And I did! Today I took part in my first duathlon race. Almost two months ago my duathlon friend mentioned the race in a conversation – thank you Susan! It started with “You should do this, you’ll love it” and next thing I did was playing that idea in my head for a few days. I almost signed up. I started running every day but then stress kicked in a little too hard and felt too overwhelmed to run. I thought of giving up. Not enough time to train anyway, I tried to tell myself. My duathlon friend did not settle for my ambiguity and pushed me a little harder. I signed up the same evening and I started training more. Until today when I woke up all excited and nervous. And had the rush of my lifetime as I started the race. Sure it got exhausting here and there. Riding my bike uphill with the wind blowing in my face was tiring but also exhilarating. I was doing the very thing that I was quite apprehensive about. The very thing that I so wanted to do. The little engine’s “I think I can” catch phrase went round and round in my head like a carousel when the going got tough. And I made it to the finish line with my heart dancing. That moment was magic. I saw myself passing the finish line, I saw my family cheering for me and a big thought was floating around in my head like a drunken bird “I thought I could…”. It still does.
Following this duathlon participation my friend Darryl invited me to write a guest post in his biking blog lovingthebike. Whether you are a biking afficionado or not, check out Darryl’s blog – his passion and enthusiasm are inspiring.