Attend the 2011 Tucson Camp and Retreat

Come join us for the 6th edition of the ICTN camp and retreat in Tucson. The camp runs from Friday morning, January 28, 2011 through noon on Sunday, January 30, 2011.

More camp details are available online at http://www.ictrinet.com/2011Camp/.

You can register now. Online sign-up is available at Active.com: http://bit.ly/9fd14r.

Finish strong!
Stan

Camp Countdown!

Make your own Countdown Clocks

Where Men Win Glory - John Krakauer's New Book on Pat Tillman

I am a big John Krakauer fan; I am not sure if I have read everything he's written but it is probably pretty close to that. Into Thin Air, Eiger Dreams, Under the Banner of Heaven ... all great non-fiction books, each a page-turner.

Krakauer has a new book out called Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, and I've been reading it. Like many, I was fascinated with Pat Tillman and his life, not the least reason being I raced against him in the 2001 Eagleman Ironman 70.3 triathlon (the top military finisher there each year now wins the Pat Tillman Spirit Award). I also have a good friend from Arizona who trained with him. Each time I've been to Tempe for Ironman Arizona -- where you swim in the shadow of Sun Devil Stadium -- I've thought of Tillman sitting at the top of one of those light towers at the stadium, 200 feet above the ground, just chillin' and taking in the view ...

I had a chance to read the Andrew Exum review in the Washington Post recently and have to say I agree with his assessment of Krakauer's new book. Bascially, Exum (a former Army officer who saw duty on the ground in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2004 and as a civilian observer earlier this year) states that Krakauer's book might be a little better if Krakauer took a little more balanced view of the motivations of some of the administration or military officials involved. Bascially, it's OK to have an axe to grind; it's a free country and that is, no doubt, one of the many freedoms Tillman and others were and still are willing to sacrifice to protect. But you know the blade has been sharpened a bit when you read a passage like this (re the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court decision):

"It wasn't simply Gore supporters who were outraged by the Court's decision. In a dissenting opinion that was uncharacteristically harsh in tone, Justice John Paul Stevens (a Republican appointed by President Gerald Ford lamented that the outcome of Bush v. Gore 'can only lend credence to the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges throughout the land ...'"

C'mon. I would have thought a journo like Krakauer would be all over the facts, owning them, making them his own, but not slanting them to make a point (one in this case not very central to his book). I guess the point is that if some things had gone a little differently (e.g., the Supreme Court affirming a Gore win in Florida vs. a Bush victory there), then maybe Tillman wouldn't have had to die in Afghanistan. Maybe, maybe not. Still, there is no serious journalist alive who could have done a modicum of research and concluded that Justice Stevens is anything other than the heart and soul of the liberal wing of the Court. And, mind you, I'm not saying that is a problem. I went to law school with Justice Stevens' daughter and son-in-law, and they are all very good people, no doubt in part because the Justice has set a fine example in his role as an impassioned and dedicated public servant. It's OK to choose a side and take up the battle cry.

My point is not that Krakauer is wrong because he has chosen a side I'm not on. Rather, I think -- especially given the standard that he has set in his other work, Under the Banner of Heaven being the best example -- that Krakauer's failure to get some of the small stuff right leaves me questioning some of the other conclusions he reaches. I read a book recently where a famous Civil War infantry charge was mistaken for a cavalry charge ... hard to believe it could make it into print, but there it was. In this case, Stevens-as-a-liberal isn't even a controversial point (no one thinks he is a conservative, regardless of that Ford appointment). Trying to make the average reader accept that a Republican or conservative voice on the Court voted against the Bush v. Gore result ... that's just not good writing/editing (best case) or it is disingenuous (worst case).

The stuff about Tillman's youth and his high school, Arizona State, and NFL football career is good and more in-depth than you would get from a magazine article. He even has access to some journals that Tillman kept, which are revealing. You can tell, though, that Krakauer is no sports desk refugee: another complaint I had was the annoying habit of recapping Cardinals losses by putting the Cardinals' losing score first ... "Tillman made nineteen tackles in a 14-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles" Huh? I blame the editor equally for that one, though.

Whatever you think of Tillman (or Krakauer, for that matter), this book is worth reading simply to keep the conversation going and the memories alive. You can't say there have ever been too many guys like Pat Tillman.

I would say the coda to his life is that "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). Some might disagree, maybe even Tillman himself. But that's how I'll remember his story.

(BTW - one tangible legacy is the Pat Tillman Foundation; check out the website and consider supporting it. Their leadership programs are unique and reflect the dedication and passion that were such a key part of Pat Tillman's personality and character.)

Finish strong (and sign up for the Tucson training camp/retreat in January!!),
Stan

We Climbed Old Rag!

(August 2009) - 3,291 feet above sea level, 6 hrs and 15 minutes of hiking and climbing over 7 miles. S did great; she was a champ!

Come to Camp ... And Climb Mt. Lemmon With Us (A True Mountaintop Experience)

Registration for the 5th Annual ICTN Tucson Camp and Retreat is now available online at Active.com. Click here for more details and to sign up.

Finish strong,

Stan

Not Just a Training Camp ... A Community

I'll tell you a story from earlier this year. In July, I was in Lake Placid, New York for the 10th anniversary edition of the Ford Ironman Lake Placid. I am a back-of-the-pack guy at the longer distances, so I have gotten into the habit of carrying my BlackBerry device with me during these races (before the race, the mobile goes into my swim-to-bike bag; after the swim, I get my bag in T1 and from there it goes from the bag to a pocket on my shorts or jersey). This way, I can text my wife and let her know I am OK during the race, check the sports scores, etc. It's a long day, and since I'm just trying to finish, a few extra minutes in each transition to stay connected is worth it (to me anyway). This worked well enough in Arizona this April (although it is also bone dry there, which makes a difference as you will see in a minute).

