A Year in Review: 2013 – Part II

Posted on January 1, 2014 by kmichaud87

Yesterday I reviewed 2013 by month in photos. If you missed it then check it out HERE. I recently reviewed my Year in Review posts from 2012 (here and here) and have realized that I have come a long way personally and professionally. 2012 was a good and rough year for me. In reality, the past couple of years have really been BIG growing years for me as a person.

I’ve always felt that I aged a decade or two after losing my mom at 22. Losing your mother at a young age can definitely do that to a person. I learned quickly to enjoy the moments with your loved ones and live life to the fullest because you never know how long you may have left on Earth. I know it sounds super cliché and I honestly hate clichés, but it is true.

2012 gave me an incredible triathlon and athletic achievement year, but personally it was not such a good year. I learned important lessons about myself as a person, which allowed me to grow further as a person in 2013. I finished my master’s degree in December 2012, which was huge accomplishment that I had worked for 2.5 years to complete while working fulltime. Finishing my degree also meant looking for a job in 2013; a process that was ultimately very stressful and difficult because the economy and public health job market was not yet recovered.

First, I’ll begin with a review of my 2013 goals:

1. Become an Ironman! Check!

2. Learn to piss on my bicycle! Nope, still failed! 2014 maybe?

3. Increase my bike fitness and finally achieve the perfect VI so I can get an A from my coach! Epic fail here! I did well on the VI aspect in that I learned to pace myself well at long-course events. I rode strongly at IMLP. However, my bike fitness and functional threshold power suffered greatly due to my 2012 fall running (and subsequent bike) hiatus from injury. It was my own fault in that I let my aerobic fitness suffer over the fall months. Training for an Ironman also did not help my case in improving my FTP on the bike.

4. Focus on doing at least 10-15 minutes a day dedicated to mobility, soft tissue work, and core strength. Kinda. I would do well with this for a stretch and then would fail miserably for a while. I certainly did much better with this after my IT-band/knee issues began in April and lasted throughout my Ironman training.

5. Continue learning and seeking out knowledge and advice from the leading health and fitness professionals so I can continue helping my clients and athletes reach their health and athletic goals. I definitely met and surpassed this goal. I am constantly reading and researching exercise physiology and training techniques.

6. Continue working on achieving a healthy body composition through proper nutrition and training. Yes and no. I never got down to race weight this year and I believe it was because I did not train well in the proper HR zones at the beginning on the season. Also, I did not starve myself like previous years and thus that is a small victory in itself. My 2013 aerobic fitness was not the same as my 2012 aerobic fitness. I learned a lot of lessons because of this.

Now, for a greater, more philosophical review of my year:

Athletic/Triathlon – Overall, I am disappointed with my 2013 season. I had such a solid 2012 that I was hoping it would continue into 2013. I met my main goal and that was to complete my first Ironman. However, I do find this year a blessing in disguise. I find that I am the type of person that learns best from her mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes this year and I have learned what not to do in the future for myself personally and the athletes/clients that I coach. I would often have to tell my clients to do what I say and not what I do. That’s truly a bad business motto and thus I will focus on not making stupid decisions and mistakes in 2014. Athletically I suffered a lot in the beginning months of base training because I was super stressed from my work situation, working three jobs, and being sick for several weeks on end. That was critical time I needed to build my aerobic base in running, cycling, and swimming. I did the best that I could, but in retrospect, it was not enough. In April I began to have IT-band/knee issues, due to my chronic right hip issues. I was devastated with the diagnosis and I worried that I would not be able to toe the start line at IMLP. I had several people tell me not to do it. Umm… would you not do an Ironman after you stood in line for 3+ hours and paid $700 the year before to do it? I realized that many people thought that I was crazy to attempt such an event and I found myself having to defend my sport and desire to compete long-course events. Despite my reluctance to give up on my dream of becoming an Ironman in 2013, I knew that if my injury was not going to heal then I would have accepted the DNS. I’m not that stupid.

