Is This Thing On?

You know it has been a while when you need WordPress to send you a password reset link.

I could come up with any number of reasons for the radio silence, or more accurately writing silence. But the truth is, I just needed some time to unplug. I took the month of September free of Facebook and Twitter, and have since removed them from my phone. (Admittedly I have yet to log back in to tweet and we are almost through October.) Whether related or not, I started a 200 hour yoga teacher training in mid-September and was feeling a need for more mindfulness in the day-to-day of life.

A step back from triathlon was long overdue. I took a cue from my irritated hamstring to rest and recover after Ironman Canada. To take a look at what I had accomplished and what I still want from the sport. This year was one of many highs, but also the reality of falling short of a trip to the Big Island. I tried not to push away the disappointment that came when Kona rolled around and, instead, to accept it and to live in it. It is not a comfortable emotion to let in, but I took its presence to mean that a world championship slot is something I am still hungry to chase.

The “rest and recovery” provided time to try a few new things. I raced, and loved, cyclocross which took me WAY out of my comfort zone. Hello learning to dismount and mount a moving bicycle! And as mentioned above, I am currently completing a yoga teacher training at an amazing studio– if you ever make your way up to Portland, I implore you to visit, YoYoYogi. This deserves its own post in the coming weeks. Getting out of my comfort zone, both physically and mentally, has been hard, invigorating and utterly necessary, as I navigate through the end of this last year of my 20’s.

Fall has arrived in the Pacific Northwest and with it the chance to hole up in the kitchen (so many great recipes to share), read voraciously (so many good books to recommend), and make room for a new furry addition to our family (Billie comes home November 13th). Gratitude abounds.