"Pulling" for Personal Goals

Today was the 5th Annual Nation's Triathlon in Washington DC. Over 5200 people showed up on a VERY soggy day to tackle this Olympic Distance Tri in our Nations Capital. Swimming the Potomac, biking along the C&O Canal up the Parkway and running in the streets past monuments (and right through a political rally today; only in Washington!!!)......always a blast in DC despite the not so perfect weather today.

As I look back on the day, the most impressive part about it was the achievements of so many. Personally, I know several people who participated in the full event or as a part of a relay team. Each and every one of them had a "story"..............a goal to run the 10K as a way of getting back into shape after giving birth, learning to swim and competing in the first Triathlon, or losing 15 pounds and tackling the bike in the relay as a payback to a bet. There were so many personal goals set by so many and so many achieved.

For me, my overall time was almost dead even with last year's results. However, I beat my swim time (my definite weakness) by over 4 minutes and ran a much stronger finish this time out. After a year that has been really challenging to stay motivated and in the gym, not losing ground from last year was a personal achievement in itself.

So, another major race is in the books. The personal goals set, achieved and now in the books are history. For me, it's back to "pulling" on the bars and a dedicated effort on strength training in the coming months.