I spent the last 2 weekends doing the swim and bike portions of a HIM distance. The courses were complete opposites. One being an ocean swim and super flat bike. The other being a river swim and super hilly bike. I was faster on the former, and struggled with the latter. But enjoyed both immensely. I find I am my own worst critic and think my performance awful the first 24 hours after a race. Then I calm down a little and come to peace with it and figure out what I learned from it. I learned that I expect life to be easy and when it's not easy, I want to quit.
I went to physical therapy yesterday with the hopes that I would get the green flag to run again. But knowing I would be told no. And the answer was no. But we talked a long time and figured out some more of the issues with my ankle and are addressing them. I will give it another month and then closely examine whether or not it is smart to even think about ramping up to an Ironman. I have until September 11 to get back $150 of my money and withdraw from the race. In the meantime, I will continue the swim and bike and replace running with rollerblading. I do not want to damage the work I have done healing by hurting myself ramping up for a distance I have never done and there is a part of me that wants to quit right now. So I struggle with knowing whether I am wanting to quit because that's what I do when life gets tough, or wanting to quit because I am protecting my health. Luckily I do not have to make that decision today. I have some time. I have 4 months to decide. A lot can happen in 4 months.
Training for triathlons and participating in them can teach you many lessons in life if you're willing to listen for them. I have learned more in the past year about life than I thought possible. I'm grateful for the experience and for all the people who have contributed to me along the way.
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