Jordanelle Triathlon 08.16.14

Yesterday I ran the Jordanelle Olympic Distance triathlon at Rock Cliff.  I signed up for this race after East Canyon, to make up for transferring back to the Sprint distance.  I know I needed to get in an Olympic distance before my scheduled Half Iron distance tri at Ogden Valley in September. 

I did a mini-backwards-triathlon last weekend to make sure I could do the distance and then get accustomed to the water at Jordanelle.  Let me just say, the Mayflower side of the Jordanelle was incredibly choppy, and it was so windy last weekend!  But we started at the Rock Cliff side of the reservoir for the race.  We had to park a ways away and ride our bikes to the transition area.  It was quite cold in the morning, and very dark.  I didn't have a head lamp, so I was careful getting down there.  There are some race days that are wonderful and great, and others are just so mentally defeating that it makes you question why you do it.  This was one of those mentally defeating races for me.

I set up my transition and chatted with my teammates, Erich and Dave, before the start.  The water felt warm, but the air was still cold.  I thought maybe I should wear my wetsuit.  So I put it on.

We started a bit later than expected.  When my wave went off, I took my time and repeated a positive mantra to myself to help calm any residual anxiety I had from East Canyon.  I relaxed, but I tired out really quickly from the restriction in my wetsuit.  Darn it!  I knew I should have gone without.  Too late now.  The water felt wonderful after awhile!

The run up to transition was a steep incline about a quarter of a mile.  I got on my bike and took off.  My legs were tired from the swim (being in my wetsuit), and the first half of the bike was a straight incline on a 1-2% grade.  I felt so slow, and I felt like I couldn't will my legs to move faster.  I knew I was one of the last ones out on the bike course, so I just tried to focus on making it back to transition.  Early on, I thought I had popped a tire, but I was lucky I didn't.  I think it may have been a piece of gravel getting stuck somewhere.  The last half of the bike was a downhill and made me feel much better!  The last hill was pretty steep, so I think I may have even hit 40mph on the downhill!

Most of the sprinters were done by the time I got back, so lots of people were walking in the bike lane.  I got back to my transition area and then went off for my run.  I felt like I was an eternity away from the road.  It was hot and my legs were cramping.  What I wasn't ready for was some trail running.  Mile 2 to 3 was on a trail path between the marina areas and then wrapped around through the nature trail.  By my second loop, I believe I was the only one left on the course.  I wanted to quit, but I just told myself to keep going.  The rest of the triathletes were already on their way out.  One lady asked if I was still racing.  She commended me for my spirit and cheered me on.  I just wanted to cry, and even considered making this my last race of my triathlon career.

 I knew at this point I accepted the fact that I was pretty much dead last.  I was mentally and emotionally drained.  And it was so incredibly hot!  I finally reached the finish line, and all but the volunteers were gone.  It was heartbreaking.  But apparently I placed 3rd in my age group.


Although this was a great race, it really almost broke my spirit.  I talked to one of my teammates afterward, and he said the same thing happened to him at one of his past triathlons.  I guess it's not always about having the fastest time, but about having the biggest heart.

As they say DLF>DNF>DNS.

I 

East Canyon Triathlon 08.02.14

I was supposed to run the Olympic distance triathlon at East Canyon today, but the Deseret Half last week left me feeling too awful to want to do go through with the Olympic distance.  So I ended up transferring to the Sprint distance...

Friday, August 1, 2014

Since I missed packet pickup in Sandy on Wednesday evening, I went to packet pickup at East Canyon for the Friday pick up and T1 set up.  I brought Sparkle along to leave her overnight.  I was a little worried, since the last time I did that was at The Nation's Triathlon back in 2008.  Not many races offer the option to leave your bike overnight... at least not the races I've run here in Utah.

On the way to the marina, I got stopped by this...

 It's not every day you see this on your way to packet pick up!

I ran into my teammate, Erich, and a former Desert Sharks teammate, Jodi, whom I hadn't seen in quite some time!  She'd probably hate me if I posted her pic on this blog, so I'll just leave it out, but I was so glad to see familiar faces!

