CU Triathlon Team 2013 Collegiate Nationals

I had a great time at 2013 USAT Collegiate Triathlon Nationals. I am so proud to be a CU Buff and humbled by the fact that we only won by 2 points. You can never underestimate your competition. I cannot believe how far I have come this year. I took a risk when I decided to quit tennis and transition to triathlon (almost changing my identity in a way). I like this identity better and I like where I am at as a person and an athlete. I have overcome obstacles with being injured during the winter season, and trying to stay balanced when things became overwhelming. The key for me at nationals was to follow my race plan; that meant staying on top of nutrition, tactics, as well as listening to my body. I have to admit I was fearful on the run and did not fully execute when I think I could have; I will build confidence once I get to understand the limits of my body better. I cannot compare myself to others because we are all unique, and this does not benefit me in any way; what I can say is that I had a solid race off of one month of consistent training without injury, and I executed the plan the best I could under the circumstances. In March, I had to withdraw from a race I was really excited to do, Clermont U25 Draft-Legal Challenge. I had trained all winter for it, and was really strong before getting injured. I think the disappointment and frustration are what made me motivated to get the help I needed to be healthy enough to compete at Havasu Regionals and Collegiate Nationals. I did everything I could to ensure I could compete pain free, which I did at nationals. I feel I executed my plan and achieved my goal of finishing top 100, so I feel fulfilled; however, I am not satisfied. I look forward to getting back into training consistently, staying healthy, and competing this summer! I know next year will be a new experience. After all, every race is. I will build off these experiences and stay patient in the process of balancing training, racing, and academics. It's almost summer time, and I can't wait! Whatever ups and downs I may experience, I will enjoy the process.

Your Worth

A well-known speaker started off his seminar holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." 

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it...?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We may feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE.

You are special-Don't EVER forget it." If you do not pass this on, you may never know the lives it touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it may bring. Count your blessings, not your problems.

Be Yourself

I received this quote in an email from my mothers cousin, Ildiko Dallos, who currently resides

in Nice, France. This message really rang true to me, so I wanted to share it with others.

It is our individuality which makes us unique, so let that individuality show. Be yourself!

I was jogging one day and I noticed a person in front of me, about 1/4 of mile. 

I could tell he was running a little slower than me and I thought, good, I shall 
try to catch him. I had about a mile to go my path before I needed to turn off.

So i started running faster and faster. Every block, I was gaining on him just a 
little bit. After just a few minutes i was only about 100 yards behind him, so I 
really picked up the pace and push myself. You would have thought i was running 
in the last leg of London Olympic competition. I was determined to catch him.

Finally, I did it! I caught and passed him by. On the inside i felt so good. "I 
beat him" of course, he didn't even know we were racing.

After I passed him, I realized I had been so focused on competing against him 
that I had missed my turn. I had gone nearly six blocks past it. I had to turn 
around and go all back.
  
Isn't that what happens in life when we focus on competing with co-workers, 
neighbors, friends, family, trying to outdo them or trying to prove that we are 
more successful or more important?

We spend our time and energy running after them and we miss out on our own paths 
to our God given destinies. The problem with unhealthy competition is that it’s 
a never ending cycle.

There will always be somebody ahead of you, someone with better job, nicer car, 
more money in the bank, more education, a prettier wife, a more handsome 
husband, better behaved children, etc. But realize that "You can be the best 
that you can be, you are not competing with no one."
  
Some people are insecure because they pay too much attention to what others are 
doing, where others are going, wearing driving.

Take what God has given you, the height, weight personality. Dress well wear it 
proudly! You'll be blessed by it. Stay focused and live a healthy life.

There's no competition in DESTINY, run your own RACE and wish others WELL!!!

Have a great Day!!

Why Walk When You Can Fly?

Once there was a King who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from
Arabia. They were peregrine Falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever
seen. He gave the precious birds to his head Falconer to be trained.
 
Months passed. One day the head Falconer informed the king that though
one of the Falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the
other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The King summoned healers and sorcerers from all over the land to tend
to the Falcon, but no one could make the bird fly.
 
He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the King
saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its
perch.

Having tried everything else, the King thought to himself, "May be I
need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of
this problem." So he cried out to his court, "Go and get a farmer."

