The Best Year Ever

Saturday, December 11th is my birthday. And, to celebrate, John and I are going to see Railroad Earth and the Hackensaw Boys at the World Cafe in Philadelphia. Naturally, I am excited.

“This is a GREAT way to cap off the best year of my life so far!”

“Wow…I didn’t realize finishing an ironman was that big for you.”

John immediately hit on a key contributing factor as to why my 37th year has been the best one yet.

Certainly, part of what made this year great was setting and achieving difficult goals, such as completing an ironman and running 50 miles. Setting challenging goals and taking the necessary steps each day to achieve those goals is fulfilling. I felt similarly when I completed my doctoral studies. Hard work makes you feel good.

“But, it wasn’t just the ironman–it was everything that came with it.”

What is this “everything,” you might ask? Part of “everything” was what I learned about myself and the other part is what I learned about other people and my connection to them.

I’m sure you don’t want to read a long laundry list of what I learned about myself this year, but permit me to give you one example–perhaps the most important one.

I tend to be at least a little bit fearful whenever I try anything new. I’m sad to admit that there have been times when I’ve let my fear dictate my actions, and keep me from doing things I love. But, I’ve got a new perspective after the events of this year. There is something about crossing the finish line of an ironman that convinces you that you just might be capable of anything you put your mind and body to.

But more than crossing the finish line, I learned much about fear and courage after I crashed on my bike–twice in two weeks in April 2010.  The experience–especially the first accident–really shattered my confidence on the bike. To this day, I’m still nervous (sometimes even scared) when I ride on the road. But, I learned that we cannot let fear keep us from doing what we love to do. I’m not going to stop doing triathlon because I’m scared.

Finding this inner strength–to move on despite my fears–has been a valuable lesson. When I crossed the finish line at Ironman Lake Placid in July and at the Vermont 50 in September, it was this inner strength, along with the support and love of my family and friends that helped me do it.

And, wow – what incredible support I have found! Training and racing didn’t create the connections with the people who matter most to me, but it has definitely strengthened those connections. As I’ve written many times before, I have been humbled by the kindness and generosity of my family and friends.

It’s been rewarding for me to see the people we love achieving fitness goals of their own. Here’s just a sampling:

  • My mother-in-law Jeanne walked her first 5k in March. Then, she and her cousin Helena walked their first 10k in October, when Jeanne placed second in her age group, and Helena placed third!
  • My sister-in-law and running buddy Tracy ran her second marathon and qualified for Boston.(She also helped me get my sorry a$$ to the finish line at the VT50.)
  • My Aunt Val bought a bike and shared her experiences with me, knowing that I’d be able to relate to how she felt.
  • My friend Aimee trained for and completed her first half marathon. (And, I love that she is already researching what her next one will be!)
  • My friend Courtney was  part of a team that won second place in a triathlon. (She’ll be doing a marathon soon.)
  • My cousins Robin and Julie joined a soccer league, and during Thanksgiving dinner, they shared their joy in returning to competition and being an athlete again. I can relate completely to this feeling!

In each of these cases, we share the experience of learning about life while pushing the limits of our bodies. And that experience, while manifesting differently for each of us, connects us. The physical deepens the our relational connection.

The ability to share these experiences is precious, a unique birthday gift that blesses me every day. Thank you. 🙂

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