A Farewell Post

Life has funny ways of teaching lessons. I didn’t expect much from Triathablog other than exhaustion and nice arms (I’ll let you decide which of those I actually experienced). As my farewell post, I thought it would be nice to share some of the unexpected lessons this experience has taught me, and what I have gained from it.

As I’ve said before, when Carrie and Elisa approached me with this I thought I was crazy for taking it on, but loved the idea so much I couldn’t resist. That hasn’t changed – I still think I’m crazy for taking it on. But I’ve learned that I can be stretched beyond what I think are my limits and still be successful. This is a lesson that I needed to learn especially in this time of life, when I am making decisions that I have doubts about completing successfully. But I’ve learned that I can work two jobs, swim four days a week, squeeze in physical challenges, help lead a small group with my church, attend a Bible study, maintain a social life, find time to read, and still keep my sanity. If I can do those things, attending school and working full time should be easy. Okay, maybe “easy” is a strong word – doable.

In addition to learning to push the limits with time constraints, I also learned to push physical ones. As with any other sport, becoming adept takes time and determination, and is in no way hindered by a healthy portion of competition. I’ve been there with running, starting out in college not being able to run a full mile to completing my second half marathon last year. While I haven’t accomplished any noteworthy feats with swimming, I did learn that I can swim for an hour – something that seemed impossible in the beginning – and that I can do things in the water I never thought I could (i.e., the flip turn), all while managing to keep my eye makeup on, no less. These things will only improve with time, and I am proud of the strides I’ve made in the short three months that I’ve participated in this competition. While I am excited about getting to enjoy other activities when Triathablog is over, I still plan to keep swimming in the mix as one of my favorite forms of exercise.

Mostly, I’ve enjoyed making new friends through Triathablog, deepening the one that was just beginning with Elisa, and starting new with Carrie. Ladies – I have enjoyed you both, in spite of the smack talking, and look forward to continued friendships. I hope we never all like the same dude … with the fierce competition I’ve seen in the three of us, that could get really ugly.

I hope that we have inspired and entertained. It has been a pleasure.

Amanda, out.