who say's I can't tri it?

And so I do.
And so I am, a tri-athlete.

After a few months of pretty intense dedication, learning how to swim correctly or just swimming correctly enough, aquiring battle wounds from biking excursions, countless miles on the treadmill and weight training... yeah you get the point, I completed my first triathlon this past Sunday.



I swam 300 meters, biked 13 miles and ran/jogged/walked/power walked 3 miles.
My goal was to finish and that's just what I did.



I had awesome supporters there the whole time. I know Eileen, my angel was watching over me the whole time, guiding me and pushing me just like she did in the last days of her life. My roomie gave me awesome braids and helped me stay calm from the second I woke up that morning; Michaela & London made a Go! GO! Go! sign; and Mom, Dave & Deanna all came out to cheer me on. Also, my girls who didn't give up either, Megan, Erin & Kathryn - rocked it out too!! I'm happy to announce like all of my friends are tri-athletes now!



While the whole process was one I will never forget, I was most amazed at how calm I stayed during the race. Considering the hot mess I was in the week prior, you'd be amazed too. But it's fascinating how our bodies and minds although sometimes conflicting, can at the most pertinent times work seamlessly together, toward a common thread. During the swim, I had a slower swimmer in front of me, a faster one passing me on the side and one more behind me tapping at my toes AND I didn't panick!!! It was in this instance that I knew all my preperation mentally & physically was going to pay off. I was controlled, I knew I had done this all before, maybe just not all together....



And so I can say I am proud of my accomplishment. I understand that physically it's a great feat but I tend to give the mental aspect more credit. I believe if you keep faith and rely on yourself, that even if you loose a leg, an eye, your hearing, have cancer, whatever, you can do it if you put your mind to it. I had a 56 year old women pass me on the run for Pete's sake!



I consider myself a pretty diverse person but a triathlon was not really my cup o' tea and I didn't really want to do it, I would have rather done a gazillion other things, but all this combined is what attracted me. I took something I never thought I do, never wanted to do, made it mine and now have a story to tell, and in that I have created something beautiful. Maybe now if I ever get stuck out in the middle of a desert somewhere I can use my awesome strength and relentless endurance to keep me alive until I'm found. Who knows really?



Bottom line.
The Finish Line is in sight.
It's important to believe in yourself even if no one else does.
It's extra nice though when you have someone who also believes in you.
It's extremely cool when you have a slew of people who do.



I feel lucky to be so blessed.