All Out

I
just taught myself a valuable lesson.

I’ve
been mildly wallowing in self-pity lately, as I’ve been injured in various ways
and unable to pursue my number one passion – running – for several months now.
But last night I found a good dose of perspective within the walls of my own
condo.

It’s
been almost two years since I moved into this place, and during that time, I’ve
draped the finisher’s medal from every race I’ve completed in that 24 month
period over the edges of a particular mirror. Above the mirror hangs a vintage sign
that says, “All Out.” I guess you could say it’s a bit of a shrine of respect
to the effort it’s taken to get through many of these races.

I
walked past the mirror last evening, and a twinge of nostalgia grabbed me, a
longing to have “that racing feeling” again. I was inspired to thumb through
the medals, refreshing my memory of some healthier, injury-free times. What I
didn’t expect was to find a cumulative record of accomplishments that in no way
left me feeling less than 100%.

The
sum total of my 2008-2009 racing season includes two full and two half Ironman
triathlons, two stand-alone marathons (Rock & Roll Arizona and Boston), an
Olympic distance triathlon and the swim portion of a long-course triathlon
relay (both part of the Wildflower race series), an XTERRA 10k trail run and
even my first ever snowshoe race.

These
race experiences represent some of the craziest challenges I’ve ever
undertaken. They’ve been at times brutally painful, yet unquestionably fun and
deeply rewarding. And they’ve required a whole lot of time and energy! I took a
step back from that walk down memory lane and drew a long, deep breath – of
exhaustion! Maybe, I realized, it’s not only ok, but also a good idea to take a
little break.

–
Holly Bennett