Vince Lombardi once said, “Regardless of his personal accomplishments, the only true satisfaction a player receives is the satisfaction that comes from being part of a successful team.”
I have been truly blessed with some amazing teammates in my life, and 2013 has been a year that has challenged me in every way. It was certainly a year of breakthroughs and euphoric moments, but was also full of adversity and trying times. Coach Dawn always tells us that an ironman is like a microcosm of life, and it certainly proved true this year for me, a year of highest highs and lowest lows; moments of over the top joy sprinkled with seeds of doubt; heartbreak coupled with much needed laughter.
I participated in my first race of 2014 last weekend, the Austin 3M. I had never done this race before, and was excited to jump start my 2014 season. Orissa, Brian, Aixa, and I all rode up together, and were fired up for the day ahead. It was pretty chilly that morning, but the forecast called for clear skies, so it would warm up nicely. We started together but did not stay together for long - everyone had their own race plans, and looking to set some PRs (which they did!). I thoroughly enjoyed this race – it was mostly downhill with a few hills scattered throughout, but nothing too crazy. What I remember most about this race is smiling almost the entire time, holding my pace, and taking in everything around me. While it wasn’t a PR for me, I hit the goal I was shooting for, and I was super stoked for my teammates, who had all crushed it!! So, why so long between blog entries, you ask? Well…
My last entry (oh so long ago…) was a play by play recap of IMTX, my neurotic moments before the race, my breakthrough on the bike, my rally on the run – all leading up to the final euphoric moment of crossing the line and crushing that race…well, that’s all well and good you say, but what happened after? Well, my initial plans were to train like crazy in the summer, really utilize every ounce of time I had so that when my insane school schedule started up again in the fall, I would have logged so much training under my belt that I would be good to go for the fall season. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans…
So, not long into the summer, I developed a niggle in my foot which developed into full blown pain on the runs and occasionally on the bike rides. So, Coachie had me back off on the running, go to Dr. Nick Milnor to get the foot worked on, and basically take it easy until it was healed. I anxiously waited for my foot to heal, meanwhile trying to get in what training I could. Also, about this time mid-summer I experienced personal tragedy, an experience I have never gone through before, and really tore my world apart for awhile…two weeks after this tragedy I crashed on my bike, really just putting a cherry on top of the summer…fortunately I only ended up with a hairline fracture of the wrist, it could have been much worse, but it was super frustrating happening right before school started, and I would lose some key training weekends before my schedule got crazy again…
I was still signed up for San Antonio RnR Marathon, so I was looking forward to at least one race on the docket for fall 2013 …what I didn’t know then was that the marathon would in fact be my lowest point of the year, my rock bottom if you will, and I am grateful for the people around me, who probably had no idea at the time, but were instrumental in helping me to get through this awful period. The week after my birthday was beyond a brutal week, one of the worst in my life ever (I do not say this lightly, I literally was on autopilot and really couldn’t function), and then to end it with the marathon, which I was really looking forward to racing it with my friends but it ended not at all as I had planned. The heat had gotten to me and I DNFed, something I had never done before ever in all my years of racing, and to say it was disappointing is an understatement – as I was dropped off by the shuttle and started on my walk of shame to find my friends, I was truly at my lowest point not only that week, but of the year. It was like in the middle of the marathon in an ironman, where you have been so beat up by the day so far, and you just want to sit down and rest for awhile, but you know if you start to cave in you may never get back up…so I seriously wanted to “sit down” for awhile, fortunately for me, my teammates wouldn’t let me, and urged me forward… they made me laugh on the shuttle ride back to our cars, as we planned our next marathon adventure, and it was the first time I had really laughed that whole week.
So as I raced the 3M last weekend, I thanked God for all of the amazing people in my life, who have impacted my life in one way or another. I smiled as my feet hit the pavement and the sun shined down, grateful for the lessons I learned last year, and eager for the ones that await me this coming year. Everyone’s trials and tribulations look different, but at the end of the day we are all trying to be “resilient in the face of adversity”. And as we face these trials, when we don’t think we can put one foot in front of the other, our teammates push us forward to take just one more step. And then another. And then another. And we are at the finish, victorious.
Teammates matter. Who are your teammates? Look around. Don’t overlook them. Be thankful for them. They pick you up when you are down. They inspire you. They challenge you. They won’t let you give up. They celebrate with you in victory. They won’t let you settle for mediocrity. They will change your life.
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