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A month ago I wrote about deciding to train and sign up for my first triathlon, which was gonna be in September. I’ve been at it since the middle of June. But a friend of mine ended up being the race director for another triathlon two days ago — July 19 — and convinced me a week ago that I should participate in his. It was flat, and easy compared to the hilly, challenging September one. “You need to get this one under your belt,” he said.

“I’ve barely started training for it,” I said. “The first time I ran any distance longer than a mile was three weeks ago.”

He told me to shut up and stop being a baby.

So, only four weeks into my training, I let him convince me to compete in a sprint triathlon. 350-yard swim. 12.7-mile bike. 5K run.

I finished, without having to walk or crawl or break into tears. My time was 1:18, which I guess is respectable and which put me squarely in the middle of the pack. Jim probably would have beaten me, though. And speaking of Jim, I have to apologize: I forgot to take a half-naked picture of me in my tiny little tri-shorts. The world can now breathe a sigh of relief.

I did end up with these pics, though. Here I am rounding the curve toward the finish.

Finish line.

And posing with my two biggest fans…in front of a pile of dirt. (Construction in the area.)

I got passed along the way by guys in their 50s. There was a 13-year-old in line behind me for the staggered swim start. Seriously, anybody can do this.

So…Larry’s running and Jim wants me to Swim, Bike, Run and I just can’t handle the pressure of not being enough like the cool kids. So I’m signing up to participate in my first triathlon this September. It’s a sprint, so it’s not too difficult. 400-meter swim. 10-mile bike. 5K run.

I already swim a half-mile a couple times a week, so I’m not too concerned about the water leg. I ride my bike to work — about two miles each way — so that shouldn’t be overly challenging, either. But the running part? I hate running. Always have. I jog two blocks to the gym most nights, but that’s not exercise. It’s transportation.

So I need to start training for the running leg. Also I apparently need to practice transitions from one event to another. Is there a trick, Jim, to putting your running/biking shoes on real fast after the swim part? Do you wear your swim speedo the whole time? Can I swim in my bike helmet to save time? Are flippers frowned upon?

(Kidding about those last two. Kinda.)

I’ve never watched a triathlon live, so I have no idea how it works. I need tips. If you are an experienced triathlete, leave them in the comments, please. If you’ve never done a triathlon but just want to make some crap up, that’s cool, too.

I’ve recently added jogging to my training regime as I was only a handful of pounds away from being automatically ordained according to my demonination’s by-laws. It just so happens that I’m speaking at a camp in Ohio this week on the amazing race.

I’ve been moved with gratitude that Paul picked such a simple sport to build an analogy for understanding spirituality.

Left Foot…

…Right Foot

Love God…

…Love your Neighbor

Repeat:

Or this gem in Hebrews 12:1-3: “Don’t run with heavy objects on your back.”

Running the Christian walk isn’t easy but there is a simplicity at it’s core.

a few things to check out while you’re watching first round U.S. Open coverage from your desk at work…

+ Musician (and friend of PFB) Andy Osenga is running in a 5K on Saturday. The run is called “Ellie’s Run for Africa” (you can read more about it here). If you’d like to donate in Andy’s name, here’s your instructions.

Two things should be noted here: 1) Andy will only be running with nine toes and 2) you should download Andy’s latest EP for free here.

+ Matt Hughes blogged about his loss to Thiago Alves in UFC 85 on Saturday. I didn’t see the fight, but Matt comes across pretty humble in defeat on his blog post, for whatever that’s worth.

+ (PFB’s own) Jesse Carey blogs about a Chrstian Gym opening up in Florida, and whether or not this is a good thing.

This past weekend I did a Triathlon. I’m training to do a Half Ironman in September, and there are three triathlons I’m doing this summer as preparation. I’ve been having some shoulder issues from distance swimming but thankfully I had enough to get me through last Saturday. In general, open water swimming is the big challenge for me. I need to work on “sighting,” and a couple other strokes to adapt to rough waters. I joined a masters swim class at the nearby YMCA to help in my training.

