Ever since I've been cleared from physical therapy, I've wondered, “what's next?”
Friday, I was listening to my friend Lydia talking about her triathlon training. Doing a triathlon is on my fitness bucket list, so my ears perk up around any discussions about it. The race she's doing is local, and is in September. It took all of 0.5 nanoseconds for me to say I was going to do it and justify in my head that I had plenty of time to train as long as I started right away. Then I took a breath and paused…
This weekend, I played frisbee at a family cookout. It doesn't sound like a lot, but the act of playing frisbee meant that I had a few things going on: I wasn't too tired to join in the fun, I could hop or shuffle to catch it without pain, and I didn't once think about wanting to sit out. In the grand sceme of my fitness goals, throwing the frisbee was exactly what I want – to be able to live life without limits. I could bound around in the grass and catch the frisbee (throwing it was a completely different issue – sorry sisters-in-law!) and participate in the fun.
Also this weekend? I went on my first walk with my hubs around the park by our house (he goes nearly every day with the pup) for the first time in several months. I was able to make it the entire way (a little over 2 miles). Last time I tried a few weeks ago, I could only do 1/4 of the trail before turning around due to ankle pain. This isn't to say I was pain free (some residual swelling today), but it was a big triumph in my mind.
I realized that I need to stop chasing. There will always be triathlons. My focus right now shouldn't be running off to complete another bucket list item. We all had to see how the half marathon decision played out. I'm proud of it. I'll be proud when I do my triathlon. But for now, I'll work to enjoy the activities of daily ACTIVE living and focus on how good it feels. I'll do yoga, start back up with my trainers, and walk. Because I can.
