Ahh Hah's from success.

Michelle, Barry and I after a trip to Trader Joes.

I had a few ahh hah moments this past weekend. One major one happened when we were all sitting in the hot tub after the race. Yea, like ALL of us, in this dinky hot tub, drinking beer and eating desserts. Just what triathletes want to do when the season is done!

Tyler asked everyone to say what their favorite part of the day was. That was super cool, even my parents, and Myra and Patty joined in the fun. This game got everyone a little sentimental and we ended up talking at one point about Michelle and the fabulous gains she has made this year. Last year she raced on the same course and went 2:39, this year 2:23. That's a 16 minute improvement over the previous year. Her run went from a 54 to a 46. Her bike from a 1:19 to a 1:12. Her swim is phenomenal, so there just isn't a lot of wiggle room there. Steve asked her how she did this and her answer gave me goose bumps.

She talked about how she just decided it was something she could do. She put in the hard work and she just kept at it.

She really reminded me that the proof is in the pudding. It's really not about getting all crazy and worked up about things. It's about keeping at it and telling yourself that you can do it. She also said it was Pikes Peak and Mount Evans that helped. Michelle didn't consider herself a runner but she ran two of the most challenging running races in the state of Colorado this year. She looked her fears and her downfalls straight in the eye and she went forward. It wasn't crazy like (at times she must have thought she was crazy) but in the end she pushed through doubts and moved herself to a higher level.

It just got me thinking about the up and coming off season. Where does my work need to happen and how am I going to get there? It gave me a different view of working on your weaknesses. Steady, and with confidence. She took the mature route and I want to as well. We all have different things that need to happen in the off season. Some need to learn to swim faster, some need to loose some weight, some need to work on their run, some on their mental game. Whatever it may be, learn from Michelle and do it slowly, with confidence, and with unwavering discipline.

Fuzzy for a reason.