Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Viva Mexico!


It has been quite a long time since I posted anything to this site. Call it apathy, call it life, definately can't call it blog-fade though. So much has changed in life since last May. A race season has come and gone. The same is true for swim season. Now, as Spring blossoms, I find myself in Tulum, Mexico with my brother and sister-in-law. I don't exactly know what to call this trip. At times it is vacation, but it is also open water swim training. I can run for the first time all winter in just shorts and a t-shirt. If I think about it though, it is really a time to escape, to put things into perspective, and begin the next chapter of my life.

This is not my first time in Mexico, nor is it the first time to swim in the Caribbean Sea. It is the first time though, that I have allowed my mind to be free of life's pressures in a long while. It is the first time I have used the ocean as anything more than just a playground. Swimming with my brother for the first time since high school, reminded me of how life comes full circle. I may be a better swimmer now than I was 13 years ago, but he still finds a way to keep up. While some would consider fins to be cheating, I just think it as him using the resources he has available.

My brother and sister-in-law have been the best supporters of both my training and my life this past year. They were cheerleaders, councilers, and they challenged me to a 50 mile mountain bike race. Well that last one wasn't so much in support, as it was to show me that miles on the road don't equate to miles on the trail. It was all for my benefit though. In less than a week I will return to Wyoming with a new mindset, a little tan, and some much needed endurance. More than anything though, I will have a greater appreciation for Mexico and all it has to offer. Adios!