This is Just the Beginning

I think of myself as a small town girl. Even though I have not lived in Montana since 2000 it is still who I am. On my desk at work I have the quote by Wallace Stegner, “There is something about exposure to that big country that not only tells an individual how small he is, but steadily who he is.” Montana and my upbringing…this is who I am.

In planning this wedding, Adam and I are really trying to have it be representative of who we are. At times this can be difficult because it is in Costa Rica and this seems like a bit of a splurge. But this wedding is also an event that is non-traditional (although destination weddings seems to be very trendy right now) and adventurous with both the mountains and the ocean. Adam has lived his entire life in or near the water and I find such comfort in the mountains. So it that way I guess Costa Rica is the perfect representation of who we are.

After the wedding Adam and I will have our sights set on the Eagleman Half Ironman triathlon on June 8, 2008. This event is in Cambridge, MD which is about 2 hours from our house. Adam has already completed one half ironman (The Patriot’s Half in Williamsburg, VA). Hopefully his experience will help me not freak out when it comes time to do my first half. I really like training for triathlons but races really stress me out. I still hear my high school basketball coach telling me to convert that nervous energy into energy to be used on the court. I also hear him tell us we are playing like farts in a skillet and I still don’t know what that means. Actual training for the half begins in the beginning of December but for me this training is also going to be mental. I am fairly confident that if I train I can do the mileage (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). It is the mental aspect that I really want to work on – training on days when I just don’t feel like it, being okay with being in the back of the pack on a bike ride, accepting the fact that I will never run 7 minute miles during a race. My biggest challenge during this time will be to chase the negative thoughts from my mind as I am training.

So even though I am a small town girl at heart and hope to return to a small town some day, I am trying to take advantage of what the crazy east coast has to offer me. Right now that is the resources and ability to get married in Costa Rica, great friends who make me think I can actually do a half ironman and that sense that I am pushing my limits and getting out of my comfort zone.