Don't let fear rule

This was a great little thought provoking piece that Fit Yummy Mummy posted on facebook earlier this week.

Sometimes the things that are most rewarding are absolutely the hardest decisions to make.  And sometimes making the decision is the hardest part . . . but once you make it, you can figure the rest out along the way.

Last year we, as a family, were faced with a decision regarding schools for my son.  Small school with a family, further away versus new, bigger school with more opportunities within walking distance.  For me, the unknown was harder, but we chose the second option--mostly because fitness is so important to us and I feel that our country would be a much better place if we took the time out to walk our children to school.  You can enjoy nature, visit, and get a little exercise in on the way to school.  It wasn't an easy decision, but 2 weeks in I am so glad we made it--we spend so much less time rushing around trying to get things done and get into the car.  Instead we enjoy our time getting to school.  Less stress, more sweat, more family time.

Don't be afraid to turn heads and make tough decisions for the betterment of yourself or your family.  Don't let fear of failure prevent you from making a positive change in your life--whether it be diet, fitness . . . anything.  In fact, if there is something that scares you a bit--you may want to find a way to face it.  Because with facing your fears comes immeasurable growth.

 

While we were on our vacation at the beginning of August, we went to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. My husband has always been an adventurer and has wanted to go caving for some time.  That is something that I once would have considered outside my comfort zone.  I used to be pretty big (and am still no slender flower), so trying to squeeze through small dark spaces scared the crap out of me.  But we took turn watching the kids and each took an introductory caving course.   It was incredible.  An amazing look at nature and a chance to see things not everyone gets to see. 

You only have one shot at this great wild ride called life.  Take the plunge and do something epic EVERY DAY.  Because life is short.  There are no do-overs.  If you aren't going to face those fears now, then WHEN?

Race Reports: Key Biscayne Triathlon Trilogy #2 and #3

Thanks to vacation and the start of school, I'm terribly behind on blogging.  No surprise there--I knew it would be an issue when I started this.

So since my last post, I've raced twice--The 2nd and 3rd installments of the Key Biscayne Triathlon trilogy.  After the first race of the series, I decided my fitness hybrid bike was on its last leg.  My mother generously offered to give me a very, VERY early Christmas/birthday present in the form of a road bike.  After some shopping around I came home with THIS pretty baby--it isn't a true "racing" bike, just an entry level road bike with a carbon fiber fork, but I love it so very much.

 I went into July's race with only 2 weeks in the saddle of my new bike.  Thank goodness I have great roadie friends who let me tool around behind them and gave me lots of pointers.  The only major fail was that I did not practice climbing hills before the race, or really even consider how to approach a big hill on this bike.  Ready or not though, Key Biscayne Triathlon Trilogy #2 ended up being my first Athena race.

Another awesome PLUS for the 2nd race over the first was that my kick-ass neighbor, Julie, not only gave me some major swim pointers, but she also came along to race in the fat tire division.  Julie is an absolute beast on the swim AND the run.  It ended up being perfect because I caught her on the bike, then she caught me on the run, so I had her ahead of me motivating to push.

The splits for July's race looked like this:

Swim

0:12:56

T1: 4:30

Bike:  0:38:48

T2  1:17

Run:  0:36:44

Total Time:

01:34:15.95

The swim (and .25 beach run to transition)--definite improvement from June, it was choppy, but I found my rhythm and was comfortable in the water.

The bike--I didn't pass anyone on a road bike, but felt decent the whole time. The bridge was killer.

The run--super humid, so I had a hard time finding my rhythm.

Julie, by the way, snagged a 2nd in the Fat Tire division.

This was good enough for 5th/15, which I was far more pleased with than my usual 4th/5 :-)  This was a personal record for this course, thanks largely to my lovely Trek Lexa :-)

August and KB#3 came WAY too fast.  We took a 10 day trip between #2 and #3, during which I only ran once and missed my bike terribly.  I DID take advantage of my inlaws pool and swim on a daily basis.    When I started Tri season this year, I secretly hoped to get below a 1:30.  When race day dawned, I dared to dream, but wasn't too terribly optimistic since training was basically non-existent and we ate out for an entire week straight.  But I WAS armed with lots of hill and cadence tips from my girl Susan and a solid set of climbs over the bridge in the week leading up to the race.  That contributed largely to an epic bike ride in which I not only felt like I knew what I was doing, but actually passed some people :-)

Weather conditions were perfect.  The wind was much calmer than it had been in the past 2 races.

The splits looked like this:

Swim:  0:10:55

T1  4:13

Bike  0:35:27

T2  0:54

Run  0:36:00

0

Total  01:27:29.40

Placement was 6/14.  I was totally happy with that, this group was far more competitive than the last race.  I hit my time goal.  I improved every single one of my splits.  Got in and out of T2 in less than a minute (I am not sure I will ever mess with cycling shoes--I love not having to do a single thing other than slap my bike into transition and grab my race belt). Having Julie ahead of me and IN SIGHT (a rarity indeed) on the run was a great push.  

With just a little over 2 weeks before the bonus round of the race, I'm focused on training.  I can't believe I'm going to say this "out loud", but this girl who was picked last in gym class REALLY wants to get on the podium.  So the next few weeks will be filled with lots and lots of Swim, Bike and Run, not to mention loads of cross training fun.