This last Sunday we had another triathlon, a harder one in Almeria, on the very edge of the Almeria desert on the coast. The sea was choppy, and the distances were longer, and it was hot!

The "sensations" were the same, nerves, anticapation, excitement...the transitions went well, but the swim wasn't very much fun, I didn't enjoy it it all. The feeling of being surrounded by so many people and the choppiness of the sea and too much sediment and algae made it for not so fun of a swim. I also had to run up 400 meters barefoot to get to the bike, that made it not so fun either.

It was hot running, I almost passed out as I passed over the finish line. And I was last. The medic poured water over my head, and I almost felt human again.

This time, our friends raced after us, and so they loudly cheered us on. I mean, loudly. I think one guy, Enrique was omnipresent. He was by the sea, the bikes and the finish line. Believe it or not, it was incredibly humbling to have them all saying GO GO GO, VENGA, TU PUEDES..at the very top of their lungs.

While they race, Andrew and I did the same, his booming voice reaching out hundreds of meters, not just to our team, but to others.

And as I stood by the finish line, watching these incredible people come in during the heat..I wept again. Hard work, endurance, patience, and waiting for Paloma, I decided to run the last few meters with her. As she finally rounded the corner, both Juli (the trainer) and I realized she wasn't doing well. I ran with her some, encouraged her, and let her finish alone. She collapsed at the line practically and they whisked her away to hospital. Appendecitis, they caught it with antibiotics, but incredible she finished. So did my friend Almu.

Racing is hard, exhillarating, and tough. It seperates the men from the boys, the women from the girls. I came in dead last in our race, but I finished.

Later this week, when my muscles quit complaining, I put on my shorts and helmet, and went for a bike ride. It was my birthday, and the weather was incredible, the flowers glorious and the birds happier than ever. Its been a hard race lately, and somehow I've thought that doing an MA and trainging for a tri, pretending to learn Latin, and still being married and having friends was somehow going to be easy. It hasn't, and maybe in somethings I've come dead last, but I'm still finishing. I am in awe of God, and how He constantly paves the way, even in choppy seas, and hot weather. This year has made me stronger, physically, mentally and spiritually as I've finally run the race that I"ve prepped for in a long time.

Some of you who read my blog maybe don't believe the way I do about God, how He loves you and wants to be not only your Lord and King, but He wants to call you His friend. I believe this. I hope somehow this year I've been able to communicate that, by my actions and my words. If I haven't, I'm sorry, and I hope to do it even more this new year.  I love you all, and I hope somehow you all know that.



Comments

Joanna said…
I absolutely loved this post. Thanks for your honesty! When I did my marathon, that is what I asked of myself - just finish. I am grateful for your reminder how that I applies to life. Sometimes I am discouraged at areas in my life, but I need to just be faithful and finish.
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