Stop and Smell The... Sunflowers

The road less traveled.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our training schedule we forget to look around us. We worry about mileage and time and refueling and pushing ourselves to the limit. But this morning, I took my time on my ride and run and had a little fun along the way.

Yesterday evening the gang at the Holcomb Rec had a Triathlon practice to help participants get ready for their upcoming event. It's a fantastic way to get a feel for transitions and what it will be like on race day. The distances were wonderfully short: 75 meter swim, 4 mile bike, .5 mile run. Just enough to get your feet wet so to speak. I like these practices to work on  my transitions, laying everything out just as I would for a race. It lets me see what I need to organize better and how I can get through with more confidence. It's better to realize you have forgotten something now then on race day.

Turtle Power!

I felt really good throughout and managed a pretty good time. That's not to say I'm fast, but for me the pace was better then expected. No sign of the muscle cramps that plagued me after the bike to run transition last year. I've very thankful for that.

This morning was beautiful and my plan called for a bike/run brick. With barely twelve hours to recuperate I knew I would have to go a little slower. So I decided to take the opportunity to really look around and stop and appreciate the world around me. With my phone in my pocket I set out on my ride.

The first thing I noticed was the sunflowers. They were beautiful and in full bloom. The area has been blessed with a little rain this spring and the native flowers are loving it. The road I was on is lightly traveled and I really enjoyed the downhill stretches. Flying down the hills is one of my favorite things about riding!

The Rocket!

I came across some snakes (thankfully dead) and a few turtles (thankfully alive). I stopped and let one of them cross in front of me on his way to who knows where. He sure took his time about getting across the road. Then I was back at the Zoo and ready for a 3 mile run. I tried not to walk and managed pretty well even after a 10 mile bike ride. But then I noticed the lions out enjoying the day so I stopped and said hello.

A little later I saw the "Rocket" and just had to stop. The Rocket is a piece of playground equipment built in the 1960s when America was caught up in the space race. I haven't climbed up inside since I was a young girl but I remember it was the highlight of any trip to the zoo. What the heck, I'm always up for an adventure.

You know how sometimes the things from your youth that you remember as huge turn out to be actually a little smaller in real life. This was no exception. I barely fit through the openings and struggled to stand upright at the top.  As I stood on the top level I imagined how many thousands of children had stood in the exact same spot. Did they think they were one step closer to the moon? Did they imagine blasting off to unknown worlds? I know I did when I was little.

I'm at the top!

After crawling out of the Rocket and starting on the last leg of my run I realized that this was one of the most enjoyable runs I have ever done. My total time was awful because of my side trips, but the actual time I was running was not a bad pace at all.

I'm not going to miraculously get a lot faster in the next ten days before my race. I know that. I accept that. But I do want to enjoy the experience and finish strong. Training hard is key to accomplishing that goal. But it shouldn't take the place of appreciating all that is around us and the many blessings given to us. I'll push hard when I need to and when I can, but I will also strive to take some time and smell the sunflowers.

Love the downhills!