Thursday, April 17, 2008

Quarterly Reflection...

I found myself reflecting the other day, not just on sports, but on family and life in general. I posted a while back about how I try to live in the "now." Having Dave in the Navy, we're never too sure where the next few years will take us. So, sometimes, I have to force myself to stop and be in "that," moment. I decided to write a "quarterly reflection," on some important memories/moments in both of our lives.

Sometimes when we take pictures we're looking for "a" particular one, and perhaps we overlook the ones that have more meaning attached to them. Here are some of my favorite pictures...(the ones that I loved initially AND the ones that I overlooked!).



This is a picture I hadn't really looked at before-but I recognize the look on my face. Nervousness. I am on-line to pick up my packet for Ironman Florida....


My dad took this picture...of all my bags I needed to pack for Ironman...so many details that I worked on for months to get just "right."


My sister Dawn flew in for Ironman as did my parents and Dave's parents...



Finished! This picture makes me smile and it also stirs a lot of emotion....I never expected to enjoy Ironman. It was one of those events I signed up for because I wanted to know how hard I could push myself. I hated training....but, I loved the race. The joy of doing this race knocked me off my feet. No exaggeration. I was so amazed at the camaraderie of the experience and once again how lucky I was that I had a tremendous amount of support and that I was able to do this race. Even people who came to see me that didn't really know what Ironman was all about, helped me figure it out too....we all "got it," when the day was over.


December of 2007...ice skating with my family in Colorado over Christmas.....it reminds me to focus on the times that I spend with them, not the times I spend without them.


Smiling for a picture with my sisters...moments that are hard to capture these days!

Ice skating with my mom in NYC....I love this picture because my mom hadn't been on ice skates in years and it was just a picture-perfect moment, skating in NYC at Christmas...

My dad, my mom, Dave's mom, Dave's dad.....I love this picture because it reminds me of how fortunate Dave and I are to have parents who truly enjoy one another's company...they are wearing numbers because they're about to walk a half marathon!


Our dogs....Parma is on the left and Brownie, the cocker spaniel is on the right....unconditional love=they're it.


I love this picture----Dave on the left, my brother-in-law, Jeff on the right---testing out their "bags" before the California International Marathon in December of 2007. I love this picture because Jeff and Dave are continuing tradition of family racing!


Backtracking here: my first half ironman. The SOMA half in AZ, 10/06. The smile on my face reminds me that A: sometimes I DO smile in races and B: how five years ago I didn't even own a bike, let alone know what aerobars were for!


My "sherpa's" For SOMA. Dave's dad, my dad, my mom, Me, Dave's mom and Dave....


Ready to go for the Aquathlon in La Jolla


Picking up speed at SOMA


Dave, Me and Jeff suiting up for the Boulder, CO stroke n' stride....two days before the Boulder Peak Triathlon, 2006...I just love this picture (even though Dave looks scared!)..I love racing with my family!

This is me on the stage at the Los Angeles Triathlon in September of 2006. I raced in the Elite division and placed in the category and won a trip to the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Championships in Minneapolis in July of 2007. This is a bittersweet picture for me. I raced so hard in LA and set a PR for myself, but when I went to Minneapolis in July---I had my first heartbreaking race, with a bike crash and two flat tires...which ultimately ended up in a "DNF." I learned a LOT in that race.

Dave's first attempt at qualifying for Boston. The California International Marathon in December of 2006...he missed qualifying by two minutes....I remember how he was so "on pace," for the first 23 miles and around mile 23, it just didn't happen. It's amazing to me to think back and remember this time because he ran the Rock N Roll Marathon in Phoenix five weeks later and he just wasn't feeling it, and then he left for deployment for four months.

However...after four months of running ONLY on a treadmill on a ship, in the Persian Gulf (where he was reported to have sloshed in his shoes and sweat would pour out of his shoes from the humidity)....Dave qualified for the Boston Marathon at Rock N Roll San Diego with a time of 3:03. Here he is...


After qualifying for Boston in June, Dave ran a 2:58 marathon in Sacramento this past December! Go Dave!

11/07-La Jolla, CA. This picture reminds me to live in the "now," as I posted a while back. Enjoy the moment and be appreciative that Dave and I get to live in such a cool place. Maybe the Navy isn't "all," bad =0.

The top picture is us with Dave's family and the bottom is with my entire extended family--cousin's etc at our reunion in Maine. I chose these two pictures to end with because--I realize at the ripe old age of 29..soon to be 30 (this year!), I underestimated my ability to live far from family...but, I relish in the moments that I get to spend with them.













4 comments:

KatBouska said...

Just browsing blogs and found yours...you can tell you love your family dearly! And I don't think I could get even a quarter of the way through those marathons!

Paul said...

Cool pics! thanks for sharing.

Shan said...

Mer - all those pictures are beautiful. I think it's a great thing to look back and see all the moments that make you who you are, as it helps you shape your future.

You're one amazing woman and I can't wait to see what the future brings for you - both in and out of triathlon! :)

Lauren said...

Awe - I loved the family shots! Your dad looks great! I had to take a second look to find him. It's amazing to see how much you've accomplished and done in one year.