The Journey...

As some of you may know I completed my first Triathlon this summer on June 26^th, the date happily burned into my memory. My time to complete the Sprint Triathlon ¼ mile swim, 12-mile bike, and 5k run was 1 hour 33 minutes, also burned into my memory. The order in which one participated in a triathlon, swim bike run, was not something I knew prior to the implementation of my “Couch to Sprint Tri” training. I truly was a Tri-newbie and an out of shape one at that.

9 weeks of swimming, biking, and running. I loved and hated it all at the same time. My kitchen became littered with water bottles, swimsuits drying, and “How to” articles from triathlon magazines. I acquired a decent used road bike on sale, swim goggles, wet suit, and other miscellaneous triathlon newbie items. I became obsessed with the race at hand.

Plans were made, discussed, and re-discussed for the post race celebration. I dreamt of potato chips, beer, cheeseburgers, well pretty much every category of junk food, I had an item that I was going to eat during that post-race weekend. Post-race had become synonymous with a beer and junk food bender. Needless to say I was pumped for the race and what was to come after.

As most of the summer has, June 26^th came and went. I woke up the next morning after the race surprised and a mix of emotion. I was surprised 9 weeks flew by and the race was over.Surprised that I wasn’t sore. Surprised that I felt sad. Depressed almost. What the heck was I going to do now? I regretted not hanging around the other racers and crowd when the race ended. I regretted not taking the time and looking around as I crossed the finish. Why had I showed up so nervous? I to quickly set up my transition area, barely talked to anyone, waited for the gun to go off, raced, and then left.

I share this because I don’t want this to happen to me again or to you on September 12^th.Maybe there are some of you that are experiencing a similar journey that I did with my triathlon. You are committing yourself fully, setting micro-goals for the macro-goal of the 5k .Your kitchen too has become littered with articles, sports bras hanging to dry, and water bottles. Perhaps you to are obsessed with the race at hand.

If so, I invite you to take a breath as you cross the finish, look around. Soak up the post race day activities. Pat you and others on the back. Recognize that it took commitment of thousands of strides, over the past 10 weeks to get you to this one day. I can’t tell you not to be nervous, shoot, I’m going to be nervous, but don’t let that be the prominent emotion you feel as that gun goes off. Look around as you join strangers, all committed in their own way, to cross the same finish line as you.

Although this race may seem insignificant to others, it is significant to me, to you. So make it significant the best you can. Be selfish, be proud, be excited and nervous, but don’t be like I was – tunneled visioned and mono-emotioned. Be as aware of the day as you can, congratulate yourself, take a deep breath, run, finish and celebrate.