On Saturday, I watched 4 teammates complete the Vineman Full, a 140.6-mile triathlon in Sonoma County. What a day!
Already, I get excited watching people race. Marathons? Oy, I cry so much. I love seeing the individual effort, people pushing past pain, challenging themselves and succeeding just by trying. It evokes all my memories of prior marathons, how much it hurt and how much it rocked.
So imagine watching people I know and care about and have trained with all season complete a marathon at the end of a 112-mile bike ride, with a 2.4-mile swim at the start of it all. My heart felt so full, I could hardly contain it.
Marilyn, Kristina, Kevin and Zara became my heroes on Saturday for living life to the fullest and giving this thing their all, on race day and all season long. And doing it all with a smile!
Already, I get excited watching people race. Marathons? Oy, I cry so much. I love seeing the individual effort, people pushing past pain, challenging themselves and succeeding just by trying. It evokes all my memories of prior marathons, how much it hurt and how much it rocked.
So imagine watching people I know and care about and have trained with all season complete a marathon at the end of a 112-mile bike ride, with a 2.4-mile swim at the start of it all. My heart felt so full, I could hardly contain it.
Marilyn, Kristina, Kevin and Zara became my heroes on Saturday for living life to the fullest and giving this thing their all, on race day and all season long. And doing it all with a smile!
Photos from the day show Marilyn hugging her 2 kids each time she passed them on the run. They show the blazing, beautiful grin that Kristina couldn’t seem to contain every time we saw her. They show Zara lighting up and slapping hands at our cheer station both coming and going. They show people embracing the day, and everything it offered.
It’s a hard day. It’s a long day. It took my teammates 15 to 16 hours to get it done. That’s a long time to be pushing past pain and exhaustion. It’s a long time to stay upbeat. It’s a pretty long time to hold a smile. But they did it.
My teammates taught me a lesson on Saturday: remember to smile.
It’s a hard day. It’s a long day. It took my teammates 15 to 16 hours to get it done. That’s a long time to be pushing past pain and exhaustion. It’s a long time to stay upbeat. It’s a pretty long time to hold a smile. But they did it.
My teammates taught me a lesson on Saturday: remember to smile.
I have a tendency to focus inward, to be intense and immersed in my own mental game. On training days, seeing teammates usually draws me out of that. As we pass each other on the bike or the run, we exchange quick greetings, high fives, and praise (or taunts and challenges, depending on the teammate). This pulls me out of my head and back into the world and puts a smile on my face. It reminds me to be playful.
On race day, surrounded by thousands of strangers, it becomes harder for me to remember to smile, to remember to live the day to the fullest and be happy for all my accomplishments. At races, it’s hard not to think about the clock, to think about stats, and to worry about potential problems. It’s hard not to get locked up inside my head without lots of familiar faces around to help me refocus on the joy of the day.
If I get caught up in it, if I start dwelling on the fatigue or the emotional drain of the event, I will remember the powerful example my teammates have set, and I will high five a stranger, I’ll hug someone (hopefully one of my own spectators, not a stranger), and I’ll smile at the racers and volunteers and spectators around me. I’ll remember why I’m doing this thing: to be my best self. I think my best self smiles.
Countdown: 55 days (e.g., 8 weeks)
I’m so very, very excited. So excited.
On race day, surrounded by thousands of strangers, it becomes harder for me to remember to smile, to remember to live the day to the fullest and be happy for all my accomplishments. At races, it’s hard not to think about the clock, to think about stats, and to worry about potential problems. It’s hard not to get locked up inside my head without lots of familiar faces around to help me refocus on the joy of the day.
If I get caught up in it, if I start dwelling on the fatigue or the emotional drain of the event, I will remember the powerful example my teammates have set, and I will high five a stranger, I’ll hug someone (hopefully one of my own spectators, not a stranger), and I’ll smile at the racers and volunteers and spectators around me. I’ll remember why I’m doing this thing: to be my best self. I think my best self smiles.
Countdown: 55 days (e.g., 8 weeks)
I’m so very, very excited. So excited.
Week 37 Mileage
Tuesday, July 23 Recovering from Sunday/Monday stomach bug, blurg Wednesday, July 24 Still recovering (and reveling in it) Thursday, July 25 Cardio - 1 hour 15 minutes (elliptical) Friday, July 26 Cardio - 1 hour (elliptical) Saturday, July 27 Bike - 3 hours, 39 miles, 3800 ft. elevation gain Plus hours and hours of standing around cheering for teammates Sunday, July 28 Run - 1 hour 10 minutes, 7 miles | Totals: Swim - 0 Bike - 3 hours, 39 miles Run - 1 hour 10 minutes, 7 miles Cardio - 1 hour 15 minutes Total - 5 hours 25 minutes |