The Great American Cooter Triathlon...

Well the big day is quickly approaching! Michael Phelps...er...I mean Patrick Jernigan will compete in his first ever Cooter Triathlon! (No, I don't know why he chose the one with the weirdest name...). He has trained since August - Here I pause to give special thanks to our sponsors: Joy Grisham and the Grisham Family Pool, Shelby Brothers & Coach Wood for superb swimming instruction, Kevin Greene, for being occasional training partner, Clay Tomlinson, for lending his supreme knowledge in which "Jammers" to purchase (if you're wondering...Jammers are speedos with legs...CUTE!), Gabe Galloway, for his bicycle helmet, Dad, for letting us steal your bike, and anyone else who has been his cheerleaders...

This Sunday the race will began at 8 AM - He will swim a 1/4 mile in Lake Henderson, Bike 12 miles, and Run 3 miles on Florida's Rails-To-Trails path. Although Patrick has been confident about the running and cycling portions of the race he has not been so crazy about the swimming portion...Insert short inspirational story here:

When Patrick started training he was able to swim one lap in the city pool (known as a "25"). As his training progessed, he and I both became more and more aware of a pretty strong fear he had of the water...never knew how real it was until this year...As he trained he would gain a lap over the course of a couple of weeks. A 1/4 mile swim would require him to be able to swim a "450" or 18 laps non-stop in the pool. By mid-September, he was able to swim a 100, but getting discouraged because of slow gains, inconsistent breathing, and poor swimming technique. Thanks to Coach Wood, she suggested he try a special type of snorkel that would force his head into the water, at the proper angle, and would help him prepare his body for the distance at least. He would have to tackle the breathing part after that. Well SURPRISE to us...when he used the snorkle, his head went into the water at the right angle and all of a sudden his feet popped up, his body flattened out, and he was able to swim with his arms AND his LEGS!!!! He went from swimming a 250, to swimming a 500, then a 700, in less than two weeks. Exceeding his goal by almost double the distance!!!!!! FINALLY with just shy of 3 weeks to go before the race, Patrick met and exceeded his goal and is READY to compete!!!! Our goal is to finish the race - and maybe beat a few people...Be praying for us this weekend!!!!