Danskin Part I: I Did It & Why I TRIed.

what can i say? well a lot, actually. i am now a different woman! yesterday, i completed the much-anticipated Danskin Women's Triathlon here in denver! it was tough, but i survived, and had fun. there's truth to the phrase, "The woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes the race". yeah--she's tired & sunburned at the finish line! joking aside, i can finally say these words: "I AM A TRIATHLETE". i am absolutely thrilled! moreover, my time predictions (overall and for each segment) were realistic and pretty much dead-on correct. not counting my transitions, i took almost *exactly* 2.5 hrs, just as predicted.

the sense of personal triumph & accomplishment this brings me is especially sweet. it's special b/c i've wanted this for myself for so, so long. having a chronic illness since age 20 has meant that i've lived my young adulthood feeling like i'm constantly fighting to overcome obstacles, and to outwit, outsmart, and outlast my disabling fatigue & pain.

you know how sometimes, people from disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g. poverty, handicap, or being a traditionally oppressed minority) often strive & hunger for achievement the most? although i don't fit into any of those descriptions, i realize that in a way, i understand those individuals and their intensity and drive to succeed against all odds. at the race packet pick-up and pre-race expo on saturday, the danskin spokeswoman, sally edwards, encouraged each and every one of us to look deep inside of ourselves, our hearts & minds, to identify why we were doing a triathlon ("Why I TRI").

i think i can finally articulate one of the many reasons i signed up. sure i love swimming, walking & running and recently discovered the joy of biking. sure i knew a few ladies who had done danskin triathlons and spoke highly of them. BUT i realize now that i needed to find some way to prove to myself, and others, that as bad as my illness can be, i'm SO much bigger than it. no matter how bad things get, i can't, and won't, let it pull me down or impede me from getting what i want out of life. today, i kissed my medal, which i plan to wear on my 1st day back to work when i get home from colorado next week. well......MORE DANSKIN DETAILS TO COME: TO BE CONTINUED...