Stress

Wow, this last week has been stressful. There was a situation at work where one of my superiors (ie an attending physician) had said some negative things about me. I don't know who or what was said. My name was brought up at a couple of competency meetings and, thankfully, a lot of people came to my defense.

I think I know who the person is but I will never know for sure. She once commented on how much I had changed since I met the Girl. It was obvious from the way she said it that I had changed for the worse. One thing is certain: my job used to be the main ingredient in my life; now, it's secondary.

There has been the stress of getting our various applications ready for Europe. We have to get originals and certified copies of everything and send them to various offices over there. Each little certification is pretty easy on its own but we are juggling six or seven types of visas, passports, medical certifications, credit for residency etc.

My running has been really good lately. I ran or biked hard every day last week for a total of 58 miles in 5 efforts, which is probably the highest for me this year. Sunday was a little over two hours on the trails at a very fast pace. It felt really good.

This Sunday, we are doing a triathlon. It's a first for both of us. The Girl is doing the Olympic distance; I'm doing the sprint. I don't know what to expect but hopefully it will be fun. I do have some goals:

Swim: Goal is not to drown or get kicked in the face; to take it easy and remember that I can't swim. Honestly, I don't think I can crawl the whole way. Hey, there is no shame in a little breast stroke.

Bike: I am not sure about this one. I mean, I have been in competitive group rides, with friends or complete strangers and I know that I go faster than most. Goal is pass as many fast swimmers as possible. This will be my first cycling competition so I'm excited.

Run: Goal is to post the fastest time of the field. Hey, compared to these guys, I'm a specialist.

Transitions: This one is interesting. I actually went out today and, instead of just running, I biked one interval, changed into running shoes, ran, changed back to bike shoes etc. Did that 5 times.

Bought a slick looking aero bar. It felt really good on the bike. I can't wait to try it for real on Sunday. Luckily, my swim is so poor that I will be at the back of the field. I will feel like a rock star, making my way up the pack.

I should mention that the reason we can do this as new parents is that mother-in-law is coming to watch the Lorax during the race. That's really cool of her.