I left Sparkle in T1, and then drove down to Morgan, UT, to scope out the bike course and T2.  It made for a long evening... longer than I expected anyway.  I was hoping to go watch the Movie Under The Stars at the Capital building, but didn't make it.  I had more prepping and packing to do for my race.  I scarfed down some pasta for dinner, and tried to get to bed at a decent hour.  3:30am was right around the corner, and I still had to drive an hour back to Morgan to catch the shuttle.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Yup... 3:30am came pretty quickly!  I don't know how I'm unable to drag myself out of bed for work in the mornings these days (usually between 5:30 and 6:00am wake up), but I can get up at 3:30am for a race?  How does that make sense?  Anyway, I got ready and made my way up to Morgan, UT around 4:10am.  When I got to T1, it was soooooooooooooooo cold!  Note to self: when running a tri up in the mountains, don't forget to bring sweats for pre-race.

I set up T2, then went to go get my timing chip and body marked.  I ran into my teammate, Brandy!  More familiar faces!  I love it!  I can't help but second guess whether or not I have everything whenever I have a race.  I'm not sure even a checklist will help, because I'll always think I left something at the wrong location.  I got on the shuttle and rested all the way to the reservoir.

As I closed my eyes, thoughts entered my head.  Calming thoughts.  I thought of The Nation's Triathlon I ran in September of 2008.  My parents and sister came to watch me.  It was a pretty tough race.  It was so incredibly hot during the run, I kept dumping water on myself to keep cool.  In the middle of my race, my dad ran with me.  He told me to keep running and that I could make it.  It really meant a lot to me.  And then, I thought about my swim at the Giant Acorn Triathlon, and how relaxed I was.  I had to keep thinking that so that I would calm my anxieties about the swim (since the Green River Triathlon swim portion was cancelled back in June).

When we got to the reservoir, it was still really cold!  I had wished I brought sweats right about now.  I finished setting up T1 and then chatted with some of the other triathletes.  I met Mitchell, Caroline, Colleen, Shelby, and Erin.  They were all running the Olympic distance.  I talked to Colleen about running a half iron, and she made me feel a bit better about cut off times.

I put on my wetsuit, way early, to keep warm. 

The Olympic distance tri started at 8:00am.  I got to warm up and test out the water while we waited for the Sprint distance to start.  The water was perfect!  Not cold at all.  I kept telling myself, "You got this, Joyce!  You've done this before.  You're going to be fine!"

8:30am -  my wave goes off.  The water was nice, and I was doing fine, but my anxiety set in and got me again.  I had to keep reminding myself to relax, and that I would be fine - just take my time and relax.  It wasn't the temperature that got me this time (like it did at Herriman last year), but the crowding during the swim.  I asked one of the lifeguards if I could relax for a second, which helped a lot.  He said he swam, of course, but not in triathlon - so he was amazed that we were all out there doing it!

I finally relaxed a bit, when the next wave went off.  But I did what I could, and just told myself to go buoy to buoy, using my rest stroke when I needed to.  I don't think it helped that the water was pretty choppy today, but thank goodness there weren't any white caps!  Slowly, but surely, I made my way to the end of the swim.  I was so tired from the constriction in my wetsuit.

The "run" to T1 was all uphill.  I walked, along with the guy who finished the swim at the same time.  I stripped off my wetsuit and headed for T1.  I'm glad I left my shoes to wear, as it was so gravelly!  I threw all my gear into my T1 bag, got on my bike gear and headed out on the bike.  Of course the bike started with an uphill out of the reservoir, which left me a bit winded.  But I got a little bit of a reprieve after that, as most of the course was downhill.  As I was pulling a gel out of my bento box, my inhaler dropped out.  I had to turn back and get that - too risky (and too expensive) to leave behind.  There were some rolling hills along the course, but for the most part it was either downhill or flat.  Oh, how I love the flats!

The wind didn't help today... definitely left me "winded!"  It definitely made it difficult during all part of the race for me.

Close to T2 was a final gradual incline which felt almost steep.  I felt like my legs wanted to give up right about then.  I wasn't pushing it too hard, as I wanted to save myself enough energy for the rest of the race (remember, I hadn't really trained much for anything this past month).  I got to T2, stripped off my bike gear, and changed into my running gear.

