2nd TRI...

I did it again back in September I ran my second Triathalon (sprint) and had a blast! First off I set a faster time than my previous year...which makes me happy! I realize I do not have the time to give to it that the big boys do so my goal is first to complete then to beat my time!

So here is the break down:
141 #293 Fred Shirley 39 St. Michael, MN
Swim – 177/ 22:14 100yd - 2:32
Turn 1. 4:08
Bike – 131/ 57:24 Rate - 18.8
Turn 2. 1:34
Run – 119/ 45:16 Pace - 9:04
Finish - 2:10:35

Last year was...
00:26:50 - swim 1/2 mile
00:04:00 - turn 1
00:58:06 - bike - 18.6 rate / 18 mile
00:02:32 - turn 2
00:50:22 - run - 10:05 pace / 5 mile
02:21:50 - total time

So in short last year took...2 hours 21 minutes 50 seconds...this year was 2 hours 10 minutes 35 seconds.

To end it all I ran it 11 minutes and 15 seconds faster than last year...woohoo! That was the goal and I thank God I made it!

I think that I am more thankful for my family and them supporting as well as putting up with all the training...cause let's be honest working out it just no fun, but setting goals and pushing toward them is!

I have the best wife, daughter, and boys ever...thank you God!

Blessed...is the best!

So today I got to take Brew hunting...he is an amazing dog (just had to say that)...at any rate it was fun to hunt over a good dog again. It's been a few years since the last time I was able to go hunting since I had to put my other dog down.

I am very thankful for all that God has blessed me with and today is just one of them days.

Times to beat...

Here is last years numbers...

00:26:50 - swim 1/2 mile (spent to much time watching..those dudes are fast)
00:04:00 - turn 1
00:58:06 - bike - 18.6 rate / 18 mile
00:02:32 - turn 2
00:50:22 - run - 10:05 pace / 5 mile (kinda slow for me as an average)
02:21:50 - total time

Need to do better this year...

8:00 A.M. SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2012 SQUARE LAKE PARK is the next TRI as of today I am 3 weeks from the event.

.5 mile swim
18 mile bike
5 mile run

...the challenge is laid out before me, I have been preparing and all I care to do is finish with a bent of competing against myself. So a time better than 2:21:50 is the goal.

Watched some of the 2011 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii triathalon the other night...talk about a test of endurance! Oct. 13, 2012 | 2.4 mile swim / 112 mile bike / 26.2 mile run

Best day just got trumped!

One...not "the most" but one of my most memorable days just got trumped. Let me be clear the day I accepted Christ is number one, getting married has to be number 2, however the birth of my kidos and me getting water baptized have always fought for a 3rd place...here is the photo I have and will cherish forever...

Yep that is me getting water baptized...just like the day I gave my life to Christ I can remember all the details to this day. Lake Norfolk was flooded, Pastor Cary Sims and Pastor Vic Porter baptized me. They teased about holding me under a little longer just to make sure it takes...which I still do. This was a huge moment for me and it set me on my course!


However...there is a new photo that takes its place...

Yep that's my oldest kido about to be baptized by me...I do not have words to explain the emotions I feel other than...I am so thankful for this opportunity!

...and it is all done!

I love my job.

A face that loves God with all her heart...she blesses me every day and yes she learned that from her mom!

...she learned this from me!

New PR for a 5 mile run!

5 miles at an 8:10 pace...not bad for me!

Let's see if I can do that after swimming a .5 mile then biking 18 miles and your legs feel like logs!

Someone got a friend!

So a little bit ago I was saying how our one year old Brittany Spaniel needed a friend. It would make her days easier to have a pal to hang out with and then we would have another hunting dog.

Kelly and I chatted and decided we did not really want to do the puppy thing right now and we did not want to two dogs a year apart...3-4 years apart would be better. We made the decision on a Thursday to wait a few years before getting another dog. Then went up north (on Friday) to see friends and run in a race on Saturday.

Friday afternoon we pull up to our friends house and Colton sees there dog and goes nuts! Colton and Connor basicly played outside with the dog for 2 hours. The boys come in explain how much fun they just had...to which our friend says "you can take him home"!

