Need a Ride?

Another Saturday morning with beautiful snow falling from the sky. Winter has been espically kind this year. If you like snow and cold. So before Janet went out to finish the last of Christmas shopping I slipped on my running warmies and headed into the falling snow for a morning run.
I would guess 2-3 inches were all ready on the ground and traffic was light over the slow rolling hills. As I got out of town I could hear a flock of geese up in the sky and slowly they came into view through the snow in the air. They circled over head and landed in a top the hill side where the horses were in pasture. What a treat!
As I ran today I pondered many things. A funny parallel occurred to me as I glided through the snow. It was about how running has become a filter to me. A time to find clarity and truth. It is so difficult to really clearly think with so many distractions in life. As the snow fell and silenced everything around me both visually and audibly I was able to more clearly able to get to the truth of the matters in my mind. Not just what I though and wanted to believe, rather what was right, moral and or right in the eyes of my Father God. I often times find that on my runs but it seems to come faster when there is snow.
Just about a mile in, up over the hill a Jeep slowed down and honked at me. He pulled along side of me and rolled down his window. "Need a ride? I would be glad to help you out," the portly man said with a look of worry on his face. I smiled at him and replied that all was well and that I was doing this for fun. He gave me a second look, with a bit of confusion on his face he asked, "REALLY?" I assured him again that I really love winter running. He said ok, rolled up his window and drove off. I don't think I'll ever forget that.
One of the reasons I love winter running besides the extra layer of peace, is because it is a bit harder. You need take even more focus off yourself and focus on what is in front of you or coming behind you. You have to slow a bit and be sure of your footing. You really have to dress well and sometimes you just have to bear it and choose to like it. Sound a lot like life doesn't it?
Endurance racing is not about race day. It is about all the days before race day. Today made most every race day I will ever have look easy. I enjoyed it because I chose to enjoy what was beautiful about it not what was obviously difficult about it. When they say the racing is 80% mental I think they are wrong, it's closer to 90%.
What do you want to do today? Do it with JOY!

Have a happy and Blessed Christmas not because it is the most beautiful time of year. Have a blessed Christmas because it marks the day that our Savior came to earth to walk among us, to fully love us and understand us and most of all to save us.
We are all so very blessed.

Let it Snow

It has been a very productive past couple of months around here. Life continues to remind me that the less TV and Movies I watch the happier I am. We continue to get odds and ends done around the house and are getting ready to list the house for sale. We would rather never leave our home that we built but there are much more important things than our home. Money is tight and if our house sells we can get the equity out of it and get into another mortgage much cheaper. Our hope is for Janet to be at home with the kids. It would be fun to have money left over for important things like vacations and such too. Life is only going to get more expensive as we go. Our desire is to be good stewards of our money and that is not happening.

Training is back in gear now. I am running when I can and swimming once or twice a week. It has felt so good to be back training again. Sunday was my first winter run in the rain before it got crazy cold. It was good to do it because it will make all my other runs this winter feel easy. Today is Tues and I got out before Janet and the kids got home. It was zero degrees but little wind and the snow was falling. You can dress for the cold, but not the wind, and there is nothing better than running in a light snow. It is so peaceful and quiet. Traction is actually better and soft. My soul was satisfied with today's run, what a blessing. Now my only christmas wish is a bike trainer so I can be well rounded coming into the training season. I want to be able to work on speed and endurance this year and if I am in shape coming into it I will be able to do that.

The races that I will for sure be doing are: May 16- Maple Grove half marathon. June 7-the Buffalo Olympic Tri. June 27-pacific crest Oregon half iron(tnt). July 18-lifetime Olympic (tnt).
Aug 9-Green lake sprint.

We have been so blessed as a family with so much. We look forward to a great Christmas season with family and friends. Then our little girl Bijou turns 2 new years day. What a great time of year.

God bless and have a Blessed Christmas Season.

Thanks

Our little Turkey

The rest of the year seems to quickly disappear from here out. May be that's why we have Thanksgiving now. The rest of the year is a flash and you really don't remember it all. Outside of Janet getting a migraine our thanksgiving was wonderfully peaceful. Dinner at mom and dads and I must say everything was perfect. We even got to play some 500 after dinner.Cousin Adison and Armand

Adison and Bijou in their tent.

