People, I jumped out of a plane!!

I still can't believe it. For about 6 months now, my cousin has been trying to get me to do this...finally we took the plunge. Literally.

I met my cousin Meagan in a small town (not sure if it was a town) about an hour north of charlotte. It was a four hour drive for each of us. When I pulled into the place, I thought that we may have made a mistake. I was expecting an airport. This was more like one of the farms on Johns Island. I expected a free range chicken to run under my feet at any moment. The first step was to go into the small office and sign you life away. Then there was a safety video to watch, which seemed to be hosted by one of the founding members of ZZ Top. I took a picture of it so that my husband would know that i watched it (another story). Then off we went for "ground training"




about to step out of the fake plane



being pushed from the fake plane



arch back training



 Finally, it was time to get suited up. I was sooo excited.

and away we went...

sign says "Propellers Rip Off Heads"  Great Choice for the last thing you read before you step on the "runway"

The plane was about the size of a small SUV inside. There were no seats. I sat on the floor facing the back of the plane with my back leaning against a piece of plywood. not kidding. I was closest to the door because I was going to be the first one out. My cousin sat behind the pilot (leaning back on his chair) Our guides were facing us. The belts (not seatbelts :) were attached to the floor and buckled around our harnesses when we sat down. As we ascended in this "after school project" of a plane, I was very thankful that I was going to have chute strapped to me soon. A few minutes into the flight (it lasted about 20), I look up and my tandem partner is SLEEPING!!. i nudged my cousin and gave her the look the that you probably have on your face as you are reading this. I was quite sure that I wanted needed the person who i was about to strap myself to and leap towards earth with to be alert.



Our instructors had these dials on their arms that showed the altitude; and when we got up to 8,000 feet, it was time to put into practice our five minutes of training. It was harder than you would expect to move around in that little plane. I had to turn around and face the front, then my guide attached our harnesses. When we got to the proper altitude, the pilot pulled these two knobs and it seemed like the plane slowed down to a hover. My guide said, "are you ready to jump out of a plane?' and I nodded. :) Then The door popped open.



The next part is something that i will never forget.



i want to tell you why.



I love the Lord. I love the teacher that he is. I truly believe that in every situation, just as James says, there is a chance for our faith and endurance to grow. In Bible study with basketball girls, we have been talking a lot about faith, and last weekend, the Lord gave me an object lesson in it at the Women's retreat. I tried every way I could think of to get someone else to lead the music because I was sure that I was not good enough to do it. The Lord taught me so much through that process about his Faithfulness and about the real me (which is what Jean Baker told me that steps of faith will do) that I probably need to do another post about that subject.



So I have been thinking about Faith a lot lately; and on the ride to Charlotte, the Lord began to show me how this tandem jump I was about to do was a lot like my walk with him. I get so scared at times to step out into the "unknown." And unlike those crazy North Carolina country boys who were strapped to our backs on Saturday, the Lord won’t push us out of the plane if we are too scared to jump. Even though he knows the joy and exhilaration we will experience if we do trust him and step out.



As the door popped open on the plane, a rush came over me like I have never experienced. The guide put his foot out on this yard stick of a thing under the door. I was to follow suit, and I did. It was very difficult to hold your foot steady, as the wind was blowing so hard. Finally the count...1.... lean back and forward...2.....lean back and forward.....and .....3!!! We were off!!! For a split second, I could see the plane in my peripheral vision (and how fast we were moving away from it) and i thought, "crappity crap I just jumped out of a plane!!!" BUT THEN the coolest thing happened. I could no longer see the plane, and the earth did not seem as though we were getting any closer to it. I felt like I was FLYING. I put my arms out and started shouting (joyfully, not out of fright). My guide was laughing as I was shouting "I'm flying!!"



Then he pulled the parachute, and there was one of the most peaceful silences that I have ever experienced. He pointed out Charlotte's skyline (an hour south) and Winston Salem’s skyline (45 min to the east) and Grandfather mountain to the west. I could see the farmland below divided like a patchwork quilt. It was amazing.



I was in the shower yesterday morning (I do my best reflective thinking in the shower), and the Lord brought this to my mind again. I realized that he created tandem skydiving (like all things) to point us to Him, to his sovereignty, his fathering, and his joy as we experience trusting him, stepping out with him, and flying.

 

Great Message.  Check it out!

http://www.passioncitychurch.com/watch/#20100418

On Your Left!

Well I finished my first sprint tri last Sunday. It was a really fun experience, and I am excited for my second one in July. The environment was so exciting and cool. It seemed like a great community of people. I got to the site about 5:45 to get registered and start setting up my station. I had some butterflies when I arrived, but nothing like I used to have during my basketball days. I really like the feeling of having no other people to be responsible for. If I have a bad day, it only effects me, not a whole team of people. My friend Danielle and I set up our stations next to each other. This was her second tri, and I was glad to have her there to show me the ropes. My hubby and in-laws came to support me as well. It was pretty cool.

