Dude, Where’d My Season Go?

This is meant to be a serious post . . . even with that title.

Being injured this year has pretty much sucked.  But it’s also been a blessing in disguise, just as everything in life usually is.  We just need to to recognize it.  So here I am, almost mid-September, wondering where my season has gone and what I have to look forward to.   I’m not too happy about not being able to do what I love (race!), but when I really dig deep and try to understand it all, the perspective I have isn’t so bad. 

Here’s the deal:  most of us didn’t come out of the womb swimming, biking, and running.  Most of us have passions outside of the sport, careers, families, and previous life experiences that make us fabulous and interesting and all that good stuff.  Just because I landed in this crazy world of multisport (it’s like the Bermuda Triangle– I can’t seem to get out), doesn’t mean that it’s the sole identity and source of happiness.  I love being active, and thank goodness I can still bike my heart out and, um, what’s that other little thing we do in triathlon? Oh, yeah… swim.  Almost forgot about that. 

Anyway, last year rocked the casbah for me.  I felt like someone was pounding me with a meat tenderizer every day (he’ll remain unnamed but we all know who HE is), but I kept showing up to races and walking away (or limping) successful.  What a great year!   Now 2008 started off awesome, but this is not how I wanted to finish out my first year as a pro.  

So many of us have had disappointments.  I can rattle off a handful of friends’ names right now who have also dealt with injuries or seasons which have not panned out according to our hopes and dreams.   Don’t be fooled, though.  In no way does that make us any less successful than when we walk away with big titles and heavy trophies.   I think back to those cold days in January and February, waking up early when most (sane) people are still in bed hungover, bundling up and riding hard with booties and gloves and loving every second of it, because the whole time I was not seeing the cold rain or snow;  I was seeing the finish line at Clearwater in 2008.  I was seeing myself proudly wearing the Team USA jersey as a pro duathlete at Worlds.  I was seeing myself rock out the bike course in Cancun.  

Were those cold and hard training days a waste?  HELL NO.  If things haven’t panned out for you this year the way you planned, just know that you’re stronger for trying, smarter for learning, and more patient for your diligence. You are more understanding for your experience, and more anxious for the new ones.  Most importantly, you are grateful for the sun that rises everyday with a new opportunity and a healthy body that will heal . . . and another race that will always be there.  Always. 

Tomorrow I’ll do a test run.  Fifteen minutes of the rat machine (treadmill) will pretty much decide if I can show up for one more triathlon before 2008 ends.  It’s not the one I wanted, but at least it could be a racing experience.   And I would love that.

If it doesn’t happen, though, I will use the time to get stronger on the bike and try to turn into the little fishy that I know I can someday become.  And I’ll enjoy everything else that I’m so blessed to have in my life.  Life should not be so single-faceted.  When we’re doing it, do it with passion and soak it up.  ALWAYS!  But if it’s not meant to be right now, there’s a reason for it.  Can’t fight it.

Having a passion and working tirelessly towards our goals is what drives us to be better— better in every way.  But when things don’t always go as planned, we have to roll with it and know that there is so much more to celebrate. 

And there will always be another day to DUKE IT OUT!!

(My game face before duking it out at the last Mexican Standoff, i.e. Baja 70.3 2007)