Why we do the tings we do: a morning, coffee sipping thought journey

I don't really see myself as a goal oriented person. Or maybe I'm such a goal oriented person I can't see it. I don't often find myself doing something for the sake of doing it, unless I have an external motivator/pressure. For instance, the triathlon I signed up for. Sure, I could just take a day to swim the 200+ yards, then jump on my bike and ride the 7 miles, and finish it off with a 2 mile run. But I won't. Unless I enter myself in a race. Sure, there's still the possibility I could wake up on race day and decide to stay in bed, but then I'd be kicking myself for wasting money on the entry fee.
But perhaps this isn't an uncommon theme in other people's lives. Why does anyone do any kid of competitive sport? I'm sure a part of it is to see how far you can push yourself.. but the bonus of it seems to be having others share in your accomplishments.
As I'm writing this, I realize that's not necessarily a bad thing, and I wonder at why I think it might be. Being your own person, is putting yourself out there. Being human is sharing your life with others.

Next Challenge

Two days ago I signed up for my first triathlon. Granted, it's a mini-triathlon, not even as long as a sprint, but I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I started participating in the Komen Columbus Race for the Cure(R) about 5 years ago, running in the 5k. I was never really a runner, but I've always been kind of athletic, participating in pick-up games or taking a class at a rec center. The first race I participated in, I finished in aprox 42 minutes. Personally, I think it was a little sooner than that, but I can only run as fast as the wave of people in front of me. Whether or not it was my own two legs, or the congestion, the next year, I improved my time! I shaved a whole 5 minutes off my time, crossing the finish-line at the 37 minute mark. I accidentally overslept the third year, didn't register the fourth year, which leads me to this year. I signed up again this year.. but I didn't run it. I was so looking forward to running it again this year, as I've already have been jogging outside in good weather so far, but I had good reason to walk it instead. A mere 3 days prior to the race, I had surgery on my right breast to remove a lump. The doctor was pretty sure it benign, and, thankfully it was. So, with a few friends from work, we all walked the race course, which we still finished in about an hour.
I still wanted to participate in a race of some sorts. Not necessarily to win, but more to attempt to beat my personal best time. I found out about the mini-triathlons last year, and had plenty of opportunities to sign up for one, but I never did. The HFP Racing holds annual series all around Ohio, one being a triathlon for women, and there were plenty to go to, but I didn't want to pay for registration, plus hotel fees to race in another city. I wanted my first to be close to home. So this year, I looked at the one being hosted at Alum Creek, during the Giant Eagle MultiSport Festival. It was perfect. I was still hesitant about signing up, but another friend said she would sign up with me if I did. So I did. And we are :)

The Beginning

Through life's little ups and downs, brawls, tears, kisses and loves, I dedicate this blog journal to me. I doubt this will be amazing or even useful to anyone else other than myself. I want this to be my central place to celebrate and trash the things in my life and where they take me.