This Life I Lead

I've had this thought rolling around in my head for a few years now. And after it came to me again today, I decided I wanted to put it down on "paper." It's something that I'm not sure I can articulate, but I want to try.

Until about 5 years ago, I had a pretty boring life. It was (and is) a life I was proud of. I had made big strides in my young career and had great friends and a fantastic family, but if you asked about the adventure part of my life, it was severely lacking. There was rarely anything new. I wasn't traveling places that made my heart happy or taking risks that had my heart beating out of my chest.

In 2012 I registered for my first triathlon, a half Ironman. That wouldn't be the first triathlon I completed (I completed a sprint and an olympic on the build to 70.3), though. And started to do things that scared me. I got a road bike and rode it on a road with cars. In my mind, that was not an activity for the faint of heart. I bought bike shoes and clipless pedals and rode my bike on a road with cars with my feet firmly attached to the bike, fearful that at the next stoplight I would forget to unclip and fall over (spoiler alert: I did). Later that year, I drove my bike out to Colorado to stay with my brother for a month and learn how to ride that same bike on hills (while, yes, still sharing a road with cars). In fact, I drove my bike all around that year, learning to ride it on different terrain and usually falling off at a stoplight in every town along the way.

But I kept at it. I kept pursuing these goals that scared me and doing things that made my palms (and literally all my other body parts) sweat. I finished Augusta 70.3 in September of 2012.

But that wasn't enough, I had grown accustomed to pushing myself and reaching goals, setting bigger goals and working hard to reach those as well. So I registered for Ironman Florida and I spent the next year traveling with my bike (a new bike that I fell off way less and that I ride to this day), running shoes, and bathing suit, finding new pools everywhere I went. And after that I couldn't stop. I kept racing, training, and adventuring. 

Not only did these trips, and goals, and work help satisfy my need for adventure and excitement in my life, but hey also helped me meet people with similar interests and passions. They're the people that join you on your adventures and push you to ride your bike faster, swim harder, and run longer. I can honestly say that through triathlon I have met my best friends. 

They're the people that get me, the people that I say "I love you" to almost as much as family.

These are the people on the on the other side of an all-day-running text thread where we share the ins and outs of our days. 

These are "my people."

I'm also thankful for the places that triathlon has allowed me to travel. They're places that were never on "my list" and yet, some of them have become my favorite places on earth. On that list are places like Cozumel, Mont Tremblant, and Lake Placid. 

I guess the point of all of this rambling is this. I'm thankful for triathlon. Certainly, I'm thankful for the finish lines it's taken me across and the fitness gains I've made. But more than those typical things, I'm thankful for the way that it's filled out my life. It has brought changes in my career, helped me meet my some of my dearest friends, and has taken to places to explore and travel that I never would have gone had I not started on this journey five years ago. So while triathlon certainly isn't my life, it has played a huge role in shaping my life, and for that I'm forever grateful!