Mile Markers

As a State Trooper for many years, I often  tell war stories that usually include a mile marker as a point of referrence.  It's not uncommon for me to gauge a distance for training or races by visualizing the amount of space in my head by recollecting mile markers on one of the many interstates I patrolled.  I think about a marathon and say to myself "Thats the same as going east on I-4 from the junction to just inside Polk County".  It's simply how this Trooper turned triathlete processes distances.

It's important to stop and look at mile markers in our lives and see if we are meeting the expectations or not.  Goals are sort of like mile markers, as they are hash marks on a piece of paper or simply dates circled on a calendar.  We all have these things going on, it's just rather or not we are making the mark like we planned. 

This week we had a lot going on in our house related to mile markers and goals.  The counter on the home page of this website indicated that my Ironman journey will be done in 40 weeks - a long time away, but really it isn't when you think about it.  Stephanie registered for the Irongirl Half Marathon in April here in sunny Florida.  I guess that this is the year of the Iron in our household.  I added two more triathlons to my 2013 schedule this week, the Patriot 911 series that recognizes REAL heros, our military and law enforcement personnel during the 4th of July and September 11 weekends.  Stephanie and I registered to be a team in the Disney Expedition Everest Challenge, and our son Kyle turned 5 this week!  That is a lot of milestones, mile markers, and goals for one family.

This week's training included some good runs, a very cold and wet bike ride, and a mile long swim in the cold early morning hours.  My diet slipped with the birthday cake in the house, but I'll be back on track next week while I travel for work and stay disciplined and focused.  At least I think I will anyhow.....