My legs felt like 500lb weights.  And the first part of the run was on grass.  Grass and I, unless I'm playing field hockey or something, don't get along when it comes to running.  It didn't last too long before we finally got to paved trail.  My legs felt like they were going to start cramping and have Charlie Horses again, so I took it easy.  I walked a bit, with first time triathlete, Jason.  He rode a mountain bike, so I could only imagine how he was feeling.  And he told me he had really bad anxiety on the swim.  Good for him for at least trying and conquering though!  We ended up chatting and running together into the finish line!

Brandy met me at the finish and gave me a hug!  It was so nice to see her again!  And all the rest of my Desert Sharks teammates were there to congratulate me!

 

Yay for another race in the books, and all the new tri friends I made today!  My teammates swiped a lot of the awards, as well as my new tri friends!  Today was a great day for triathlon!

Deseret News Classic Half Marathon 07.24.14

I ran the Deseret News Classic Half Marathon today for Pioneer Day.  It was my first half marathon in Utah!  I was a bit nervous to run this since I hadn't trained like I wanted to.  After River Rampage on June 15th, everything was fast forward.  I went to my first Girls' Camp.  Then the heat set in, which caused a lot of headaches, literally!  And then before I knew it, it was race day!  I had contemplated not running this race at all, but knowing the person I am, I ran it anyway. 

It was a 3am wakeup call for me.  Having not really gotten much sleep the 2 weeks prior, I was grateful to have gotten a nap yesterday, and then got to bed at a decent time too.  But, I was still pretty tired getting up this morning.  Ezra, bless his heart, got up and dropped me off at Rice Eccles Stadium so I could make my shuttle to Emigration Canyon.  I sat next to a PT, Steve, who helped me relax about this race.

At the drop off point, there were no lights, so visiting the Porto-Potties was a bit of a challenge.  And it was a challenge for the buses to get through once the lines for the bathroom started up.  We were up there around 5am, so we had a good hour to wait for the start... and of course it rains!  With it being so hot, even at the 5am hour, I didn't have a long sleeved shirt or sweatshirt.  It was pretty cold, but it didn't last long (that's Utah weather for you)!

We finally started our run at 6am.  It was a nice cool start, having had the rain for a short period of time.  It stayed overcast for awhile too.  The downhill was pretty nice.  There were a few rolling hills running down Emigration Canyon.  I tried to pace a few guys ahead of me, but then the soreness and a pain in my foot kicked in. I just tried to remind myself to just enjoy the race and take my time.

As the sun started peaking out, I got to snap a few pictures of the scenery - I rarely run the canyons... I'm usually cycling them!

 Whenever I'm running or cycling or whatever, and in my element, I tend to have moments of revelation and reflection.  Today I thought about this passageway we were running.  This route was the route that the Mormon Pioneers walked when they first came into the Salt Lake Valley.  With it being Pioneer Day, it meant so much more to me.  As I was reflecting on not being prepared for this race and the anxiety I felt in choosing to run it, I thought about the Pioneers.  Were they ready for their trek across the plains, hundreds or thousands of miles away from home?  I'm sure they were scared, but they relied on their faith and the faith they put in God and their leaders to get them to their destination.  I knew that even though I wasn't ready for this race, I didn't have to face such extreme weather conditions as they did along their journey.

I ran into Joshua and Becca (some of my Run Aways family) around mile 6.  I was just happy to make it half way through the race and out of the canyon.  As I was making my way down to Foothill Drive, I got to see the Hogle Zoo and This is The Place.  I noticed a monument that I hadn't seen before.


 At this point, I found a couple of other men to pace... It helped keep me going when I just wanted to stop.


Foothill Drive was nice and flat.  We ran into Meridith, Christy, and Becca's kiddos at mile 21 of the marathon course (about mile 8.5 for the half marathon course).  Becca and Joshua had stopped to chat with them for a bit... so of course we had to stop for a selfie!  We passed the UofU!  It was cool seeing the Rice Eccles Stadium as we we ran down 400 S.

And then off we went again.  I tried not to think of how many miles were left.  Around mile 9, my hip and knee were starting to cramp and get tight.  I felt a little sick in my stomach too.  But I kept pushing through.

