I had run the course twice already so I had a good ideal where we were and how much time we needed.  We kept the flow going and we were close. again when Joe and I rounded the corner I told Joe this is your moment give it all you got. Joe took off and well the rest is history. Joe reached his goal of 1:59:39. Just under two hours just as he planned.

What a day at the Tremont Triathlon. I had the honor to help 2 people finish and reach their goals of becoming triathletes. As for me well I finished 7th overall and 2nd in my age-group. My results alone were worth getting excited about, but I walked the journey with two people. I thought they would be so over joyed and I found myself feeling like I stole the Joy. I was so overjoyed and happy to be a part of their quest. I have a 2nd place Trophy but the real rewards are the joy on the faces of 2 people who met their goals and they will be stored in the trophy case of my heart.

In hindsight I have thought about Tremont and also my Service for the Lord as well. I am amazed how that a living God does not need me, but He wants to use me to do His work. I think it is awesome that no matter how hard I try to be a blessing. To try to out bless God. It seems like the flood gate of blessings come back. The rewards are more satisfying than all the hard work you put into it. To see the faces of Joe and Amanda after they finished their goals was just priceless. To hear all the thank-yous and the joy in the voices is something I  cannot explain. The same goes when I run the sound in church. To be the person who is in charge of making sure that the sounds they hear can make or break someones worship experience. To hear the voices lifted singing praises to God. Once again to have that feeling knowing that God is using me to Praise the Living God.  Nothing is more satisfying than knowing that God can use me for His Glory. No words of praise, or trophies can replace the feeling I get when I see and hear the voices of God's children singing the praises of God.

So as always continue to follow me as we travel through life, Staring at Lines.