A colleague and dear friend of ours, Dr. David Katz MD, has spoken the words for all of us to live by…

“You can not outrun what you are carrying; you can only choose to set it down.“

That phrase cuts right through me and enters my heart.  At some point we have to take a good, hard, long look at ourselves in the mirror and get a grip on what is dragging us down emotionally, physically and spiritually.  For me, that moment was August 19, 2013 and I choose to set down and let go of a crippling negative outlook on life.  Normally, I would not share this personal information, but I realize that it might help some of you to turn around your life for the better.  That’s my goal…to help you change your life to be the best version of you that you can be!  You see, I was choosing to carry a negative perspective toward my athletic potential.  I’d hold myself back with thoughts that I could never accomplish the one thing I always wanted to do…a triathlon.  The end goal being a Half IronMan (70.3 miles: 1.2 mile swim, 56 miles bike, 13.1 miles run).  For years I’ve been reading and learning about the training process, but never really put it into action.  Well on August 19th I looked at myself in the mirror and said, “Self, if you want to be an example of health to others and to your daughter you’ve got to put one foot ahead of the other.  After all, goals without plans are mere wishes.  So make a plan and put one foot in front of the other toward this goal.”

That was it.  Two months ago I started training for a triathlon with a group of moms.  It required getting out of my comfort zone….a lot!  Training was hard, getting up before 5 am was tough, and there were tears shed along with sweat.  But what helped me stay consistent was the unconditional support I had from my coach, teammates, and family.  My husband believed in me, my family believed in me, but I didn’t believe in myself.  They could say over and over how proud they were of me but it didn’t matter because I didn’t have the confidence that I could complete this goal.  Ever felt that way?  Let me tell you, that is the worst feeling to carry around!  But over time the constant positive comments from loved ones and this amazing group of mommies started to sink into my subconscious.  When you are running sprints uphill at 5:30 am, the “Way to go!” and smile from your coach makes you start to believe in yourself.  I showed up on time, never missed a workout, and it resulted in getting stronger, faster and more confident.  One of the best feelings in the world is crossing the finish line toward your goal!  Now I can’t imagine going a day without swimming, biking or running.  I’m eternally grateful to my coach, husband, family and teammates.

I stopped trying to outrun what I was carrying.  Setting it down freed me spiritually, emotionally and physically.  I’m now a triathlete.  The goal became a reality.  I’ve got more triathlons lined up and with the help of my kick-butt coach, an IronMan 70.3 in 2014.  It may seem impossible to get started in whatever your goal may be…but all it takes is placing one foot in front of the other.

I believe in you. Now it is time for you to believe in yourself. Go ahead…tri!