I think that most things we do in life are interconnected. A few weeks ago I took my first real vacation since 2010. It is simply amazing how the time slips away and how easy it is to forget to take a break. I know some of you might think that I have had some great vacations to Ironman races and while I would have to agree that traveling to a race is indeed great, it is NOT vacation! So this vacation really was a true vacation because I was going skiing. It had been over 20 years since I had my feet in downhill ski boots and I was more than a little concerned about this and the fact that a little accident downhill skiing could have very real consequences. To tell you the truth I had so much anxiety about it leading up to the trip that I was having dreams about falling off the mountain! Consciously I did not let myself think about such nonsense but I could not control my subconscience during sleep! I arrived at the small skiing village of Kicking Horse in the Canadian Rockies and was in awe of the beauty. It was simply stunning there but getting out of the gondola at the top of the mountain gave me breath-taking views and a reminder that it was time to test my legs. 

The first trip down the mountain went much better than I anticipated, I remembered how to ski, I was going to be fine so what was all that worry about? The reason why I share this with you is because leading up to your first triathlon or your first Ironman I think the feelings are much the same. Later in the afternoon of the first day Megan and I took a lesson which would challenge us. The visibility was terrible by then so we just had to trust our instructor. I reminded myself to just follow him and allow my body to feel the movements needed based on the terrain. At this point in the day we were in the middle of a really difficult turning drill. Megan was ahead of me so I would wait for her to finish and then I would go. As I waited my turn on the side of the mountain I realized that it was incredibly steep and wondered why we were on this section on our first day, but then it hit me, it did not matter. At that point I needed to follow instructions, ski to the absolute best of my ability and commit to finishing the run. After all what would I have done if I quit? On a ski slope there isn't really any quitting. Once you choose your line you are committed to getting to the bottom. Sometimes in triathlon I feel like athletes get to this same critical point but choose not to listen to their coach and they suddenly find themselves off course and instead of looking at the finish line they want to reach and really committing they simply quit. Being great at anything, especially triathlon, forces you to commit. Commit to doing the training, getting your life organized, cleaning up your eating. Commit to whatever YOU need to do to allow you to reach your goals. Lean on your coach for advice, support, & motivation. 

To finish my little story about following the ski instructor down a challenging slope with low visibility; when we reached the bottom he was very excited and exclaimed "Congratulations you have done your first Black Diamond of the day!"