Don't Call It A Comeback, I've Been Here For Years!

Drum roll please....

Sunday, July 14th 2013, I completed my FIRST TRIATHLON! I signed up a little over a week prior and told absolutely no one, except for my two friends that I trained with earlier this year prior to my injury and competed with me as well (shout out Brittany & Chris!), woke up that morning at 4am, headed to Lake Ray Roberts north of Dallas and dove in. Literally.

"Surprise Triathlon" is what I'm calling it :-). Basically, after missing my first try at a tri back in May due to an injury and enduring another personal heartache just weeks after (a rather dramatic break up - you don't want to know) I felt a bit jinxed. While I did share with others that I signed for an Olympic Traithlon in late September and had begun training, I feared that the build up and hype of it all, in addition to the nerves of an unknown race day, were a dark cloud hovering over me. So, due to my recent luck, or lackthereof, I thought that if I faced this challenge and completed this goal unbeknownst to anyone else, God might allow me to finish it and move on. And I was right!

Don't judge - remember, nothing about a Triathlon is cute!

It was all I thought it would be and more! It was my first open water swim in over two months and the first in the lake without a wetsuit, which can be a bit of a security blanket as it creates buoyancy. But the water felt much better than I remember it back in April and as soon as my feet touched it I was good to go. Minus the kicks in the head and arm swipes on the back :-). Swimming in a race in open water doesn't resemble alot of swimming in the traditional sense as there are alot of limbs flying around going in exactly the same directly in a very tight space. It's crowded to say the least. Transitions were smooth as can be - thanks to two things a) my set up (Thanks Coach Paul for that valuable lesson!) and the luck of not having the two people next door to me transitioning at the same time. Hooray! The bike was the bike, my least favorite of the three, and since it started pouring down rain during it we were all concerned with slick roads and watching participants on the side of the road deal with popped tires obviously didn't help either so I just prayed I could escape the bike ride without a fall or flat tire. Minus the sopping wet socks and shoes the run was a breeze and it felt like it went by so fast! I felt fantastic crossing the finish line and also felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. It was quite a morning! And I have to say I can't wait to do another!

While I missed sharing the day with friends and family (but thanks ladies for the post-race Taco Joint!) it felt tremendous to complete this goal I have been working so hard toward and do it for myself as I intended in the first place. I completed a Sprint Triathlon (this one in particular was the Disco Triathlon and was a 500 yard open water swim, 17.6 mile bike and 3.1 mile run) and while I am happy to now finally call myself a triathlete in addition to a marathoner (wha wha!) I am still on a journey to complete what I started - an Olylmpic Triathlon. Initially, I set out to re-join, train and fundraise for Team in Training benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society but due to some obstacles (raising $800 more with an exhausted fundraising pipeline, the fact that the race I would do was an odd course set up (heavy on the bike - no thank you!) AND out of town which is tough on myself and my family/friends who want to support me, I decided to change course, yet again but by choice this time, and sign up for the Stonebridge Ranch Olympic Triathlon (1500 meter swim, 24.9 mile bike and 6.2 mile run) which is in McKinney, TX (just north of Dallas) on September 29th, 2013.  

So, please continue to pray for my health and sanity as I continue on this journey. I will finish my Olympic Triathlon just under a week before my 33rd birthday. Not a bad way to say goodbye to 32! Wish me luck!

I Just Don't Understand Why You Are Still Single

I Just Don't Understand Why You Are Still Single. How many times have you heard this comment? While it is meant to be complimentary because it is typically followed up by "you're so smart" or "you're so pretty" or "you're such a catch - any guy would be lucky to have you" it is really just uncomfortable and a little rude to be honest (especially if coming from a stranger or some lady who goes to church with your Mom). And while it is also meant to be rhetorical, my girlfriends and I thought it might be funny to start answering it and see just how uncomfortable things could really get :-). Some possible answers might be...
DISCLAIMER: No, these are not true, they are meant to be ridiculous and funny. Just go with it.

• It probably has something to do with my small boobs and love handles. I mean, I've ruled everything else out so that is probably it.
• The ankle bracelet tends to scare people off.
• I mean, there is my small drinking problem and I tend to be clingy so that is a possibility.
• That STD I got last summer might have something to do with it.
• I assume it is my dolls. They make most men uncomfortable.
• I'm in my 30s now so my number is pretty high and some guys just aren't okay with it.
• I make too much money and it can intimidate men.
• My red room of pain isn't for everyone so I am waiting for that special guy who is into S&M.
• Most men can't deal with all of my cats.
• I'm a lesbian so dating men has been pretty difficult.
• Well, I am secretly a man so that can be surprising for people.
• Living with multiple personality disorder is difficult. Gina doesn't always agree with my choice of men.
• My furry personality is a kangaroo but some people are put off by me wearing a giant animal costume in bed.
• I have Daddy issues so...
• I've gotten some feedback that my deadorant doesn't work too well so that could be it.
• The whole binge and purge thing is tough to pull off well on a date. Plus, I usually forget breath mints.
• Men find it awkward that I invite my Mom on all my dates. We are very close.
• Didn't I tell you?! I'm celibate now.
• Sometimes my teeth get in the way and I hear that's not good.
• Because I'd rather be single and free than trapped in a loveless relationship.