Swim 600 yards 15:19

I just knew that the water was going to be freezing. That was one thought that I could not get to leave my brain. Another was the fact that I was swimming in the dog pond (and I knew what dogs did in that pond. I had a feeling that I would puke at some point during the swim out of sheer mental image of dog crap. (I didn't though)

The swim was a wading start. When it was our turn, we entered the water (which was not cold at all) and got ready to start. One of the girls in my age group thought it would be funny to tell everyone that she brought her dog here the day before and it crapped in the pond. Not funny. Anyway the horn went off and away we went. I took a place out the outside because I was new and I figured I would be slow. It is a lot different swimming in lake water than it is swimming in a pool. You can't see a thing. I did my regular stroke for a couple minutes and then did several rest strokes. I swam a bit on my back too (that is what I am doing in the picture). This was the hardest part of the race for me. I am going to work more on my swim for the next one. My family had set up a place next to the lake, and it was cool to hear them cheering for me. They were great. I finished the swim in about 15 minutes. Close to the back of my age group, but not a bad time.

T1 2:41

The first transition was a bit touchy. I am definitely going to bring something to sit down on next time. I filled a Frisbee with freshwater before the race, and used it to rinse the dirt off my feet before I put on my shoes and socks. Helmet on, back off the rack, and away we go.

Bike 12.8 miles 52:35

The bike course was fun. I got passed a lot, but that is ok. I kept a pace of about 15-17 mph. We rode out of the park and down a road lined with oak trees, then out toward the beach. Everyone was so encouraging. The people at the intersections would cheer as you pass, and more importantly, the really good riders often spoke a word of encouragement as they passed you. (Which happened a lot :) Every time someone would pass me, they would yell out "On Your Left!!" I was about 8 miles in, and I had not had the opportunity to pass anyone yet, when I noticed a lady in the distance (could this be my first "On Your Left!") I did not get too excited; I just kept my pace, and steadily gained on her. As we rounded loop and headed back to the park, I finally made my move. It felt good. I said "On Your Left" and moved around her. HAHA Small victory! (Hopefully next time, I will get to say that at least two times :) When I got back into the park, my family was there cheering for me. Cory got a neat video that I will try and post later. It was cool to see them.

T2+Run 22:20 (35:00)

I went into the second transition feeling really good. I intentionally did not push myself as hard as I could because I did not know what the next leg was going to be like. I got back to my station to find that someone had put their bike in my spot (made me a little mad). I moved theirs over a bit, and placed mine on the rack. I remembered to take off my helmet :) and discreetly put on ipod into my shorts (not legal). I started off on the run, and here is where the fun started. I was running for about a quarter mile when I came to a fork in the road. There was a man behind me who had gotten off of the bike around the same time so I turned around to ask him which way we should go. He guessed left so I said ok. I felt great on the run. I had my Needtobreathe playing in my headphones, and I was cruising. Runnin my own run. I came around a bin and it looked like a only had a bit to go before I was turning back to the home stretch. I thought "Wow I feel great for being about ready to finish three miles" I chalked it up to adrenaline, and kept moving. I saw my family and said "I feel good." I went around another bin and lost sight of them. Apparently, after they saw me, they began to do some calculating in their brains because as I came back around to make my sprint to the finish, my father-in-law came along side of me a said, "I think you missed part of the run, kid." OH NOO! No wonder I was feeling so good! lol However, by that point, I had no idea how to get back to that section of the course without backtracking (they had us corralled like cattle). So I just decided to add some time on to my finish since I was only going for a baseline.

Overall, it was a great experience and I can't wait for the next one.



Total Time (with add on) 1:45:00 (met my goal of under 2:00:00)



and no woman over the age of 60 finished before me :)

me and my Coach :)

Training switches for next time (My next race is July 11):

6 weeks away

I am going to add weights in three times per week paired with run/bike and one Brick on the weekend.

I am also going to do two short (30minute) swims a week

.

Goals for July 11

Swim 13:00

T1 2:00

Bike 45:00 ( I would like to learn ot use my aerobars too)

T2 and Run 32:00

Total 1:32:00

Court Yard Hounds

I was just doing some desk work and listening to NPR and I heard this great interview. Court Yard Hounds is one of my favorite new bands. check out the interview. They play a really cool bluegrass tune for the NPR audience.

Second Brick!! And It Did Not Feel Like a Ton of Them!!