Basically, if I can do a triathlon anyone can who really wants to. It is demanding, but do-able with proper training. I took up cycling and swimming just in the last year or so, and figured it out. There is a learning curve, but it’s not brain surgery either. The bike I used in Saturday’s triathlon is a used bike that was given to me.

That’s a pic of my bike in the “transition area.” Doing triathlons has had a significant impact on strengthening me physically, mentally, and spiritually. The challenge of competing and stretching yourself, the friends you make in the tri community, and the places and experiences you have a long the way are a few reasons why I’m glad I do them. There are different ways I relate the sport to my life as a whole and my spirituality. My wife and daughter are involved in most of the endurance events I do, which often involves visiting and exploring new places. A triathlon I’m doing in August is at one of our favorite state parks in Tennessee.

Many people in endurance sports compete with a purpose, like Team in Training or Lance Armstrong’s foundation. As added motivation, I do each event with someone particular in mind. For example, in May I did a Century (100-mile) bike ride event, and I rode in memory of Miles Levin, a teenage boy I got to know a few weeks before his death.

If you are interested in exploring triathlons, some helpful ideas would be:

go see a triathlon near you (check listings on active.com)

explore BeginningTriathlete.com

check out the Complete Idiots Guide

My shoulder is still a problem, and so I’m going to focus on biking and running, and hopefully give the other time to heal. Over-training can sometimes be a problem for me, and I conveniently blame it on being OC. Oh well. Okay, time to ice the shoulder and apply the IB-Relief and Arnica.

Happy swimming, biking,and running!

It’s kind of humbling to be starting at the bottom of a new belt system after achieving black belt in another. But that’s where I’m at. Bryan mentioned that I’m dabbling in MMA type training. I guess that’s a good description. My TKD background has me ready for all-things-kicking. I’ve had to beef up my boxing and striking. And I had to start from stratch with my ground game.
On Wednesday I need to do some endurance drills with the punching and kicking and then when I’m immediately need to execute two each of the following submissions within two minutes:

• arm bar from the mount
• American Lock
• Waist Clinch, Rear Sweep, Naked Choke from Behind
• Leg bar from the guard
• Triangle choke from the guard (Love the Triangle)
• Guilletene
• Snap down, Quarter Choke
• arm bar from the guard

So that’s about 12 seconds a submission at 2 minutes. My best time is 1′30″

What’s impressing me about martial arts is how deeply embedded mentoring is embedded into it. No matter how long you train, there is always someone ahead of you, farther down the journey. And there is always someone new coming up behind you that you need to bring along. I think this is something that we’ve lost along the way in our Western Christianity– the ethic that everyone is to be investing in somebody else’s life and showing them what it means to hear from God and to follow his lead in a practical way.

There’s a non-profit out of Portland, OR that I’m really impressed with, the Belmont Foundation. I highly encourage you to check it out. They are committed to find male mentors for the boys of single moms.

www.belmontfoundation.org

In honor of the upcoming only-time-any-of-us-even-thinks-about-horse-racing weekend, I’d like to perform a service for creativity-blocked breeders across the country: some help in naming your next winner. To help me help you, I’m turning to that noted inspirational tome, the 8th chapter of 2nd Chronicles in the Old Testament. King James Version, of course.

(Sorry…I can’t help myself.)

Seven Potential Thoroughbred Names Taken Word-for-Word from the 8th Chapter of 2nd Chronicles:

1. Bethhoron the Nether (verse 5)

2. Gates and Bars (verse 5)

3. That Bare Rule (verse 10)

4. Solemn Feasts Three (verse 13)

5. Charges to Praise (verse 14)

6. Eziongeber (verse 17)

7. Fifty Talents of Gold (verse 18)

Enjoy the delicious Belmont Stakes, kids. Go Big Brown.

