Tri Changed My life
People say that, and sure it might be true in one or two ways. For me, it turned the whole damn thing upside down. I met two of my closest friends through tri, ladies that should probably be sisters- you know who you are. The laughs, the encouragement, the love, yeah- they are awesome. Last season was a turning point, a holy cow, I love this moment. A, this makes me a better person, a nicer person, a calmer person moment. I looked forward to this year, this season, the races, the people, the training, the therapy.
For those of you that don't know, tri changed my life in a way I never dreamed 2 months ago. I wanted to sign up for a race... but dear God if I'm pregnant, I don't want to waste my money. Pee on a stick... holy... wow! Here we go, whole 'nother sort of ride. We were psyched, we couldn't have been happier. I calculated. Instead of Racing Maryland, I'd be having a baby. This was awesome. Life couldn't be better. I figured I would try to still race, train, short local stuff, no stress. Then, life changed again. I had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. I bled into my belly until I nearly passed out. No risk factors. No reason. No explanation. Emergency surgery and a depth of hole that I mentally couldn't climb out of.
Until I was cleared to train and tri. Thank God. I felt like me again. I felt like I was a person, albeit sad, but functional. My yards were my therapy. I sweat out my loss. I pounded out my frustration. This was how I would recover, I would Tri. About 5 seconds later I was signed up for Lake Placid. I had a goal, and it was a close one. Only a few months away. It was time to crank. Time to mark the workouts on the calendar. Yep. I could do this.
I'm still sad. I still have bad days, I still have no understanding of this whole thing, but then I tri. Then I meet fellow triathletes and aspirating incredible athletes. I meet people that push me hard and encourage me through. I meet swimmers who make me work harder than I have since college. I gain a slew of instantaneous friends, lanemates, bike-buddies, run-crazies all because of this incredible sport. All because we tri. I feel like life is continuing, and that everything has its place and that I can laugh again.... laugh hard again, all because I tri.
Tri changed my life- I love every second.
