One Weekend, Two Challenges

“Move out of your comfort zone.

You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
Brian Tracy 

Hello Friends!

I hope you all have been well!  I have been BUSY, but that is no surprise.  This past weekend Adam and I took a road trip up to Canada for a wedding.  I was a little nervous about the drive because I hate long car rides, but Adam and I took shifts driving and it ended up working out pretty smoothly.  It was a nice treat to just to spend time with him (as opposed to him working all the time).  The fact that I got to see two of my dearest friends tie the knot was an added bonus!

The wedding was very special for me because the couple getting married happened to be some of the first people I bonded with at work.  I had the privilege of watching their love blossom.  It is so amazing when two people you love end up in love with each other!     It’s even more amazing when the resulting relationship makes them even better people.  That is completely the case with these two.  The love they have for each other is so pure and beautiful, it’s a gift to be around them.

Beyond that, I haven’t seen either of them in ages, and they are a positive influence I miss dearly in my life!  For some reason, all my closest friends have a habit of moving out of state.  That is why I happily jumped at the chance to come see them- even if it meant an 8 hour car ride to a different country!  The whole trip was a great experience, and I felt honored to have been invited especially when I got there and realized I was one of only a handful of friends.  Everything about it was worthwhile.  I got to spend time with my man, catch up with great friends, and experience my first traditional Indian wedding.  Plus, the bride and groom were beyond thrilled that we were present on their special day.  They couldn’t believe we drove all that way for them, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

This weekend, Adam and I went in the complete opposite direction of fun and “relaxation” and each signed up for a half marathon and bike ride.  Toooodaaaay we did the Gulf Beach Half Marathon.  It was a relatively flat out and back course that followed the Milford coast.  My favorite part was a section that ran along the boardwalk right on the beach.  (The blinged out pirate medal was pretty cool though too) The coastal breeze was also nice, aside from when it was a head wind. Normally I am not a fan of out and backs, but this one was actually nice because it maximized the coastal views.  It also didn’t have that many mile markers, which made it slightly easier to judge how far into the coarse I was.  Again, it was awesome to spend time with Adam.  I was pleasantly surprised when he decided to run with me instead of his friends from work.  Truthfully, though I think the fact that he hasn’t been running and worked overnight may have had something to do with it.

Unfortunately, it was not a great running day for me.  I overslept, missed my exit, and generally felt like crap… not that any of those things would ever deter me from attempting (or finishing) a race.  I was completely bummed that I had tapered this week and still felt like my body had been destroyed all week.  It may have had to do with the weekend trip followed by back to back 13+ shifts at work which were more brutal than usual.  Plus, due to the crazy work stuff, my nutrition sucked this week… mostly owing to not having time to eat.

Despite the fact that I had plenty of reasons to feel like $hit including that fact that sometimes bad runs just happen, I still had to fight the urge to beat myself up.  Whenever I am not operating at top performance my first inkling is to blame it on not working hard enough… when in truth it’s more commonly the opposite that’s the problem.  In this case, however, over training was not the issue.  Instead, I think it was the fact that I have made myself sick with worry over this bike ride tomorrow.

My biggest fear is that I will crash in a major intersection… other lesser fears include getting hit by a car, falling (still attached to the bike) repeatedly, and irritating everyone else with my total lack of experience.  Adam assures me that cyclists are as friendly and supportive as runners.  Having no experience with cyclists myself, I suppose I’ll have to take his word for it.  Of course, the burning questions is if I am so terrified about this ride- terrified enough to spend the past week sick over it– why on earth why I do it?

Well the answer is simple: I am on a mission.  My end goal is a shot at an Iron Man. That means getting the hang of that bike this fall.