Balance is key in The Year of Denise

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The topic of balance came up during my last long run ahead of the May 1 Vancouver marathon. As always, I was joined by my trainer Jeff along with Laura and Bert. This was a three-hour run, so we had plenty of time to talk.

We covered the usual host of running-related topics (the etiquette of air blowing your nose, the correct number of times you should need to stop to use the port-a-potty during a marathon, how many Endurolytes to take during a long run) before moving on to the idea of having more in our lives than just training.

That's when I dropped my new bomb on them. “Triathlon is not a hobby anymore. I need a new hobby.” That's when I told them I was taking up golf. If you listen closely, you can still hear them laughing.

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I'd been promising my dad for years that I would take golfing lessons and join him on the links some day. Well, neither of us is getting any younger and it just felt like time. My legendary lack of patience was the big reason I had avoided it, but mostly it was because I'd convinced myself that I wouldn't like it and probably wouldn't be good at it anyway.

Who cares? The point is to have fun. To get outside with my dad or some friends and enjoy the battle of trying to get the little white ball in the hole. I had my first lesson this week and I really enjoyed it. Will I still enjoy it a week from now? Two weeks? A month? Who knows, but I'm going to give it a try and see what happens.

In The Year of Denise, I'm open to (almost) anything.

Countdown to Vancouver
The three-hour run went well. We covered about 17 miles and I still had plenty left in the tank to push it on the last mile. I felt like I could keep going, which is a good thing since I'll have another 9 to 10 miles to run in Vancouver on May 1.

When I got home (after a very BIG breakfast), I rode my bike on the trainer for about 20 minutes to loosen up my legs. But after a cold shower and a brief lie-down, my legs stiffened up big time. The good news is that by Monday morning I felt pain-free and full of energy.

In my next journal, I will recount the outcome of the Vancouver marathon and how I prepare to make the shift to full-on Ironman training — while still maintaining a shred of balance in my life.

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