How the Triathlon Seed was Planted

"Are you training for a triathlon?"

"No, I am not sure what that is."

"Well I see that you bike here to swim sessions, and I'm guessing you run. So I figured you were a triathlete. In triathlon they race starting with a swim, followed by a bike ride, finished with a run".

"Oh, no, thats to intense for me."

What I was mentally thinking "Lady, you must be out yo mind"

That conversation happened when I was 19. I lived in Ocala, FL. I had come up from college after blowing out my knee. I could barely walk around the block without knee pain, so I needed something to do and joined a highschool swim session, where I embarrassed the crap out of myself daily (all I could do was doggie paddle). To get to these swim sessions (and because the schools PT said biking would strengthen my knee) I bought myself a mountain bike from Walmart. This is where I developed a love for biking, there in the long roads in Ocala I started picking up mileage on my little mountain bike. On Saturday mornings I would see herds of cyclists and triathletes battle the heat and zoom by all the horsefarms that dotted the roads. The triathletes were my favorite,  they were so cool in their aero bars. At the time I didnt know they were triathletes, to me it was just cool handlebars. So I pretended to be like them, I would get down real low on my handle bars, try to tuck in and bust out as fast as my legs would take me. But I could never keep up with the roadies/triathletes on their fast bikes, and ended up riding alone. Alone but content, every ride trying to beat the previous time it took me, or just beast it up the "hill" of Florida. 

This is where triathlon entered my life.

Fast forward 2 years later. I'm living in Jacksonville , FL. Fell in love with a strapping Naval officer and became engaged. By this time my bike was left behind in Ocala. I biked only in my apartments gym center, and instead of swimming, just lounged poolside working on my tan. 

Then a blue Felt triathlon bike came into my life. Now it wasnt mine, but my Fiances. He purchased it as his last big gift to himself as a bachelor. I was impressed. Impressed because when I saw him in the bike, down in aero position, he was one of the bikers I wished of racing down back in Ocala. I learned that they weren't just "roadies", they were triathletes. So I tagged along to the triathlons, and watched. Judged myself against the other woman. I saw big girls, little girls, bikes with tassels, big clunky mountain bikes and of course the svelt flashy tri-bikes.

This is where the seed was planted. If they could do it, I could do it.

(Picture taken after completed and placing in first triathlon)

Join Coach Rebecca & Coach Christina for #TriTalk on Twitter, Wednesday nights @ 8pm eastern time. This weeks topic is Triathlon Inspiration: What planted the seed for YOU to start triathlon?

Keeping Tabs

Yeah, those are my rocking abs up there. Umph. Nah.

One Day.

So who keeps tabs on themselves?

Like every weight lifted?

I do.

I normally keep a composition notebook, noting: weight, sets, reps, energy level, encouragement for next week, injuries. Pretty much anything relating to my performance. My composition notebooks is FULL of months worth of workouts. I love going through the old ones to see how far I've come along, or to see what taking a month off does to my arm strength.

I even see the ripped dudes at the gym whip out their little notebooks and record their weight. For some reason it makes me feel as though I am part of a club that truly cares on what they are trying to create in the gym. I dont lift to just "lift, I'm in there sculpting a physique. Notes must be taking, showing me where I need to improve, where I'm slacking, or where Im just being a bad ass :)

So if you are hitting the gym, start taking some notes. 

I know my tri-coach will read this and say something about filling out my swim/bike/run logs. eek!

p.s I am not training for any triathlons at the moment.

"Hooker Get on that Damn Bike"

"Hooker get on that damn bike"

That's what I have been telling myself for awhile. A lot.

As a mom I've been letting the world get in the way. I dream of creating time, and planning a ride, or run or checking out my local pools for a swim. But its all been a daydream. Just been living around the kids & hubs schedules. Not wanting to leave the kids with the hubs, and just not having opportunity to swim/bike/run when I do have the kids. What the heck am I going to do with them?

Not today though. Oh no. It might have been the sour mood the hubs was in that wanted me to say "peace out homeslice" or the fact I found the new triathlete magazines my husband was hiding.

You really cant look at Chrissie Wellington without feeling inspired. Something kicked inside of me, "I want that". I want the sweat from the mileage, I want the burn in my quads from climbing hills, I want to glide through the water in that silent peace.

I NEED this.

So as NIKE says " Just Do IT". So I did.

One bike ride. Thats all I needed. One glorious ride. It was like I never left. I smiled, sweat, grunted, wiped my nose with my hands then smeared it on my bum ( you know how it goes). Gosh, I cant explain this feeling inside of me now. This is where I belong.

Not everyone understands athletes. People think we are crazy. Stupid. Show offs. Masochistic. 

But thats not it. Some people were born to physically push themselves.

 I am one of them. And I like it.

Dailymile Inspiration

There are many things I am addicted to, and one of them once was DAILYMILE.

Most of my twitter friends are dailymile mates.

They have all been the biggest inspiration

or

biggest pain in the butt.

Only a pain in the butt because I see everyones post of the miles they are racking up, and I havent even put my running shoes on.

So far this week I have ran 3 times. And thats A LOT since only who knows when.... well apparently DAILYMILE does.

Today I saw all over twitter the announcement of all the new Dailymile team members.

Very excited to see them, I dipped my toes into Dailymile, you see I have been hiding. Pathetic. I know.

Was thrilled to see some of my absolute FAVORITE Dailymilers like Ann & Carol on the team. They always have kind and motivational words to share.

Then since I was on the site I decide to check out my "recents". Then I saw this....

My fun posts? FUN? 

LOL, my posts were fun because I was having FUN. All workouts were amazing, and always seemed so have some kind of encounter that lead to a story.

I look back and see all the stories to my training and I read in awe.

I want to be back there.

I NEED to be back there.

So I will be.

After reading this post, I jumped off the couch and ran to my dresser, I had to dig, but I found it....

Sad to think that it was at the very bottom. Hiding. Ignoring it because I had no motivation in me.

I put it on as thought I was Superman putting on his cape, it lit a fire....

Since the fire was lit I had to round up the kids " WE'RE GOING TO THE GYM!!!!". The kids scattered screaming "YIPPEE GYM! GYM! GYM!".

They pretended to run around and get clothes.

Then I realized something. The hubby took the car with the carseats.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRR", fists in the air, jaw clenched, then I looked down to 2 kids looking at me with their clothes in hand and my daughter with a thong around her neck (I had been doing laundry and she digs through for my underwear so she can wear them as accessories).

They were sad too. They knew I was upset. But I then cheered on "NAPTIME!!!! YAAAAAAY!!!!", the kids screamed back "YAAAAAAAAY!!!" scattered for their sippy cups and went down for a nap.

The running gods were on my side.

Sitting in front of my front door is a treadmill that I was supposed to sell last month. It doesnt calculate distance or the correct time, but it moves. 

Thats all I needed.

I set up camp in my tiny hallway. Put a movie on my laptop, had headphones in blasting some pandora and I got my run on.

This run fueled my day and I completed everything that was needed to be done. I now sit down finished and thinking of how happy I am.

All because of people that check in with me, that are always there for an encouraging word.

Dailymile, I miss you.

YOUR comfort zone

I just came across this picture via MAKING THINGS HAPPEN.

I really can not emphasize this ENOUGH.

This goes for ANYTHING.

Running, fitness, sewing, fashion, crafting, teaching, love.

Normally when it gets to the point of PUSHING PAST YOUR COMFORT ZONE, things tend to get HARD.

"It is supposed to be HARD, if it was easy everyone would do it. It's the had that makes it great." Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own

Think about that one...

Be different.

Experiment.

LIVE IN THE NOW.