Just saw this headline on the front page of ESPN.com:

“McLaren unleashes after M’s loss to Angels”

Apparently Brian McLaren, the well-known Christian author who, according to his blog just returned from a trip to Africa, lost his cool with the media following the Mariners latest loss to the Angels.

While no audio of the tirade is available at the moment, Prayers For Blowouts did obtain a transcript of the anger-laden rant, which we are happy to share with you:

McLaren: “This is ridiculous! I am over in Rwanda, working with the fine people of Amaroho-Africa, and these Mariners get swept at home by the stinking Angels! They are 18 games under .500! 18 GAMES! Something has got to be done here. You want to know what’s got to change? EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE, THAT’S WHAT!

The Mariners have got to find their way again. I mean, this team’s payroll is $117 Million dollars. We can’t change that. It’s the story we find ourselves in. The problem is, we have the worst flippin’ record in the league. The WORST!

There’s no secret message here kids. It’s plain and simple. Win. We’ve got to win. These players might be more ready than they realize, I don’t know. But we’ve got to start winning now. We’re giving too many freaking games making the same stupid mistakes over and over again. It’s a generous orthodoxy, and there’s no place for it on the baseball diamond. NONE!

Don’t get what I’m not saying here, I don’t want any adventures in missing the point. Every player and coach is responsible for this, and we are all responsible for turning this around. And that’s the last word (and the word after that).

You can support Brian, and maybe help him calm down a bit, buy buying one of his books or donating to Amaroho-Africa.

You might also want to pray for Richie Sexson. If McLaren gets a hold of him, it might get ugly.

The PFB Sports Survey is a weekly feature here at Prayers For Blowouts where we throw a few sports related questions at some of the most notable voices among Christian authors, pastors, musicians, and veterinarians to see if they like sports as much as we do.

Today’s spotlight is on Donald Miller, who regrets not punching someone in the face in junior high.

Donald Miller is the author of Blue Like Jazz (that of the NYT Best-Seller Variety), Searching for God Knows What, To Own a Dragon, and Through Painted Deserts. In a few days he is embarking on a cross-country bike ride to raise money for the Blood:Water Mission (see video here). Don, along with 20 or so other riders, will begin the trip on Friday with their back wheels in the Pacific Ocean and will finish some time in July with their front wheels in the Atlantic. (for more info, check out Don’s Website)

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1. What number best describes the role sports play in your life on a scale of 1 to 10?

DM: 5. i like watching sports but usually only when they come to a post-season tournament. pro-football and college football are the only sports i watch weekly during the season. so i wouldn’t say i am an addict yet. as for playing sports, i really only go to the gym and ride my bike. when i was a kid i played tennis all the time. but i don’t play much anymore. i haven’t done anything competitive in years. but as i’ve lost weight in the last few years, i would say i’m just now beginning to appreciate an active lifestyle.

2. Rank your 3 overall favorite sports, college or pro.

DM: i would say pro football first, then college football. after that it’s a grab. i end up watching basketball on television, but would rather be at a baseball game live. mostly for the beer and conversation, though.

3. What is the one team that you root for more passionately than any other, and is there a team that you hate, maybe a little too much?

DM: i root for the texas longhorns the most passionately. but that is a near tie with the oregon ducks. i’m talking about football, here. i’d really love to see oregon get a national championship. as for hating a team, i don’t really hate one. i don’t root for USC but that is really it. the chicago bears bother me, but only because they beat my seahawks in some key games in the last couple years.

4. Do you play fantasy sports?

DM: i’ve not gotten into it. i have the time, actually, but usually get distracted and so i know i would fail to put my team together a couple weeks and that would cost me. so i stay away.

5. What is the most memorable sporting event you have ever attended in person?

DM: the houston astros in a playoff with the new york mets, 1986. i was a kid and the mets went on to beat the astros in 6 games, then beat the red sox in the world series. i still remember billy hatcher’s homerun.