Health – I was under constant stress at work for a large majority of the year, which took a huge toll on my health both physically and mentally. I never really talked about the situation at my old job and I still am not going to because it’s in the past, but I was put into a really shitty situation and I just wasn’t able to deal with the stress of it well. My immune system took a major hit, which lead to a major cold that turned into a sinus infection and then later developed into a fever of 102. Being constantly sick and stressed led to my poor aerobic fitness in the early season that I was just never able to regain and build later in the season. Because I had a bad aerobic base, and the fact that I did not prioritize strength training enough in the early base phase, I developed painful IT-band/knee issues that succeeded to plague me throughout my Ironman training and made me re-evaluate my goals for IMLP. A lot of the stress and injury prevention could have been prevented from the start. It was my own fault and I own up to it. However, when I returned to running again in the later summer/early fall I developed some serious right hip issues. Working with my brilliant chiropractor I think we finally nailed down what is wrong with my hips and why I continuously get chronic overuse injuries. Going into 2014 I feel confident that I have all the knowledge and tools I need to “fix” my hip issues and hopefully prevent any serious injuries and lingering issues in 2014.

Professional – I finished my MPH degree in December 2012 and began my “big girl” job search. As I have mentioned above, I was put into a shitty situation at my job and dealt with a lot of stress from that. I was also working part-time at a gym training clients. I loved that job, but quickly realized that I did not enjoy working in the traditional gym environment. I left my gym job in July to pursue my interest in starting my own endurance sport coaching and personal training business, and thus Big Sky Multisport Coaching and Personal Training was born. I interviewed for my “dream job” in June, but was second choice due to my lack of supervisor experience. I was genuinely heartbroken, but I realized that I was going to have to work harder to find my next job. At this point I began to realize where and what I really wanted to do as a career. I really enjoyed personal training and nutrition, but I knew that it was not my future career. I love doing it on the side as my passion. Through a lot of reading, researching, and evaluating my personality and passions, I discovered that my true career goals lie in international development and health care systems. I was lucky in August to find a few job advertisements in the state of Maine that were related to health care systems and health care reform. I quickly applied for the jobs and had several interviews. Once again I was second choice for a few of them, which left me disappointed. But, at the end of the day I was offered a fabulous job at a non-profit that I have come to love quickly. The job environment is about 1000 times less stressful and I am really enjoying the work that I am doing. It is the perfect “first career” job and I look forward to working here for a few years before heading back to school for my PhD. It was a long bumpy ride professionally in 2013, but at the end of the day, everything worked out for the better. The bumps in the road made me a stronger person today.

Personal – I have evolved and grown immensely as a human being this year. My graduate education has led me down a road that I never predicted and I have researched and discovered new views on life and the world. I’ve always loved travelling and experiencing new cultures, but I was unable to do so this past year. Thus, 2014 has some big travel plans! As I grew as a person, I became more aware of the crowds of people I associate with in the past and present. I have some amazing friends. Some I see often, while others not as much. I’ve come to realize that some people in my life are toxic and I need to let go of them, while I need more contact with the good people. I accepted the mistakes I have made in past friendships and I hope not to repeat them in the future. I realized that I’d rather have a few good friends that I can count on then a bunch of friends that will be available only at certain times. I have branched out and formed new friendships that will hopefully last for a lifetime. I have discovered my strengths and my weaknesses and work towards accepting the things I can change about myself and the ones that I cannot. I have learned to speak my opinions despite what others may think. I have learned to accept the negative things that happen and find the lesson and the good in each to grow as a human being. I have learned to live a life of love, happiness and passion for oneself and others.

2013 was a growing year and I have accepted the mistakes I have made and only hope to grow further as human being. Bring on 2014!

~ Happy Training!

Girl Rising and Why We Should Educate Girls

Posted on October 15, 2013 by kmichaud87

Source

On December 19, 2011 the United Nations General Assembly declared October 11th as the International Day of the Girl. The Day of the Girl recognizes girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face across the globe. The number one initiative of the UN is to encourage education of girls in every country, especially developing nations where most girls don’t make it past primary school if they are even allowed to go to school in the first place.

Last Friday night I was invited to attend the free showing of Girl Rising at the State Theater in Portland. Girl Rising is a film chronicling the inspiring stories of nine girls around the world who are seeking education to escape poverty, indentured slavery, and childhood marriage to create a better life for themselves, their families, and their future. The film is narrated by a world-class group of actors and actresses including Anne Harthaway, Kerry Washington, and Liam Nelson among others.

The film sends a powerful and truthful message that educating girls across the world will change the world. Around the world, girls face many more barriers than boys.

There are over 33 million fewer girls than boys in primary school across the globe
If India enrolled only 1% more girls in secondary school, its GDP would rise by $5.5 billion
A girl with an extra year of education can earn up to 20% more as an adult
14 million girls under the age of 18 will be married this year. That is equivalent to 13 girls every 30 seconds.
The number one cause of death for girls age 15-18 is childbirth.

