Recently on September 5th, Kristina Anderson, Ben Anderson and I competed in a Sprint Triathlon. We are a Co-ed Relay Team.
I usually compete as an individual but this year I decided to put together a Team to compete in The Great Floridian Ironman Distance Triathlon in Clermont, FL.
Both Kristina and Ben thought and prayed about this undertaking because it was going to take commitment. Kristina will swim 2.4 miles, I will bike 112 miles and Ben will run 26.2 miles. The commitment is both to training and to the team.
We began training and then I found out that there was a Sprint Triathlon in Crystal River on the day of the Gators first football game which wasn't going to be till 7pm. I knew we could do the race and be back in Gainesville in plenty of time to enjoy the pre-game festivities as well as the game. I mentioned the race to Kristina and Ben and they agreed that it would be a good practice day for our Team.
The day before the race finally arrived. We were all excited. We were leaving at 5pm. About 4pm or shortly thereafter Ben sent me a text message saying he hurt his back working out. I thought Ben was trying to pull a joke on me. I sent him a text message back. His next text explained exactly how it happened. It was no joke. My teammate was hurting. We all began to pray that Ben would be healed up and ready to go by morning.
I picked Ben up first. He was moving slow. We picked Kristina up next. Oh, I forgot to mention that Courtney Smith was with us. We were heading to her house to spend the night. She decided to ride along and surprise her parents.
We got to Courtney's house and relaxed before dinner. Ben took another dose of ibuprofen. Our prayer was that he would be healed up in the night so he could run the 5K the next day. After dinner we visited a bit then decided it was time to get to bed because 5:30am would come early.
It did come early! I felt good; ready to go. I checked on Ben. Not good news. He was going to be a spectator and I now was going to do the 15 mile bike and 5K run. Not a big deal because I have been competing in some Sprints this season. I was just sad for Ben. He had been training and his training was going good. He would now encourage us as we competed, heal up and then resume training for Clermont.
We had a good race. Kristina did great in the swim and my run was better than my bike. All in all it was a great Team day and the Team did great to encourage each other and pull for each other. I am proud (in a good Biblical way) of my Teammates and thankful to God that they both are amazing Spiritual Teammates.
Here at the U.F. Christian Campus House we are not only a Family but a Team. We love each other, encourage each other and help each other as family members. As Spiritual Teammates we pray together, work together, serve together and reach out together so that the UFCCH Team is strengthened and that the world around us is impacted for Christ. This is a great challenge in a challenging place. If you are a follower of Christ please pray for Team CCH as we minister here in Gainesville and pray for our Relay Team as we prepare to race and share in Clermont late in October.
We are pressing on!
Both Kristina and Ben thought and prayed about this undertaking because it was going to take commitment. Kristina will swim 2.4 miles, I will bike 112 miles and Ben will run 26.2 miles. The commitment is both to training and to the team.
We began training and then I found out that there was a Sprint Triathlon in Crystal River on the day of the Gators first football game which wasn't going to be till 7pm. I knew we could do the race and be back in Gainesville in plenty of time to enjoy the pre-game festivities as well as the game. I mentioned the race to Kristina and Ben and they agreed that it would be a good practice day for our Team.
The day before the race finally arrived. We were all excited. We were leaving at 5pm. About 4pm or shortly thereafter Ben sent me a text message saying he hurt his back working out. I thought Ben was trying to pull a joke on me. I sent him a text message back. His next text explained exactly how it happened. It was no joke. My teammate was hurting. We all began to pray that Ben would be healed up and ready to go by morning.
I picked Ben up first. He was moving slow. We picked Kristina up next. Oh, I forgot to mention that Courtney Smith was with us. We were heading to her house to spend the night. She decided to ride along and surprise her parents.
We got to Courtney's house and relaxed before dinner. Ben took another dose of ibuprofen. Our prayer was that he would be healed up in the night so he could run the 5K the next day. After dinner we visited a bit then decided it was time to get to bed because 5:30am would come early.
It did come early! I felt good; ready to go. I checked on Ben. Not good news. He was going to be a spectator and I now was going to do the 15 mile bike and 5K run. Not a big deal because I have been competing in some Sprints this season. I was just sad for Ben. He had been training and his training was going good. He would now encourage us as we competed, heal up and then resume training for Clermont.
We had a good race. Kristina did great in the swim and my run was better than my bike. All in all it was a great Team day and the Team did great to encourage each other and pull for each other. I am proud (in a good Biblical way) of my Teammates and thankful to God that they both are amazing Spiritual Teammates.
Here at the U.F. Christian Campus House we are not only a Family but a Team. We love each other, encourage each other and help each other as family members. As Spiritual Teammates we pray together, work together, serve together and reach out together so that the UFCCH Team is strengthened and that the world around us is impacted for Christ. This is a great challenge in a challenging place. If you are a follower of Christ please pray for Team CCH as we minister here in Gainesville and pray for our Relay Team as we prepare to race and share in Clermont late in October.
We are pressing on!
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