Long story made short God had a better idea than we did and we ended up with a 3.5 year old yellow lab that just loves the kids and will do anything for them...he is an awesome addition to the family...so welcome Brew to the Shirley clan!

Back in a flash...

Interesting how a word, a moment, a place, or an item can bring the past and it's feelings rushing back to ya in a flash...

Some of these moments are not fun...

Shorties response to being at a funeral and it then bringing back a different set of emotions for me and for him (your mom passing away and that same mom being the shorties grandma) makes for a tuff day full of emotions.

...I dislike funerals yet I realize just as you that they are apart of life and have happened since the beginning of time yet we still struggle with it them.

Some of these moments are very fun...

The name "Paragould AR"...being spoken brought back a rush of emotion from the past, especially when said with an Arkansas twang...brings a rush of emotions from the past and most are very good!

...wow the thoughts of childhood and growing up playing baseball...fun!

What wall?

What wall do you or are you running into in life...need a little motivation to get around it?

Video of David Goggins...he has a reason for doing what he does and it is a good one...my reason for the video is that if he can do it (overcome a wall) so can I or we!

Trust me you can do it...just get started, just keep moving you can do it!

Not to sure what your wall is but I can say for certain that God has given you more than enough strength to overcome! Let's put our trust in Him today and keep moving forward...the goal...to cross the finish line!

If we don't quit...we will win!

Coincidence....?

I have always loved the Chuck Norris quotes they just make me laugh big time...this one is no different!

Chuck Norris being born on a certain date then The Nazis surrendering the next day is just awesome! One more thing Chuck has done to bring world peace!

We realize that this is just coincidence but there are some things that are not. For me I have had a few things happen in the past that make me feel this way. Here is the biggest one I have.

One day I took my oldest son riding with me, we went out with two other buddies one fella was new to the group the other is a very trusted friend and a very experienced rider. So we headed out and spent the first bit of time just getting out of town to make a stop so the other guys could grab a smoke and my son could get off the bike and stretch his legs.

Before we got back going my buddy put a camera on his bike and one on the other fellas and off we went. About 15 minutes into the ride I had a thought run thru my head, now this thought happened right after the rider in front of me had a little bit of a incident with corn on the road.

Here is the thought... "yep that could have been bad...and guess what I am going to kill you and your son today"! Wow...now at this moment I have another thought and it deals with me speaking to this thought and pleading the blood over us and our ride! Then I go into a fight with myself as to if I should or should not actually speak...I mean I don't want to look like a buffoon speaking and praying while riding! Then I realized no one can hear hear me!

So I start speaking the word over my life and my son! Then about 15 minutes later this happens...

Enjoy the video!

Yep you guessed it that is me and my shortie riding the bike that almost smoked both of those deer!

So it leaves me with this question what are you speaking over your life? God gets very clear about speaking your covenant over your life. Here are a few helpful things to speak over your life for blessing and success! I did not come up with these Charles Capps did so he gets the credit not me!

Confessions for life

To defeat worry and fear confess these three times a day:
“I am the body of Christ and Satan has no power over me. For I overcome evil with good” (1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:21)
“I am of God and have overcome him (Satan). For greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4)
“I will fear no evil for You are with me Lord, Your Word and Your Spirit they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4)
“I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me” (Isaiah 54:14)
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for my righteousness is of the Lord. But whatever I do will prosper for I’m like a tree that’s planted by the rivers of water” (Isaiah 54:17; Psalm 1:3)
“I am delivered from the evils of this present world for it is the will of God” (Galatians 1:4)
“No evil will befall me neither will any plague come near my dwelling. For the Lord has given His angels charge over me and they keep me in all my ways, and in my pathway is life and there is no death” (Psalm 91:10-11; Proverbs 12:28)
“I am a doer of the Word of God and am blessed in my deeds. I am happy in those things which I do because I am a doer of the Word of God” (James 1:22)
“I take the shield of faith and I quench every fiery dart that the wicked one brings against me” (Ephesians 6:16)
“Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law. Therefore, I forbid any sickness or disease to come upon this body. Every disease germ and every virus that touches this body dies instantly in the name of Jesus. Every organ and every tissue of this body functions in the perfection to which God created it to functions, and I forbid any malfunction in this body, in the name of Jesus” (Galatians 3:13; Romans 8:11; Genesis 1:31; Matthew 16:19)
“I am an overcomer and I overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of my testimony” (Revelation 12:11)
“I am submitted to God and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the name of Jesus” (James 4:7)
“The Word of God is forever settled in heaven. Therefore, I establish His Word upon this earth” (Psalm 119:89)
“Great is the peace of my children for they are taught of the Lord” (Isaiah 54:13)

Someone needs a friend...

