Best Moment of 2014 - Putting my Face in Water

End of the Year Reflection. I was blessed to have a lot of high points in 2014 but this had to be my favorite. After 2 years of motivating other people to “Try a Tri” I finally found myself with time to train and no excuses not to do our local Sprint Tri event. Except for the fact that I really don’t like water. I don’t like to swim in open water and I don’t like to put my face in the water. So why did I do a Sprint Tri? Because I can’t say no to a challenge. I did my bike, run and swim training leading up to the event and felt good going in. I knew I wasn’t going to break any records but my goal was just to have fun and finish. I love the community of racing and bonding with my fellow contenders. I got lucky with a borrowed wet suit and with one open water practice swim two 2 days before the race (Thanks David). I had so many butterflies in my stomach but I knew that if I could just finish the swim part (which is first) I would be good the rest of the event. For me it was 100% more of a mental challenge then a physical challenge.

I almost didn’t make it past the start. When I went to jump into the water I was so concerned about holding on to my goggles that I forgot to close my nose and mouth (rookie mistake). I came up to the surface gasping and coughing for air. I had one minute to pull myself together and figure out if I was going to swim or call it quits. I took a few deep breaths, said a lot of quick prayers and pulled it together for the gun start. I started slow and stayed slow. I kept away from the crowd and swam my own race. I got passed. I even got asked by the lifeguard at almost the end of the course if I needed a noodle to hold on to. But I didn’t. I knew with every stroke, every breath, every move forward I was one step closer to conquering my fears and reaching my goal.

This photo captures that moment when I knew I made it. I knew I had reached the goal I had set out to do. It was the best feeling in the world and one I will not soon forget. It is also the feeling that I want others to have and why I work to motivate others to reach their goals today.