TOTW: "A-Ha Moments"

Tri Moment: While I was putting on my shoes in T2 of my first HIM and realizing I still had to run 13 miles...oh crap this is going to hurt more than I originally planned!

Life: The first time my oldest girl sat up (about 9 months) and put her arms up towards me to pick her up with a huge grin on her face....this is true love. 

Triathlon:

I was utterly anxiety ridden about my first 40+ mile ride.  A friend consulted..."You know you can get off the bike and walk if you need to...".  You can?  I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Also, I concur....1- clip out, 2-get off the seat, 3-stop (and try not to fall) 

Life:

My three year old has taught me that napping is a perfectly suitable way to pass an hour or two.

Also, your life can be as busy and fulfilling as you CHOOSE to make it.  (Deep Thoughts by Abbey.  Reference????)

Tri:  This year, at West Point Lake Oly race, I realized that I didn't have to untie/tie my running shoes.  Yankz hurt my feet so I'd been tying my shoes in transition.  At this race, while walking around pre-race, I had my shoes tied loosely so that I could slip them on and off.  A-ha!  I could DO this in transition and not have to TIE them.

Life:  One day Doug and the girls went outside while I was doing the dishes after dinner.  I heard screaming so I went out to see if all was OK.  All 3 (plus 2 neighbor kids) were running through the sprinkler with their clothes on.  A-ha!  There is no reason NOT to run through the sprinkler with your clothes on - or, take time to stop and run through the sprinkler.

At a big race in Clearwater (note END of season) last year at mile 8ish of the run, I saw the guy in front of me open up his gel packet before the aid station, down it and THEN get water.  I was like "A-HA...why didn't I think of that?".

Now I take my gel before the aid station and have two hands free to grab water, sponges, etc.  Too bad it took all season to figure that one out.

Tri:  When I was on the fence about whether or not to register for a tri, a friend said to me, "It's only about one thing:  the ability to keep moving forward." Holy smokes, what a dork I was for not realizing that!  I had not been swimming for long and felt like I really only knew how not to drown.  I remember looking at my coach like she had three heads when she told me to swim 400 meters freestyle as a warm-up on the first day.  "Uuhhhh, I am not sure I can swim 25 without passing out".  However, after my A-HA moment (and lots of swim coaching), I figured out I could get through a tri because I knew I could adapt to whatever I needed to in order to keep moving forward.  So I did. 

Non-Tri:  Wow, I have a lot of them... like Accelerade for breakfast when needed and who'da thought The Who was singing "Let my LOVE open the door", and not about some woman with the same name as me?!  On a more substantive note, by listening to my children I realized that I learn just as much about life from them as I hope they do from me.