The Best Laid Plans...

We are officially less than two weeks away from the ironman, and basically I have two feelings; great and terrible.  As the event approaches, and my head has more time to work, I start imagining every possible outcome, from stubbing my toe on a buoy line, getting elbo-KO'd in the water, breaking my collar bone in a bike accident (Seriously Harriet, you are an all-star), even cardiac arrest during the race!    All manner of things has happened in the past during IronMan races, and my imagination is powerful enough to fill in the gaps, wherever they may be, for the freak accidents that haven't happened yet!  I think each and every one of us is guilty of being our own worst cheerleader.  The things I have thought in my mind make the rest of the events in my life seem mundane and simple, but the battle between the ears is where the battle in the real world is won or lost.  I even daydreamed once that I had been abducted by aliens 3 feet from the finish line and they wouldn't let me go!  Seriously!  but before you think of me as a total loon, think of the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone.  I don't mean a baby little toe outside, I mean one big giant double footed LEAP outside your comfort zone!  And it's not just an internal battle that get's your head going in the wrong direction either, sometimes real issues can pop up, and have to be dealt with and accounted for.  If you're head is in the wrong place then those issues that may just be mole-hills can seem like mountains, and the mountains can seem like planets!

The plan from day zero, for my IronMan, was to train on one bike that I had borrowed from a buddy, and then before the race exchange bikes for a really nice time trial bike I would borrow from a buddy (I know, cheap right?)  Well, a couple days ago, I found out that I wouldn't be able to get this sweet honey of a race bike, it wouldn't get here in time.  and so naturally I paniked!!  Oh crap I don't have a bike!  the training bike is falling appart, I'll never finish, this is a disaster, how could God have let this happen!!!  And once the malstrom of evil thoughts and horrible feelings was done rampaging my carefully thought out plan, I calmed down and did a little thinking.  I called a few buddies of mine, who are both IronMen and super biker people (Patty and Brian, rockstars the both) and they downloaded some wisdom.

The truth is, it would be a really bad idea to change bikes this late in the game anyway, with the race less than 2 weeks away.  My wife has been telling me to use the training bike in the race for months now, I tell you I should listen to her more often.  Turns out it would be a bad idea to change bikes even a month away from a competition like this... but the bike makes me faster, i need the extra time so I can have it easier during the run, I thought to myself.  Not true.  Sometimes the lies you say to yourself, the fibs you let yourself believe are just little trifle harmless things.  But they are designed and laid out in an almost calculating way, so that at the right time they can all pounce on you at once, like springing a trap.  See all the pieces of a trap are totally harmless by themselves, just like the little fibs in our heads, but when they come together, you've got a deadly combo.

When you ride a bike, for long periods of time, the muscles and ligaments get used to moving in a certain way, pulling and thrusting with a certain force, and in a specific direction.  They maximize their ability to ride THAT bike in THAT way.  once this pattern has been started, riding on the same bike with the same setup only strengthens the groove.  Until even a tiny adjustment in the bike, like a seat hight change or seat angle change, can seriously degrade performance and even cause injury, numbness, cramps, or worse.  This is what I found out after I was done throwing my little tantrum that I wouldn't have the bike I had told myself I needed.  Good thing too!  If i had changed bikes this late in the game I would be opening the door and inviting in all sorts of problems that I didn't even know where lurking there!

The moral of this story, and the truth about the way the world works, is that we all have somebody looking out for us.  He want's whats best for us and cares about us deeply.  when I started this IronMan, I invited Him in to help me out, to carry me through!  Truth be told, to this day, i am still not sure if the IM was His idea or mine!  But when you ask for help, you usually get it.  My wife was ready to drive her butt, with our twin daughters, all the way to Chicago to pick up the bike if I had asked her to, Brian and Patty both took my call and talked me off a cliff.  Vanessa has always been there, most people are willing and able and will jump at the opportunity to do a good thing for their fellow man, and we are made in the image of God!  How much more do you think HE is willing and able and ready to jump at the opportunity to do a good thing!?  and he did just that for me with the bike.  Although at first I was quite angry about it, once we calm down and let wisdom into our lives, we learn the truth about things and usually, we see providence rather than chance, opportunity rather than opposition.  Because that's the truth.

Honestly, the whole experience, and the experience of our lives, on a daily basis, would be much smoother and more enjoyable and amazing, if we would all just take a deep breath, and have a little more faith in God.  For everybody who is experiencing something a little different than they had hoped, just remember... He is out there, and he cares, and he is willing and able to help.  He is usually just waiting for an invitation.