Opportunities/Suncoast RR

        As I receive e-mails about registration for the spring semester, I find myself absolutely terrified about the future. I have 2 more semesters and an internship left, and I'm wondering where the heck the past 2.5 years have gone. I'm coming to this bitter realization that college life must end and actual life must begin...and soon. I know that nothing is ever crystal clear, but the cloudiness ahead worries me. I'm not quite sure where I fit in this world.

    All of this had me worried sick over the past couple of weeks, but I've taken some time also to stop and feel grateful for all of the opportunities that I have been given while attending the University of Florida. I've had the chance to personal train at one of the best collegiate recreational facilities in the country. What had seemed like a dream when I asked about the personal training class during my first summer here in Gainesville is now a reality. I've learned so much from the great staff we have in the PT department and from training for 4 semesters now. Every time I walk into Southwest Recreational center with the letters "Personal Trainer" printed on the back of my shirt, I feel genuinely lucky to have been given the opportunity to train students and staff at UF.

    This year I also acquired a new job as the president of the TriGators triathlon club. I'm so proud of being able to improve a club that has given so much to me in my first two years in college. I've learned so much from the extra responsibility; I would even argue that I've learned more about life from the club than I have from any other single experience. I have wholeheartedly enjoyed every minute of it, even the few bumps in the road that I've hit. It's an experience that I'm glad I took on; and I have to thank all of my teammates for allowing someone like me to try to keep things in order. (key word: try)

Also, just attending this university was a huge opportunity in itself. I just have so much to be thankful for.

So, on to the race this weekend. Let me preface this by saying that I raced this same course 1 min faster than last year. That's definitely encouraging, considering last year I was in pretty darn good shape as I was gearing up for my marathon. But unfortunately I have no idea where that time came from, as my chip from last year has probably washed up on the shores of Mexico by now. If I had to guess, it probably came from the bike leg.

The swim was a bit of rough start, with all 78 collegiant athletes (men and women) going off in one wave.Beach starts have never been a strength of mine. I was slow at charging into the water, and then bottomed out on my first attempt at a dolphin dive. I literally dove into the sand (whoops, a little too early), and I feel lucky that I didn't emerge from the water with a mouthful of sand. I found a lot of contact out to the first buoy, but after that I had a pretty smooth swim. I sighted well and stayed on line, which doesn't happen that often. I also think that my effort was higher than usual, given the way I was panting upon trudging to shore. My legs burned as I waved through the water, and I was thinking "Man, this is going to be a long bike ride". Figuratively, of course. The bike course was short 9.5 miles.

   To my surprise, the bike actually went fairly well. I got a glimpse of the sun rising over the Sunshine Skyway, and a smile crept onto my face. I always stop myself a couple times a race just to enjoy the fact that I'm racing somewhere beautiful. Coming out of T2, I grabbed a cup of water and tossed it back too quick. I coughed and choked for a quarter mile or so, spitting up water and clearing the water from my lungs. People watching probably thought I was dying or something. I eventually got into a good rhythm on the run, despite my bum hip. Coming up to first aid station, I saw a flag for snowcones, so as the volunteers announced if they had water or Gatorade in their cups, I asked if I could have a snowcone instead. They seemed to get a good kick out of that. Most of the back half of the run was on sand, and it threw me off a little. I had a blank mind and good concentration for a while, but once I hit the loose footing, I had to focus to much about my footsteps and it annoyed me.

     I had a strong finish, with a good sprint at the end to pass the 4th place girl. I was kind of dramatic upon crossing the finish lone and sat down for a while before allowing the volunteers to take the chip off of my ankle. One of the guys helped me up, and I realized that I was being pathetic. Sometimes it just seems so right at the moment....but I hate it when I do that. Overall, I'm happy with the race. feeling undertrained has lit a bit of a fire under my...well you know. The triathlon season may be coming to a close, but I feel ready to put some solid training in to get ready for a solid spring.

Most of all, I'm just thankful for being out there wearing the orange and blue.