Pumpkins in the rain

The Transition Area

Ahh...the transition area. That wonderful space during a triathlon where you quickly as possible switch from one sport to the next. Prior to starting the race, you have painstakingly laid out all of your clothes, food, water, number, etc. in order to make it a seamless portion of your race. In actuality, it's the place where you are completely jolting your body from one event to the next. Swim to bike or bike to run. Some of us are fast in transition and others will never live down their first transitions!! (sorry mom, I couldn't resist) Bottom line, we try to blast through faster than an Indy car in the pit stop of the 500. Truly we should treat transition as important as any other part of the race.

That all being said sounds nice until I find myself in the middle of a transition of sorts in life. It's a good transition.. no.. a great transition to be going through. I have been waiting for this time for the past year and a half. Dreaming of the day when certain stress and anxiety would leave my life. But I didn't really lay out my transition area ahead of time. I just kind of showed up and found myself here, in the transition area.

May 2008, I was on vacation with my husband and good friends, the Witherows. Eric and I were so excited to be in Mexico for a week of sunshine and sleep. While there, I started to realize, I needed to do something else for work. I wasn't happy as a police officer. But I had no idea what I was going to do. Being the not-so-patient person I am, I of course wanted to figure it out right then and there. But life doesn't work that way and I was going to have to wait. That summer, I started in a Masters program for counseling. The first class in, I knew this was the wrong direction. So, I quit. No shame there. I went through some major emotional moments the following fall working cases that were painfully sad for me. I was again reminded, I needed to find a new direction. I couldn't image spending 18 more years wondering when I was going to that profoundly saddened again. Eric suggested I look back into becoming a teacher. He knew how much I loved teaching DARE at the elementary schools. I thought about it once before. This time, it just seemed to fit for me. It took some research and decision making to determine where and when I wanted to go. It seemed it would be FOREVER before I actually was going to start.

I began to sleep on a regular basis again when I told my chief I was quitting. The 50lb weights I was carrying on my shoulders rolled right off. I'm entering the transition area, looking for my space on the bike rack.

Paralleling my decision to go back to school was my dream of starting a youth girls triathlon team. USAT coaching clinics fill up in a matter of minutes. I had searched for a clinic in Santa Monica and one day learned they opened an additional class on the dates I was hoping to attend. I signed up and somehow(God) was able to get into the class. Just prior to my last weeks of full-time work at the police department, I attended the USAT level 1 coaching clinic. Wow!!! I was completely blown away by the instructors. I have always loved the Olympics and secretly wished my parents had started me in gymnastics when I was two years old. Our instructors were the coaches of Olympic and world class elite triathletes. I was overcome by the amount of information and tried to absorb every last drop. I have found my space in the transition area!

This past week, I came to the space in transition where you take just a moment to regroup. I didn't chooses this space. The H1N1 strain of the flu did that for me. My whole family has been blown over by this flu, requiring me to be pretty much at home for two weeks. The sliver lining is, I have been given more than just a moment to take a breath and relish in the moment of the race I am now in. I have had time to complete my USAT test and just mailed if off today. I have spent some great days with my girls. Days where we just sat and read and spent time. This is the point in transition where I fuel up. Yes, I have eaten my fair share this past week, I have also fueled up on good family time.

And now, I'm getting my running gear on. I've started school, which I love. I completely feel I am in the right place. I'm ready to train and coach and can't wait to help people become their best. Most importantly I feel I am running a race that is now the best for my family. No more will I have to run out on our plans or tell the girls I will be gone all night.

It's good to slow down sometimes, in transition. Even for just a moment. Whether in life or in a race. Relish the moment and how hard you have worked and fuel up for race ahead!