6. What is the best highlight and/or worst lowlight of your sports playing career as a child or as an adult?

DM: I didn’t play on a team in high school. i played football in junior high for about five minutes, and threw my back out as just a kid. that would happen again about three more times in the next fifteen years. anyway, just a general memory of playing tennis till midnight and later at local courts around houston. we’d play till we could hardly walk. those were great, hot, summer nights. i loved the game.

7. If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?

DM: i’d have to think about this for some time because this is a great question. but off the top of my head, i think college football needs a playoff. it is a crime there isn’t one, because it would be a great opportunity for many teams and colleges. it has to be a money thing, somehow.

8. Do you have an opinion on Christian athletes who, without being prompted, talk about their faith in post-game interviews?

DM: i think it is great that they talk about their faith, but i don’t think they have to. but i think it’s fine when anybody talks about their faith. some of the athletes are pretty young, so i hope christians aren’t using them or pinning too much hope on them, but other than that, i’ve no thought about the subject.

9. High school gym class…your favorite 45 minutes of the day or the source of countless nightmares and embarrassments?

DM: confusing nightmares and embarrassments. but i wish i could do it all over again. i’d do it very differently, i think. i was just an insecure kid. so if i could go back i’d probably punch somebody and that would be that. i didn’t know i could, at the time.

10. Sports are often the whipping boy of pastors and clergy because so much passion, money, time, and energy is poured into them. Do you think this criticism is valid, or are sports okay as a diversion from the stresses of life.

DM: i don’t hear so much of this. if anything, i hear the opposite, pastors playing up sports and using sports analogies, which i sometimes like. but i can’t say i’ve heard too much criticism of sports from the clergy.

11. If you had to compete against other media folk, in which of these 5 competitions would you have the best chance of winning? 5-mile run, 18 holes of golf, free throw shooting contest, arm wrestling match, or a game of bowling.

DM: well, i am disappointed that there isn’t a frisbee golf event or a bike riding event listed here. but of these, i could probably take a few of them in arm wrestling, and maybe one or two in golf, but i think i might get killed on the rest.

12. What is your favorite sports movie of all-time?

DM: i think Miracle was a very well told story, and i love that it is true. Hoosiers is a great movie, of course. but Chariots of Fire is the best. no question.

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You can click here for an exhaustive (but not exhausting) list of everyone who’s been featured as a PFB Sports Survey participant.

If you’d like to be considered for the PFB Sports Survey, or know someone who should be, send along a name and email address to prayersforblowouts(at)gmail(dot)com.

When the Apostle Paul was penning his canonical letter to his peeps at Phillipi, do you think he envisioned his words being the inspiration for one man to beat the snot out of another?

I’m guessing he didn’t, but such is the case with Matt Hughes, the MMA fighter who will take to the Octagon in London this Saturday to fight Thiago Alves in UFC 85: Bedlam*.

Hughes, whose professional MMA record is an impressive 41-6, has Paul’s words displayed as a part of the header graphic on his blog.

(”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13)

I don’t follow MMA very closely, but I’ve asked a few friends who do what they think of Hughes and their opinions seemed to be split right down the middle.

Some can’t stand him, saying he was a jerk of a coach on the UFC reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. Others enjoy his fighting skills and think he’s good for the sport.

Whatever your opinion, you’ll have a chance to see just what Hughes can do (through Jesus’ strength) when he tries to defeat Thiago Alves (14-3) on Saturday night.

Any PFB Readers out there plan on watching it? If so, be sure to give us a rundown of the fight when it happens.

(*when are they going to start running out of good names for these UFC Events? And when they do, what are they going to start calling them?

UFC 138: This is Really Nuts This Time!

UFC 159: Crazy, Uncontrollable, Mind-Blowing, Fighting Action!

UFC 190: Like a Swarm of Bees, only it’s People Fighting Each Other Instead of Bees Swarming)