This little lady is Sadie and I think she needs a friend...I mean come on everyone needs a pal!

This has been a very trying year with all that has gone on with my mom. Starting with a brief stay in the hospital to a big time surgery then dealing with all the chemo stuff to then making a decision to go home to heaven. This little pooch has walked with us thru it all and gained a very special place in our hearts.

So with that I think she needs a friend...a playmate...one of her own...a sibling to be exact! So now all I need to do is convince the awesome Kelly (aka my wife) to get another little puppy so Sadie can have a friend.

Ps if you ever need a good britt here is who to contact Lais Kennels

Slap happy kidos...

I am sooooo thankful for my wife...she has a way of making the worst situation seem funny! I am so happy that she is in my life.

Point in case is how she has a knack of getting all three shorties laughing and rolling on the floor over the stupidest things. Thus this sets the tempo of our house where everyone is laughing and loud! If it where up to me it would be boring and quiet all the time...uugghh no fun!

A valentines day project that would have made me yell and scream made her and two boys laugh and giggle hysterically...yep she finds most everything funny! Shortest stack crushes something of value and she giggles at it. Medium stack gets frustrated and is a little angry and she gets him laughing. Biggest stack acts just like mom...life is fun!

So for this valentines day this is the one person that I am most thankful for...she has made my day more happy each and every day I have known her.


Thank you Kelly for bringing a large needed dose of slap happy joy into my life!

Why...

I remember watching a movie recently and the dad was out for a run and the little daughter and mom where snuggling in bed. Little girl asks mon "where is daddy?" Mom replies "he is out running", to which the little girl responds "what's he running from?". Made me laugh and think...why am I doing all this running and working out?

Sometimes it is good to look back to see where you have come to see where your going so here is the quick look back for a reason why.


Here I am around the end of 2009 and sitting at a wonderful 265 pounds. I had a real big check and knew that God, Kelly, my kids, my friends, my church and my job deserved better! I was really not disciplining my self and was on track to not stopping. At this point I was having a hard time telling others to shape up there lives and my physical body was way out of whack!

So...here is a year later sitting at 185 and feeling better than ever. I average about 15 to 20 miles a week running. If I cannot get outside then it is the eliptical or the bike inside. I usually rest one day a week but he goal is to do something each day.

Goal for the future just keep getting better.

I encourage any and everybody...just do something it is more than nothing!

Be blessed and have fun!

Today...

Being that it has been a while since the last post I am going to have to say...don't really care! The last year has been a busy one to say the least but has been one of a lot of growth of a personal and spiritual place so it has been good despite pain and struggles.

Still running and loving it...ran out side today as part of my training for an upcoming half marathon and boy I thought I would never do this! It was 3 degrees out and the wind was moving which put it at a wind chill of -15! I think I have lost my mind.

I will admit it was chilly...but it was a very nice run...sure beats heat and humidity! Why do this...not to sure I guess? Don't feel like I am running from anything but to something, tend to spend a lot of time clearing my head, praying and chatting with God so I really enjoy that time with Him.

It is amazing how going in the right direction can be tough...the run out was into the wind, but then the same right path makes a turn and into the sun you go! It warms up and all is easy...same run, same path, same God but with a little push everything changes!

However I will say it all depends on perspective cause I did enjoy the first part of the run as much as I did the latter...one was just easier than the other. Easy or not we can still find joy and thankfulness in everything we do...no matter how painful or tough it is for the moment.

Yeah I admit...some parts are easier. However if we never get pushed we never find out or true strength.