So here we are, coming into the end of the year and there are many positive things to look back on. 2016 was a year of changes and taking chances. I learned over the year that sometimes you just should leap before you look.
January
At the end of 2015, I decided that I wanted to buy a house instead of look for yet another apartment. My rent was going to be almost $1000 a month, and with no one to share the rent with, it was time to make a decision. I moved to Greenville in 2010 with the plan of going back to school to be a teacher. I didn’t know if I would stay after I finished school, or move somewhere else to teach. I ended up falling in love with the little city and wanted to stay. After five years, I decided that this was the place where I wanted to put down some roots. After figuring out what I could afford, I searched the market with a realtor named Scott, who happens to be a friend of mine. Greenville certainly had some interesting properties that were in my price range and I was getting a little worried about my options. Alas, he messaged me one day in January about a house that he thought might be perfect. The problem, was that I got the message a little late and the next day the house was being shown to another potential buyer. Long story short, we both made an offer on the house that day and mine ended up being the one the seller went with. I was so excited to finally have a place to call my own. I started to feel like a grown up!
February
A year later I am deleting what I wrote here. It's not worth remembering.
March
March was a little bit of a rough month. My car, Ol’ Yeller, decided that she just couldn’t keep up any longer. We tried so many things to fix her, but she ended up becoming an organ donor at a local junk yard. It broke my heart, but we had to move on. I bought my dad’s old car and have had it ever since. It might not be bright yellow, and now I blend in with traffic, but it’s reliable and that’s all I really need!
April
In April I turned 34. My first thought was “This is my last year in this age group!” Yeah, you might be a triathlete if… April also marked the one year anniversary of becoming vegetarian. I gave up meat a year ago, (techically I gave it up in March, but I officially make the committment in April) and next year I worked towards eliminating more dairy from my diet. I get better every day! I have been reading more about animal agriculture and have learned that continuing in consume dairy is still hurting animals. I have made so much progress in my diet and I am proud of how far I have come in just one year.
May
In May, I competed in the Duathlon National Championships and earned a spot on the USA World Team. I was proud of this accomplishment, however, I declined making the trip with the team to Switzerland because the cost was going to be so much. It was more just an honor to make the team! I knew with Ironman Maryland coming up in October that I wouldn’t have the funds to entertain the idea of traveling to the other side of the world for a competition. In my personal life, I accepted a job at a new school and would be leaving the school I had been working at for the last four years. I knew I needed a change and I was excited to move to a school that is a mile and a half from my house.
June
June was bitter sweet. I was leaving Pactolus and moving on with my career. It was hard to leave so many coworkers, but many of them were leaving as well so even if I stayed, I wouldn’t see them anymore anyway. Demetrius helped me pack up my room one box at a time and move all my stuff into my shed for summer storage. You never realize how much stuff you have until you put it into boxes! I left a bunch of stuff for whoever was going to move into my room because I didn’t want to make another trip back and forth from school to the house. I hope that teacher enjoyed all the stuff I left behind… I volunteered at Ironman 70.3 in Raleigh and enjoyed helping new athletes get across the finish line. I first worked at packet pickup where I quickly became the “go-to” person at the registration table since I was the only volunteer who had completed in the race before. I absolutely loved the work and I can’t wait to volunteer again in 2017!
July
July was full of many long bike rides. I had a couple rides that started as early as 4am to avoid some of the heat of the day. I learned that I am a heavy salt sweater and discovered Base Salt. This stuff helped to maintain fluid balance in my body and kept my hands from swelling and my feet from cramping. (This would end up paying off in October, but I will get to that later) July was full of multiple workouts each day, just as many showers, and lots of stretching and working on my diet. Ironman would be here before I knew it and I had to stay focused.
August
August was full of more workouts long before the sun came up. I also had to start thinking about school starting up again. I was excited to start working at a new school, but I was also disappointed that summer break was coming to an end and I would have to start mentally preparing for what was ahead. I knew that I would be challenged at this school, and I looked forward to how this would shape me as a professional. I also was having to brainstorm how to keep my training going strong. The first couple weeks of school were tough because I would be so tired at the end of the day and then I would get frustrated that I still had to work out. This frustration leaked into September and things started to get rough in Ironman land…
September
September was full of highs and lows. My settlement check from the bike accident last April finally came through and I was excited to be able to pay off Justus’ balance at the vet. But then I started to question everything about Ironman. “Did I still want to do this? What was I thinking? Can I just quit now?” I logged into Facebook and posted on the Ironman Maryland group page and told my fellow triathletes what I was going through and that I considered giving up. They told me to remember why I signed up in the first place and to not think about quitting when I was just weeks away from fulfilling this dream. They posted videos that inspired me to keep going. Some of the videos I found myself watching every day to stay motivated. I was excited to meet the people who I had been talking to for the last year and they were not about to let me throw in the towel. I am so glad to have had their support because I can’t imagine what it would be like now to know that I got so close and then walked away.
Towards the middle of September, my friend Kristie and I went down to New Bern to ride 100 miles on the bike. An organized ride was going on there and we opted to use it as a safe course. The idea was to take nothing from thr course and just ride the same route. We met lots of people and had a good time. When we were done, we logged just over 103 miles.
Towards the middle of September, my friend Kristie and I went down to New Bern to ride 100 miles on the bike. An organized ride was going on there and we opted to use it as a safe course. The idea was to take nothing from thr course and just ride the same route. We met lots of people and had a good time. When we were done, we logged just over 103 miles.
October
October was Ironman month and it was an experience that I will look back on with NO regrets. I am disappointed that the swim was cancelled but I was also thankful that I was not put into unsafe water when swimming is my weakest event. I won’t go into details here about Ironman since it had its own LONG post! But I am truly grateful for the experience. I was so happy to have my dad, brother, and Demetrius there with me at the finish line. I never knew I could feel so many emotions in one day. I look forward to trying this race again one day… Perhaps in 2018 when I can save up some more money! The night I finished Ironman, I was already thinking, “When can I do that again!?” In mid-October I ran in a 5 mile race in Durham. The course was beautiful and I look forward to running this race again next year. The finisher medal was the most incredible medal I have seen! I mean, who doesn’t love gold glitter?
November
In November I got word that I made the 2017 Base Performance Race Team! I'm super excited to represent the Base brand next year!
December
And then that brings us to December. My workouts have been sporadic but I am working towards consistency in running. I have Haro training again to be my night time running partner. Haro runs with me when I need to run through some sketchy parts of town. Many people, especially at night, think she looks aggressive and wont mess with her, so in turn they don’t mess with me either. No one is particularly afraid of Bud, so he just runs with me in the neighborhood. Haro on the other hand causes people to cross the street when they see us and that doesn’t bother me one bit.
And now....
I think it is important to look back on the year and reflect on the positive things. Last year was a tough year and I make a conscious decision that 2016 would be different and it definitely has lived up to my expectations. This doesn’t mean that the year was without its problems, but I decided this year I would focus on the good things that happened. I made a 2016 Memories jar where I would write down all the good things that happened during the year. The idea is that on New Year’s Eve, you go through the jar and open each little piece of paper and read something positive that happened during the year. In two weeks I get to start going through the jar! I’m sure each memory will bring a smile to my face!
And now, I must start thinking of 2017 goals...
And now, I must start thinking of 2017 goals...
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