At mile 10 I really started to hurt.  I found shade along the course to keep my mind focused, and walked a little bit.  When I was back on the mountain, I was standing beside an Asian brother & sister and then 3 guys (I think military?) who were planning to run with 50-60lb loaded sacks on their backs. They caught up to me around this point!  I was so amazed at their persistence, and maybe

craziness?  I was hurting, but I could only imagine how they were feeling at this point.  They amazed me.

I also saw the sister, of the brother sister team, that was standing with me at the start.  She was going strong and wasn't giving up!  Go girl!


This stretch of the race felt like the longest part of the race for me.  I didn't feel like the end was in sight.  We just kept going.

Finally, we took a left onto 300 E!  What was neat about this part of the race was that it was part of the parade route!  There were hundreds of people lining the sides of the streets, cheering us on!

I especially loved the kids who cooled us off by blasting us with water and/or misting us with spray bottles.  It was hot at this point, with the sun beating down with us.  And these girls, with the fun signs brought a smile to my face too!  (I saw a sign coming out of the canyon that made me laugh... it read, "SMILE if you're not wearing underwear!"  hahaha... Loved it!)





















I knew being on 300 E that I didn't have much further to go.  I had to keep running intervals to try and keep my calves from getting Charlie Horses.  We passed mile marker 12, and only had 1 to go.  It was so painful... Charlie Horses set in in both calves!  I had to stop and stretch out, and apply pressure to that spot to get it to stop spasm-ing. Even when I started back up again, I felt like I could barely walk.  I finally got them to relax a bit... at least enough to keep going.  I ran into Brother Sosa, who gave me some shot blocks, right near 500 E!  He snapped this picture of me, fighting to get to the finish.

After crossing that point, I really tried to push for the finish.  My calves kept bubbling with cramps, but I just wanted to be done.  The end was in sight, so I picked up my pace!  It was fun hearing the announcer call out my name as I was coming down the home stretch!  Crossing the finish lines (and the timing mats) felt so good!  Getting my medal was just the icing on the cake!

I ran into one of my Desert Sharks teammates at the finish line!  Thanks for saying Hi, Paul!



I tried not to sit down or stay too idle for too long, or I knew I would never be able to get home.  They had Coke machines to personalize a Coke can!  And I shared my first hashtag (whoa! probably
not doing that again! haha)!

Then I went for my free breakfast (I was starving) and then went for my free massage!  I wish the massage therapist would have done more massaging than stretching, but either way it felt good!  I wanted to fall asleep right there on the massage table!  And then I realized, I didn't get my Creamie!  So I went back, and I ran into all the Run Aways again!  And we took a bunch of pictures, of course!

What a great day!  I think I did pretty good, considering I barely trained (and I, in no way encourage that)!  But it's amazing how resilient the body is and it can do some pretty amazing things when you want it to!  As for my time... it wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't too bad, considering the circumstances.  I think if I hadn't been in pain, I could have pushed it a little more.  I don't have the official results yet, but I think it was pretty comparable, if not faster, than my first half marathon ever!

First half marathon done in Utah!  You Know! ;)  Congrats to all who raced today!  Happy Pioneer Day!



Official Chip Time:

 795 Joycelyn Tross Salt Lake City  UT   1745    32   F     121 30-34  2:50:03.4 

2:51:36.2      1:32.8     12:58/M

I have more siblings!

Some time last year, my sister gave me the book, Heaven is For Real.  I was excited to hear that the movie was coming out on big screen.  I went to see it this past week for mutual with the young women.


I love how Colton, the little boy in the story, visits heaven and meets Jesus, along with two other deceased people.  He meets his dad's dad, and a young girl with red hair.

For as long as I have known, I have an older brother and an older sister.  It has always been the three of us. We've not always had the greatest sibling relationship (probably in most part due to the culture we grew up in), but I love my siblings and would never trade them for the world.  And it's important to me to be with them in the eternities, for I truly believe that families are eternal.

It was interesting that one of the people Colton meets in heaven is a young girl, a bit older than him, with no name.  The girl, however, knows him and has red hair like their mother.  She just embraces him.  He finds out that the girl is his sister!  He tells his mom as they're sitting together one day, and it finally helps her to truly believe Colton, as she questioned how true Colton's stories about heaven were.  She had never told him about miscarrying a baby.  Colton tells his mom that he doesn't know her name because they never gave her one.

