The long road of triathlon

The Road ahead looks GOOD!

I've been talking a lot with Jess about how this year feels a bit different than last year, how getting up at 4:45AM a few times a week doesn't bug me as much as it did last year. This made it all the more obvious that truly, we are always evolving in triathlon, and that really it's like that in so many aspects of life.  You start on a mountain bike and work your way to a TT bike. I'd like to avoid the word "journey" for this post, as I feel it's pretty overused and can put some people off.  So how about we talk about the long road of triathlon?   So I thought it might be good to get a post out there.

A while back, Coeur posed the question of what prohibits those with the means, to get into triathlon? From even starting along the road to involvement in sport?  I thought about this a lot, as for me it's a no-brainer, I love it...why wouldn't anyone want to get involved in any sport, moving my body is what keeps me sane. I have gained some of my very best friends from my involvement in this sport and interacted with people who otherwise I would not. The answer it seemed for most, was fear.  Fear of the unknown, fear of being a newbie, fear of being DFL, fear of something unfamiliar and of being uncomfortable- racing triathlon is generally not a comfy endeavor :)

Trail racing is ALWAYS uncomfortable for me.

Maybe this is SO obvious, but I think that we forget that most top athletes did not start off being AMAZING, sure you have some outliers, that said "tomorrow I'm going to do a triathlon" and POOF, they won.  But for most of us, let's be honest- you start from scratch. When I first did a triathlon, I was still SMOKING cigarettes on the regular, drinking way more than I needed to and 20lbs heavier...no joke, the pictures are on the interwebs, so it is a fact, but there is no need to post them again!  My very long winded point is this.  "Comparison is the thief of joy"- T. Roosevelt.  Don't compare yourself to this girl or that guy on FaceBook, Twitter or the gal racked next to you at your next event.  Saying "ohhhhh, she looks FIT" doesn't accomplish anything...she just may be on a different portion of the road then you are...OR she may also just be dedicated to a very strict diet...no matter, you have to start somewhere.

Where's my vino?!!

What brought me to this post is that I gave up wine (OK, maybe it was more suggested to me than self imposed) about 4 weeks ago to give it up almost 6 weeks out from Los Cabos.  No, one glass of wine won't kill me, or hell, even effect my performance and in previous years, it was harder to make these sacrifices.  Harder to give up wine, or not stay out as late, or just be that little bit more disciplined than I was.  And I don't know when I became more aware of the shift, but this year, it's been easier to go just a little bit further and I've been more OK with it.  But had you told me a few years ago, that I would be staying home most weekends and giving up wine weekends with friends for bike rides with other friends, I would have laughed at you and told you, no way, no how, not gonna happen.  But somewhere along this road the desire to get back to Kona and see the honu has increased and I am trying to maximize my chances of going back to swim with the dolphins.

Wine Country with the laydeez!

But don't worry, after Ironman Los Cabos on the 30th of this month, there will be PLENTY of enjoying some down time, wine with friends and some much needed R&R.  Because, without that type of balance, I would likely go off the deep end!

See you in Los Cabos and beyond!  Hope everyone's season is off to a great start and that your road is looking good!

Thank you as always to the awesome support team of my friends, family and sponsors- I wouldn't be able to do this without you ALL!