Central PA Huddle at HBG Marathon

This past Sunday, the huddle did have a presence at the Hbg marathon - volunteering AND teammate Shelley Billings did compete. She did great!!! Congratulations on a great race Shelley!

Things Are Happening :-)

Last Monday (10/25), we had the huddle's first meet and greet. There were six people there including myself. Thanks everyone! It was great to meet everyone. Two people "officially" joined the huddle, so now it's more than just me in the huddle. :-)

A lot of great ideas came out of us meeting and I'm going to start following up on those things. These "ideas" surrounded the next steps for the huddle.

The first event for which the huddle is going to make a presence is the Harrisburg Marathon. It's on November 14, 2010. While it would be great to have a table set up, it might just be that those who are there will be volunteering. More on this in the coming days.

I did come up with a prototype of the banner that the Central PA huddle can use. Let me know what you think. This will be 3ft x 6 ft.

I also just ordered some huddle business cards and some magnets. This is what they both look like. Let me know if you need any cards or you want a magnet.

SIGN THE CREED

The following is a video of Steve Fitzhugh reciting the Competitor's Creed. Steve is a former NFL player. One of the first things that inspired me after getting tuned in to FCA was the Competitor's Creed. Later, I found a video of Steve reciting the creed. This is another version, but it still lifts me up.


Remember, we are all competitors and we are doing it for Jesus Christ! Let the glory be His!!!

So please sign the creed.  You can find how to do that on FCA's site.


Competitor's Creed from FCA on Vimeo.

PLEASE MEET US ON OCTOBER 25, 2010

It's now official...the meet and greet is set for October 25, 2010 at Panera Bread (Camp Hill Mall). 

We'll talk, get to know each other, and talk about the next steps for the huddle.

If you can't be there, but want more information on the huddle, have some ideas, or just want to talk and get some more information, please email me at paulandheidis@comcast.net. 

Paul

MEET and GREET

Okay, it's time to meet!  I chose some dates for those interested in meeting me and getting more information about the huddle.  If you do want to meet, please let me know which date is best for you.  You can either comment on this blog or send me an email at paulandheidis@comcast.net.


October 21, 2010 @ 6:30
October 25, 2010 @ 6:30
October 31, 2010 @ 3:00


Right now, I'm planning to meet at Panera Bread in Camp Hill.  This is subject to change.


It will be great to meet everyone!

GET THE GEAR

Hey everyone! Whether you become a member of the huddle or not, how about checking out the FCA Endurance gear and wear it proudly as you race and/or train.   The yellow really gets the attention!

Here's the link:  http://valleybikeandski.com/itemlist.cfm?pageId=114

Meet and Greet

While I am still actively pursuing others to join the huddle, I will be setting up a meet and greet for any of those people that I was in contact with; either through email or talking over the phone. 

No one has committed yet, but my hope is that as others see the postcards and they come onto this blog, they will see the meet and greet date and time.  Stay tuned for the exact date, time, and place. 

FCA Endurance Video

General Updates

I have to say that I am extremely happy for the progress I'm making on reaching out to others. We still don't have any other members in the huddle, but many of the churches have responded and have shown some interest. I want to thank them for their kindness and interest.

I did receive the postcards (see post below) and will be posting them around the area. I hope I place them in strategic enough locations that a lot of people see them. Now that I reached out to the churches in about a 15 mile radius (and there are a lot), I'm going out to the community in general. The information contained on these postcards is what I also wanted to provide in the churches' bulletins - upon approval by the churches of course.

I know many of the churches may want some additional information on FCA Endurance, so if you are visiting this blog and still want to know more, please email me or post a comment on this blog.

I hope to talk to more of you soon!

Paul

Why Do You Race?

The following is from a post I made on the Yahoo Groups page about a month ago.  It talked about the Catfish Triathlon in Harrisburg in July 2010.  I need to revisit why I'm doing what I'm doing and give praise to the One who deserves it!