Ezra and I had a discussion after I returned from the movie, and he helped me to understand that all it takes is conception (gaining of a body) to be eligible to return to heaven.  I knew this before, but I was a bit confused to all the technicalities of what I had learned in the past.  It all made sense now. 

And then as we were having family dinner with Ezra's family last night, it hit me... I HAVE MORE SIBLINGS! 

Like I said, for my whole life, all I've thought about siblings were my brother, Tony, and my sister, Meredith.  My mom had a miscarriage (or two) before I was born.  To know that I have more siblings on the other side of the veil has me thinking... do I have more brothers, or sisters, or both?  What do they look like?  Will they be excited and happy to meet me when that time comes for me?  Do they watch over me from heaven?  Are my grandparents there taking care of them?

All of this makes me appreciate the importance of sealing and an eternal marriage.  Ezra and I are not only sealed to our future children, but we're sealed to our family here and now, and also to family from the past. Heavenly Father created the Plan of Salvation for us for this purpose.  And it brings me hope!  And though I may or may not ever understand the pain a mother goes through when enduring a miscarriage, it should bring hope and healing that their children are safe in God's hands, and that they will be able to see them again.

To my siblings, who I do not yet know... I love you, and I can't wait to meet you one day! 

For Time and All Eternity

I'm not exactly sure why I never blogged about our sealing day, but here, almost 3  years later, I put my thoughts together in a blog to share with all.  I figured it is important to share our Sealing Day as much as it was to share our Wedding Day. 


So to recap, Ezra and I were married on November 6, 2010 at the Walkersville Chapel of the Frederick, Maryland Stake.  Over 350 guests attended our wedding and reception.  We were so grateful to have so many of our family members and friends to celebrate our special day.  Like I mentioned in one of my previous posts, it was a tough decision for both of us to choose to marry civilly rather than getting sealed immediate on our wedding day.  Ultimately, we felt we made the right choice.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, one of the most important ordinances we can make, besides baptism, is to be "sealed" together as husband and wife, which will in turn bond our family for eternity.  This bond will not only pertain to our future children, but family that has passed on before us.

"Sealing

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the word sealing refers to the joining together of a man and a woman and their children for eternity. This sealing can be performed only in a temple by a man who has the priesthood, or the authority from God. According to Latter-day Saint belief, the sealing means these family relationships will endure after death if the individuals live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. For Latter-day Saints, the family is essential to God’s plan as the most important unit both on earth and in eternity.
When a man and a woman are married in a Mormon temple, the ceremony is referred to as a sealing. When children are later born to this couple, they are considered automatically sealed to their parents. Couples who joined the Church after their marriage, or did not marry in the temple originally for other reasons, still have the opportunity to be sealed together in the temple later. Parents can have their children sealed to them at that time. These sealing ordinances can also be performed vicariously for the dead, thus binding families together across generations.

Jesus Christ Himself talked about the idea of sealing in the New Testament:

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? …

“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:13, 16–19).

Latter-day Saints believe this same authority given to Peter was given to Joseph Smith in 1829 and passed along to the current prophet and president of the Church, Thomas S. Monson. Only the prophet can give the sealing power to other men, and relatively few men hold this authority at any given time."

 Knowing how important this was to both of us, we decided to get sealed as soon as we could after our year waiting period was up (we were required to wait one year after our marriage before we could have our sealing performed).  So we took the first available Saturday possible (since we had moved down to Virginia Beach by then).  November 12, 2011 in the Washington DC Temple.

 

A lot of preparation went into our Sealing Day too.  Not as much as the wedding, but it was a bit difficult preparing further away from the temple than when we lived in Frederick, MD.   Thankfully, we had a lot of wonderful family members, church family, and friends in the surrounding areas of the temple, whom helped us get ready for our special day.

I made my own bouquet and Ezra's boutonniere out of fabric. I loved the way they turned out!  I made some for our wedding too, but I never got to give them out to our bridal party.  

