Life is funny. Or maybe I’m just funny. Either way…
Gol, where did a freakin’ month go! You know what’s cool about life? Some times, probably more times than we even realize, we can change our minds. We can go down a road, say OOPS, take a U-turn or off ramp onto another road and take in the new scenery.
Way back when, about a month ago, as I lamented my apparent inability to run more than a few steps without enflaming some malady and contemplated my personal unthinkable - crosstraining, Pem commented regarding a consideration of triathlon. Now, I’d followed a few tri-blogs and was all full of admiration for the whole gig but I would never - ever - contmeplate that tri-ing was right for me because:
A) I am attached to the feeling that I don’t really like riding a bike. I get insanely nervous when cars go by, I pop the chain about every other time that I shift gears, and I think it hurts a whole helluva lot more than running! — and –
2) I’m a little scared of water. Not in a diagnosably phobic kind of way but in a way that has produced enough anxiety over time that I haven’t tolerated much more than some horesing around with my nieces in my sis’s 4 foot pool.
So there’s a couple of reasons why it would never never no no not appeal to me to broaden my horizons into the multisport direction. And then, Pem said what she said when she said it, and it was some strange exact moment when hmmmm came to mind rather then feh. I can’t explain it.
To put this in perspective, I’m not quite ready to call myself a triathlete yet - or even a potential triathlete. There’s a little Begin At The Beginning housekeeping that I have to do - like buy a bike. And learn to swim.
So yesterdayI jumped in head first! I took my first swimming lesson. I swam across the shallow end of the pool with my face in the water and only minimal flailing. I’m not ready to ride the riptide just yet but it’s a start.
–AND–
I bought THIS! On a whim, I walked into the local bike shop and allowed myself to be taken by the hand. Dennis talked to me alot about my goals and motivations and in the end, for the little I know about it all, I think I chose a bike that speaks more to my future plans than my present status but - at least in theory - I will be loath to let a bike like this languish in the garage.
My knee is such that I have finally felt comfortable to start running again, so I’ve gotten a couple short & easies in with no knee pain - Yay! And I’ve optimistically registered for the Boilermaker because if nothing else I’ll still do my damndest to be a runner.
In the end, I’m excited about these new challenges and feeling great about facing my fears. Last night I could hardly get to sleep I was so high from swimming across the pool with my face in the water! In the forefront of my mind is the hope that the non-running will ultimately make me a better (less injured, anyway) runner, but floating around in the back is the not yet fully formed notion that this might just be the beginning of a great adventure.
Comment by jeanne
Thursday April 06 2006 @ 10:49 am
Yowza!!! She’s baaaaaccccckkkkk! You haven’t lost your knack for surprise OR inspiration! you go grrl.