Tiffanie

Friday, June 25, 2010

My first triathlon June 5, 2010

I really thought I had written about this. Maybe when I posted all of the race pictures on facebook, it made me feel like I had “documented” my first triathlon experience.

Well here’s the report. At the beginning of June, I flew to Sacramento, CA to join two of my nieces for our first “Tri-for Fun.” Holly and I did the triathlon (swim ½ mile, bike 16miles, run 3 miles) and Lily did the duathlon (run 3 miles, bike 16 miles, run another 3 miles).

I admit I was a bit freaked out and anxious going into it, but I’m lucky to have a brother who coached me every step of the way. As most of my dedicated blog readers will remember; my oldest brother, James is an “Ironman.” He does these races all the time. It was fun to switch roles, with me as the athlete and James, as the spectator/cheerleader.

The swim was my favorite part, which surprised me considering it was what I thought would be my weakest event. It was really fun! I may or may not have lied about my age by a year so Holly and I would be able to start in the same wave. (Not a big deal, right? After all- it was just for fun anyway).

Off to transition for the 16 mile bike:

The whole race was really exciting and I loved having my other 2 nieces (Jasmine & Iris) and my sister-in-law, Krista along the course with cowbells and smiles to cheer us on.

James helped us set up our transitions, took pictures, and actually came out to run with us on the run course to keep us going. (which ended up being the most challenging part for me). Holly and I stuck together for most of the swim & bike, but I passed her on the run. (Then again, she chose to walk most of the time, so it’s not like I was going fast by any means.)

I was able to catch up to Lily and run with her for awhile.

Crossing the finish line was an awesome feeling!

I did the whole thing in 2hrs, 5 mins, 5 seconds. Not too bad for having a goal of 2 hours. And considering it's my first attempt-I'll take it! I'll break it next time, for sure!

Thanks to James for all his help, and thanks to Holly who invited me to join the fun! Go Team Player Girls! (AKA: “Finishers”)

Friday, June 18, 2010

All work, and no play...

That title doesn't really work for me because I play. Infact, truth be told-I actually play for work. I have a great job. In fact, I love my job. I have this quote by Confucius on the wall above my desk: “CHOOSE A JOB YOU LOVE, AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.” I consider myself lucky everyday for the fact that I enjoy going to work. Yes-everyday. Now don’t get me wrong-I love the weekends, and there are definitely days I wish I had more time to get personal errands done and things, but I never dread waking up in the morning on a workday.

Let me preface this next part by saying, it is RARELY the kids and teens that cause me any kind of grief at work. That being said-this past week at work has not been the best. I won’t go into too many details, but I have seriously experienced more feelings of frustration in the past 5 work days with other staff than I think I usually do over a 5 week span of time. Summertime is SUPER busy for me and I am a one man show running 6 programs (7 during the school year). Talk about stress! I have been consistently disappointed, grumpy, complaining, angry, snappy, impatient and many other characteristics with co-workers that I don’t enjoy seeing appear from myself. I usually have great relationships with my co-workers, but I had reached beyond my breaking point. I decided I needed to do something to take care of me. I scheduled an appointment with my massage therapist friend, Sarah, and ends up-it was just what I needed.

As I started to relax, I started to think of how much I truly love my job. Even on days when I’m upset, quitting never crosses my mind. That’s just not the way my brain works. I went through each day of the past week in my head and I decided to focus on these moments:
(Instead of the moments when apparently stupidity seems to have taken over for some people). These pics are from the past 3 days: Yeah, I definitely have nothing to complain about. Thanks for listening! :)

Wed: Hiking to Bells Canyon Reservoir in Little Cottonwood Canyon w/ my substance abuse Recreation Therapy group (This was probably one of my favorite hikes I've done in Utah so far.)