As I was psyching myself to sign up for the sprint triathlon, I taped two stories on the bookcase near my bed; one story is really about doggedness more than anything else.
David Goggins, who was featured in Runner's World magazine, is a Navy Seal who wanted to raise money for veterans' families. On Goggin's first outing to prepare for the Badwater Ultramarathon, he ran 100 miles in under 19 hours in a San Diego race.
Now, I don't normally go around saying what I would never do but I feel comfortable in saying that I will never participate in a 100 mile marathon. Half marathons are grueling enough but Goggins definitely served as motivation to get me through my event.
And the tiny triathletes?
Well, I was drawn to the athlete in the black swimming suit. There is something so joyous about the smile on her face and the smile reminded me of Nel in
Sula when she says
we were girls together. And, on a non-literary note, it just illustrates how exercise makes you feel good.
Once, I was rocking a white outfit and someone said that I looked like my mother who is a nurse. When I repeated the comment to my mother she said
If you were looking like me, you were looking good.
If I look like this woman, one of the beauties in
Essence magazine's 2009
Ageless Beauties feature, I'll be looking good at 70.
And I love what triathlete Laurel Wassner had to say in
Fitness magazine:
My mind knows how to take over when my body wants to give in.
Yeah, girl, that is the spirit.
And one more:
During July, I signed up for my first sprint triathlon and, in doing so, discovered that I loved bicycling. The last bicycle that I had was stolen ages ago and I just never had the desire to buy another one. Now, I'm hooked and I'll make sure that I keep the bike locked up.
