Thus my second full season as a triathlete draws to a close. During this year, I did fewer races, but more long course stuff. I finished the following: - Sprint triathlons - 9
- Duathons - 3
- Olympics - 3
- Half Irons -2
- Full Iron - 1
- 10K run - 1
- Marathon - 1
And here's what I learned during 2007, either indirectly or directly from my racing season, in no particular order:
- DFL > DNF >> DNS.
- Very few people are all good, but even fewer are all bad.
- You don't get the family that you wish you had. You get the family that you get. (How I learned this is a long story about how I chose Kentucky for my first Ironman based on its proximity to the few relatives I still have, and their complete lack of interest in it. Wah, wah. A moment of self-pity. There. Now it's over.)
- I can be injured. I can overdo it.
- I will never be willowy, and that's okay. Willowy women tend not to do endurance events well. They're too, well, willowy.
- It's easy to be Vegan, but it's really hard to be a Vegan endurance athlete. It's nearly impossible to be a family of Vegan endurance athletes.
- I have great friends, which more than makes up for #3, above. I also have the world's best mother-in-law.
- If I train, triathlons get easier. Who knew?
- I have a laziness threshhold, and it lies somewhere between "long and flat" and "Short and challenging"
- Pirate is a good friend. We take turns supporting each other's worries, self-doubt, and paranoia when we're PMS-ing. Hopefully, we'll never PMS at the same time, because I think the universe would fold in on itself.
- Everyone who toes the start line wonders how well they'll do.
- I must have running shoes with a big, wide, toe box.
- I. Am. NOT. LAZY.
- If I work out at least 4 days a week after work then I enjoy life more, like myself more, like my job more, and am much less anxious.
- Race nutrition, and what is or is not tolerated, is extremely individual. It also changes over time.
- No matter how well built a GPS device is, it will not withstand going under the wheel of a Honda Fit.
- No matter how well-built a Honda Fit is, it will not withstand a direct hit by a Ford F250.
- I, on the other hand, can withstand much; I'm much tougher than I ever thought I could be, emotionally and physically.
- I may have permanantly influenced at least one of my children to lead an active life.
- High school freshmen are more impressed by tattoos than they are by finishing an Ironman.