 

Our Sealing was more of an intimate gathering, since only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with current temple recommends are able to enter the Lord's Temple.  Here is a list of our invitees who were able to witness our sealing:

* Elizabeth & Jonathan Tross

* Daisy Shipley

* Randy & Ann Hoover

* Alan & Kathleen Moorehead

* Terry & Paul Smith

* Harold & Beverly Virgin

* Steve & Lou Duke

* Marcy Polander

* Bill Tross

* Jonathan & May Tross

* Jonathan Allgaier

* Joey Higbee

* Karlene Lynch

* John & Stephanie Magee

* Leslie McGowan

* Kelly & Mike Hall

* William & Karen Hoover

* Kate Landro

* Nancy & John Franco

* Maureen & John Edgerly

Other family and guests who were waiting for us outside the temple and/or who joined us for our reception included:
* Vicky & Juan Carlos Majano
* Mylynh Nguyen
* Bobby Lynch
* Kathryn & Devon Tross
* Cameryn & Lucas Shipley
*Shelagh & Dan Wesely

 We were so very grateful for all those who were there to witness and share in this special moment!  

Brother Grand Worth was our sealer.  He performed some ordinances before proceeding with our sealing and he gave us great advice as we prepared to make our union eternal.  Brother Worth reminded us of our potentials to be kings and queens, and we do that by how we treat one another.  He also mentioned that men are given the gift of the priesthood in another ordinance.  Women, however, do not receive the priesthood as women are naturally perceptive to the spirit and already have a great power to heal others.  But in the grand scheme of it all, we are equals, given different talents and responsibilities.

My favorite part was kneeling at the altar looking into Ezra's eyes.  I saw myself in his eyes, and in them saw tenderness and caring, and knew that he loved me and chose me to be his eternal companion.  At that moment, I felt like a queen.  Something I had never felt with anyone else.

As we exited the temple, we took pictures with most of our family and friends, but others had already rushed back to Frederick to prepare for our reception at Sister Landro's home.  My cousin, Lester, and his beautiful wife, Arlyn, capture the evening after our sealing.  It was perfect weather (unlike the freezing cold we had for our wedding in 2010) and the lighting was just right!  Not to bright, and not yet dark.

My favorite picture (as shown at the very top) is of the picture of Ezra and I on the stairs behind the temple stretching all the way up to the Angel Moroni.  The colors were vibrant and perfect for pictures!  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

After pictures, we headed back to Frederick for our reception, thrown for us by Sister Kate Landro (my first visiting teacher in the Monocacy Ward - one of my most favorite people in the world!).  The food was wonderful, and our cousin, Nikki, made us some delicious cupcakes!!!!!!  I'm sad we never got a picture of her display, but they were so yummy!  I could re-live this day over and over again and it would never get old!

I'm grateful for eternal families and the sealing ordinance that makes it possible!  I'm grateful to have changed my life to be able to be worthy enough to enter the Lord's Holy Temple, and the blessings that come from attending.  I'm grateful for Heavenly Father's plan of happiness that allows us to be together in the next life... and I'm grateful for my wonderful husband who loves me enough despite all my faults, baggage, and imperfections!  I wouldn't want to share eternity with anyone other than him!

East Canyon: A test of my faith

About 2 months ago now, I decided to take on the feat of riding to the top of Big Mountain Summit of East Canyon beginning at the mouth of Emigration Canyon.  I attempted this same challenge a few weeks prior to this ride, but hit the wall about 3 miles after the mouth of East Canyon.  I was determined this time to make it to the top of East Canyon.

I rallied my friends and teammates in hopes that I'd have some company to keep me motivated along the way, but only one of my friends showed up.  We started at about 8:30am and headed up Emigration Canyon.  My friend's knee started bothering her, so she was unsure about riding over to East Canyon, but she later on decided she'd give it a go anyway.  We reached approximately the same spot where I had stopped the last time, before her knee started acting up and she wanted to turn back.  But being as sweet as she was, she encouraged me to truck ahead with my ride.  She said it was so worth it to reach the summit, and that I'd feel like I was "on top of the world."

