CHOICES or IT WAS A HARRY POTTER WEEKEND.

Weird sounding, I know. But the "family" channel was broadcasting all the Harry Potter movies this weekend, and I got caught up in watching two of them. I got on the Harry Potter bandwagon late--I probably didn't read the first book until the second movie was out. Then I was hooked. J. K. Rowling is a genius of the make believe.

All that aside, someone in the "Chamber of Secrets" movie said something that stuck with me. At this point, I can't remember who it was, due to the fact that my brain suffered severe atrophy and mental boredom running 8.4 miles on the treadmill yesterday. Whoever it was who said it, this is what stood out in my mind: "Its not your abilities that define you. Its the choices you make."

I don't know how you interpret that, but in relation to triathlon, that takes a lot of stress off my mind. To me, it means that I may not have the same abilities as a the pros or even a lot of you out there, but I have made the choice to be a part of the triathlon world despite this. This, in and of itself, says something. After all, just how many women my age can do something like this, and just how many women will stick with it regardless of how well they perform? I have made the choice to train regardless of my abilities, or lack thereof. I have made the choice to surround myself with positive people in this sport, keeping me focused and going forward, regardless of how slow that forward motion is. I have made the choice to enter races that I know will be extremely hard for me to finish, at least in terms of time, and have stuck it out regardless.

So many times I have been somewhat fearful, or maybe intimidated, to attempt something that has required huge amounts of training and commitment, not so much because I didn't think I could do it, but because I was worried about my finishing time, or finishing at all. Along the way, I forgot about the fact that just doing and finishing is really what's important to me. But yet I let it get to me what others might think (or say).

It also leads me to believe--know--that anyone can do a triathlon if they choose to train for one. Some people are just going to be faster than others. But everyone trains for the same distance and covers the same ground in order to finish the race. Not everyone has the ability to be a pro, but the fact that they chose to do a triathlon (or whatever) really does put you on the same playing field.