Nice to meet you!

So this is my first attempt at blogging. I hope you forgive my lack of writing style - I'm sure it will develop as I develop as a blogger. I guess the first question is - Why am I blogging?

I became a reader of blogs through runnersworld.com, and became a secret reader of personal blogs when a concerned citizen sent me a blog of a woman who had been run off a road by a car, to make sure I was aware of the dangers and biking safely. I must say that at first I thought blogging was lame - I mean at least for me to do - but I found myself drawn to certain blogs (I would check them daily for new posts) and impressed by people's willingness to express their joys and their frustrations. It seemed to be a good way to internalize the daily grind, a cathartic release of tension, and an opportunity to develop as an individual.

I started writing race reports when I excitedly completed my first sprint tri and wanted to tell everyone I knew every single detail of the race. It was fun to send them to my family and friends, and share my excitement with them. But there is so much that goes on between races! So many highs and lows, and maybe there's an opportunity for self-growth in exploring the daily/weekly bump and grind instead of just the races.

So here I go... here I begin. I am now a blogger.

This past weekend I participated in the Chances for Children sprint triathlon. I should preface this by saying that I'm not fast at any of the events, but I thoroughly enjoy the process of slow self-improvement and meeting interesting "back of the packers" during races. I had trained for 12 weeks with this race in mind, but I was unfortunately in a biking accident on race day, and so my "run" was a very hobbly walk. I did finish, although the finish line had been removed by the time I got there, so the website shows I DNF'd. I guess at least "I" know that I spent 3 hours in the blazing heat of the valley in July, and that I persevered.

I'm over the disappointment of not being able to race the way I had trained (I'll keep telling myself that and maybe soon it will be true) and I'm now focusing on a sprint tri in Mission Bay, CA in October. This race will be special for several reasons - 1. It will be my fourth official tri, 2. My dad will get to see me race, 3. I've convinced my best friend "Lilac" to participate with me, 4. It's a women's only event for a good cause, and 5. It won't be in triple digit heat! The Mission Bay tri is 12 weeks away, and I have signed up so I'm commited to train myself, to help Lilac learn how to prepare (yes, I made her a 12 week training program in my OCD fashion), to ensure that I enjoy the process, and to celebrate the experience!