These stories fulfill part of the commitment I have with God so I sure have appreciated the encouragement I've gotten to write them. It's hard finding time but the rewards are always great.

It was 4 weeks ago. Robin & I went South to Oceanside, Ca., at the military base, Camp Pendleton, to race an Ironman Qualifier, Ralph's California Half Ironman. On Saturday, the day before, the weather was beautiful, and we had a good time trying out our bikes on the run course to get a feel for the next day's race.

Robin's shooting for a time of 5 hours, hoping to qualify for the hugely popular Canada Ironman in August. I want a time of 4:30 to come close to the qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman.

I try a short run the day before. My lungs are still really bothering me. After 1/2mi I'm coughing uncontrollably. This is not good. I walk a while and pray and try running again but without breathing deeply. It helps and I run a mile.. the first time in weeks without loosing my breathe.

Sunday morning. We wake at 4:15am and ride to the start of this huge race. We rush through body-marking, porta-potty lines, saying Hi to fellow triathletes as we bump into them, and getting as much stretching and warm-up as possible. Before we know it, we're corralled into the starting chutes and herded to the boat ramp leading down to the Pacific Ocean water.

One of the best announcers in the sport, and a good acquaintance of ours, Whit Raymond, is keeping the air energized and streaming with stats on athletes and top pros. One of which is our very good friend, Chad Hawker, who is eager to perform well after his terrible hypothermia experience at Ironman New Zealand 4 weeks ago.

Friends Steve & Julie and Robin's parents, Jerry & Jan, are somewhere in the large crowd of spectators. Robin actually catches her parents' eyes as she enters the swim start. Whit's really cool to announce both Robin and I along with his list of top racers. It feels funny to us but we each smile and give him a wave each time.

The Swim.

This will be hard. My breathing is so constricted, even pool swims haven't been possible. I position myself to the side. Bang! Everyone starts but not too crazy. I keep saying "stay calm, breath easy". But soon my slow pace is getting in the way as others try to swim past me or over me. I feel a little panicked. I have to stop and catch my breathe. Can't see where to go but just head in the general direction. I've never had this much trouble in a swim. I'm getting cold because not swimming fast. I begin thinking of dropping out. Calling it a day. Watching Robin race instead. I look for the life-guards. But I know God is telling me to persevere. As slow as necessary, but to persevere to the end. On the way back to the marina, I start breathing a little better. Thank you, God. I run to my bike, finishing the swim in 34:10 and 104th place.

Meanwhile, Robin's wave of swimmers is about to enter the water. She's a good swimmer and a great runner. She's worked hard on her biking speed and will probably focus on that the most today. This is her 2nd half-Ironman and she's trying to take 20min off her Half Vineman time 8 months ago. Her swim goes well and she finishes in 34:03 and 30th place.

The Bike.

The sun's out but the air's cold. My feet & toes are numb from the swim. I hope for warmth and know it will come in an hour or so. We race our bikes through the military base and end up going north between highway 5 and the beautiful coast. There's a 20mph headwind! This coupled with our 20mph speed equals a 40mph blast in our face. But my breathing's not troubling me much. I keep thinking that the wind is helping my lungs fill up with oxygen. I know the faster I get to the turning point (24 miles into the race), the sooner I'm relieved of the headwinds. They will cause everyone to be slower today. The back of the loop course goes through the hills where much military training and target practice is going on. At the first hill I notice that I am finally warm and very comfortable :). It's a beautiful day!

Robin & I are now both biking somewhere on the course. We're both happy with our riding and both eating and drinking adequately. Robin's swim was faster than mine for the first time ever but she won't get that good news until later :) There is a mandatory no-pass zone at the dangerous descent where a cyclist died a couple years ago. There is an ambulance waiting at the bottom. Everyone is ok this year.

The final 8 miles of the course is SO difficult going back into the wind. I'm pushing my knees and legs as hard as I can and ignoring nature's frustrating resistance. It's so great to finish knowing I pushed hard all the way despite the conditions. My bike time was 2:38:46, moving me from 104th to 41st place.

The Run.

It's very hard going from all-out-bike-effort to running. The legs feel stiff and sluggish. On the way out of the massive transition area, Whit Raymond says "There goes Troy Soares from San Jose" and I am encouraged. I see Steve and Julie and Jerry and Jan! That's great! The run is a double out-and-back along the ocean. Heading out there is a glorious 15mph tailwind pushing me along. The ocean scenery is great. The course is straight and pretty flat. My breathing's a little restricted but incredibly better than the last 2 weeks! I'm so thankful! I'm running 7:10 pace which is great. Although a 6:30 pace is more what qualifying requires. At 3mi we turn back into the wind and to soon finish our first loop. Along the beach, with the wind in my face, I watch kite-surfers in the ocean doing incredible airborne tricks and stunts. I see Muddy Waters, local Silicon Valley triathlon coach, braving the winds to cheer on all his athletes and friends.