I have a bad habit of getting myself into big projects when I am not training. Since it is my off season I started looking at moving my utility room into the side of the garage. It took me a couple of months of thinking to figure it out and came up with a plan and dove in. Once again, way more work than I imagined but it is almost done. We are hosting our Prest Christmas party this year and we are super excited about it. This "little project" should help to make our space more comfortable. The old utility room is now a "mud room" off the garage complete with built in lockers for us and kids. Bijou has been a great help with the framing, sheet rocking, tile and paint work. Just one more weekend to get things ready.

Time for work daddy!

This last week I had my first meeting of the upcoming season for TNT. This year I have committed to being a "team captain." My role will be to support our coaches (mike and bob) in any way possible. We will be training for the local Lifetime Tri and also the Pacific Crest half Iron distance Tri in Oregon. The goal is for us to prepare and encourage everyone who joins to have the best season possible. It is an amaizing, life changing thing for everyone. Epically the families we will support that are dealing with cancer. It means something different for everyone but the important thing is that we are making a difference is the fight against cancer. I hope some of you out there would consider joining me this year for a race, I promise it will be one of the greatest experiences of your life. It is amaizing what a small group of committed people can do! Be a life changer!

Last years season was great. I look back at all the work I put in and get excited to start back into training this weekend. Finding a balance of time with the family and time training was better this year. I look forward to getting better at that every year. Bijou joins me for many runs in the running stroller and I look forward to sharing that with Armand. I always do the "horse farm" loop when I run with Bijou. She love to see all the horses as we go by. I feel very fortunate that she loves to go with me.

This year I feel older. That is a big statement. I feel more fit that any time in my life, and I love all the experiences that life has taught me. It is just interesting that I am now at a point that even college age seems so far away. The shows I used to watch are now on the classics, and I like all the music on the "oldies" station. I am no longer in between. There are wrinkles on my face that I have never noticed before and my hair line continues to retreat into the "back forty." None of this is a compliant. I love where I am in life. It feels much more complete and full. It is so fun to share so much with the woman I love and two beautiful children. What a challenge it is to be a good parent. It is so exciting! Everything is so new every day. Today Bijou had her first "potty" on little toilet. I never thought peeing could be so exciting. What a joy to see her learn and grow. It really is going so fast. So fun to have a little boy right on her heels about to learn it all too. What a great pair they are.

So much more to share but I thought I would burn the rest of my time on the computer putting up pictures. They are much more interesting than my blabber.

And So It Goes

Looking back on the past year is surreal. It seems so long ago. Finishing my first TNT race, doing my first Olimpic distance Tri. Going strait into two other races, a century ride and my first marathon. All things that I could not have done on my own. It is curious for me to look back and see what I am doing with my time now. I honestly don't know how I did all that last year. Honestly it was the thoughtful letters and support that all you gave, to keep me going. Granted I did get an ulcer, but is was an amaizing time. Loosing McKenna, our honored team mate for the TNT marathon was reason to keep going. Tragedy happens every day. It is so important to find ways to help in the fight. To ease one anothers pain. To love others more than yourself. I am so excited to race again for TNT next season, I wish so badly I was doing it right now.

One year ago Bijou was just starting to stand. We knew we were going to be expecting another and I was filling time in at the store to relieve pressure off dad and mom. Dad has just gotten out of the hospital due to a heart/stress scare.
Bijou is double her size and her learning ability is amaizing. Running, jumping, learning how to sing and copping everything we say. An absolute joy! Armand is an amaizing little boy. Following in his sisters steps as a happy little baby popping teeth early and talking like crazy. I have not filled in at the store yet this year but that may come yet. I hope dad is doing more to manage his stress better.?
The experience I gained last year with my TNT races gave me great confidence and results this past season. Five Triathlons, one half marathon and a few other running races. A fantastic season with fantastic friends.

