Day One: Ups and Downs

I knew when I decided to train for a triathlon that there would be ups and downs along the way, however I had no idea that they would start on day one.  I ran three miles this morning in the cold wind, up and down hills.  I finished my run in just about 35 minutes, not exactly a blistering pace by any stretch of the imagination.  My left knee started to hurt on the second mile though, not sure what is going on with that.

The ups and downs of the running were nothing compared to what was coming.  Dad was put in the hospital today just as I was finishing my run.  What a shock to the system.  My Dad has been the strongest man I know for my entire life.  I remember pulling on his arm and even using my feet for leverage when I was little, and I couldn't even pull his arm down with everything I had in me.  I thought it was tough to see him in the hospital a couple years ago after he had a stroke.  Today was much harder, even though from the first look it isn't nearly as serious.

You never expect to see such a strong person, a man among men, lying in a hospital bed.  I am only 31 years old, but I still remember my Dad being the biggest, strongest man I thought that ever could be.  Today I saw him in a totally different light.  His hair is gray, he is weaker with age, and there was a vulnerability that I never could have imagined in him when I was growing up.  It has been a hard thing for me to process to see him age.  It has forced me to make hard decisions in my own life, like leaving a church that I love and people that I love.

I am sure that this process will cause me to make many more decisions, not just for him but for myself also.  Seeing him lying in that hospital bed today made me more resolute than ever to train and to complete these two triathlons that I have laid out for myself this coming year.  I know that none of us can stop what time will do to our bodies but I intend to do everything that I can to be healthier, not just this next year but for the rest of my life.  I don't set these goals just so I can finish a triathlon, but so that I can have quality of life. 

Today has hardened my resolve to see this thing to fruition.  I am committed.