For more facts see: Girl Rising

I’ve always been a very strong proponent of education, especially education for girls. As a public health professional I understand the need for education on a global scale to reduce disease and increase health and longevity. Education can bring countries out of poverty and decrease the birth rate in countries where the population is exploding. Educating girls can reduce the HIV/AIDS rates in countries where 1 in 4 people are HIV-positive. Unfortunately, some countries such as Afghanistan, see educating girls as threatening. With education comes power. The power to change the world.

I attended an all-girls high school in Portland by choice. By 8th grade I was done with my public school system. I was bored and wasn’t being challenged. My parents said I could go to McAuley. It was by far the best decision I have made thus far in my life. Not only were the academics rigorous, but I learned a lot about myself and learned to believe in my potential. We were taught that the sky is the limit and we are the makers of our own futures. Recently, a good friend of mine from high school shared a quote from Kerry Washington on Facebook. I have a total girl-crush on Kerry Washington and absolutely loved her quote because it is so true!

I was really lucky because I went to an all-girl school and that single sex education really helped me because I really learned to bond with women and to not compete with or compare myself as much because we were all allowed to be ourselves and be unique and kind of have our unique strengths. But I always felt like my value was much more in my intellect than it was in my appearance, and so that’s what I spent time cultivating. And some of that I get from my mother, some of that comes from the schools that I went to, and some of that comes from probably insecurity. This feeling that my value is what’s on the inside, because what’s on the outside can’t really compete with other people, so I’ll place my focus there. Which I think has been a blessing for me. Because I’m not stupid. ~ Kerry Washington

I believe in girl’s education and so should you. Educating girls can change the world for the better. I HIGHLY suggest seeing Girl Rising and/or getting involved in the movement.

~ Happy Training!

Managing It All: A Lesson in Time Management

Posted on February 11, 2013 by kmichaud87

On Saturday I mentioned in my post that I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything going on in my life currently. The whole work thing has been super stressful and trying to fit all my training in at the same time can be a bit, how should I put this? Complicated. I have been a bit unmotivated in my training lately because I’ve been exhausted. Both physically and mentally. I work what seems like a zillion hours, which of course is mostly by choice. I like to stay busy. I need to stay busy. It’s how I function. In some strange way I really enjoy running around with my head cut off like a chicken. Strange, I know.

This past weekend was great for me. I crossed a majority of the items off my ever-increasing to-do list and it feels amazing! However, I keep adding more items. Opps! I had a chance to actually sleep. A sleep without having to wake up to an alarm clock to either go to work or train. I also did every single workout I had in TrainingPeaks this weekend! I even wore my TrainingPeaks socks I got from them on my run on Sunday! Yay! I love free socks! Actually, I really just love socks. I wear brightly colored socks at the gym all the time. Most of the time they never match either. I also enjoy wearing knee-high socks, but I have been recently banned from wearing them while working with clients. I guess we have a dress code now?

Anyway, now that I’m done with my tangent on socks, I must say that I have learned an important lesson in time management. I’ve always been pretty good at it. I’m fantastic at multitasking and I often get my work done well in advance. I also work extremely well under pressure. Hello, Master’s thesis! Last night I sat down in front of my laptop with TrainingPeaks open and my appointment book open to schedule in my workout times. I also had various foods for the week cooking so I don’t have to cook every night.

My goal for the week – To do every single one of my workouts this week! NO excuses! As I previously mentioned the toughest thing for me is finding lap pool time open during times that I’m free (i.e. NOT working). I also need to focus on a better diet. Again, the toughest part for me is fitting in dinner since I go from one job to the next. Often times dinner for me isn’t until 9-10pm at night. I’ve gotten a lot better at eating healthier, more filling snacks throughout the day to keep me full until later in the evening, but my metabolism is not really enjoying it and thus the 5lbs that I have put on since August doesn’t want to come off. Of course, if I ever want to reach race weight by IMLP then I have a heck of a lot more to lose!

