The Sprint Tri and why this weather excites me!

Over the years, people I know have trained for the Ironman Triathlon. Although I admired their dedication, I thought they were crazy! I couldn't really understand why it was so addicting.......until two years ago when I did my first event, a much shorter version - The Sprint Tri.

While living in Budapest, Hungary, a teacher I worked with sold me her daughter's bike. For whatever reason, this started my journey towards Triathlon. I started with something I love and I biked all over that beautiful city. Something came alive inside of me. I loved it! Then my bike was stolen and I borrowed Chris' mountain bike. Yep. I was addicted because riding a mountain bike through the city is total commitment. One of my favorite places to bike was Margaret Island. It wasn't long before I noticed an amazing aquatic center on the Island. I started swimming regularly there and one day I happened to stumble upon a padded running course around the Island. I'm not sure how or when, but something clicked - run, bike, swim.....

Then I realized....
1) I would have to run. (did I mention I hate running?)
2) I would have to train.( I imagined the worst. My time sucked into the vortex of Tri training. But I soon was encouraged to find that I didn't have to be the crazy, psycho woman training for an Ironman. Couch Potato's could do it and be relatively successful. :)

My first Sprint Tri took place outside of London in Eton and WOW! What an experience. My good friend Lara joined me and was such a support! Tosin pitched in by letting me use his bike! I will never never forget the incredible feeling when I finished. I trained well. I followed a beginners Tri training guide and that went well! I was so inspired when I finished that I was ready to do another one right there on the spot!

My second Sprint Tri took place in Auburn, California and I was much less prepared. Not only was the course hilly and rigorous, I hadn't trained as consistently as I did for London. I learned a lot from that race, basically that I'll never repeat Auburn. It was TOUGH and when it ceases being enjoyable, I cease to desire to go.

More recently, I've been building a base on treadmills and stationary bikes for 2010 Sprint Tri events. When I think about the next event, I get super excited. This year, I really want to do one by the Ocean. It's all about the surroundings for me. We'll see. There are a few in the Bay Area that I've got my eye on. I'd also like to do the Pyramid Tri.

One thing I've learned is that winter training can really be an asset. Treadmills and stationary bikes aren't all bad - they can keep you moving through the Winter weather. Although I prefer running on trails outside, the treadmill has become my friend.

Today the sun was shining and there was a glimmer of hope that Spring is near! Something inside came alive and I got excited as I thought about the training that is to come. I'm thankful for vitamin D in Reno. I love that sunshine. And I'm thankful that training will soon be mostly outside very soon.

I've got a lot of possibilities in mind for 2010 events, but nothing set in stone. I'm pretty sure I will do my first 2010 Tri in April. But I'm working on working in a half-marathon, to kick this running thing in the pants. But, again -- that's another reason why I love the Sprint Tri. It's a great way to mix it up! Not just running, but biking and swimming too! :))

A Love Note.....

Last year I celebrated Valentine's Day in Budapest with a few Hungarian and Polish friends. We talked about what love means to people today, our views on romantic relationships and what God has demonstrated as love through Christ - that His love is perfect. The main premise was that other loves fail miserably in comparison to God's love.

Peter had given me a copy of a "love letter from God" a few weeks before Valentines Day and it was translated into both Hungarian and English. It was very cool to see it translated into Hungarian! As V-day rolled around, I gave a copy to my Hungarian lady friends along with a rose. This is how we celebrated and it meant a great deal to me that my Hungarian (and Polish) friends were there to talk and share thoughts on love.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I'm very aware of what it's like to go into this holiday as a single person. I've had a lot of single years. Some V-days were better than others. I found when I was busy thinking of other people and how to love on them, it was much, much easier. When it came to dating just to have a Valentine's date, I could just never bring myself to do that. Casual dating was never really an option for me. I give 100% and to do that over and over again, if it's just going to be a casual thing, equals pain and heartbreak in my book.

In Hungary all the teenage boys wanted to know if I had a boyfriend. I told them I was waiting for the Nagy Szerelo - the big love. And in the meantime, I pursued the things in life that meant the most to me. I don't regret that decision because throughout that time, I read books on healthy relationships (haha, I have a few boxes of them in storage, no joke!), spent time asking God to heal my heart from the past, talked to couples that I respected to hear their stories and I meditated on the things God said in His word about love. This might sound corny but on some occasions, I even took myself out on a date to a nice restaurant or a movie. If I couldn't be a happy, self-confident single woman, what makes me think I'd be that in a relationship?

I'll admit - some days I sucked in this part of the heart journey and couldn't understand where God was in the midst of it all. When my soul longed to be understood by just one man (it wouldn't take a lot -- just one), when I wanted to share life's chores (like going to Trader Joe's or Walmart), I'd get frustrated that nothing was happening. Then I was always brought back to the truth that the perfect love, the greatest lover of all time wanted this time with me. He wanted me to himself, so to speak. So, why should I complain?

