Goodbye 30's .........

 

When I reflect on the past ten years, I can't believe how much happened in my life. I learned a lot. I made mistakes. I struggled a lot. I celebrated milestones and achievements. I did a lot of things for the first time. I cried. I worried. I stepped out of my comfort zone. 

Life is hard. Life is short. Life is uncertain. 
Life is exciting. Life is fun. Life is amazing. 

Age is just a state of mind. You are as old as you think you are. 

I worked incredibly hard in my 30's.

Now that I am 40, I guess it's time to ask myself "what's next?"

40 things that happened in my 30's. 

1. Started my business Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition. 
2. Moved from Jacksonville, Florida to Greenville, SC. 
3. Bought a house and two cars. 
4. Paid off the house and two cars. 
5. Traveled to Europe 4 times. 
6. Raced in Europe 4 times. 
7. Wrote three books. 
8. Did a lot of public speaking. 
9. Wrote articles/quoted in various magazines (Triathlete, USAT, Runner's World). 
10. Traveled to Napa, San Diego, Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Florida and Laguna Beach as an Oakley Women Ambassador. 
11. Lost my dad to cancer. 
12. Dealt with the passing of our cat Smudla, my grandpa Joe, our friend Lukas and my best friend Laura. 
13. My grandma Kitty and Karel's dad passed away from COVID. 
14. Survived a pandemic. 
15. Raced in 13 Ironman distance triathlons. 
16. Finished my first Xtreme Triathlon (3-day event) and won the event, along with Karel. 
17. Won my first Ironman as overall amateur female (IM Chattanooga '17). 
18. Rescued our cats Ella, Sylvi and Asher. 
19. Raced in 4 Ironman World Championship events. 
20. Placed 5th at the Ironman World Championship (2022). 
21. Celebrated 10 years of marriage.
22. Learned how to gravel bike (and crashed twice). 
23. Learned how to mountain bike. 
24. Participated in 3 trail running events. 
25. Celebrated 30 years of being a vegetarian. 
26. Became board certified in sport nutrition (twice). 
27. Celebrated 10 years of being a Registered Dietitian. 
28. Karel broke his hand. 
29. Wrote a monthly column for Triathlete magazine.
30. Worked with over 300 athletes for nutrition. 
31. Coached over 150 athletes for long distance triathlon. 
32. Traveled to Arizona, Canada, New York, Tennessee, Florida, Wisconsin, Czech Republic, Austria, Utah, Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii and Alabama for races. 
33. Karel became a US citizen. 
34. The Trimarni coaching team placed in the top 5 Tri club for two years in a row. 
35. Held over 15 group triathlon training camps. 
36. Campy celebrated his 14th birthday with us (going on 15 in October). 
37. Celebrated 30 years of competitive swimming. 
38. Learned/learning how to look after my mental health. 
39. Took up string art. 
40. Got three tattoos and two more ear piercings. 
    Bonus: 
41. Ate a lot of pizza. 

I had several people ask me if I was doing anything BIG for my BIG 40th birthday. 
To be honest, today will just be another day for me - with the addition of enjoying my birthday tradition of carrot cake. 

However, that doesn't mean that I won't celebrate. 
Birthdays are not just an age celebration. They are life celebrations. 
I don't need a big celebration. I will celebrate the small things that are big things. 

Since my dad's passing in 2014 (3 days before my 32nd birthday), I quickly learned how short life can be and how quickly life can change. I promised myself that I would never take a day for granted. This meant not waiting for the perfect time to start/do/finish something. Although we do have an exciting trip to Europe planned in August (a trip that was supposed to take place in August of 2020), I will continue to do things that make me happy and make me feel alive. 

I am grateful for every day - and every year. I never want to take life for granted. 

I will continue to celebrate the life I am creating for myself. 
Cheers to 40 years on this earth. 

Thank you for being in my life. 💞