(Source)

After this weekend I am mentally renewed. January is over and I’m fully ready to put my best foot forward training in February and beyond. If I ever want to get onto of any podiums this year then I need to focus on my priorities. Obviously a job is extremely important, but so is my training. Ironman is something that I really want to prove to myself that I can do. I was never amazing at a lot of sports like my sisters were growing up. I was okay at lacrosse, but not good enough for college. I rode horses and I will admit that I was pretty darn good at that, but if I ever wanted to compete with the best then I needed to train with the best. I could not afford that kind of training. Believe me, horses are crazy expensive! I’m okay at this whole triathlon thing. I’ve managed several top AG finishes and I’m starting to make my way up the ranks for overall women finishers but I’m nowhere near the best competitors nor where I want to be. I’ve always strived to be the best that I can. I believe that my best is yet to come and I think finishing Lake Placid will show me that I am capable to run with the big dogs in the future. And, perhaps I will fail at it. But at least I failed trying. But certainly, I won’t fail at trying to reach a dream.

~ Happy Training!

Snowpocalypse!

Posted on February 9, 2013 by kmichaud87

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Welcome to winter 2013!

Holy cow, we have over 32 inches at my house and its still snowing! As much as I don’t like being cooped up at home, it’s actually a good thing still I have a billion things on my to-do list to accomplish this week. I took last Friday off from work to do some important errands, like register my car and bring my dog to the vet. I wrote out a lovely to-do list since I’m Type A. However, after the below picture was taken the to-do list grew to over 2-pages worth of stuff! Yikes!

The To-Do List

I was able to make a dent in some big items, but I just kept adding more and more and thus the “weekend to-do list” turned into a “two-week to-do list.” Being snowed in has helped me force myself to check off items on the to-do list!

January is now over. It’s been a bit of a learning experience on how to balance training and my crazy work schedule. I have certainly missed quite a few workouts, mainly swims because pool time is limited with the few pools we have in the Southern Maine region. Sometimes, however, it’s sleep or eating that has taken priority over a workout. For example, I had to shift workouts around the past couple of days with the impending storm and I had planned to do an 1:15 trainer ride yesterday. I left work early because I’m a pansy driving in the snow. I had all intentions of riding my bike and then I ended up passing out on the couch for several hours because I was utterly exhausted from work all week. Not good.

A lot of my exhaustion is a result of stress. I’m super stressed out from working a crazy amount of hours. In a nutshell I’m going to be laid off from my full-time job most likely in March and the job hunt has been super tough and emotionally draining. I absolutely LOVE my job at the gym as a personal trainer, but I am not making enough money to even cover half of my monthly bills at the moment (Thank you SallieMae!). I’m currently working as much as I can so I can save up money in case it takes a long time to find another job with a steady income.

Right now I am managing everything and getting by. I managed a half-way decent run at the Mid-Winter Classic last Sunday on barely any training so I know I will at least finish Lake Placid. However, if I continue the way I am then I know I won’t finish in the time that I believe is respectable for me. I don’t want to be one of those mid-night finishers, but if it happens then it happens. I’m just not motivated at the moment and I’m nervous about it. I haven’t reached my breaking point yet, but I know it’s coming…

Enjoy some pictures of the snow:

~ Happy Training!

How Bad Do You Want It

Posted on November 21, 2012 by kmichaud87

Recently I gave my two bosses at the gym my wish list of equipment I would like, especially for the expansion next year and the athletic conditioning area that will be built, and one of them made a comment that I wasn’t shy in asking for what I want. I’m very much the goal-setting and ambitious type. When I want something I go out there and make it happen through hard work. I know so many people who will constantly “talk the talk,” but they never follow through and “walk the walk.” I honestly find those type of people annoying. There are days I just want to smack them over the heads and yell “just do it all ready!”

Motivation is important in life, especially in the health and fitness world. I wrote a post about a month ago about the lack of motivation I witnessed in a boot camp class at the gym I went to previously. You have to be motivated to reach your health and wellness goals, whether it is a weight lost goal or a sports/performance goal. I always suggest to my clients during our first meeting to sit down and write a goal and why you want to reach it. Why is it important to you? Often times people have some deep meaning to their goals. I tell them that it’s not going to be easy. If you want to lose 20 lbs then you are going to have to work for it. It’s going to require some lifestyle changes and probably some blood, sweat, and tears. When you think you can’t do that last push-up then think about that goal and why you are doing this. Push yourself to do that last push-up. You will not regret it.