To be clear, the discussion over why some of us are still single and why some have been lucky enough to have found the one is a common one that we ladies chat about all the time. This post is about the people that you don't really know that well who make comments about your love life or comment to your parents, sister, friends about it. It is typically followed by "Don't worry, you will find someone special" in which I want to reply to random friend-of-a-friend at a wedding "I'm not worried but thanks. It seems you are much more uncomfortable with me being single than I am!". And for the record, being pretty or smart or a catch doesn't guarantee you a relationship but thanks for the compliment. haha. Anyhoo, it's just a funny scenario we singles encounter from time to time so I thought I would blog about it. I hope it made you laugh and brought back some memories of these moments for you.

#notbitter #wewillallfindsomeoneoneday #loveyouall

I Am Out There But Not Looking? Contradictory Dating Advice - Let's Review!

I don't get it.

Recently, some girlfriends and I (shout out Jessi & Laura) were discussing the unsolicited dating advice that we receive what seems like daily from friends, parents, coworkers, random people we meet in line at Target or in the bathroom at the bar, etc. and realized that it is all so contradictory no wonder we are still single!

Exhibit #1
I am not supposed to be looking but I am supposed to be out there. Huh? First of all, where is there? The bar, social clubs, the internet?  I am still not sure exactly where there is but I do know it definitely is NOT your couch. So, I am out there but now I am not supposed to look? Picture me at a bar stool at a hip uptown spot on a Saturday night with my head down and hand over my eyes thinking "pick me! pick me!".  I am out there but not looking, right? How does this help me? It doesn't unless a new form of peacocking is posing as a lunatic.

Exhibit #2
It will happen when you least expect it but you have to be open to it. Eh? Assuming in this scenario it is referring to love then love will happen when you least expect love but you have to be open to love. Do you see how this is confusing? How can I be open to something that I'm not supposed to think about happening? If I am open to it then I expect it on some level so this makes no sense.

Exhibit #3
You have to love yourself before someone else can love you. If I hear this one, or any of the other versions like you have to be happy by yourself before you can find happiness with someone else, etc. one more time I will put my finger my own eyeball. And maybe the person who said it to me as well. I'm 32 years old. I know myself. I love myself. I'm ready. Moving on...

Exhibit #4
Don't be too picky but don't settle. I understand the sentiment behind this one but it is still contradictory when every guy you date is under the microscope and if you continue dating the 26 year old because you "didn't want to judge him just based on age" but then you are judged because he owns a bong and his idea of a nice dinner date is happy hour at Macaroni Grill. Which is it people? To write him off initially was being too picky but now I'm apparently settling. I give up.

Exhibit #4
Let the guy make the first move. But you have to let him know you are interested. If I let him know I am interested doesn't that mean I'm making the first move? This is so confusing. I am a fan of the traditional dating rules where the dude pursues the lady but we no longer live in the days where a boy asked if he could call you and then looked up your number in the phone book.  No, in these modern times there are countless way to communicate, many having nothing to do with a phone number! Text, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and I'm sure there is another social media site being created as I type, are all credible options to communicate and flirt with the opposite sex. Point is, is Facebook friending someone a proclamation of love? The answer is simple: Sometimes. haha. Fooled ya. Anyway, this one is tough but I will say just don't be a bitch and follow the rule of three. Meaning, be nice to him and not standofish as to intimidate or disinterest him and if you have communicated in any of the ways above with a guy twice and he has not initiated a convo with his own flirty text or funny pic then DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, text, chat, message, whatever a third time. Wait it out sistas. And the truth will prevail. At the end of the day, boys don't do anything they don't want to do. And if they want to see you, talk to you or ask you out. They will. Hold tight.

Exhibit #5
Don't have a checklist but know what you want. And contradiction strikes again. Apparently, we should not be comparing our dates and prospects via a checklist such has he MUST be over 6ft, dark hair, own a house, work in Finance, parents still together, no kids, not crazy, etc. However, if you just go at dating all willy nilly with no deal breakers or must haves then you may find yourself in a relationship for two years with the wrong guy! Perhaps we should know what we want but keep it in non-list format in our heads and agree never to write it down. Then it is just random thoughts and feelings floating freely in our brains and when we start dating someone they will magically appear at the forefront of our minds, but not as a list, and that is how we can decide if moving forward with a special someone has long-term potential. Make sense? I know, it doesn't to me either. It was my best shot.

Exhibit #6
Get involved but leave time for dating. This one is such a lose/lose. Many of my friends are very involved in the Dallas community whether it be volunteering, social or networking groups, sports leagues, church, etc. But then when you meet someone and start dating you become that girl who says "yeah, it looks like I am free two weeks from Tuesday" because you have booked yourself up with your own stuff to stay busy and "put yourself out there" that your new dude thinks you a) party too much or b) are not available. But on the flip side if you don't stay busy then you and your couch start spending way too much time together and you end up as the crazy cat lady. There must be a balance, no? #singlegirlproblems.

We decided the moral of this story is we should just live and see what happens. Best of luck ladies!