Moving on to a new chapter.

Started a new blog. A Tumblr, no less. I had to actually google "what is a Tumblr?" to finally understand why I might want to use that, over, say, another Blogger site. But it seems to fit with where I'm at. Minimal site design. Easy to post from my phone. Less emphasis on text, more on substance. I like it. So I did it.

If you care to follow the next chapter, which will be about food, wine, bike riding, Sonoma County adventures, and other random nonsense, you can find me here.

Otherwise, I will say farewell to all of the triathletes who have stumbled here in search of good information and motivation and inspiration. May you find what you're looking for, and always remember this:

just do your best. 

If you finish the race and you can honestly say you did your best, then be pleased and focus on what you enjoyed. Don't harp on how you could have saved a minute here, or two minutes there. It's just a race. I know you spent months of preparation on it, I know you paid lots of money to be there, you sacrificed a lot to make it happen. Remember, I've been there!

But that's the point - you gave up a lot in time, money and other opportunities (like sleeping in!) to make it happen. So go out there, do your best, and enjoy the ride. Kind of like life.

April already? Thoughts on this blog.

Holy crap, I can't believe my last post was in January. Where did the last 3 months go?

Well, in that time, I've gone from cautious Paleo adopter to full on Primal. I love it and I'm never going back to bread, legumes, processed sugar and eating cheese 7 days a week. The way I feel is awesome. But more on that later.

Maybe I'm not posting because I hate my blog layout right now. But maybe, more than anything, it is just time to hang up this blog and leave it to the search engine junkyard for mining. I want to get back into social media - namely, Twitter and blogging, because I enjoy it. I just don't have a lot of extra time these days. But also, this was started as a triathlon blog. I may do an occasional triathlon here or there down the road, but I think my attitude has changed too much from what it was to consider myself a triathlete.

But then what will I write about? Probably a mixture of indoor cycling thoughts, Primal-inspired recipes (you thought I used to cook a lot? Ha. I realized that I used to be a person who "cooked occasionally" to a person who cooks 2-3 times/day. And loves it.), thoughts on life, points of view from the dog's perspective (Marney has taught me a lot, too), and of course, I will still write prodigiously on great bike rides and swims. Probably not so many runs.

(Marney reminds me it's good to stop running and take a break!)

In short, I will be working over the next month to build a new blog. This one will stay up. But it will direct anybody who wants to follow the next chapter of my life to a new spot on the enormity that is the web.

Triathlon was a whole chapter in my life. A very good chapter that taught me a lot about life, myself and helped me to learn that no matter what happens, I will always ADORE swimming and biking. Running - eh, well, I'll be up for a run if it's the only thing I can do, or if it's a slow run through a state park that can be enjoyed in the company of a good friend, or if it can be a run/walk. Running is not the worst thing ever. It's just not my favorite and I'm ok with that.

Triathlon, however, was also an escape for me. It was an escape during a big chunk of my 20s when I could have been exploring other potential business ventures. It was a way to say I had to 'be somewhere' (swimming/biking/running) when really I could have been furthering my knowledge. I could have been learning about gardening, cooking, etc. etc.

Don't get me wrong; I don't regret it in any way. But I do acknowledge that I was running from something as I found a sport to occupy so. much. time.

So, I'm 31 now. I started this when I was 24. Holy crap. 24?! First triathlon in 2005...yep, 24. Not only do I feel old but sh** - wow how my priorities and interests and cares and joys have changed. I love my garden. I love my dog. I love Matt. (not in that order!) Definitely time to move along.

I'm going to call it a day now. Time to go turn that grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin.