False flats are for the birds

There is no question that my weakest leg of triathlon is the bike. I had a bike when I was young, but up until 2 months ago, I had not been on a bike in a while (20 years). This is the part of the triathlon that almost prevented me from signing up. I will admit it. The bike SCARES me. I don't really know how rational it is, but I am still scared of it. I think I am afraid of falling off of it, or getting hit by a car, or getting chased by dogs...it's just a scary process. So, when I started riding on a regular basis, I had a few freak out moments...but it was nothing like I thought it would be. I found myself actually enjoying it. I enjoyed the speed of it, I enjoyed the diversity it brought to my training. I have not been hit by a car, I have not fallen off (well, nothing major) and I have not been chased by dogs. Instead, I have developed a whole new set of things that rattle me on the bike. First of all, WIND. UGH. I just bought a mountain bike for this first triathlon, so riding aero is impossible...therefore the head winds are killing me. I have found myself actually talking smack to the wind, and it helps. :) The thing that makes me fighting mad are FALSE FLATS. I will be riding along and I'll look ahead and think, "what a nice flat stretch of road"...only to get to it and find that it is indeed an incline and my legs are on fire. Now, I can't really justify griping about inclines in Texas. They are nothing like the hills that most triathletes train on. That doesn't make me hate them any less. The good news is though..these inclines are getting easier. I am able to cruise up them for the most part now. Turns out, I am beginning to really love the bike. Life is all about perspective and attitude. I am trying to keep that in mind.

I started back to school yesterday so my training hours are going to have to adjust. I am excited about it all though, my brain functions best when I have no down time. That is how I am wired. This is my first sememster as a business major, I just made the switch from education. I am taking Financial accounting and macroeconomics. Luckily my husband has a degree in global logistics so he can help me study. My triathlon is in a month and I am really excited. I am ready to "tri", I'm ready to conquer the fear of uncertainty that I have right now. It doesn't get much better than this. :)

Thought for the day:
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say 'thank you?'”
— William A. Ward

Some questions don't have answers

This picture has really nothing to do with my post, but it makes me happy. My brother bought us this light for Christmas and we finally found the perfect place to hang it. It completely changes the energy in our study, it's like we have our own little disco club. I love it.

I wanted to write about the sadness that I am feeling right now. Last week I found out that one of my colleagues had passed away. He was 38, served in our army, 3 beautiful kids and a lovely wife, a deacon at his church. I did not have any details of his passing and was just overwhelmed with sadness. This part of my personality always takes me by surprise, for I am able to "tough it out" in every situation of my life...my own trials are easy for me to overcome...but when I hear of someone else hurting, my heart feels like it will explode. Sorry, I am off track. This man had so much going for him. I will not exaggerate and say that I knew him well, I had some interaction with him on a work level, and had spent minutes here and there chatting with him about family, etc. He was some one that I admired, his spirit just seemed to shine. I later found out the details of his passing. He chose to take his own life. I was completely floored by this. I am angry that he would choose to do this. As a Christian, I can't imagine how one's life can be so bad that you would want to willingly take the life that God has given you. He left his children here and they will have to deal with this the rest of their lives. So many unanswered questions, I am sure.

The point of wanting to write this down where others will read is to say this: Be kind to each other. You never know what some one is going through. It's sad to me that we all rush around this life like ants on a mission. We all seem to encapsilate narcissism on a certain level. We keep our heads down, we work and work and work to acquire more things, we keep telling ourselves "I'll be happy when...(fill in the blank), we refuse to see the beauty in the moments. Take a step back, learn to appreciate what you have and don't want for what you don't have. Our lives here are temporary, just a fleeting moment in the big scheme of things. Embrace your life and be thankful for it.

Thought for the day:
"Affliction comes to the believer not to make him sad, but sober; not to make him sorry, but wise. Even as the plow enriches the field so that the seed is multiplied a thousandfold, so affliction should magnify our joy and increase our spiritual harvest.” Henry Ward Beecher

Going and Going

I keep meaning to post on my blog, not that I have anything ground breaking to say...but what is the point of having a blog if I am not going to update it? :) This summer just flew by and we stayed busy the entire time. We got Connor for 6 weeks this summer, it was amazing. I love that kid with every thing that I am. I credit him for making me work when we would go on our nightly bike rides. He would push me and encourage me...he is older than his years. I am going to be hearing his voice in my head in my triathlon. My training is going great, I feel stronger than I have in years. I am scheduled to do a "mock race" this weekend, I am excited to see how I will feel. I haven't quite mastered the art of nutrition on the go, but with the sprint distance that I am doing, I am not going to worry about it. As long as I stay hydrated I think I will be just fine. I did my first open water swim about a month ago and it was awesome. Once I got past the intial feeling of freaking out, I was fine. I just concentrated on my breathing and kept my stroke consistent and it went well. I love the water!

Things are getting ready to gear up again (not that they ever slowed down) but I am excited and ready for things to get going. I start school in 2 weeks and am ready to get back into it. I want to finish so we can move on to the next chapter in our lives. We want to start our family within a couple of years and I want to have school finished. I am thankful for being introduced to the sport of triathlon, it has instilled in me a deeper discipline than I've ever had. The thing about training is if you don't get out there and do it, it's not going to get done. You can't rely on some one else to run those miles for you in the morning. That is going to help with school, which is what I need. I am maturing and growing and enjoying every minute of it. I thank my God every day for putting me where I need to be. He knows what it takes to get me motivated and by training for this triathlon, He is showing me that I can do all things through Him...I can do what ever I put my mind and heart into. What a great feeling. Have a wonderful week!

Thought for the day:

"I believe in the sun even if it isn't shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when He is silent.” -Author Unknown