A moment of questioning where I am headed

Pre-race!

Post-race!

Yay, I got a medal!

I did my first running race in many months on the 4th of July (Independence Day in the United States). It was fantastic!

Merrill and I signed up for the American 4 Miler in Charlotte, NC. Actually, it was Merrill signed us up for it. I was the beneficiary. :) We did this race two years ago and I was not in a good mood for it. It showed in my time and attitude.

Fast forward to this year. I was ready. It was a completely different course, but on roads we have run before. Going into the race I had no expectations. Since Merrill has been training for the Richmond Marathon, I told her to go ahead and not stay back with me.

Short recap: I felt good at the start. We got separated from each other and I felt like I was ahead of Merrill the whole race. I kept to my intervals. I swear by intervals...at least for me. They aren't good for everyone. Mile 1...Mile 2...Mile 3...and finally, Mile 4, the Finish Line. I knew that I was comfortable and had a good pace. I crossed and had a nearly 4 minute personal record for 4 miles. Holy Cow! Where did that come from? I hadn't trained exclusively for running. Merrill reminded me that while I hadn't been training for a road race, all the triathlon training had built up my endurance.

Something I need to make clear: I was not in front of Merrill. We aren't sure when she passed me, but she did finish nearly a minute ahead. She is a BEAST!

All of this brings up my mood yesterday. Doing so well and being in a such a good mood about running got me thinking about training for a marathon. I do like that distance. It is crazy long and challenges me to prepare my Salt-Wasting Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia body for the 26.2 miles. There is also a time goal that I want to work towards.

Wellllll...this got me extremely conflicted about life, who I am and am I betraying Tri-ing By 50. I also got caught up in the monetary cost of triathlons versus marathons. It is also difficult to train for three disciplines (swim, bike, run) versus the one for marathons. Two attempts at a 70.3 triathlon has me feeling a little deflated.

These things happen when you have been going non-stop with training and competing and then there is nothing on the schedule. I need something on the schedule.

Regarding the monetary cost: I joke that it would be fantastic to have a steady source of income from someone.

After a talk last night, Merrill brought me down from the ledge...as she always does. There is only one 70.3 left in the year that I would consider entering. That is IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina held in Wilmington. If that isn't a possibility, I will do the smart thing and concentrate on some shorter triathlons: sprints, international and Olympic distances.

Then in 2019, I will look at running the Tobacco Road Marathon again and crushing it. Follow that up with a possible 70.3 and some massive training and short distance triathlons. Later in the year, I would be looking at IRONMAN Chattanooga. That is a full distance triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). YES, I am crazy! There could be the added bonus of doing it with a friend whom I've never met, but she is the reason I started training and competing with Hello Kitty. Here training partner is Snoopy.

Where does all of this put me? I still don't have a triathlon or running event on the calendar, but I will keep looking. I am taking suggestions. Also, if anyone could help financially my Go Fund Me link will be at the bottom. What I am doing as Tri-ing By 50 is to bring the hope and awareness to those with CAH, their families and the general public. Weekly I am reminded of the impact that I have. It is good to be reminded otherwise it does get a little discouraging.

Next week is a big week for Hello Kitty and me. We are getting in the car and traveling to Lombard, Illinois, for the MAGIC Foundation's Annual Convention. We get to meet up with Drs. Geffner and Kim from Children's Hospital Los Angeles! This will be our third speaking engagement. We are NERVOUS!

Thank you to everyone who has joined this journey!

Life is good. Life is happy. Just keep reminding yourself of that!

Fun random photos:

Merrill and I had a fun date day. First a bike ride and then visiting the Mint Museum Randolph.