“Make no mistake, It’s not revenge he’s after; it’s a reckoning”
Tombstone has always been one of my favorite movies and even though it’s been a while I can still quote the vast majority of it (to Nicole’s chagrin). The afore mentioned quote from that movie comes to mind as I approach my next race- the Sylvan Beach triathlon. I was registered for last year’s race, but five days prior I was injured while doing a race prep. As I rode into the sunrise, I committed a rookie mistake, riding with my head down. At 25mph, only a fraction of a second passed between the time I saw the pickup truck parked in the road and I slammed into the tailgate head first. What happened next is a little foggy. I remember a nurse pulling over and checking for my pulse. My heart rate monitor was still working, so that was easy. Breathing was not. I was hunched over the curb in the fetal position in incredible pain. They convinced me to go to the hospital and as they put a neck collar on, rolled me over, and strapped me to the back board the pain was perhaps the most severe I have ever experienced. As they transported me to the hospital I overheard the ambulance notifying the ER that they were transporting patient with a likely broken neck and/ or back. Strangely, in that moment two things crossed my mind. One- they were going to cut off my brand new Tri4Him race kit. Race kits are pretty expensive and this was brand new! Two- momma always says wear clean underwear in case you have to go to the ER; well with that brand new tri kit I wasn’t wearing any underwear, so I forewarned the medics. Fortunately the uniform remained intact.
So that brings us back to the present. I‘m not after revenge, but I do have unsettled business to take care of at Sylvan Beach; a reckoning if you will. As I compete in that race on June 12, thoughts of a year prior will not be far. I will draw on those who lovingly supported me as well as the God who spared and ultimately healed me to a full recovery.

I am currently three weeks in to a 12 week speed building plan. These high intensity workouts fit nicely into the schedule as the summer months are filled with sprint and olympic distance races. This plan is also a welcome relief, with swims limited to 30 minutes, rides 1.5 hours, and runs 1 hour. Hard to believe that we are just nine weeks out from the start of our four month Ironman race prep plan where swims will exceed an hour, rides up to six hours, and almost three hour runs. It’s great to have David healed up from his injury and we all hope to see him racing soon. Big congrats to his wife piper, who rocked her triathlon debut last month at the Lonestar Triathlon Festival! I recently had my first ever triathlon win. No, I didn’t win a race (yet), but I did win a photo contest from the Kemah Triathlon. I got a great shot of the winner, Andrew Yoder, wings spread flying into the finish chute. Top prize landed me entry into the 2012 TX3 series, a cumulative competition held over three local races. After Ironman this year, I’ll be looking forward to the short course stuff! I had to brag to Nicole despite her status as a professional photographer (http://www.capturedbynicole.net/), I am an award winning photographer- Thanks for letting me use your camera!
Speaking of Nicole, we will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary later this month. Every year of our marriage has been full blessings and new adventures and this year has been no exception. She is a wonderful wife to me and an excellent mother to our children. I am so proud of her photography business’ success. In addition to our anniversary, before the month is out we will celebrate Bella’s birthday, Jacob’s preschool graduation, and Claire’s completion of kindergarten, so we’re heading out for fun, relaxation, and family time on a cruise to the Mexican Caribbean.
Next up- a report from Ironman Texas