Inspired

One of the perks of living in San Diego and participating in the sport of triathlon is being part of the largest triathlon club in the country. Well, I think it's the largest...don't quote me on that.  So, even though I'm taking time off from racing, I'm still interested in what's going on in the sport and volunteering and being part of the lifestyle.  When the June club meeting was scheduled and was going to feature Chrissie Wellington, I jumped at the opportunity to hear her speak and purchase her book, "A Life Without Limits".

The interview was great.  Bob Babbitt (Competitor, CAF) usually mc's the interviews at the club meetings and he's a great interview-er. Chrissie is very articulate, smart, funny and an all-around pleasure to listen to. She told a few stories of her pre-triathlon life and they were quite amazing. So when I started reading her book I had a little bit of a clue it would be awesome.....but when I finished, I was left feeling that I had just read the most amazing and inspirational book I had ever read.  Seriously.

First off, the whole first part of the book talks about her studies, work abroad, crazy adventures (mountain biking to the base camp of Mt. Everest - what??!) and a topic that hits home for me....eating disorders and body image issues.  While I don't consider myself ever having a true "eating disorder" (i.e. I've never made myself throw up or went anorexia), my relationship with food has definitely been a bumpy one. And my relationship with myself as far as body image goes, well that has also been a bumpy one. I felt that it was extremely brave of Chrissie to share that part of her story in the book.  Eventually the book switched gears to her triathlon career. I read the stories about her early races, working with a coach for the first time and being the newcomer to the sport. All of which I felt like I could relate to. (Well, except for the part of winning nearly almost every race I entered - heh heh!). The stories of pains and struggles and mental fortitude to keep going were familiar to me.  I can't help but find it ironic that Ms. Wellington decided to take this year off racing and so have I. By no means am I comparing myself to her! But I feel that I put so much pressure on myself and I have ignored parts of life I don't want to ignore anymore and that's my reason for taking a step back. I *think* that's part of Chrissie's reason as well.

If you get a chance, I highly recommend reading her book.  It is quite amazing.  And very inspiring. And I now know that when I'm ready I'll race ironman again. Probably a destination race! Anyone up for Switzerland or New Zealand??

Cheers!

Discover, learn and grow

This past weekend I wandered down to the Solana Beach Street Festival. At first I thought it was cool. But then I realized it just wasn't my thing. I wandered around amongst the crowd...tried to be interested in the booths and see what things were for sale or what businesses were being promoted. I was going to get some food, but none of the food choices nor the beer tent really appealed to me.  I came to the conclusion that I'm not a street festival type of gal.....and that's OK.  So, I wandered up the street and sat at Java Depot...sucked down a delicious smoothie, hung out and enjoyed the moment. Much more my style.  Low key...no crowds....just chill.

While I was wandering around the festival, I asked myself, "why am I here". I came up with two reasons...The first was I felt like I *had* to be there.  It's a street festival...in my neighborhood...I need to check it out.  The second reason was I was bored and didn't want to sit around the house and didn't want to do chores.  I'm happy I went to the festival. I always thought I liked that sort of thing.  But I don't.  That's not to say I'll never go to another street festival again.  I would most certainly go with a friend and have a good time and laugh and hang out....but the festival would be the backdrop to the more important activity of being with the friend and connecting, sharing, laughing, talking, etc...etc...etc. In this world of facebook and twitter and everything else, let's not forget the simple joy of connecting with people face to face and talking!  I digress from my original thought when starting this post.  Next time I do something or try something new for that matter, I'll take a moment to make sure I'm doing it because I want to....not because I have to, or expect anything, or think it'll be cool to post on FB.  Final thought....also this past weekend, I took a Stand Up Paddleboarding class.  Now, that was amazing. And I'm so glad I tried that because I ended up discovering a new thing I like to do. Life is all about discovery, learning and growing.

Cheers!