Finding my direction

Or where do I see myself as an athlete? At first, it was a marathoner - maybe not the fastest, but consistent. It was what I loved and something that I thought I'd be doing forever. But the compass shifted and I reinvented myself as a triathlete. First on the road, then on the trails. It was an interesting journey as a triathlete and I learned a lot about resilience and persistence. I also got a good lesson in reality on many occasions. Which brought another swing of the compass towards the endurance mountain bike world. The riding, the racing and the preparation - all up my alley. Again, not the fastest, but consistent and always ready for whatever conditions the race would throw at me. I felt sure that I'd found my north and the compass had found it's resting point. But...

Daydreaming returned the compass to the original direction - back to running. One of my ultimate goals was always to finish a 50 mile race and I was able to do that this year. I found myself pondering the other races Colorado offered - so many races, so many adventures. I was secretly hoping that I would find another love for running, rekindling the flame from so many years. In hindsite, I should have given myself another year to build up my running before tackling a 50 miler. It was more then I had anticipated - the training and then the race. I was more happy that I was finished then looking forward to another race. Of course, that didn't last that long. I've already started pondering trails for my next attempt at a 50 miler and studying races!

Along with the 50 came another compass shift - this one brought about by someone else - a new friend who quickly became my best riding (and running!) partner. And she knows exactly who she is... The hint of an idea that became a spark and then a new goal. A turn of phrase that happened during a ride that inspired a team name. The compass is firmly turned towards True North and this time I've got a new partner for the ride. 2017 is shaping up to be an interesting year with some familiar adventures and and one new. It is the new adventure that excites me the most - yet terrifies me at the same time. I've never raced with anyone but Nick. And I've never done a team race outside of a 24 hour race. That's a different kind of team racing - it's a relay event and I'm on my own while riding, but needing to make sure I get back because Nick is waiting for me. With this new adventure? We will have to stay together - covering the entire distance together. I have confidence that we will be able to succeed and that we will have the best time during this adventure. It's not something I would have undertaken without that turn of phrase and the compass finding it's direction.