Putting the Life in Lifestyle...

There are a lot of things I love about sport, and what it adds to my life. Since I took the plunge into the world of physical activity and setting 'unreasonable' goals, I have gained a stronger sense of myself, expanded the context of what I can be, do and have, and been opened up to worlds of possibility, passion and the joy of self powered propulsion (by land, wheel and water!!).

I relish the training, the planning, the commitment. I love the feeling of fatigue from a hard effort, the elation of smashing a PR, and the pride in completing a goal- be it a workout, a race or a season. I have met some of my favorite people through sport, been inspired by others' journeys, and felt a camaraderie with complete strangers, bonded by something that is only really understood once experienced. I love that D and I have this shared passion and that we can be training partners and support one another in pursuing our goals, while living a healthy lifestyle and spending more time living that watching life on TV.

All of that is important to acknowledge, and remember. Because along with everything that sport, and particularly IM, adds to my life, it also requires sacrifices. Time, energy and resources that are directed to training, racing, equipment and travel are taken from other areas. It is a selfish goal, and I wonder all the time how people with kids do it. ~sidenote~ One of my real life heros is Jenna, who is a single mom of 2 kids that did her 1st IM this year after experiencing what I would consider one of the most devastating things I could imagine, short of losing someone I love. She still managed to not only complete her IM, but to have what she called a perfect day.

So, to me, the off season is just as important as the race season. The off season, or time off from the training/racing schedule, is when I can put my time, energy and resources into the rest of my life. My relationship with D, time with my family and especially the girls, building my business and supporting my clients in reaching their goals, are all of the things that put the LIFE in my Lifestyle.

As much as I love sport, at the end of the day not even the finish line of the Ironman can compete with the feeling of seeing my nieces faces light up when they see me :-)

So I am loving my time off. Even though I have been fighting a cold/flu since returning, I have gotten much accomplished- filled my Sept classes, and almost reached my goal of 10K for the month of Sept, planned the wedding, bought our wedding rings, took my dress for alterations, and purchased the important wedding/honeymoon 'wardrobe'. I have had more time to spend looking after the girls and even ventured out with both of them (by myself!!) for a fun day out. D and I have enjoyed time just being, and have really enjoyed planning our Hawaii adventures (there are soooo many cool things to do!)

I am hoping to finally shake this chest bug and get out running. It is my favorite time of the year, with the leaves changing and the beauty of fall erupting everywhere you look. Running for love of running...ahhhhh.

Life is good :-)