At the Honor Academy we have many weekends that are dedicated to teaching us specific lessons. I mentioned in a previous email about our Fasting weekend, Unreached People group Weekend and Endurance (10K) weekend, etc. Well this last Saturday, I participated in the Escape and Evasion.
ESCAPE AND EVASION
This one was special because it was selective on who could participate. And it was a good thing, because it was INTENSE!!!!!!! Never before in my life have I ever walked, ran, swam or biked in my life in one day. It was more like a triatholon on steriods than it was Escape and Evasion. The only thing we had to evade were the paintball snippers. (by the way, getting hit by paintballs that don’t explode hurt really bad.)
THE BEGINNING
The day started at 5:30 AM. We registered our teams first and then waited for instructions. I competed in this race with my best friend, Tifany. The first leg of the race was a series of checkpoints where we either just passed by or had to complete an activity to move on. At one checkpoint we had to do 200 push ups, 300 sit ups, 50 stars and 200 jumping jacks as a team. This was so hard! I am thankful it was as a team because my partner could do more sit ups than me. 
Up until this point, each checkpoint was just a check in. The only issue was that we were walking long distances in between each checkpoint carrying a 18-lb backpack full of rocks. After the work out, we had to carry a 8 foot tall 2×4 wooden cross with us. The next check point had us low crawl 100ft, crab walk 100ft and wheelbarrow with our partner 100ft, then switch positions for another 100ft. The hardest part was carrying my partner in the wheelbarrow race. I could never get a good grip. By the end, my body was shaking. The rest of the checkpoints were just check in. That completed phase one of the race.
THE SWIMMING, RUNNING and BIKING PHASE
We then loaded up on a bus and drove to a lake where we swam a short distance. The water was refreshing. From the lake we had to run back to campus. I heard it was a good 5 miles. When we arrived back on campus we had to ride our bike up to the New Obstacle Course. We had to ride up hill to the O.C. on dirt road of the Back Forty (back forty is the back 400 acres of the campus, mostly woods and open fields). Then we had to complete the O.C. I was so exhausted by this point that I was unsure if I was going to be able to lift myself up. I completed almost every obstacle on one try expect for one obstacle. I had to try that one at least 25 times. This was the hardest part mentally. I finally completed it and road back to my partner so she could so the same thing. Because of time constraits, after we completed that phase we were “phased out.”
I was very glad that we were done with the race, even though we did not complete the entire thing. I was exhausted and I was getting charlie horses in my calves (ironically right where I got hit with a paintball).
Lessons Learned:
1. I learned a lot about the importance of teamwork. We could not finish or do this race without our partner and we cannot do this life without God.
2. Humility is key when working together with a partner. I can’t always have my way and maybe my partner has so wisdom to share with me.
3. Read the labels and warning of your medication before you go do some strenuous physical activity. The medicine I am taking says not to be exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods of time. Well, I was outside from 5AM-2PM.
4. I loved getting to know Tifany. You learn a lot about a persons character when they are faced with opposition and challenges.
5. Don’t EVER give up! We can go a lot farther than we think we can if we get past the barriers in our mind and thoughts.
Now, pray that my body heals and I can move again .
God bless, Allison