The mental aspect of fitness and athletic performance is an area of training that we don’t often think about. The human body is an amazing thing and is capable of much more than we believe it can do. The best athletes in any sport are the ones that can overcome the pain and mental barriers and push themselves to new limits. Most of the time we stop doing something because our brain is telling us to stop, but in reality we can do much more. We need to train our brains to become mentally stronger and be able to work through the pain. I think Ironman is a great example of this. How many times have you seen people push themselves past that pain just to cross that finish line and hear “You are an Ironman” only to collapse into a heap and be carted off to the med tent? What about Chrissie Wellington’s amazing feat at Kona in 2011 when she came from behind after a huge bike crash the previous week to win again? I think that is why I am so drawn to triathlons and Ironman in general. I want to put myself through a world of pain to see how far physically and mentally I can go. It’s not going to be easy, but I am going to put all my blood, sweat, and tears into and come July 28th I will see what I am capable of accomplishing.

I recently came across these couple of videos that I really liked. It reminded me that if I really want something then I need to work for it. I have a lot of goals. Many of them are very lofty and might never happen. But, they will certainly never happen if I don’t try to make them happen. If you want something bad enough you will work your ass off for it. No excuses.

My message today is find that why. Why do you want it? How bad do you want it? What are you willing to give up for it? Once you find that why, work for it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It will be worth it at the end of the day. I promise.

So what is my why? My mother passed away 3.5 years ago from an extremely rare and horrific disease at the age of 52. It came out of no where. That event put things into perspective for me. It made me start to question what I truly wanted to do in life. My original plan in life was medical school, but I decided against it because I didn’t want to be $200,000 in debt for the rest of my life. It wasn’t until this year that I finally realized my dreams and what I wanted to do in my life that would get me out of bed every morning and go to bed every night satisfied. I want a career where I make a difference in someone’s life. I want a career that makes people realize that they are truly capable and deserving of reaching their dreams and that those dreams are worth fighting for. Most of all, I want a career that when it is my time to leave this planet I am satisfied that I left it making a difference and a better, healthier place. My why is that my mother wasn’t able to live long enough to continue making an impact on this planet so I want to make sure that I am living each day to my fullest potential. Every time I start to reach that dark place I begin to think of my why and begin to claw my way out. That is why I will work for it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I want it bad enough.

How bad do you want it?

~ Happy Training!

Inner Strength

Posted on October 29, 2012 by kmichaud87

I did something kind of impulsive on Saturday. I am NOT an impulsive type either. I like plans. Hell, I had a binder with my life plan in it in college. However, that plan is now completely out the window. I think I’m probably on plan XYZ by now. I’m slowly learning to be more sporadic…

Anyway, I got a tattoo! I knew I was going to get one after Ironman (well, that’s if I actually finish the race), but I never thought I would want another one. But last Sunday when I was running the trails with Reagan at Twin Brooks it just came to me.

Hmm… looks like I need a pedicure…

Overall, I’m very happy with it. I was a bit afraid that I would wake up on Sunday and be like “OMG, what the heck did I just do!” But I don’t regret it because it does have meaning to me.

The true meaning of the tattoo is very personal and is not something that I plan on sharing on the interweb. But, I’ll give you a little idea. If you have been reading my blog for a little while now you can probably guess that I have been going through a bit of a rough patch. I’ve been VERY stressed lately with everything going on in my life. A large majority of my stress is self-induced (aka procrastinating writing my thesis paper). I’ve been dealing with an old scar that has reopened this past year and that’s really want prompted my decision to permanently write the word “strength” on my left foot. It’s there to remind me that people will criticize you, people will judge you, and perhaps try to tear you down, but no matter what happens if you are strong then you can whether the pain and become a stronger and wiser person in the end.

This says it all

Everyone goes through tough times in life. You can’t be happy all the time. As Forrest Gump said “shit happens.” I think it’s what you do and make of the tough times in life that truly defines a person. I’m very much a person who thinks the glass is half full. If you have the perseverance to get through even the toughest things in life, such as losing a loved one or a job, then you are a fighter. I think you can get far in life if you fight for the things that you believe in. I have ambitious dreams and I plan on fighting for them until they become my reality. With a little strength and persistence I believe that I will get there. I just need to remind myself that I do have that inner strength.

In other words, I have finished my health policy paper and final for my Healthcare Policy class so now I actually have some time to blog! Yippee! I’m so behind on some posts that I’ve been wanting to write so stay tuned! 🙂

~ Happy Training!

What Motivates YOU!?

