Earlier this year, when New Year’s resolve was still fresh, I briefly considered doing a sprint triathlon. I looked at training schedules for the half-mile swim, 12-mile bike ride and 3.1 mile run. I vaguely mentioned it to my Ironman husband—um, yeah… he’s done a full-distance triathlon… twice. After watching him swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles then run a 26.2-mile marathon, the sprint didn’t look so hard! Our daughter even did a sprint tri when she was a sophomore in high school.

But me? I would have to train just to do the training.

In March, I signed up for strength training at the gym, learned how to swim a real stroke for the first in my life, and began a Couch to 5K running program. My first run was 120 seconds of agony.

Within four days of starting my pre-training training, we got the news that a publisher made an offer on my book proposal for How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird. Great timing, right? This was the perfect excuse to get out of the triathlon! The book was due August 1. The triathlon was August 31. There was no way I could do both of these at the same time, plus my regular job, and be a wife and mother and daughter and friend, and the Neighborhood Café ministry… right?

But then I began to wonder if God had aligned these two huge challenges on purpose.

He knew when I would get the book deal, and He knew I struggled with deadlines and procrastination and perseverance. So I decided to give it a try. I put all my tri training on my calendar, and I figured out how much I would have to write each week to finish the book on time.

Week 1, I did my tri training and wrote Chapter 1.

Week 2, I did my tri training and wrote Chapter 2.

Week 3, I was sick and we went out of town, so I didn’t get to train…and I didn’t write much, either.

Week 4 didn’t really go as planned…

By Week 5, I was falling seriously behind on both goals.

It only took me six weeks to make the brilliant connection that when I did the training, I also did the writing.

As I tackled these two huge goals, I found myself leaning on God more than ever. My life was harder so my prayers were deeper. I was desperate for His help—which He freely gave! As I fixed my attention on Him, He revealed things to me that I would have missed at any other time. I learned how to push through hard things—in the pool, on the bike path, at my computer. I had more energy for my family, let alone a 5K. I lost 10 pounds.

I could write better when I worked harder.

I turned in my manuscript in two days ahead of schedule! I can finally show you the book cover: How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird will be available in May from Bethany House Publishers and wherever books are sold.

And I completed my Triathlon!

Before you think I’m getting braggy, let me confess:

I didn’t do ONE MORE THING after I crossed that finish line.

This was such a short lived success. I didn’t squeeze into my swim cap, tour country roads on my bike or lace up my shoes. I only wrote blogs I was committed to for other websites. I gained back 3 pounds. (OK: 6) My knees started to hurt again. I fell back into bad habits of procrastinating. With the past as a predictor, it took me 5 or 6 weeks to figure it out.

You know that verse that says we have to forget what is behind, and press on to what’s ahead?

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14

I’ve always looked at that in the negative – I have to forget the bad stuff in my past, and press on because I’m forgiven and free. But sometimes we have to forget some of the good stuff, too – the successes we try to ride too long or a sense of accomplishment that clouds our judgment.

I’m back on track: swimming, writing, neighboring. My Christmas Open House is on the calendar, and the book is in the final stages of editing. I’m thankful we serve a God of second chances, new beginnings, and heavenly prizes.