Courage to TRI

Last Saturday was our Stake Relief Society Sprint Triathlon. The theme for this year was: Courage to TRI. As I was competing in the triathlon, all I could think of was courage. 

I was so proud of all of the ladies in my ward who had the COURAGE to participate. We had some ladies who are triathlon pros, and some ladies who were terrified of the idea of competing. Every time I would see one of the sisters in my ward I would beam with pride knowing that they were trying their best out there.

During the swim portion, I was in awe over all of the ladies who had the COURAGE to wake up early and volunteer their time on a Saturday to be there. This event could not have happened with out all of them!

On the bike portion I was passed by an old lady. . . like in her 60's. At first I thought to myself, I just got passed by a 60 year old and the competitive side of me picked up my pace a little bit. But then I got to thinking how much COURAGE she must have had to be out there. All of the time she must have put into training, and then I had the COURAGE to put my competitiveness aside for a moment and let her succeed at something that she was obviously better than me at. 

On the run portion, I ran by a funeral home when a family was gathering outside. I thought about how much COURAGE it takes to say goodbye to someone you love. I thought about how the healthy choices I have made in my life will hopefully help me to live longer. 

Also on the run portion, I passed by a lady in my ward who has a disability. She had the COURAGE to participate as much as she could. She swam 50 yards, but she walked the whole 5k. A week before the triathlon she wanted to back out. I told her I knew she could do it and to just try! As I passed by her I offered her words of encouragement and told her I would wait for her at the end. To see her face beaming with pride as she crossed the finish line is something I will never forget.

Again, on the run portion, I ran by a wedding taking place. I thought about how much COURAGE it takes to devote your life to someone else. To trust in them, to love them unconditionally. Then I started thinking about how lucky I was to find an awesome guy who had just as much COURAGE as me to make that leap and create a life together with me. And that pushed me to run a little faster so I could see him a little sooner.

Overall, I am so grateful I had the opportunity to be the coach for the sisters in my ward. I got to know some pretty awesome ladies, and got to strengthen the friendships that I already had. 

I am also grateful I got to deepen my understanding of what it truly means to have COURAGE!

 Running to the finish line

 My little fan club! It's always so fun to see them along the route!

 I spent many summer mornings training with this chicka!

 I love my mom!

Some of the ladies from my ward!

Tiffany and I. 

I still can't believe she finished the whole 5k!!!

My times:

Swim: 10:51

Bike: 50:03

Run: 34:14

I finished the whole triathlon 7 minutes and 20 seconds faster than I did the first year! :)