I say this and yet I know. Trusting that God cares about the love life can be a challenging journey since sometimes the heart just has no idea what God is up to!

Now that my life journey has brought me into a relationship with a very good man, I still remember what my married friends tried to tell me over the years. Basically, even when you are in the best relationship on earth, there is still not one person who can fulfill, satisfy and understand all the little crevices in your heart and soul that were meant to receive and experience divine love.

If God himself IS love, then if you want a perfect love, you won't find it anywhere else. He is perfect and perfectly fills the soul. And so then I think about this. When God fills your soul, there's enough love to go around. There's room for it to overflow. He gives you the ability to walk in 1 Corinthians 13 towards others. I don't know anyone who can be patient, kind, loving 24/7 to all people. Yet God is this to us and so much more! Wow. We need Him and His presence, His perfect love to fill and refill us AND our relationships. Only in this is there hope for a healthy, genuine relationship that mirrors and reflects the divine.

I believe that healthy relationships are something to desire. One of my biggest beefs all these years as a single woman was watching men who were interested at some level and yet never pursued some of my friends and even me. I'd like to say, don't play games with a woman's heart as in say you're going to be friends but act and spend time like it's more. I'd love to see more of my men friends get over their fears and trust God to lead the heart into a committed relationship. As a wise man once said, "fortune favors the bold!" And it does. I'm not saying don't use wisdom. But it's most disheartening to see amazing men and women continue to live single lives because someone doesn't have the guts to risk rejection. Relationships aren't for cowards and men were called to be the pursuers.....Healthy relationship were meant to bless and extend the good things God gives on the earth. It's worth the risk, especially if you're building it with Christ at the center!

As I go into this Valentine's Day with a very good man by my side, I never want to forget the journey through my single years. Ultimately, I learned that the only place to find completion and wholeness in love is in the one who designed love. His love will always be the best. He designed it that way. That will never change, no matter what season of the soul I am in. Men and women are meant to look to God to fill in all the gaps. God alone is meant to define, shape and mold the heart according to His love pattern. He's the anchor that ensures the best kind of giving and receiving in love.

So here's the Valentine's letter I leave with you. And now that I've rambled on and on, I'm curious. Which phrase stands out to you and why as you read this "love letter"? Does one mean more to you than another one? I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts! I am leaving both the English and Hungarian version. I would love to hear your feedback.


My Child,

I know everything about you, even if you may not know me.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

And, Here's a copy of the Love Letter in Magyar :))

Szerelmes Levél Atyádtól

Gyermekem…

Lehet hogy te nem ismersz engem,
de én mindent tudok rólad
Zsoltárok 139,1

Azt is tudom, hogy pontosan mikor ülsz le,
és mikor állsz fel
Zsoltárok 139,2

Minden utadat jól ismerem
Zsoltárok 139,3

Még a hajszálaid is mind számon vannak tartva
Máté 10,29-31

Mert saját magam hasonmására teremtettelek téged
1 Mózes 1,27

Anélkül hogy tudnád, Énbennem élsz, mozogsz, létezel
Apostolok Cselekedetei 17,28

Mert az én nemzetségem vagy
Apostolok Cselekedetei 17,28

Mielott megformáltalak az anyaméhben,
már ismertelek
Jeremiás 1,4-5

Kiválasztottalak magamnak, a teremtés kezdetén
Efezusiakhoz 1,11-12

Nem véletlen az életed,
mivel teljes egészében minden tetted le van írva a könyvemben
Zsoltárok 139,16

Én határoztam el pontosan a születésed idejét, és azt is,
hogy hol fogsz élni
Apostolok Cselekedetei 17,26

Félelmetesnek és csodálatosnak alkottalak meg
Zsoltárok 139,14

Én formáltalak anyád méhében
Zsoltárok 139,13

Én hoztalak a világra születésed napján
Zsoltárok 71,6

Hamisan képviseltek azok,
akik nem ismernek engem
János 8,41-44

Nem vagyok tartózkodó, sem haragos,
hanem teljes szeretettel tekintek rád
1 János 4,16

Vágyom arra,
hogy szeretetemmel elhalmozzalak
1 János 3,1

Csupán azért,
mert a gyermekem vagy és én Apád vagyok
1 János 3,1

Többet adok neked,
mint valaha földi apádtól kaphatnál
Maté 7,11

Mert én vagyok a tökéletes Apa
Máté 5,48

Minden jó ajandék számodra, amelyet elfogadsz,
az én kezembõl ered
Jakab 1,17

Mert mindenben gondoskodom rólad és ellátlak mind azzal,
amire szükséged van
Máté 6,31-33

A jövõdre vonatkozó terveim mindig
reménnyel vannak teli
Jeremiás 29,11

Mert örök szeretettel szeretlek téged
Jeremiás 31,3

Annyiszor gondolok rád, mint ahány
homokszem van a tengerparton
Zsoltárok 139,17-18

