Courage to Tri

That “post-race glow”

So here I sit, basking in the after-glow of the post-race.

This is the first triathlon I’ve done since last November so it’s been a while. It’s been hard for me to train since I’ve gone back to work a year and a half ago. I spent most of last year working weekends, and this year, I’ve spent most of the year pouring myself into a new job, new projects and startups.

That is for another post but for today I’ll focus on this one race. I know how long(ish) I took to reach the finish line, but I’m not looking at the actual results. I refuse to.

I refuse to feel bad about how I did today.

I refuse to punish myself for doing something good.

I refuse to tell myself this time that I could have done better.

I refuse to beat myself up.

My new life as a working mom is a year and a half old and is still very much a work in progress. It has been a ridiculously rewarding amazing challenge.

Soooo I got an email telling me about a packet pickup for a race I had apparently signed up for (???) and had no recollection of doing so and realized I had totally FORGOTTEN I’D SIGNED UP FOR THIS RACE. (whoops)

I have never in my life signed up for a race and forgotten about it (have you?) I still don’t even remember signing up! But apparently there was a really good deal and I took it. And I’m glad I did. How else to get back into triathlon other than to jump right in, right?

Luckily I started training for another race that’s in September, but alas, I still was pretty OUT OF SHAPE for this one. 

This is the Courage to Tri Triathlon. It’s only a sprint distance but it’s a challenging course with three bridges and a run mostly on sand. I’ve done the course a few times and this is the site of my very first race ever so I was returning to my roots! (Note: this triathlon had an amazing number of water stops (thank you!) and was VERY VERY VERY VERY well organized. Tons of volunteers, route markings, and friendly faces – as always is the case in a triathlon. I also like the shirt which is not a huge boxy crazy man shirt. I highly recommend the race to anyone wanting a challenging short course.)

God I love these people. These my Tri Warriors.

Standing at the water’s edge is always a defining moment for me. There’s excitement mixed with a nervous pit in my stomach and time seems to stop and get silent.

The woman in front of me had a triathlon outfit on that said, “Some day we will not be able to do this. Today is not that day.”

I had no choice but to put one foot in front of the other no matter how slow or fast it was.

Headed out on the bike! Bridges, here I come!

It’s the slowest sprint I’ve ever done but it’s the first step to getting back into a life that I love so much.

My babies came to watch me. He said, “Mommy, you went slow, but you did great!” Haha

If you look up my results, don’t tell me about them. I don’t want to know.

I am currently in my own battle with myself to find time for me. To train and to get back to the healthy life that I love.

And today was that first big step.