I will be racing this weekend – a small sprint triathlon close to home. This will be the second time wearing the FCA Endurance singlet and the first time representing the newly established huddle here in Central PA. I'm looking for any opportunities that God may place in front of me this weekend.

 As the day approaches, I have just a FEW thoughts.

Me after the 2010 Catfish

This is actually only my 4th triathlon. Back in July of this year, I competed in my 3rd triathlon (another sprint) and it was the 3rd time I competed in the same event – the Catfish Triathlon in Harrisburg.

I remember that after the 2009 race, I wondered `Could I have done more training? Could I have improved my time? Did I give it my best?' It was almost as though I failed in some way. I don't know why I felt this way because I improved my time from 2008.

This isn't an iron man and I'm not doing this for a living, but it is something I love to do and train for. I am certainly not going to make the podium - I am a "middle of the packer." Still, my reason for competing in the 2009 race seemed to have been replaced by my own selfish thoughts and pride.

I truly believe that we should all want to improve ourselves (physically, mentally, AND spiritually), but once it becomes a matter of pride and we forget the gifts we have been given and take them for granted, we have not improved, but rather, we have failed.

A thought before I talk about the 2010 Catfish this past July:

I think about a lady that works in the same organization as me. She is disabled, but she does "walk." For her to "walk" from the elevators to her desk (I would say about 100 feet) it takes about 5 minutes…literally.
 Now, it's a known fact that this woman never calls in sick. She also makes it to work no matter what the weather is like – even rain or snow! When you talk to her, she is always so positive and I can't help to believe that the Lord is present in this woman's life; and that no matter what obstacles are in her way she is going to do her best to overcome them.

When I see her, I think about the fact that God has blessed all of us with gifts and we should be grateful for them and cherish the opportunities that we have to share those gifts.

So how did I take all of these thoughts into the Catfish this past July?

Just prior to the swim, as I was standing in the water, I looked up to heaven and gave Him thanks and asked that the other competitors would succeed and that God would look after them. I thanked God for giving me the ability to do what I can do and I realized that there are others in this world that would give anything just to walk (just like the lady at work). I thought to myself "I was so selfish last year just because the clock said something I wasn't happy about."

Guess what? My time was 4 seconds SLOWER than 2009. I didn't matter. This was the first time that I wore the colors of FCA Endurance. That, and the glances that others made to my racing shirt, was the most gratifying experience of the day.

As I prepare myself for the event this Saturday, I'm reminded of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

So it's not about me. It's not about the time on the clock. It's not about who's better than me. It's about God and the physical gifts He has blessed me with and the opportunity to share His love with others. My strength comes not from me, but from God. Although I'm not the fastest person out there, I am still blessed with the ability to swim, bike, and run - something the lady from my work can only do in her dreams.

Thank you God for giving me your blessings!

I pray that God watches over all of you that may be racing or just running/biking around your neighborhoods this weekend.

General Update

Still working towards getting others involved in the huddle.  I continue to send out emails to local churches.  I did receive a few responses and sent them additional information. 

I also ordered some of the postcards that I want to pass out, post on bulletin boards, etc...

I still know that God has something big planned here in Central PA.  It's just a matter of pressing on and running the race! 

For His Glory!

Paul

"Invitations" sent to local churches

I recently sent emails to local churces; requesting to speak to someone from their congregation and informing them of FCA Endurance.  I want to talk to someone and request putting something in their weekly bulletins and/or newsletters.  I am going to go online and order some postcards and I would like to put them in the church bulletins as well as putting them up around the area.  The following image is what these post cards will look like.

Newly Certified Huddle

Welcome everyone!  This is a newly certified FCA Endurance huddle and I am really looking forward to the challenges that are before me.   God has placed a calling in my life to reach out to those in the endurance community here in the central PA area.  I pray that others will be part of this group and I know that God will give me the courage to accept this awesome responsibility!


Right now, we are actively seeking others to be part of the huddle.  There is a lot to do, but I know that God has a plan. 


Once we get more members, we will expand the things on this blog OR if we get someone experienced in web development, I will try and talk to them about working on a site since I am have no idea what to do. :-)