Greetings! I know it's been soooo long since my last post ;) but this time of year I feel is all about communication, fresh starts, and fresh ideas! After reflecting on my year, I reflected on this blog (naturally). I realized I'm missing something pretty major--the explanation of why it's called "Hug it Out"...it has nothing [well something, but you'll see] to do with triathlon and is pretty ambiguous.
Hug it out. What does that even mean?
The first explanation that I hope comes to mind is to approach conflict with a "hugging" mentality. I once had a coach that told me when her little boys were fighting they had to hug each other until they settled their little tiff and I thought that was really cute. I thought about the idea of "hugging it out" as a way of working things out and it has really developed into a sort of mantra for me. Hugging is a form of embrace. A step to solving any problem or obstacle is looking it straight in the face and figuring out exactly what it is--in my mind I like to think of this as a sort of hug. Hugging is also a form of affection. So any good or positive that comes into life we want to embrace in a not so abrasive way [hug it!]. Hopefully you can kind of see where I'm going...
No matter what happens...no matter the hoops you have to jump through, or the walls you have to climb, you should always embrace them as part of your journey! Same goes for all of the good things in life...enjoy and savor the moments that make you smile and laugh!! Essentially to hug it out means to hug life and this is what I try [and sometimes don't succeed...no one is perfect!] to strive for :)
The List
Which actually is not going to be a list at all. Most people will give you a list of their resolutions...kind of a reader's digest version of their goals for the year...I'm not really feeling that. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE lists...what type A personality doesn't?...I just felt that there was no good way to put "a list" of resolutions together this year.
So, what's in store for this year? Well, my first professional season as a triathlete is at the forefront of my mind...there are so many unknowns to deal with because I really am swimming in uncharted territory! So I decided I would focus on something that IS familiar to me to take my mind off of what I don't know (because as a human, what you don't know is automatically scary...right?). I DO know that the community I choose to surround myself with matters. When I say community, this is a very broad sense of the word because my community extends far beyond the city limits of Phoenix. Community to me is really anyone that has an impact on my life. Starting close to home of course there is my family, Lucas, and Lucas's family---huge impact, big supporters and I'm so thankful I have TWO families to love and receive support from. Branching out to the greater Phoenix area...there are fantastic groups to ride with, lots of helpful hands and smiling faces at early hours of the morning...I'm SO thankful to live in a place where people are active and excited to be up and out on the road!! In addition to this community of fellow athletes I also have a fantastic support system as far as coaching goes. My coach, Brian Grasky (founder of Grasky Endurance Coaching), has shown tremendous support for me in the past year and I really look forward to working closely with him again this year!
^this is just a taste of the work they do at the Tucson Endurance Performance Center (TEPC) awesome computrainer rides...weekly group road rides, TRX, running and swimming lessons...lots of stuff and lots of knowledge :)
To apply for coaching, follow this link
I also have an exciting new form of support...a racing team! I am officially part of Team Trisports for 2013. This will be the first time I have linked up with a racing team in a sponsorship format. I am excited to represent their company because I have been relying on Trisports.com for all kinds of gear and advice since I started triathlon. I will never forget the first time I went to the store (there was only the Tucson store back then, but now they have a convenient location in Tempe just down the street from the Beach Park!!)... I needed cycling shoes, never even looked at them before, didn't know a thing about them, all I knew was I wanted the cheapest pair possible. I asked one of the sales associates to show me where they were...he looked at me a little funny, but humored me and walked over to the cycling shoes with me...he asked if I knew which pair and I wanted and I said I knew nothing, but I wanted to spend the least money possible...an hour later I was leaving the store very well educated on cycling shoes, clips, how to clip in/out, etc AND I left spending the least amount of money possible (starving college students have no choice but to be cheap ;) )...needless to say I was pleased :)
To have your own amazing shopping experience visit one of their Retail Stores:
Tucson Location
Tempe Location
Or you can shop online: trisports.com
ANYWAY...that was quite the tangent, but you get the picture... COMMUNITY it is an extremely important part of anything you do and this year my goal is to not only recognize this, but give BACK to that community. I feel a really important role of mine this year is to realize my place in this community and make sure that I give everything I have to those around me...the stronger each member of a community is, the stronger the community is as a whole. If I can help drive my community forward I will have had a successful year :)
A 10m Platform?
Yep, I feel like I'm standing at the end of one...I'm excited, nervous, shaky, scared, and thrilled that I'm about to jump off into a fantastic year of unknowns :)
Until next time kids :)
@nicoletruxes
Music Recs!!
Two of my favorite songs in a Mash-up...never would of thought of this combo, but it works!!
Muse vs Chidlish Gambino "Bonfire Desires" Mash-up by Isosine
Kind of a chill vibe, but this artist has some really cool sounds up on his Sound Cloud...this one is a free download!!
Tender Love by Kill Paris
