August, where did you come from?

I have not posted in a little over one month. The summer can get busy. It really is amazing how fast this summer has gone by! I would say that it has been one of our best summers yet. We have spent a lot of time at the beach and on the boat, we have been to the water park, taken a few day trips, visited family, and completed a few races.
I have two more triathlons on my calender for 2012 that are fast approaching. These are the Wilmington YMCA Tri @ Wrightsville Beach in September and the Beach-to-Battleship half ironman in October.

Last weekend I completed my first Olympic distance triathlon. This was a 1500 meter open water swim, 27 mile bike, and a 10k run. Completing this was a big accomplishment for me. Up until about the 30 minutes before the race start, I had a major case of self-doubt. Prior to this race, my longest open water swim was 375 meters. The thoughts of "what if I get half way and panic, or get a cramp, or this, or that", were all that was in my head. The voice of reason, which is always Linds, finally got past the noise and said, "you are ready, just do it or I will kick your butt!" Nothing but love!! But, that is exactly what I needed. The race went well. It was not my fastest time, but that was not the goal of the day. Making the distance and enjoying the race was the goal, and I did both. My biggest take away from this race is to aways believe in yourself and what you are capable of. Trust me, I know how cheesy that sounds, but it is true.

So often we avoid our weaknesses not because we wouldn't like to do those things, but because of fear. If you have a dream to do something, whether it is running a marathon, learning a new language or how to play an instrument, writing a book, or starting a business, you should give it a try! What is the worse that will happen? If it doesn't work, you are still far beyond all of those that never tried.

What's on your bucket list? It is time to start working on checking some of those off.