One Year

It's been exactly a year since I quit my job, forgone medical school, and pursued triathlon. It has been a tough year mentally, emotionally, and physically, but every drop of blood, sweat, and tears (lots of them) were totally worth it. I've learned a lot more about myself as a person and as an athlete, and I know what I need to do in this life to succeed, be happy, and inspire others.

Happy ONE year to me! And many more to come :)

The past 365 days by numbers:
6 triathlon races
5 personal records
2 podium finishes
1 DNS (due to food poisoning)
810.93 miles ran
260.84 miles swam
4300.78 miles biked
104.18 miles hiked
253.5 hours spent on the bike
57.4 max mph on the bike (descending a mountain!)
214,438 calories burned (not including swimming)
3 national parks visited
2 state parks visited
7 books read on nutrition/training
1 joyous triathlete + her awesome support group

The last in the list is by far the most important :) Thank you guys for a great year and for many more to come! Lastly, I depart you with some wisdom.

Top 6 things I learned:
 6. Don't let anyone ever tell you you can't. Haters gonna hate. Lovers gonna mate. Hah! But seriously, only you can determine what you can or cannot do. Do not let anyone else dictate that for you. My parents used to tell me all the time as a kid that I was too small, too short, too weak to compete with the rest of them and that I should give up so I won't have to work so hard. I believed them and their words came true. I still struggle with this as an adult, but I have learned to ignore them and other naysayers and instead channel the little engine that could. I think I can, I think I can, I know I can.
5. Never give up. I was ready to give up my entire athletic future once I got shoulder surgery, but all that led to was sadness and loss of motivation. I did not enjoy my own pity party, so I signed up for an Ironman not knowing if or when I'll be able to swim/bike/run again. I never looked back since.
4. You are stronger than you think you are. Many times in a race or during training, I was ready to call it quits. I didn't think I could go on or push any harder. I've always wanted to cut a sprint set short, but I forced myself to finish because I knew I would regret otherwise. I actually finished some of the sets in descending times and did not feel trashed afterwards.
3. Don't stop dreaming. Ever. Dreams fuel you. They make you smile and grit your teeth when things get tough. They pull you through. And when they finally come true, it's a feeling that's unrivaled. You'll feel so amazing that someone could punch you and it wouldn't matter or hurt because your dreams came true!
2. Pursue your passions. I tried to put my sport-based passions on the back burner for school and that only made me burnt out, depressed, and hating life. That is not an enjoyable way to live, trust me. Whether it's kayaking, basketball, football, triathlon, running, reading, hiking, traveling, or eating, include your passions in your life. Life is too short to deprive yourself of them. You are never too busy! Prioritize this!
1. Hit the pause button. Or as Gru likes to say, freeze ray! Life goes by too fast, but what's even worse is that we let it. I forget to enjoy the moment or the blessings in my life because I'm too caught up with daily tasks or planning out my future. It's nice to shut everything out and enjoy the beauty of a sunrise during a run or the smell of chlorine on my skin during the day or instagramming a herd of cows sitting in a bed of wildflowers at the top of a hill I'm bike climbing. Stop what you're doing once in a while and just soak everything in. It'll make you smile the rest of the day, I promise.

WORD! :)