In the morning, the King was thrilled to see the Falcon soaring high
above the palace gardens. He said to his court, "Bring me the doer of
this miracle."

The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the King.
The king asked him, "How did you make the falcon fly?"
 
With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, " It was very easy, your
highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting."

Moral:
We are all made to fly -- to realize our incredible potential as
human beings. But instead of doing that,we sit on our branches, clinging to
the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for
most  of us, they remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar,
the comfortable, the mundane. So for the most part, our lives are
mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and fulfilling. We should learn to
destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to the glory of
flight,
 
"Why walk when you can fly"

The Fisher King Wound/Anti-Bullying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY
This video may seem harsh...but it's the truth.
This is my effort to stand up against bulling in schools. People may think their words cannot hurt others, but the truth is, they do. The hurtful things you say may scar someone for life. I don't know if any of you have seen the movie "The Fisher King," but the truth is, WE ARE ALL WOUNDED. We all have our Fisher King Wound. You can read the original story of the Fisher King here: 
http://www.scribd.com/doc/32791264/The-Fisher-King-Wound
We are all wounded from our past; we are all scarred from our hardships, from others who hurt us, from the pain within us, or simply from a certain event that triggered a loss of innocence. This loss of innocence is a drastic event; I experienced the loss of my innocence when my favorite dog, Alfred, who I grew up with, passed on after 15 years with my family. This dog was the best dog anyone could have. This dog protected me and my sisters. It was difficult for me to grasp that the people and the things that I love will not survive forever, nor will I. This is the reason why I appreciate all that I have every day, and why other should do the same.
You may be angry, you may hate yourself, maybe you're having problems at home or your insecure and you think you need to put others down to lift yourself up from the sorrow in your soul. Instead, take a moment, reflect, think about how you can help others for all of our lives are interconnecting. Show others compassion and understanding, show them the beautiful you and they will accept it. WE are all beautiful and meant to shine; some people simply choose not to let their own light shine. If you feel down or helpless, it will make you feel better to know you are making a positive impact in the lives of others around you. In this, you may just start a "chain reaction" of kindness (Rachel Joy Scott). Maybe this will give you purpose; maybe this will help you find your way. Think about that next time you think about putting others down. This is my stance against bullying. I am presently working with Rachel's Challenge to make a change in today's society and to create awareness of bullying, because people don't really see the true danger. Pass this on to your friends and family, and share the importance of respecting others and showing compassion towards others with your children.

Inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-OE-PaWMLA
The first word that came to my mind when I listened to this song from the move "Life of Pi" was "inspiration." What inspires you? What do you really want with your life? It can be difficult to stay motivated when you don't really feel you have a purpose; this is why it is key to know your purpose and believe in it with your heart. This purpose does not mean, winning the next race, getting an A on an exam, or making more money. This purpose comes from within you as individual. It is about improving yourself as a person. What kind of person do you choose to be? Do you choose to be someone who is honest, compassionate, caring, disciplined, etc. Do you want to be the kind of person others admire for your integrity, for your work ethic, for your passion? I have my own purpose that inspires me. This is what fuels my fire and keeps me going. I learned this valuable lesson of having a purpose from sports psychologist/ life psychologist, Jim Loehr, when I visited him at the Institute For Human Performance in Orlando, Florida a few years ago. What is your purpose? By having a purpose, you have given yourself some sense of direction. This should empower you, knowing that you have control of your attitude, choices, and perspective. All you need to focus on is being the king of person you want to be, and stop worrying about the things out of your control. By focusing on yourself in a reflective way, you will automatically be in the present and therefore perform better at the task at hand. This mindset takes some practice and discipline, however, it has been a key to my happiness as a human being and the small successes I have had. From this, you can really see that the world is full of opportunity for you, and you will realize that you can write your own story. I hope this will help you in all your future endeavors, and that you can develop a new perspective on things.

Attitude

"Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life.
The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it.

I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude.

• It is more important than my past
• My education
• My bankroll
• My success or failures
• Fame or pain
• What other people think of me or say about me.
• My circumstances, or my position.

Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress...It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope.

When my attitude is right...

• There is no barrier too high
• No valley too deep
• No dream too extreme
• No challenge too great for me

What about you? Does attitude make a difference in your daily life? Do you make a conscious decision about your attitude?  "

-Charles Swindoll