Posted on October 10, 2012 by kmichaud87

Yesterday at the gym I was doing my dynamic warmup when a bootcamp class came over to the area I was working in to do some plyometric work. Just about everyone in the group was whining about how hard burpees and squat jumps were. Every other word out of their mouth was f-this and f-that. Wah, wah, wah! I came extremely close to asking them if they wanted a little CHEESE with their WHINE because a) I was annoyed by the lack of class they were showing with their language and b) their lack of motivation and effort. Do you think exercise is supposed to be EASY? It’s called WORKing out for a reason! If exercising and eating healthy was easy then we wouldn’t have the obesity crisis we have in this country. It never seizes to amaze me how many people will sit there half-ass a workout and whine the entire time when they would benefit more from shutting up and just doing the work. And then they wonder why they aren’t seeing any differences or making any progress?!

Thank you “People I Want to Punch in the Throat” for this one!

Back in September I read a great post from Mary Eggers entitled “Because I can.” In the post she says:

“Holding plank position in class, the woman next to me asked me “Gosh, I NEVER hear you complain in this class. Why don’t you ever complain.” I looked at her.

“Because I choose to be here.” I said.

As I walk through the gym I notice all the other people having these roaring laughing conversations with their personal trainers. In all honesty when I am working with Steve I don’t think I could have a roaring laughing conversation if I was paid to. I am totally unable to. I am working too hard. I am focused. If you have ever seen me in the gym you know I have the highest sweat rate of anyone in the damn world. Not only do I fuel as my fueling plan calls for I seriously consider adding extra sodium. Even when I am standing still.

When I am holding myself up on a pullup machine and curling a dumbbell somehow as I am suspended in mid air all I can do is stare at the tennis court where it says Player 23, and listen to him remind me to breathe, remind me to keep my elbow in, and tell me not to fall the hell off the pull up machine! Or I am shuffling side to side grabbing basketballs that he’s rolling just out of my range and throwing them back at him while he yells to throw the ball….. higher higher.

You will never hear me complain. I might roll my eyes and I might give Steve the finger behind his back (I haven’t yet but I have come close), but I am here because I choose to be here.” – Mary Eggers

This is exactly how I view my workouts. When I go to the gym or a class, I’m not there for social time. I’m there for a good ass-kicking because I know that it will make me a stronger athlete at the end. I CHOOSE to be there. You will never see or hear me complain. Sure, I might say “that hurts” or “are you trying to kill me?” but I quickly shut up and do the work.

Whining doesn’t get you anywhere. It is certainly not going to make you lose 5 pounds or get that 6-pack you so desperately want so you look good in a bikini or PR in your next 5k race. It’s a little blood, sweat, and tears that will do that! Gyms are a funny environment. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love to see people in the gym working out, but if you look around how many of them are truly working out, there isn’t many. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen people walking on a treadmill talking to someone of their cell phone. However, for every person at the gym, there are probably at least a dozen sitting at home wishing they had the motivation and discipline to hit the gym. So I applaud anyone who gets up and moving.

I LOVE the quote above because it is so true. We only begin living when we are outside of our comfort zones. As far as exercise goes, our bodies are built to adapt. We quickly adapt to our current workouts that we do and that is why you need variety in your workouts. In order for me to become the best athlete I can be I need to push myself outside my comfort zone. I will be that annoying girl who throws medicine balls against the floor, skips around people doing deadlifts, and does chin-ups until I fall off the bar, but you will never hear me complain about it because I choose to do that. I choose to work my body until it screams for no more.

There are times in my life, whether in sport or life in general, when I just plain fail or get rejected. It happens. As much as it sucks, IT is what motivates me to push myself harder. People often like to say “good things happen to those who wait.” I hate that saying. Good things happen to people who work hard. No one in life is just going to hand you anything. Sure, some people are luckier than others, but for the most part, people work for what they have. I know I’m not a naturally talented athlete. I’m mediocre. Just because I’m mediocre doesn’t mean I’m not going to push my body to its limits. What sets me a part from many people is my ambition, dedication, and determination. Some people don’t like those qualities about me and hey, someday I don’t like them either. But at the end of the day it is who I am.

I do what I do because I can. I am lucky that I live in a world where I can afford expensive triathlon equipment. I am lucky that my body is healthy. I am lucky that I have healthy food that is available to me. I am lucky that if I am injured that I can seek out the best medical care that I can get. So many people can’t because they have limitations. Some people have legitimate reasons, but most people make excuses. Put those excuses out of your mind and find something that motivates you. No one said living a life worth living is going to be easy. Take chances and make changes. Put yourself out there for failure and rejection. It will only make you stronger in the end. Be ambitious. Make goals. Find your strength. And remember, stop whining and just do it.