Neato Maps and Gratitude

 It's safe to say I've been some places. I love to travel and see and do. I've been some places, seen some tiny portion of the world. I found these cool maps that allowed me to visualize how many countries and states I have been to. At the same time they show the whole state or country. I am amazed at how little ground I have actually covered and how many places I have yet to experience. This gives me a solid case of the wanderlust. Truuk? Peru? New Zealand? Australia? Palau? Mongolia? I'm coming for you!

At the same time, I'm immensely grateful for the life I was born into and have created for myself. Utah is a magical desert adventure land with nearly every sport imaginable. I was raised mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking, skiing, and camping. My dad would sneak me out of school to go ski when I was in elementary. Mom took me for horseback rides in the fields and mountains around my house. When I was older, I did these things on my own and with friends. Greatest memories ever!

I moved to the great state of Washington in all it's dark beauty after college. I'd heard it rains there. A lot. Turns out, that's not really true. Amidst all of the towering evergreens, I discovered trail running, learned to snowboard, climbed my first multi-pitch, went backpacking, and hiked beautiful Olympic trails. Did it rain? Oh yes, often. Was it awful? Nope! I loved it.

Lastly and most lately, Hawaii is home base. It is a wonderland for anyone who loves adventure. There is so much to do here no matter your priority. Beautiful beaches and turquoise waters are just the first glimpse. I worried I would have island fever, be bored, or run out of things to do. Instead I am worried that I will leave before I can hike all the trails I want to hike, dive all the wrecks, learn to surf, kiteboard, freedive, play ukulele. I have fallen in love with cycling beneath the incredible green, jagged pali (cliffs) of Eastern Oahu, doing sunrise yoga on the beach, and chasing sunsets.

So, I choose to be ever grateful for the incredible life I have. Thank you to my parents for the guidance and lessons that put me on this path, to everyone who has helped me along the way, to my beautiful sisters who provide the most delightful chaos, and to my amazing husband who brings light to my life. I love you guys!

Honolulu Tinman Triathlon

A week and a half ago, Mike and I completed our first (mostly) Olympic triathlon. An Olympic tri is 1500m swim, 40K bike, and 10K run. Tinman has a shorty swim at only 750m. This turned out to be plenty. The race started at 5:45 AM in waves based on age and sex. Mike went at 5:55. My training partner Joe followed at 6:00. My group of ladies was the last and smallest group. Small but mighty!!! (too much? k sorry) About five years ago Mike and I ran an x-terra triathlon at Deception Pass in Washington. I trained hardest for the swim and was very unprepared for the thrashing mass of bodies that swimming with a group entails. This time, I was smarter. I trained with a buddy and learned to keep an eye on him to space myself. So, during the Tinman, I started all of the way to the outside of the group and stayed there the whole time. As the pack spread out and thinned, it was more comfortable. I survived!

I had practiced the bike ride several times. I tore out of the gate and made great time. There was one intersection that wasn't protected by a police officer and I was nearly hit by a car. Not optimal. Anyway, I averaged 18 mph moving pace over the 25 hilly miles. That's my fastest overall ride yet!

Transitioning to running was really hard for me. My legs didn't want to work and I felt like I was jumping up more than actually moving forward. Imagine how a toddler runs. That was me. Luckily I came out of the transition gate with Joe, who coached me and kept me moving down the road. After a couple of miles, I felt better and ran/walked the rest of the course. My heart rate was really high the whole time. As I approached what I thought was the finish line, I heard Mike cheering me on. Then someone on the side line yelled "Pass her!" to the runner behind me. Of course my first thought was "Aw HELL NO!". I took off at full sprint and realized the course kept going around 2 more corners. So I ran and ran and ran and crossed the finish just before him. We high fived and I tried not to die. This picture was taken 3 seconds after a whole series where I look like I just took a kick to the stomach. I like to pretend I ran across the finish line with such a big smile on my face.

I had a great time and I am really excited to run the H3 Triathlon in October.