Ashley's Story: Chain, Chain, Chains

Tri Training started a few weeks ago and I'm so glad to have the goal of a triathlon to motivate me. For those of you who are training, I thought you'd find it interesting (and maybe a little bit scary) that there are only 107 days until the June 2nd tri!

While I'm excited and motivated by the tri, I have a tendency to always think it's so far away. I put it in the back of my mind and just do my normal thing. I know I'm training, but I'm not really focused on it in a way that will make my race better. So, I came up with a gimmick for myself - a Tri Chain.

Do you remember those little paper chains you made in kindergarten? Maybe you used them to decorate your classroom or bedroom. Maybe you used them to countdown to a special occasion. Well, I decided to make one for the June 2nd tri. When it was all done, I hung it up in my closet (some place I have to go everyday to get clothes so I couldn't ignore it). Everyday, I take one link in the chain off.

Two things happen when I do that. One, I get the visual of getting closer to the tri and closer to my goal. Number two, I carry that link with me the rest of the day as a reminder of the goal I'm working towards. Not only do I use it as a reminder, but I also write down my goal for the day...what is the one thing I'm going to do today to make my race better?

For example, this morning was hectic at our house. I didn't have a lunch packed and ran out of the house without making one. For me, that would normally mean a drive thru lunch. Something greasy, fattening, and really unhealthy. Today, it's my goal to make sure that doesn't happen.

I'm really loving this method right now. It's breaking down a big, sometimes overwhelming goal into really small, doable parts that are easy to focus on. And if you're wondering what the bigger goal is, it's to be under 200 lbs when I race in June.