Life is full of routine. Life can also throw some major curveballs. Change can be scary, but it is inevitable. I am someone who likes routine. I like to get comfortable, I like to plan, schedule and especially: always know what to expect. However change is what brings you closer to where you want to be. Sometimes it does not seem like it, but for the most part, change is what allows us to grow.
This summer I am not racing triathlon. This will be the first summer in 8 years without competing.
Yes I have been training heavily as per usual in all disciplines through fall and winter, so why no competing?
Life is strange. At the beginning of December, my race bike got stolen. I had been using it to commute to work (an unexpected circumstance that I could have handled better had I been more informed). It was the end of my shift one evening and I walked outside to find my lock chopped and on the ground, my bike was nowhere to be seen.
I had this bike for four years. It had been with me through ups and downs - breaking through finally becoming competitive on the bike with local group rides and even a trip to Mexico for the world championships in 2016. To be said for itself, I spent the evening searching the streets and in tears when we finally went back home.
I still kept up my training after this - biking continued being on the horrid gym stationary bikes. Come February I am planning my summer of races (still not owning a bike).
My current situation, in summary: I am working six days a week on Vancouver island until June. Moving home to Ontario as well as adventuring Europe in July and August. Between this, the cost of a new bike AND shipping it all over the province to be able to race (when I will barely have time) ... it seemed like this season did not quite fit.
...
For the first time in eight years I will not be racing triathlon. My life is an ever shifting body of adventure but I know my core. This summer will include a lot of running (my background and favourite sport of the three) and a lot of love. Love for my work (devoting six days a week to coaching), love for my family (finally seeing them after 7 months), love for the world (travel!) and love for myself (growth).
Triathlon has been with me through so much and just because I am taking a break does not mean I am through. I am still a runner and a swimmer this summer; and in the fall my legs will be hyped as ever to get onto a brand new bike: something I couldn’t imagine happening until I finished university.
Triathlon is something I am tied to. I feel as if it is a large part of my identity. To step outside my comfort zone of constant competition is allowing a different level of personal growth. I take life seriously and have aimed for the best since I was a child. I have learned to use this dedication in a positive way as I became an adult.
This winter I dug deeply back into my gymnastics roots and have became the strongest I have ever been. This summer I am digging into my running roots. A complete reboot of personal athletic development.
When change happens ask yourself: what can I do now? And make the very best of it.
Don’t be afraid of change. No one is in charge of your life but yourself.
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