70.3 Miles

On Friday night, one of my former college roommates and fraternity brothers, Mike McMaude, will be one of three individuals who will receive the Young Alumni Award from Hardin-Simmons. Mike has been a highly successful businessman since he left HSU as he has developed numerous home health care corporations around the country.

Since Mike now lives in Colorado, we do not have the chance to do as much together as we used to. So it was a great experience last weekend when he and I participated in a triathlon in San Diego. While we were there he mentioned that when he receives his award on Friday night, he was going to give a brief speech on life lessons learned at Hardin-Simmons. He then challenged me to come up with life lessons learned during the triathlon from Saturday. Since I am never one to back down from the challenge of a former pledge, I agreed to provide the following life lessons.

1) Things are never as bad as they seem-The swim portion of the event was certainly the hardest of the three events. At one point as I was dog paddling my way thru the harbor I thought that it would take me ninety minutes to make it back to the shore. I truly believed I would be the last of the 2,000 participants who would get out of the ocean. Once I refocused I was able to concentrate on my swimming and actually finished in 47 minutes.

2) Age is only what you make it- As I was riding my bike up the first of three major hills, I noticed a man who was 66 years old who was competing in the triathlon. The bib on the back of his jersey identified him as Rodger.
“Rodger you are my hero” I shouted to him as we gasped our way up the hill. He laughed and asked if I would tell his wife that.

3) Never underestimate the power of encouragement On your racing bib, the organizers of the race put your first name on it along with your number. It was amazing when anybody would shout out my name-how I seemed to gain some energy and run just a little bit faster. None of us probably realize how far just a few words of encouragement will go with a friend or co-worker.

4) Be thankful for your friends I doubt if 20 years ago I thought I would be doing marathons and triathlons with my college roommates. However over the years, Mike McMaude and Jeff Ballenger have remained two of my best friends. The friends you make in college can last long beyond your time on campus.

5) Be thankful for the men and women in uniform A significant part of the bike ride went thru Camp Pendleton, one of the first Marine bases on the West Coast. As you ride thru the camp, you become aware of the many sacrifices our military makes on a daily basis. Many of the Marines helped out as volunteers for the all day event and as always their help was appreciated.

6) In and Out Cheeseburgers Rule Best. Burger. Ever. Especially after the completion of a triathlon.