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Well, you may have heard that they had near-legendary conditions at IMLP this year; three inches of rain on the day. It started at 7:30 am, during the swim. It rained hard, and it rained all day ... it didn't really stop until about almost 7:00 pm. For some slower folks (like me), it didn't stop there, either. After a short break, the rain came on again for another hour and a half, finally ending about 9:00 pm.

Coming into T1, our swim-to-bike bags were outside on the transition racks. Even though the bags (which have a drawstring that does not seal up completely at the top) had collected some water at that point, my BlackBerry was still working. From T1, I was able to email my wife and a couple of friends with the news that I had swum a slower-than-expected (but-its-OK-'cause-I'm-just-here-to-finish) 1:11.

T2 -- different story. Needless to say, my BlackBerry, even though it was double-wrapped inside plastic sandwich bags, did not survive the rain. When I got back to T2, it was basically DOA.

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal. However, my oldest daughter had traveled with me to this race (she was there with me in Tempe earlier this year as well), and we both very much wanted things to work out so that we could cross the finish line together. The plan was for me to write a short email to my wife (who had stayed home with our other 3 girls) and she would relay to my brother-in-law, who was with me in Lake Placid. He and our host would bring Sarah down to the finish area at the time I approximated.

No phone. No chance of getting the word to Sarah ... maybe I could find a pay phone somewhere on the run course and call collect ... have to be in town, though ... do they even have pay phones anymore? This was my beginning thought process to formulate a "Plan B" for contacting Sarah.

Until I ran out of the changing tent and onto the run course. I went about 5 strides and heard "Hey, Stan!" Looked over, and there was a good friend, Scott Perschke, up from Pennsylvania with his dad to watch the race and then get in line for on-site registration the next morning for the 2009 race. I came over to the barrier, exchanged a high five and popped the question: "Brother, can you spare a cell phone?" Scott generously let me call my wife back in Virginia. I dialed, told her I'd finish between 11:15 pm and 11:45 pm, and she called her brother from there. Gave the phone back to Scott, said thanks and good-bye to him and his dad, and off to try and finish the run before midnight.

Several hours later ... I crossed the line with Sarah, who was waiting for me.

I mention all this because I know Scott from having attended each of the first three editions of the International Christian Triathlon Network annual camp and retreat in Arizona. If you are a believing endurance athlete (or even just an endurance athlete), this is a must-attend event. Each year, the workouts, coaching, speakers and fellowship have been incredible, and those lucky enough to be regular attendees all agree that coming back to Arizona in January for this event is like being at a family reunion. That connection certainly made my day a memorable one in Lake Placid. (Thanks, Scott.)

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I encourage you to consider attending, so that your 2009 will get off to a great start spiritually and athletically, and you can also get plugged into the same great group of people.

Finish strong (and see you in Tucson in January!),

Stan

Like Riding in a Dust Tornado Inside of an Oven ...

... that is how I would describe participating in the April 2008 edition of Ironman Arizona. I finished, and am fired up that I did, but it was a tough, tough day. One cool thing that happened was that I got to run the last couple of miles into the finish with Pastor Scott Bennefield of Albuquerque, New Mexico (he is Body Life Pastor at Hoffmantown Church there). We had also gone for a long run together at January's ICTN camp/retreat in Scottsdale, so this was sort of a bookend to that earlier run. Speaking of tough ... Pastor Scott passed a kidney stone on the third bike lap and still managed to get across the line. Unreal!

There were some pretty scary stats flying around in the wake of the extreme weather, like this info from the official Ironman website, posted just prior to the midnight deadline:

"A tough day in Arizona
RACETIME: 16:27
If you are wondering how tough things were out on the course today, all you have to do is check out the number of DNF's at today's race.Of the 2035 athletes who started the swim, 2033 finished in time to start the bike.Of those, 1,874 managed to get through the hot and windy bike course.1,830 of those started the run.With just under 40 minutes to go, 1,574 of those athletes have finished.The high attrition rate is no-doubt due to the extreme heat we experienced here today, coupled with the high winds."

So, I felt pretty lucky to get across the line with my oldest daughter, Sarah.

The best part of the weekend was seeing old friends in Arizona. This is fourth year in a row I've been able to go to Arizona for the race, either to work in the expo for Tri4Christ/FCA Endurance and help with IronPrayer, or to do the race (which I finished in 2006 as well).

I don't have any illusions of grandeur about my IM skill set, but I feel fortunate that I was able to use lessons of perseverance and faith from our annual ICTN camps, the IronPrayer events, and also the inspiration of friends who have been brave enough to share their stories, as tools to help me finish. And, I am especially proud to be able to count men and women like Scott, Linc/Jen, Bob/Jan, Dan, Brian/Jill, JR/Wendy, Chris A., Tom, Kirk, Shelper, Don, Phil/Sandy, Troy/Robin, Dan C., Mike B., Heather/Todd, Jamie/Courtney, Jason, Bill/Gina, Marty/Alona, Mike, AJ, DR, Matt and so many others as friends in Christ, life, and tris. I know I am blessed to be able to compete. And I know that blessing is even more profound when I get to experience it in the company of so many special people.

When Chrissy and I got married 11 years ago, we prayed for some special friends to come into our lives ... When we consider the gifts God has given us since then in the friendships at our "home" and our "tri" church families, it is very humbling and very special to us.

I love tris, but I love the people I've met through triathlon even more. Thanks for the support and the friendship - it is much more than another reason not to quit a race. It is the reason we are alive - to practice the friendship and adventure we will share together with Christ in the place and time to come.

Proud to be your friend. Finish strong,

Stan