Some things come all too naturally and some things have to be fought for.

One week from tomorrow.  I am more than a little nervous.  My work schedule when I signed up was manageable and I was able to get in some great time.  Since January when I really should have started pushing myself, life became overwhelming and has left just enough time to sleep.  I know that I am not prepared. 

Tell me at the last second that I have to teach a class or give a talk . . . grief I won’t even break a sweat.  My pleasure!  Ask me to cook a meal or bake a treat and I will whip up something great.  Pile on the projects at work and I laugh and plow right through them . . . math and all.

I know I have strengths and talents in several areas.  I know some of them come as second nature to me.  I’m not bragging.  Every single person has at least one.  It is just a part of who we are and part of what makes us unique.

However on the other side of that coin, there are the things that we completely struggle to accomplish.  Things that we truly put blood, sweat and tears into and still come up short.  For me this is anything athletic.  The horrible thing about that is that I adore almost everything athletic.  I have yet to give up but it is an absolute struggle every single time.  My lungs just don’t function as well as I would like them to and they never will.

                            

I have told the friends that are coming to watch that if they don’t see me within two hours of the start time, that they better come dredge the lake.  I know if I make it out of the lake that the bike and the run are more comfortable areas that I’m certain I can finish.  Actually I have been slowly getting better times at each of these this last week as I have been cramming any and all training into my schedule.

The only thing that I keep telling myself is that it is about finishing.  I just really don’t want to come in last.  That would be dreadful.  So as wimpy as it sounds my goals are as follows: 1) cross the finish line faster than two hours and 2) don’t be last. 

This will not be the only triathlon that I will do.  I want to do one when I actually have the time to train properly and thus be prepared (novel concept I know).

As a side note: I have decided that I need to put on big girl panties, take the training wheels off my bike and FINALLY get clip in peddles and shoes for my bike.  It scares me slightly but hey everything I do lately scares the crap out of me so why not do this while I’m at it?!