Another reminder of how amazing life is

**Warning - this is a long blog... just so you know what you're getting yourself into :-)**

On a KICK ASS NOTE:
Pics from the Triathlon are here: Tempe Int'l Triathlon

Suda, Quick Draw and I KICKED ASS in our triathlon this weekend. We all entered the Athena Division (which is the big kids class - over 150 lbs) - Suda took 2nd place with a time of 1 hour 21 minutes, I took 3rd with a time 1 hour 24 minutes and Quick Draw took 4th with a time of 1 hour 27 minutes. WOOT WOOT!!

Here's a quick play-by-play of the race...
The swim - 400 meters. No problem - in and out of the water in about 11 minutes. I did get kicked in the head a couple times which pushed my face unexpectedly into the water. That's the only thing I hate about the swim - getting dunked. But, considering I have not swam in about 6 weeks, I was pretty happy with my time.

The bike - 12.4 miles. This is the only event that I "trained" for. And by training, I mean I did 3 spin classes. But, it felt good too - I did it in about 40 minutes. Kessans let me borrow her bike again - THANKS SARAH! The route was pretty flat and I was actually able to pass a few people on this segment. Although, there was a point, about halfway in to the bike, where I could totally feel the effects of too much alcohol from Friday night (NOTE TO SELF: heavy drinking 2 days before is not good pre-race fuel). All-in-all, the bike is probably the strongest event for me.

The run - 3.1 miles. This was by far the hardest part of the race. It was about 8:00 am when I started the run and it felt like it was 100 degrees. I was dying from the heat and dehydration. I was only in 1/2 mile when I almost gave up and started walking. But, just as those thoughts were going through my head, I realized there was someone biking next to me - my immediate reaction was to be annoyed... until I noticed it was Jack. This was a really good morale booster. He road with me for about 2 miles and it totally helped get me through the run. I finished that segment in 34 minutes. UGH. 11 min miles is embarrassing, but I guess this is why you're supposed to train for these events.

Afterwards, Team F.S.T. (Me, Suda, Erik & Mel) headed to Macayo's for free appetizers and to collect our medals... which turned out to be marble boxes made in Pakistan. Actually, pretty cute little awards. Lots of fun was had with my box later that evening :-)

Honestly, I couldn't believe how well Suda and I did. We really need to start training for these things because if we're doing this well without, I can only imagine what we could do if we just invested some time into it. So, we're shooting for the Mountain Man Triathlon in 2 months to be our first Olympic Distance (1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run)... stay tuned to see if that really happens.

On a SOCIAL note:
Pics from out and about are here: AZ Antics

I love AZ. I really do. Friday night, my flight came in at 9:45 - Rosey and Kenny picked me up and took me out on the town for my birthday. This, of course did NOT help the triathlon on Sunday, but I had a blast. Suda, Chelsea, Tina and Simon all met us out for a super fun time! Kenny and I traded shirts halfway through the night, Suda borrowed a beer from a wasted couple who were making out in front of everyone, Rosey prepared a fantastic meal at 3:00 am (but forgot about the pizza in the oven - oops)... yeah, good times had by all.

Saturday was spent getting set-up for the race and recovering from the night before. We met Mel and Erik at the Lake to set up our bikes, register and pick up our packets. Suda and I went back to her place and took a much needed 2 hour nap. Then, woke up, and headed to dinner. Jack met us out for a good carb-loading pre-race meal at a super cute restaurant in Phoenix. I think I was asleep by 9:30.

Sunday Rudy met us at Macayo's for the awards and "one" margarita, because he had lots of studying to do. Except one turned into two (and a half, thanks to the dead bug in his drink) margaritas, which turned into a pool party at Jack's house. Kessans showed up after her hike and joined us in the pool. We proceeded to drink The Champagne of Beers, play with the turtle and just laugh into the wee hours of the night. I spent 6 straight hours in the pool, only getting out to relieve myself and take incriminating pictures of the turtle. A great way to end a great day.

On a personal note (it gets kind of heavy here, so you can stop reading if you want):

I tend to wear my emotions and my feelings on my sleeve for all the world to see. Probably not the best way to be, but it is me. Most of you who read this blog will know what I'm talking about when I say it was time, and Monday I finally said goodbye. This is one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I've never said goodbye to someone that I loved so much. We didn't fight, we always laughed and we just got along really well. But it wasn't enough for me to be someone's side project -- I deserve to be someone's everything.

Maybe part of the sadness last week was because I knew this was coming. Things were going really well... yet something deep down told me that it wasn't right. I've spent the last year having some of the best times of my life, but it was always followed up with some intense lows. I deserve better and I know that there is someone who is going to give me a real chance... they're going to just love me for me. There is someone who's going to think I'm worth the risk and won't take me for granted. But, that doesn't mean that this doesn't hurt real bad. I don't know when I've ever felt so defeated or broken. I should have been smarter.

There's a reason for everything and everyone that enters your life. Because of this experience, I have learned a lot about myself and I have grown so much in the past year - and for that, I am eternally grateful. So, I'm ready to start healing and moving forward in a much more positive direction.

My life is good and I know it. I have great friends and a wonderful sister who believe in me. If this is the only negative in my life, then it ain't too bad... there are definitely more smiles on the way.