A few days ago I talked about the fun that I had at the Reedy River 10K. It was a training race so that meant back to business this week.
Well, I have no trouble getting my workouts done but if I am not having fun, there's no point to my training.
So....here's what made me smile this morning.
I want to introduce you to Mr. Llama.
One of my favorite things about cycling is what you see while you are just riding along. A former nutrition athlete of mine in Greenville told me that I had to see this Llama in a pasture on Old White Horse Road that will run over to you when you say "Hey Llama!". I'm so happy that she told me about this furry friend!
We had an athlete of ours (Justine) in town for a RETUL fit (performed by Karel) and a complete overhaul on her bike (new handlebars, new cassette, new chain, new bar tape) with a detailed inside/out cleaning. It's a highlight to show our friends/athletes our amazing country cycling routes so this morning we decided that we would train and have a quick stop to visit Mr. Llama for the very first time.
I am a happy person and I love to smile. I try to find the good in everything and I enjoy surrounding myself with energy giving people. Every time I train, I am happy. I absolutely love moving my body and although I have no trouble working inside (no excuses - my motto is "find a way to get it done"), if I can be outside and move my body, I am one happy girl.
But today was special. Why? Because normally when I ride, I just say hi to animals from the road. A little known fact, I do say hi (outloud) to animals when I train and race. But I am always polite and never say hi horse or hi cow. It's always Mr. or Mrs.
So that is why today I met Mr. Llama. Not Llama. Mr. Llama.
But I think in a few more rides, I will just use his first name since we will be best buds.
Karel and I are so excited for our upcoming season. Karel has three half IM races (April, May, June) and then IM Placid in July. I have two half IM races (May, June) and then we are both dedicating our August and September training to fully prepare for the 2015 Ironman World Championship (we qualified at IMWI). We are both extremely busy with our full load of amazing Trimarni athletes who will be starting their triathlon racing season here shortly.
Meeting Mr. Llama was important because it reminds me that as competitive athletes, who are willing to stay extremely dedicated to training, that you can't stop having fun when you train. Every journey is filled with highs and lows and come race day, we remember the special moments.
I am pretty sure I am going to remember meeting Mr. Llama at one of my races. At some point in one of my endurance races, when I am racing for 4+ hours, I am going to hit a low spot. Having a memory like this, seeing Mr. Llama run over to us a happy as can be and want to take selfies and pictures with us, will be the picture perfect moment to make me smile when I am hurting.
I find it extremely important that you never stop having fun with your training. It's just as important to be focused and disciplined with your training to make the most of your training time but to never stop enjoying what you get to do with your amazing body.
Until next time Mr. Llama!