So what am I doing now? I am really enjoying being a husband and a father. Your perspective really changes when you loose people you love so young. The simple things seem much more important, and life's problems seem less important. I have found that you can only do so much, and that the things that are out of your control should be left alone. Do what you do well and pray for those thing that are out of your control. Life is so precious. Every moment every day. Like it or not it is your choice. Enjoy the things that go your way and love the thing that don't. The alternative is much less appealing. Nothing good comes from negativity and that is no good for those around you. Don't get me wrong, I fail at these thing often but it is rewarding when you can find consistency in the good and bad.

I looked back to my post this time last year and found this. I wish I could say that I had something better to say but I still reflect my thoughts then.

I want so badly to pray with Dan Roelofs but he is gone. I want so badly to go back to Woodland Fellowship and be washed away by the worship and feel the genuine concern of my brothers and sisters, but that is gone. I want so badly to walk over to my brothers garage and hang out with him and the boys, but he is gone and the feeling is not the same. I want so badly for there to be honesty among adults and a desire to seek the truth, to lift one another up and grow as we have been commanded to do. To love one another as we have been loved.

I know my pain is not new, just new to me, and is nothing compared to what so many others have faced. I know that my Father hold my heart and I can feel comfort in my times of hurt. I see so many blessing in my life that He has orchestrated on my behalf, to be able to handle this chapter of my life.

Janet and I have found a church home in The Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove. We do not attend all that regularly but each time we do we are bathed by the worship and encouraged and inspired and challenged by the messages. We could not ask for more there. A great answer to prayer. I continue to be amazed how much longer projects around the house take without Adam. It's not just the time factor, it feels lonely at times too. But that is just something to get used to. I don't think I ever will. It has been so exciting when Adison is able to come over and "help out." What a sharp kid. Just a monster too. Although there continues to be realtionships that are still broken since Adams passing, I know those things are out of my controll. And even though those things make the pain of Adams loss real and personal, I cannot be kept down because of all the wonderful realtionships that we have been blessed with. My parents, alouthouth imperfect, always make an effort to be strong and supportive. We are in it together and we know we will make it together. My sister is busy in her final year of college and doing a fantastic job. It is exciting to see her on the cusp of entering the "real world." So much good ahead of her. I cannot say enough about my best friend Erek Swenson and his family. How supportive he is in every way possible. Great friendships are ones that work in and through anything, and give you confidence along the way. So many other friendships in my life bless me in the same way. So many to list, you know who your are. Thank you, I pray that I am giving back at least half of what you all give to me.

Reflecting on two year of life without my dear brother is odd. My dreams of him are so real it is wierd waking up. Life without him is just that, wierd. I have asked myself if all my crazy training and fundraising for TNT is just a cover for the pain of loosing him. For a short time last year may be.? But I can confidently say that TNT is exactly what I would and should be doing. I will continue to race (one at a time though) for a cause that gives hope and encouragement to those that are forced to deal with cancer. I really look forward to being a mentor next year for the Lifetime Fittness Tri for TNT. I will continue to live in a way that puts my wife and my children first. I pray that I will have to courage to follow God in the path that He has for us.

Life is a blessing.

Off Season

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The great cool weather. The beautiful colors. So many things happen in such a short amount of time. The next thing you know it's cold out. I have been completely off from any training for two months now on a much needed break. It was good to take the "I gotta get a work out in" stress off of everything. Family time has been great. Caucht up on some house stuff. Janet had her garage sale that she has wanted to have for the past couple of years.

The thing that got me into the "off season"was a last minute offer by Erek Swenson to go camping in the BWCA. It had been years since I had done that so I skipped my last tri and headed north. What a great experience to share with Erek. It was a fantastic trip.


After that, since I had no more races planned, my wife thought it would be a good idea to ensure that she would not get pregnant again. Somehow that had more to do with me than her. So under the knife I went. That's all I want to say about that procedure. We do want to consider having more children in the future via adoption. We were so close to adopting while we were trying. So if we feel that God wants our family to grow, we will be excited to do that.

My camping trip with Erek got me excited about camping. So I called up Covenant Pines to see if we could set up camp there and enjoy a weekend. We wanted "Team Swenson" to join us but Erek's wife needed to be sold on the idea. So our neighbors Lou and Ellen were kind enough to lend us their pop up camper for the weekend. So we had all the comforts of home. But it could still be considered camping. We did have a tent and cooked our meals over the fire and on the grill. I have to say that camping with Janet and the kids together was special. That really felt like family to me. Enjoying the elements together, "roughing it." It really dose develop a bond like nothing else. Very special, and so fun to share it with "Team Swenson."




