Well, I fnally did it! I finished my first triathlon in beautiful Cody, WY on July 16.
Here I am on race day. I look hot at 6:00 in the morning! Thanks for the bucket idea, Theresa :)
I knew I was ready to race. I have been training for a long time to be able to compete. At this point, I was just ready to get going. I was looking around at all the racers, and thought, "How cool is this?!" Two years ago, I would have been sleeping in, mad at the world, my husband and kids for being overweight, having no motivation, not loving myself the way others around me were, and just being miserable without ever realizing how miserable I really chose to be. Wow! I am so grateful for being at that point, because I never would have made it here without having those experiences. What's even more awesome is that I learned that I get to pick how I choose to think and my thoughts steer my path. Believe me, I have my doubts and fears...
I am smiling here, but the whole time I was thinking, "Can I really do this? I don't want to drown. Please, don't let me drown. Can I bike after swimming this hard? Then I still have to run. What the $%&* am I doing here?" (I'm an honest blogger...lol)
I know that my thoughts become things, and I knew I didn't want to drown or not finish the race, so it was time to pivot. I put the big ol' stop sign up and shifted into a state of gratitude. I started thanking everything that was happening to me in that moment. I had my daughter with me, a good friend willingly gave me two days of her time to travel with me and support me, my body is strong and healthy, and I'm here because I choose this path. Then mentally, I shouted, "Bring it! I'm ready!" Plus, I think the camo swimsuit gives me super powers.
The result? Swam my fastest swim time ever. 500 yards in 9:26. (Thanks Jill for bringing a watch!)
I was feeling it! I knew my swim time was decent, and my confidence level soared. Cora is supporting me...still melts my heart. If you look real close, you'll notice my shoe laces are tied. Ahhh! Okay, I actually said (yes, outloud and a little panicky), "F***, I forgot to untie my shoes!" Sorry, Cora. Thanks for not repeating that.
The bike ride was awesome! I didn't really know what to expect, but there is something so peaceful and calming about it. My ego wanted me to be scared, but once I went into my "thank yous" and powered my bike in a state of gratitude, it was amazing. I did this! I created this for myself, and I did awesome. We all have this power within us to create amazing things for ourselves.
Here I am coming in from my bike ride. 13 miles :) I teared up a few times on my ride. Very rewarding!
Time to go for a run! The 5K was my biggest worry, because I wasn't sure how my body would react. I was a little wobbly walking out of the transition, just started jogging lightly, and then my body took over. Finished the run with the transition in 29 minutes. Yes, I'm a little confused here. Wasn't sure where to go. I got it figured out ;-)
On the home stretch! I was crying. I'm actually crying typing this. It was such a powerful and empowering moment for me. I knew I had done it. I was there. I DID IT! Me. Everyone deserves to feel the way I felt in this moment, in this race, and how I feel now.
Done! Still crying and cried afterward :) Final time was 1:34:14. I want to thank Jill for taking all of these pictures. They are powerful memories for me :)
My new goal? Finish the triathlon this weekend in under an hour and 30 minutes. It's not about competing with other people. They are my inspiration. One lady finished in 1:10:something. I could be down about not being as fast as her (that's ridiculously fast by the way...lol), but I am not. This is about me, and what DO I want, not what I DON'T want. I want to push myself a little harder, because I know I can.
Today, I encourage you to recognize those moments when you're experienceing fear, panic or doubt and put up your big ol' stop sign. Stop and pivot. Instead of focusing on what you DON'T want, ask yourself what you do want and be thankful that you can recognize that, you had the power to change your thoughts, and steer yourself on a new path of DO instead of DON'T!
Here's to happy thoughts my friends! Wishing you a wonderful day :)
Sarah
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