I did my second brick yesterday afternoon. Great weather (about75 degrees). I was as slow as Christmas, BUT I completed 12.8 miles on the bike and ran 3 miles WITHOUT STOPPING!! yippee! I rode down Chisolm road and passed some real riders going the other way. They waved and that made me feel good, kind of like I was a part of the club. (I am very thankful that they were going in the opposite direction so that they could not gauge how slow I was traveling :) Anyway, I felt good the whole way. I averaged about a 4 minute mile on my ride, that is about 14 mph (not fast at all if you know anything about cycling, but "we got a first timer out here." I had my ipod stuck down in the back of my shorts where I could not reach it, so I was at the mercy of my random playlist. It treated me well. I sang along with some oldies and then listened to a great message from my parent's home church. The scenery on Chisolm is beautiful. Around every bend is a horse farm, or a marsh creek, or a nice pasture. It is really enjoyable. When I finished my ride, I put my bike in the house, threw on some running shorts over my tri-shorts (I still feel naked in them), and set off on my run. 1.5 down and 1.5 back. I was turning the corner out of my driveway when I realized that I still had my bike helmet on (ha!). I ran back and threw it on the front porch(more on that in a minute). I hope I don't do that on race day. I had a great run back down Mary Ann Point Rd to Chisolm. My legs felt pretty good (a lot better than last week). I was working at a pretty conservative pace because my goal was to finish the entire thing without stopping. I am going to work on speed in the future. (Coach Cory helped me come up with that strategy)
As I was finishing the first mile of the run, the sermon that I was listening to came to an end and my music started again. All day I had been meditating on some things that we had learned in church earlier that morning. I am definitely the "heady" person that our pastor was talking about. Here is an example of that...After the sermon, I immediately begin to worry that I have missed something or have not been doing something right. As I was training, The Holy Spirit began to remind me that He has me. His Spirit is leading me into all truth and I am walking with him and desiring for him to lead me and fill me. I can rest. I can recall several times in my life when I have felt Him press on me to just chill out. As I was running, I began to reflect on his goodness and his fathering of me; and I could not keep my hands out of the air. It boggles my mind that the One who created everything, cares enough about me to father me and lead me into Real truth. boggling. The Lord is so faithful to me and He truly knows me completely. It was a great training day and a great time with the one who knows me better than I know myself.

Oh back to the helmet. So I was on my last leg of the run, I had turned the corner and could see my driveway about 300 yards away. All of the sudden, I see a big white Ford truck coming my way with my worker man inside. He saw my helmet on the front porch and decided to put out the search team :). My hero. I started making muscles and he smiled. He rolled down the window and I shouted 12.8 and three baby! 12.8 and three!!

There may not be an I in TEAM, but there is one in PR (kind of).

So I did my first BRICK this weekend. For those of you who do not know what that means (I found out myself a couple weeks ago) a BRICK is a training session that incorporates two of the three triathlon events. On Saturday, my friend (who totally acted like she was out of shape and then continually left me in the dust and was forced to stop and wait on my slow butt)and I rode for about 17 miles and then attempted to run for 3 (yeah right). I felt good during the bike ride (I was just real slow) and I actually felt like I could have kept on riding, but when we got back to her house, parked the bikes, and began our jog (which went from "let's do three miles," to "let's just do one," to "let's just jog around the block so our legs can get a taste") MY LEGS WERE JELLO. I was fighting the mental battle the whole time. "DO NOT STOP!!" "I have to stop" "DO NOT STOP" "I just need to walk for a second" and so forth it went... I jogged until I lost sight of Danny only to find her again running in and out of cul-de-sacs waiting on me :) I gave in. We walked and talked and once I got my wind back, we finished strong and jogged back to her house.

I much as I am moaning right now, I really am enjoying the feeling of getting back in shape. This weekend, I felt sore for the first time in a few years. I mean two-a-day sore. It was nice. I also love cross training. I am really enjoying the biking and swimming. Danny and I were talking (during one of the few times we were close to each other on the bike ride) that we have totally been conditioned to HATE running. It was always a punishment for us during our basketball days. We both really have to work hard to get running miles in because it is so grueling to us.

Let me just say that I am alright with being the slow person. I am in PR world now (this means personal record) (just learned that too). It is much more enjoyable than my athletic experience in the past. Before, there was the pressure of being responsible for your teammates; and the pressure of letting others down if you did not perform well. I do not feel that now. There is an I in PR (kind of).

T-to the-R-A-I-N

I realized this morning after I attempted a 600 yard swim in the pool without stopping that I may drown during the race. Over the next 3 ½ weeks (ahhhhhhh I can't believe that is all I have), I really have to step up my pool training. The swim is definitely my weakest link. Other than that, I feel pretty good. I am excited to do my first brick this weekend with Danny.