I get near the beginning where I'll start the 2nd loop. I feel the tiredness in my legs and body. It's going to be difficult to stay motivated to go fast. I see Steve & Julie again. And then there's Jerry and Jan. And then, ah!!! there's Robin! She's going out on her first loop after finishing the bike in 3:02:30, which moved her from 30th place to 14th! It's so good to see her, and looking strong, too. She knows she'll have to run fast to get 5th place which is what we expect will qualify her. And she'll have to take the risk of her hamstrings which have given her problems in the past. But it's all or nothing today.

After seeing Robin I expect another 1/4mi to the turn-around. But to my surprise, the turn-around is right here! I'm starting my 2nd loop and I can see Robin 150ft ahead! I'm overwhelmed with the thought that I could run with her! That would be a first! In triathlons, the men and women never start together. But being a 2-loop course, with the right time between our waves, and her 1st loop coinciding with my 2nd loop, and that our running pace is currently the same, and that we love running together so much it would be just the motivation I need... amazing! I pray, "Thank you, God. Please let the pains in my knee and foot go away so that I can catch my wife and run with her". This becomes my main objective. She doesn't even know I'm right behind her. But I can't catch her. A mile goes by. She's still 100ft ahead. I try shouting, "I'm coming!", but the winds are so loud. Suddenly, she pulls off the course, darting into a beach restroom. I shout "hurry & you will catch me" but can't tell if she heard it. I'm perplexed. Now I'm ahead of her. Do I keep running hard? Will she catch up or never even know I was this close to her? I turn and run backwards just in time to see her dart back out. I think she saw me! Another mile later she catches me and pats me on the butt. I'm so thrilled! Here we are in this grueling event, and suddenly I feel like it's just us, running a training run together through the trails, chatting about God and laughing about life. I'm still thrilled as I see her continue to pull ahead leaving me behind! I want so much to run with her but the legs just don't want to go faster. On the final stretch back, with 1.5mi to go, I surge and catch her. She encourages me to go faster since I'm on the home stretch. I suddenly wish that I could accompany her on her 2nd loop and help her as much as she has helped me get through this run. She stays close behind me despite my surge. 2 of her friends from triathloning and college running happen to be nearby and they're all running very hard. Whew! I finish in 4:54:40 with a 1:35:45 run. I've moved up to 34th place. A long way from the 4th place qualifying time but I'm excited that God allowed me to race so much faster than I thought I could this weekend.

Robin's Run

Robin's 2nd loop doesn't go well, as her hamstrings breaks down and tightened up, slowing her 7:15 pace to 8:45. This is disheartening, but she doesn't give up. I walk back and see her with a mile to go. With tears in her eyes she's still doing all she can to continue to the finish for the best time she can get. She's done! Her parents and friends are there to hold her. Her time: 5:27:05. Her run time of 1:45:16 was still the 13th fastest in her group and moved her up to 11th place.

We gathered with Steve and Julie and Jerry and Jan and told stories about the day. We went to lunch on the pier and enjoyed burgers and 2 milkshakes each! The waitress had accidentally made the "shake" order twice so offered it to us to keep from wasting it. It was a little more than Steve, Julie and Robin could handle, but I rose to the challenge and conquered the sea of ice-cream!

We went to the awards ceremony but I didn't expect us to get anything. Robin remained hopeful and before the announcing of the Canada Ironman slots, her & I prayed for God's will to be done. Knowing it is in His hands, makes her happy whatever the outcome. The slot is announced. Robin & another girl are there to claim it. Robin's time is a little faster then the other girl's and she gets the ticket to Canada! Thank you, God. But it's not free and you have to make the check on the spot. It may be a once in a lifetime chance to race an awesome Ironman event in Penticton, B.C., Canada. And will definitely be a great opportunity for Robin to share how her strength comes from Christ, and not from race results or performance. There will be a lot of perseverance required as she trains through the summer doing long bike rides, marathon runs, and thousands of laps in the pool.

It was a terrific weekend. Robin & I enjoyed doing it together so much. I have 2 more chances to get a Hawaii Ironman slot. Maybe we will both be glorifying God at an Ironman this year.

Team Soares will ".. press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called (us) heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:14

God Bless all of you!

Troy