Emergency Brake

Have you ever pulled out of the driveway, and realized you had the emergency brake on? The car goes alright, and maybe even quite a distance before you notice it, but it's slow and sluggish.

Well, that's how I think I've been approaching my athletic endeavors. Yes, I've been pulling out of the driveway, and even getting onto the road pretty often, but not doing everything I can to achieve. So I decided this is the year that I take the brake off. I finished my 3rd 1/2 marathon in late February, and am moving on to a goal of one triathlon a month for the next 6 months. Instead of ignoring the orthotics with a hole, and the IT band pain that has been with me off and on for the last couple of years, I have sought out professional help for each issue (no, not that kind...at least not yet :) ). I replaced my mountain bike with a road bike that is more appropriate for triathlons. I've joined an online mentor group, and ask lots of questions. Oh, and yes, I am training consistently, and hopefully getting a little smarter about it along the way. I've dropped 8 lbs since mid December, and it's gotten easier instead of harder to eat well.

I don't know why I have not done these things before, but there is just been this underlying fear of really going all in, or that I somehow don't deserve the resources to help me along the way. I'm sure there will be bumps along this road, but it's just a different attitude of tackling them instead of hoping they will go away. So no more burning up the emergency brake!