Two months ago, I made a commitment to complete my first triathlon, the Y Freedom Triathlon, on July 1st. Who would've ever thought that through training for it, I would absolutely fall in love with training for triathlons. I've been a runner for a while, but to add biking and swimming to my training, that definitely forced me to step things up a few notches. Although this is only a sprint length triathlon, I still want to do well and I know that my training I've done up until now is going to benefit me greatly. One person I'd like to give a shout out to is one of my former classmates from college, Katie Breland, for being such a HUGE inspiration for me. This past October, Katie was in a severe vehicle accident where she was ejected from the car and the car had landed on top of her, along with the car's motor sitting on her back, and suffered from spinal injuries and several burns. She's always been an outgoing, active person who has a positive attitude and always gives God the glory for the progression she's made since her accident. Recently, Katie posted this status on Facebook and it's stuck with me throughout my training since then and I want to share it with you:
"I've
been trying lately to not focus on what i dont have and more on what i
do have..exercise is part of me though and its hard to make the desire
go away...Running for me is not just a daily achievement, it's a
discipline that has nothing to do with speed or social status.. it's
about the sweat on your face and the blisters on your feet, it's about
the slow and painful process of being the best you
can be. It's about waking up every morning while the rest of the world
is still dreaming of being what you are, it's about being on a lonely
road but running like a champion, even if there's no one to cheer you
on. Running is not just a word or action. It's an escape from the world
that sometimes swallows us up.....I can't wait for the day. It's coming,
and I'm believing."
My goal is to have this attitude each day as I train. While a lot of people are still winding down for the day, I'm already in bed asleep. While most people are still sleeping, I'm in the gym or hitting the pavement training. It's all about dedication and reaping the benefits of it. I love exercising. It seems as natural to me as it does breathing. Tomorrow I'm going to go out there and give it everything I've got because that's what helps define a champion- medal or no medal, trophy or no trophy. Determining to achieve a goal, dedicating yourself to that goal, and accomplishing that goal- possible even exceeding it, that right there is a champion in my books.
WISH ME LUCK!!
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