Yesterday was my first day back to training. Man did I miss it. It honestly felt like I was missing something about myself. You know you really like something when you come back to it and you can say, you truly missed it. So, I am excited to be back in the swing of things. I am racing in the Elm Creek fun run next sat morning with Sean Pease and John Kinghorn. It is a fun time in the park reserve with lots of family fall things going on.

As life progresses, and man do it seem to never stop, I feel more and more blessed by the friends and family that surround us. The things in life that are important to us now seem to be so simple but so much more fulfilling. I know that all of these blessings are rooted in our faith. Life has been so precious to me in all stages of it. Young, school, work, play, single, married, responsibilities, loss, children, family. Be encouraged no matter where you are! Know that God knows your heart and open up to His grace and mercy. He is consistent, desire that calm consistency in your life and he will give it to you.

Memories For Sale

I knew that some day it would happen. Life changes and we must all decide what to keep and what to sell. When the memory of someone is attached to something, it makes letting go all that much harder. Dad and I were sitting last weekend trying to remember just what year he bought our beloved boat. Neither of us could remember. I chuckled later when I was still trying to come up with it because I know that Adam would have remembered the year the day and probably what we had for dinner that night. Adam always had the gift of remembering details.
So the summer of 91(plus or minus a year) . Dad surprised Adam and I with a boat. It was shiny and FAST. There is nothing we didn't ski behind that boat. From skis to canoe paddles, chairs, our bear feet we did it all! So many summer days at Grandpa and grandmas cabin in Aitkin. Lake of the Woods. Camp. We had more fun behind that boat than anything. But the thing we enjoyed the most was teaching people how to ski for the first time. Adam epically. He would try to get you up until you gave up, or the sun went down.
The boat was Adams baby. No body put more time into the care of that boat than Adam. In 02 when he had his own garage. He decided to restore the floor and seats. That project lasted over the winter because he decided to have the transit redone and all the fiberglass in the belly under the floor. He rebuilt the entire boat! For good reason. We have driven a lot of boats in our day and I can honestly say that the "playmate" is the best handling boat we ever drove. They just don't make boats like that anymore.
I can't remember who was driving but one summer night at the cabin we were taking it out for one last cruise of the day with mom and we decided to take a full speed turn. Mom was sitting shot gun. Now with most boats when you turn, you loose momentum and slow down and corner pretty slow. Not the "playmate"! Back then, with three people, it would do about 50mph + and you didn't need to slow down for even the hardest turns. It could pull it and be right back up to full speed in no time flat. We forgot to tell mom to hold on for the turn, because she slid right off her seat in came to rest in the back corner of the boat. No harm done just great memories. One of the few times we ever heard dear mother use a descriptive four letter words to thank us :)
I could type pages of stories about this boat. It is a shame that we don't use it like we used to but life has a tendency of changing. There comes a time when it is best to let go and let more memories be made by someone new. It would be a shame for us to let it sit and rot and not let it get used. Adam put far too much work into it for us to let it sit.

It was tough taking it out of the water for the last time. Washing it was almost a sacred experience this time. I didn't wash it many times alone. My mind raced the past three nights as I prepped it for sale. Oh, the times we had. Oh, the care Adam gave to that boat. I pour over my emotions and as I graze over the many memories, I smile. Because as I reflect on memories had, I see the lives that are here. The future that God has blessed me with. Two beautiful children and my beautiful wife. The memories that we have all ready made and ones yet to be.
The page turns in the book of life and all we have left is the memories we hold dear. I choose to do it with joy. We were blessed! We are blessed!

Early Off Season!

This picture is from the Waupaca WI sprint tri Aug 16th.

Since then I have decided to go into a early off season.

That's my boy! Armand Andrew! He's a little smilin' talkin' machine.
He is sleeping great, just one feeding a night.

This is what daddy dose now that his tri training is done for the year. Before too long we will be starting marathon training up again.
Nothing beats time with the Family!