So I went forward with my goal of reaching the top.  I reached the switch backs and knew that this was going to be no easy feat.  I made sure to scan the road along the way to look for hazardous spots for the way down.  I was passed by many vehicles, some of which were sports cars and motorcycles that left my ears ringing as they revved their engines to make the climb.  It was a little scary with so much gravel on corners and no guard rails around sharp turns.  It was hot, and I was depleting my water supply with the passing of every mile.



I felt at one point that I would never reach the top.  The road kept switching back, and the end was not in sight.  I had to stop multiple times to rest due to the grade of the incline.  I hurt, I was hot, and I just wanted to be done.  So what did I do?  I cried.  I cried for a couple of different reasons.  I cried because I felt mentally defeated, thinking that I would never make it to the top.  And I cried because I had a realization...

I realized that this goal to reach Big Mountain Summit was much like the faith that I hold to strongly.  The climb to the top of East Canyon was a grueling one indeed!  At times I wanted to quit and turn back.  I could have easily just turned my bike around and rode back to my car.  But I had an overall goal... much like the eternal perspective I need to have as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I know that the goals I have here on earth are just short term, and that there is more to life than what's here.  I need to keep pursuing goals that help me reach a greater goal that awaits.

In beginning this journey to East Canyon, I started with a friend, but she didn't complete the ride with me due to her knee issues.  In the journey of my faith, I realize that sometimes we start with family and friends, but sometimes they're not prepared -  be it physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.  Sometimes they're just not prepared to move forward with you and that you must continue on.

Being passed up by faster riders and rude motorists is very discouraging and demeaning.  At times I felt I was going to get hit by a car.  I had to keep reminding myself that even though I'm a slower cycler, I'm out here doing it!  And I can live with the fact that I'm a decent person around those who are cycling the roads because I'm a cycler too.  When related to practicing my faith, I've encountered those who are self-righteous and tend to act "holier than thou" or those who try and tear down my faith and make me feel bad for being a Mormon.  I'm grateful that I've been able to develop and strengthen my own testimony and that even though I'm not perfect, I'm still doing the best I can to be a witness to God.

At times we feel unprepared.  And at other times, even when we do prepare, we run out of fuel.  But there will be helping hands along the way.  I thought I had brought enough water for this ride, and I was careful to ration it out so I had water for the way back, but the ascent up East Canyon was hot and physically taxing.  I ended up consuming more water than I had intended to.  I also tried to spare some nutrition along the way, as I had lost one of my packets riding down from Little Mountain Summit.  As I reached the top, I was out of water.  A family that had passed me on the way up recognized me.  I had asked them if they knew where I could find water.  There were no water sources around, but they actually had enough water to spare me!  This reminded me of all tender mercies and blessings I've received unexpectedly as I needed them.  I've been blessed to have had prayers answered in ways I didn't expect and have had people put in my life when I needed them.  I've been blessed with wonderful church family, amazing Home and Visiting Teachers, and great people that I've served with.  They have been the ones to supply me with more water and energy along my spiritual journey.

I realized that sometimes you just need to stop and rest to look how far you've come.  There will be times when you have come so far and want to quit, not realizing that the goal is just around the bend.  Like I said before, I could have easily turned back and rode back to my car, but I persevered.  Although the summit was within grasp when I last stopped, it just felt like I wasn't going to get there.  At times, being a member of the church feels difficult.  Sometimes we lose hope and we wonder why we do what we do when our prayers don't feel like they're being answered.  Or that we don't feel like we make a difference with what we put into our callings.  And then we get older and wonder if we'll ever "make it" and pass the test.  These questions can cause others to fall away from the gospel.  When I feel those feelings haunting me, I know I need to just rest, take a breath, and reset & recharge.  I got baptized in 2007, and I've made mistakes along the way.  Sometimes I reflect and think that I have so far to go (which in some aspects, I do), but I've come a long way!  I didn't think I'd get married and sealed to my husband, Ezra, as early as I did.  I didn't even think I'd get to the temple as early in my life as I did.  We must never lose hope, because we're closer than we think.

Oh, what joy I felt to reach the summit!  And what glorious and majestic views!  This ride was such a physical challenge and spiritual experience for me!  Those spiritual experiences come to me at such unexpected times, but at times that also teach me a lesson!  I'm glad I pushed through even at the toughest time when all I wanted to do was give up!