És én örvendek neked hangosan énekelve
Zofóniás 3,17

Sosem únok bele abba,
hogy jót tegyek veled
Jeremiás 32,40

Mert az én kincsem vagy
2 Mózes 19,5

Teljes szívemmel és lelkemmel
vágyok arra hogy örök életet adjak neked
Jeremiás 32,41

És én hatalmas és csodálatos dolgokat
akarok mutatni neked
Jeremiás 33,3

Megtalálsz, ha teljes szíveddel keresel engem
5 Mózes 4,29

Gyönyörködj bennem és megadom szíved kérését
Zsoltárok 37,4

Mert én adtam neked azokat a kivánságokat
Filippiekhez 2,13

Mindent megteszek érted, sokkal bõségesebben,
mint ahogy azt elképzeled
Efezusiakhoz 3,20

Mert én vagyok a leghuségesebb bátorítód
2 Thesszalonikaiakhoz 2,16-17

Az Atya vagyok,
aki minden nyomorúságodban megvígasztal
2 Korinthusiakhoz 1,3-4

Amikor a szíved megtört, akkor vagyok közel hozzád
Zsoltár 34,19

Mint ahogy a pásztor karjára gyüjti a bárányát,
a szívemhez közel úgy hordoztalak téged
Ézsaiás 40,11

Egy nap minden könnyet letörlök a szemeidrõl
Jelenések 21,3-4

És megszabadítlak az összes földi fájdalmadtól
Jelenések 21,3-4

Atyád vagyok, és fiamként szeretlek,
mint ahogyan Jézust szeretem
János 17,23

Mert Jézusban láthatod, hogy mennyire szeretlek
János 17,26

O és én, egyek vagyunk
Zsidókhoz 1,3

O azért jött hogy bebizonyítsa,
hogy én veled vagyok és nem ellened
Rómaiakhoz 8,31

És hogy elmondja,
hogy nem tulajdonítom neked vétkeidet
2 Korinthusiakhoz 5,18-19

Jézus azért halt meg, hogy egymással megbékéltessünk
2 Korinthusiakhoz 5,18-19

Az o halála volt a szeretetemnek
legmélyebb kifejezése
1 János 4,10

Feladtam mindent amit szerettem,
azért hogy megnyerjem a te szeretetedet
Rómaiakhoz 8,32

Ha befogadod fiamat,
Jézust, úgy engem fogadsz be
1 János 2,23

Soha, semmi nem választhat el téged
az én szeretetemtõl
Rómaiakhoz 8,38-39

Gyere haza, és a legnagyobb ünnepséget rendezem a tiszteletedre,
amelyet a menyország valaha is látott
Lukács 15,7

Én mindig Atya voltam, és mindig Atya leszek
Efezusiakhoz 3,14-15

Az én kérdésem ez:
Leszel-e te a gyermekem?
János 1,12-13

Várok rád
Lukács 15,11-32

Szeretettel, Édesatyád.,
a Mindenható Isten

A leisurely morning

This morning I got up around 7 am. Way too early for a Saturday, if you ask me! There's something about taking it slow on a weekend morning that does great things to the soul! Although I didn't sleep in, I did get to rest and take it easy and that's just about the same difference to me!

I finally sauntered out of bed around 8 am and decided to get the java flow started. Downstairs mom was waking up too. Our weekday morning ritual has been really nice. We usually have a cup of coffee and talk for about 10 minutes before moving on to start the day. But this morning was different. This morning, I brought my bible and journal downstairs and got online at crosswalk.com, leisurely reading and sipping on coffee while chatting with mom. Being able to take my time, stop and read, enjoy the day slowly and leisurely is bliss!

The rest of the family got up around 10 am and mom made breakfast. Yummy cheesy eggs and bacon and fresh OJ!! I love these moments with my family, especially since I haven't been around for almost a decade until just recently.

Now I'm contemplating a workout before driving up to Reno to hang out with Mr. Brownskin. Today I just don't feel like working out. I know that consistency and discipline are key but I wonder if I will ever enjoy running! For me, on most days, it's pure torture, atleast until I'm done. Then I'm glad I did it. Yesterday I ran 5 miles, was supposed to do 6 but wimped out. Fortunately today on the workout plan I have a 3 mile EZ run and some bike time! I love riding. I could ride for hours on a bike but how do long distance runners wrap their brain around almost a few hours of running? I just don't get it.

Later today I'm going to make Shrimp and Potato Chowder at Mr. Simmons place. We'll probably watch a movie and just relax. I love these moments when there's no rush, no agenda, no real plan.

Although there is one thing that I KNOW I need to do but keep avoiding -- finish up those darn New Years cards!! Yep, I'm that person who sends you a card in February. Still have about 30 to write a note on and address envelopes! I like to send them all out at once. Maybe that's not the smartest, but that's what I like. It's going to be Valentines Day by the time I finally get them out. Oh well. Such is life sometimes.