Saturday afternoon, after a light workout, the Cross-country/track team headed up to Whistler for our pre-season training camp. We are staying in a very nice lodge situated on the side of Blackcomb mountain. For me, this trip is an excellent opportunity to meet my teammates and get a feel for what the upcoming cross-country season might bring.

Now that we’re a couple days in, I have to say I am probably as excited as I have been about moving out here. Now, to clarify, this isn’t purely because I’m surrounded by runners and running activities; I had a couple of days to get settled in my residence back at Simon Fraser and spend a bit of time at the campus, which really got the ball rolling. I’ve been able to touch base with quite a few people back home, which has helped the transition as well. Of course, there’s also the fact that I’m surrounded by stunning scenery: mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans are no longer uncommon. I currently have no doubt whatsoever that I made the right decision to make my way out here. As much as I know I am going to miss the many close friends and family back home, I feel very much at home here already.

Training camp has been absolutely amazing thus far. I had a great long run Sunday morning: I was out with the team Capitan traversing the many trails around here, and we often popped out of the forest to a gorgeous view of lakes and mountains. The other members of the team all seem really great and are really welcoming and friendly to us newcomers (and there are quite a few of us). I have a lot of opportunities to chat with various members and get to know people better. Everyone is really excited about the upcoming season, and I definitely fit in that camp. The coach seems great, and I think it is going to be and excellent training environment for me. It is an intense week here training-wise, but we also have a lot of time to relax and recover. We have access to a heated pool and 3 hot-tubs, which also have a nice mountain view. It’s also been great getting together to socialize as a team: last night was a movie in town, and tonight was karaoke and Dance Dance Revolution in our room. It really feels like a strong team atmosphere, something like I’ve never really experienced when it comes to cross-country.

Again, I have to mention the scenery…both here and at SFU. It still really blows me away when I look around and realize this is my new home, not just a brief vacation. To get an idea of what I mean, visit my photo gallery at http://picasaweb.google.com/trevor.feeney/TrainingCampWhistler

I’m looking forward to the rest of the week, and once it’s done it’ll be time to gear up for class. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to say once that begins.

If I were to walk into a room full of people and ask those who enjoy saying “goodbye” to those close to them to raise their hands, I doubt I would have many hands shoot up into the air.

It has been a good 7 years since I last went away on a long trip of any sorts; ironically, this was the first big trip out West that I enjoyed, along with my best friend. I remember that it really wasn’t until a couple of nights before we left that the reality of it set in. However, back then it was merely a long vacation, to be spent with someone close the entire time. Reality is setting in much earlier this time, with a much different air about it too.

The past week has been great in the sense that I’ve been able to spend some quality time with friends and family. It also brought on the first round of “goodbyes” that I have had thus far.

Yesterday marked the last time I will enjoy leading worship with the team that I helped form 3 years ago, and the last time that I will be able to be at my church until I am back home. My pastor and close friend formally announced my imminent departure, and the church voiced their support for me. I had to take a deep breath to keep myself composed; I have known a good portion of the congregation for a long time now, and they have been so supportive over the years, and continued to show that support by offering words of thanks and prayers.

The day also marked the last time that I will see my younger sister until I have home for her wedding at the end of September. I don’t think this realization will really hit until I leave again after her wedding, as that will present a great time-frame of being away (though, hopefully I will get to see here when I am back for Fall wedding #2 in October).

I think when the reality really hit, though, was after I left Grand Bend visiting my parents and older sister on Saturday at a cottage they had rented for the week. Though I still have some more time left to spend with them, it was a reminder that there isn’t a whole lot of it left.

The upcoming week is set to bring even more goodbyes, particularly on Wednesday when I have a mass party with a lot of close friends and relatives (all of which my parents have set up for me). I have come to realize that this will be a recurring event over the years, and that I just need to remember what lies ahead and take a deep breath. Having said that, it would not surprise me if I have some moment of breaking down before I leave. Only time will tell.

It’s night, I’m feeling pretty contemplative, so I think it’s time to answer the most asked question that I’ve had since making known my plans to head out West…..the question ‘why?’ Why BC, why so far, why back to school, and why not a school that is closer.

It’s not a simple question, and fittingly neither is the answer. I live at home with my parents, who are fantastic. I have an amazing family nearby, run for a track club with a great coach and great people in it, go to a church with a super community where I am heavily involved; I have many amazing friends here, my best of who’ve I’ve known for 22 years. Life is comfortable here, it is familiar here, and I really do like so many things about being here.

I am not one who really likes change. I used to really dislike it, but as I’ve mentioned before, the last two years my life has been in a great upheaval. I believe this has been God’s way of helping me to learn to accept change, to appreciate it what it brings in the long run. In the past few years I have seen many close friends experience the exciting change that marriage brings, with more friends quickly approaching that change. Being a single guy at 26, life has just seemed to be fairly constant. With all that happened in this two year period, I came to realize that for me, change was in order. I have felt a need for an adventure of my own, before I am ready to really settle down with my life.

Going to school was an easy choice (which seems amusing to me, as I was never one to really enjoy school)…I hope to run a business when I’m finished, but don’t feel quite ready yet, and hope to gain some better business sense. As well, I hope to one day teach at college, which will at minimum require me to have a degree.

That still leaves the issue of why so far away. One look in my room, filled with pictures and posters of Western Canada, will give a bit of an idea. The climate for running is great in BC, and the teams at Simon Fraser are really competitive. In 7-week trip, which my best friend and I titled “Go West 2000″, I learned to love the West (and this grew after returning 2 years later on a another great trip). But there’s more to it than that.

With the upheaval, and all of the tough situations that occurred over the last while, I have really felt the need to have a fresh start in some areas of my life. I have had a bumpy ride with regards to romantic relationships and just learning to find myself in that respect. Now, I don’t believe that I can run away from my past; I do, however, think that stepping out of my bubble will really challenge me and help me to dig down and come to know myself better, and to rely on God more than I would here. It’s a new environment, with new faces and opportunities. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have hopes of meeting that ’special someone’ out there. Whether or not that does happen is not up to me, but there is a spark of hope, and I’m ready to see where God leads me.

In one of my favourite books, Wild at Heart, John Eldredge says that “in the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.” This is my battle, to find myself and grow to be the man God has called me to be, and to live my adventure. At times, when I think of it, it is scary; I am leaving so much behind. But, I know that this is exciting change; change that will pave the way for what is meant to be.