I made the right decision....

Oh the life of a dedicated athlete, it brings out many emotions; the feeling of success, the physical hard work, the hours of training, the dedication to training and having to turn down most social engagements. It can get overwhelming at times, so overwhelming it can lead to break downs and uncertainties. Well about 3 weeks ago, that happened. I didn't know if I wanted to continue training at the level I was at, I was struggling to find time to spend with my friends, and I was becoming really unorganized and unmotivated.

I meet with Steve to talk about 2015 races and broke down in tears and let it all out. He understood and said I was the only one to make the decision to continue or to stop, that was hard. I wanted someone else to decide. Triathlon is my life and I couldn't image giving it up, I could picture coming home and not having to train but then come summer I wouldn't be racing- that did not feel right at all.

I took 2 weeks and didn't train. I thought long and hard about my life and what was important.  I sat with Regina and we made a list of priories and put them in order. At that point training was near them bottom and that made me sad. At the end of the 2 weeks I re did the list and tri was back near the top. I had to balance everything much better and become more organized if I wanted the two things most important to me (a social life and training for tri at a competitive level) to be at the top.

Fast forward to today and things are much different. I am continuing to train and am looking to apply for my Elite/Pro license. That requires me to race in three elite races (races that offer a prize purse of $5,000 or more) and finish within 8% of the top woman. These races are not local and will take me out of New England. I'm guessing they will cost about $1,000 each with flights, bike transportation, hotel, food etc. I will post them soon and hope that I can make a connection with some of you who might know someone near the venue. Right now it looks like the 3 locations will be St. Petersburg FL, Boulder CO and Mont Tremblant Canada.

In November I worked with Regina, Steve and my friends Pat and Julie to put together an official race portfolio and sent it to big companies but I didn't realize that most of them allocate sponsorship dollars in September/October. So I have only heard back from 2 of the 40 I sent out.

One of them was Skratch Labs. I add their Exercise Hydration Mix to every water bottle. It's like powdered Gatorade but MUCH better for you. It's made with all natural and real food ingredients. I applied to be a Taste Agent and received this email last week:

First, our apologies for the delayed response, we are still a pretty small team here. Due to the overwhelming interest in our program it has taken us awhile to get back to everyone, thanks for your patience!

Second, thank you for your interest in our Skratch Labs Taste Agent program, and for dotting every i, and crossing every t.

And finally, we are excited to welcome you to the team!

So, let's get down to business and spread some Skratch love! We have attached your individual agreement contract. Please read over everything carefully and sign and date at the bottom and return to us. We definitely feel the need to thank you in advance as well, you are the flesh-and-blood organisms hitting the streets, trails, water, gym, classroom, air, to spread our message, humor, and love, and we are proud to be working with you!

 

So I have to talk about it with my friends and fellow athletes, connect with them via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and here in my blog. So I started a Twitter account @megskidmore and an Instagram account too @megtris !

The second was Specialized. They asked me to connect with Stan and Dan Sports to see what they could offer me. So I met with Stan today and I have support from them!! Welcome to Team Skidmore Stan and Dan Sports!!

I also have the support of the White Mountain Aquatic Center where I spend 3 mornings a week getting faster with Steve and the Masters class!

In other excitting news I did a photo shoot and am on the Stabil Icers Run and Hike boxes!! Thanks to Regina for setting this up for me!!