The "Positive" Yearbook

My coach asked me to come up with a list of positive things that have happened as a result of training for the past year.  What were the fun memories?  What were the pretty things I remembered?  When I asked Nick what he had for his list, he said, "I think Dave is worried about your mental state.  He didn't give me that exercise."  That cracked me up.  Yes, if I were a coach, I would be worried about my mental state, too!  But, all of these exercises are helping.  And, since this is my journal, I'll be posting them.


So here are some that come to mind....


New friends!  Having a job that has me on the road made it difficult to make friends. I either make friends at work, who I only see during the workweek, and then leave that client.  Or I try to make friends at home, but travel so much that it's hard to sustain friendships.  When you train for something like this with a bunch of people, you can become friends really fast because you cut through the bullshit.  You bitch/moan/cry together, share successes together, and know everyone's bathroom habits in a matter of two months.

Completed my first Olympic distance (the only goal I ever really had for many years)




An excuse to spend more money in Sports Basement!

The Ride-N-Tie -- who else wouldn't want to run around and ride a bike in a costume?

Hitting up local Triple Ds after workouts

All the wineries.  Some people like the beach.  Others like the country.  I love vineyards and barns.

 Portola Loop -- I loved this narrow road with a canopy of trees




Inspiration Point -- my first run that was over an hour long.  And, it was in beautiful Tilden Park with awesome views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.


Iyisha, my massage therapist.  I feel like I need to give her my phone #.

Lake Del Valle -- Always appreciated how beautiful this area is in the summer/fall months

The Sunol train and our favorite water stop

My surprise birthday celebration during the IMC/IML viewing party.  With homemade ice cream cakes to boot!

Climbing without stopping!  I'm pretty sure I still have to stop up one part of Mines Road.  But there are many other hills I can ride these days without stopping.  Woo hoo!

Every time I heard a bike coming up behind me and then, "Hi, Baby" or rounded a turn and saw Nick on the other side of the road.

Being miserable with Phil.  Because even though we were miserable, we laughed about how miserable we were the whole way.

My swim twin, Dana.  We had the same bathing suit, shared a lane, and naturally swam the exact same speed every single workout.  Even the coaches noticed.

Seeing my first burlesque show as a fundraiser for teammate, Jasmine.

My first century.  It was ~6000 feet of climbing and took me 10 hours.  But the finish made me forget all the pain.

Randomly stopping in a Roadrunner we saw off the freeway in San Diego and discovering it was the world's largest running store where I got fitted for new sports bras, fitted for custom orthotics, and fitted for new shoes, all on a whim.

My mental sherpa, Sedonia, always having just the right thing to say.  

The Vineman Victory Loop and celebrating my birthday with a bunch of a great friends that will all be there on Sunday night to watch me cross the finish line!