Good News

I endured a 23 min MRI this Saturday and was reminded how blessed I am. Being told not to move at all was tough for this cat. Having recently lost a friend to ALS (Bill Adair) most recently I was reminded of how he had to endure this for years and not minutes. Seeing Bill go from an active and able man to a bed ridden man was heart breaking.

Its crazy how we can take things for granted. I know I have. This MRI reinforced how blessed I am. I thank God for allowing me to get out of my bed each morning, feed myself, wiggle my toes, and to move in general.

No joke, the folks assisting me with this MRI most have thought I had lost my marbles. The moment my feet hit the ground outside the 'portable MRI trailer' I took off running! To feel that fresh air against my face and feel my heart pounding was joyous! Praised God instantly!

The following scripture holds relevancy:

Acts 17:28 (New International Version)

²⁸For in him we live and move and have our being.

Besides the obvious 'good news' above I have more to share. The MRI showed I have a miniscus tear (medial). I am stoked and fired up to have some sound input on what has been ailing me for months now. Looking FWD to getting this thing scoped and to be back on my feet running and gunning again.

What gets me so excited about this 'setback' is to see how He will work through this for me. I want to glorify Him every step of the way and see how mighty and powerful Christ is! I want more reasons to praise Him for 'victories' in life.

I am really excited to see how this season will unravel. This will make the whole IM in 10 project even more to execute in 2010!

Stay tuned friends! Coach L

THE Planner

This is the time of year where most of us tri folk are registering and getting all jazzed for the 2010 season. In my last post I mentioned 'my' plans, but neglected to mention a few essential points.

(1) I have been hesitant to make much of it, but it is clearly a relevant matter. For some reason the medial aspect of my L knee is simply not cooperating. Training has been mediocore at best for the last 3 or so months despite my efforts to correct this matter. I will be taking the next logical step, which is an MRI. I want to make sure all the details are out there so the journey through 2010 can be truly documented.

(2) Dovetailing off that last point I want to make sure I can give God the credit for His mercy and faithfullness. I trust fully in His will and plan for me. In fact, amongst the 'gray' and the unknown of where this knee thing is going I find great peace about the season. I can plan all I want for this season, but I know He will direct my every step. This gives me great peace, confidence, and ultimately joy.

So, there you have it. My hope is that I can eliminate this knee problem w/ His assistance and have the kind of year I hope for. Ultimately, I desire to glorify Christ in 2010 and not myself.

Scripture that gives me strength and is relevant:

Luke 6:48 (New Living Translation)

⁴⁸ It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.

In this very small setback/roadblock I will continue to trust and 'build' my foundation on Him. In both the good and the bad I know all things come to me to shape and refine me. To prune from me what is not of Him.

I look forward to seeing how He will work in and through me in this season.

Praising God along the way!

Coach L

2010 - Take Two!

Happy New Year!

I hope you are all getting fired up for the upcoming season. Planning out your season can always get the juices flowing a bit.

"Team Leo" has two key items on the docket for this year:

(1) Bring another little one into the world. The expected due date is July 12, 2009. We are very excited about this new addition and I am certain Luke will enjoy a new 'training partner'. I only wish the nausea was not so intense for Annie.

(2) Further refine the "Ironman in 10" training methods with intentions of qualifying at IMF 2010.

I also plan on dabbling in the NCTS; Cool Breeze, Huntersville, Belews, OTM, Latta, LKN, and a few others will serve as 'threshold tests' for 2010.

With that being said, I plan on bringing more detail to my IM prep and the many steps that I will be implimenting along the way.

Generally speaking, I will be keeping volume low at this stage of the game and be focusing on boosting my high end aerobic threshold via loads of interval work.

I will be spending a significant amount of time in 2010 on myofascial work and corrective exercise. This will be executed prior to all of my training to keep 'hidden weak links' from surfacing later in the season as full blown injuries.

I plan on posting baseline data for the three disciplines in the near future. This will set the stage for preping for the sprint/international distances that will springboard to IMF down the road.

I look FWD to another fun filled season and hope to learn much from it...

Happy training folks...Coach L