Ironman Austin training is hot underway, literally.  To help prepare for the hot & humid weather, I just road 50 miles in 100 degrees.

Hell, it was hell.

Ten miles in and the tortuous heat had nearly every part of my body crying.  To make matters worse I forgot sunscreen, lip block, only filled one of two water bottles, and craziest of all – I forgot a sports bra.  What was I thinking???  Go braless or wear a sexy black lace bra.  I choose the bra.  Don’t know why.  It didn’t even have support to hold my drivers’ license in place.  Oh, but I looked good.

The road produced clear reminders of life’s frailty – one dead fawn, five crosses, and a stench under a bridge that had me praying for no flats in that shady spot.  I passed each twice.  In turn each reminded me of how quickly life can be taken away.

Still, I loved the crazy challenge, how it forced me to adapt and to keep a cool mind.  Four hours. Three pit stops. 100+ ounces of water mixed with two teaspoons of salt and one bag of Cytomax sports performance drink mix.

Back at the car I felt so, so thankful – thankful for the ride to be done and thankful to have accomplished the goal.  More importantly, I was thankful for the desire and ability to ride, to live.  Especially at this age (52) when some believe life is over the hill. Dead and gone; that’s not the attitude of this boomer.  Life is booming.

What’s the take away?

Today do something that will help you grow and appreciate life, especially if it’s a bit uncomfortable.  Jump in.