My first race of the 2014 season is this Sunday (Tri-United 1 in Subic). My last race was 8 months ago.  So, I’m sitting down and checking my internal temperature and how I am a few days from swimming 1.5k, biking 40k, then running 10k to the finish.

I find myself asking some questions: How will it be like?  I’ve put in the training time, will it all come together that day? Will my swim be smooth? Will I be one with my bike? How many gears will I have during the run? Can I push myself and dig deeper than what my burning lungs want me to do?   If something goes wrong, can I turn the situation around?

The answers to those questions can only be found on race day.  And in every race there are moments of truth.

The day and the race will give you, what it gives you. Sometimes it’s …

“Yes you could do it.” or

“Yup, that was faster than last year.” or

“The hard work & plan is paying off.”

And sometimes it’s something unexpected. Sometimes moments of truth reveal gifts of grace.

“There is a point beyond pain.”

“In the moment it asked you to give more, you gave more.”

That’s why I do it (or at least one of the things I get from it).  To get to those moments of truth.  There’s something liberating  about being faced with what is really there and how you are really like.  And there’s something humbling about seeing that how you really are & what you are able to do is filled with grace.

The price of that truth?  The courage to stand there at the starting line.