It's still too cold to train for the triathlon outside. So Frit and I have been relying on the local Rec Center for all our equipment/training needs. They have an indoor competition length pool, indoor track, and spin bikes.

Training has been going well. It's so hard (SO HARD), but we can each see progress, little by little. Our endurance is up. Our strength is greater. Our bodies are responding. It's honestly an amazing experience full of ups and downs, successes and struggles, blisters and callouses, spasms and cramps, facing fears head on, and overcoming beliefs about the limits of our abilities.

Tonight, the conversation between me and the bike went something like this:

Me: You listen here. I don't care that your seat is the size of a staircase railing. I don't care that it's halfway up my bum causing such excruciating pain (still after weeks into this?) that I sometimes think it's causing permanent damage. I don't care, that this entire time, I've been thinking I've been doing my 11 miles in 28 minutes, when in reality you've been calculating my distance in kilometers, meaning I now have another 15 minutes to go. I don't care that 5 minutes ago I was ready to throw in the towel when I realized my mistake and I've only been doing 7 miles this entire time. I don't care that it almost made me cry. I don't care that you made me doubt my ability to do this for a minute. Cuz you know what? It was only for a minute. And you're not going to win. You know why? Cuz I'm a survivor. Yeah. That's right. So you can take your insufferable pencil seat and stuff it. (no pun intended). I'm not getting off. I'm going to crank your resistance up so high you won't know what hit you. And watch this, my cadence won't even drop. Cuz remember? I'm a survivor.

Then I blasted Beyonce and Destiny's other Children, closed my eyes, and sang each chorus (in a loud whisper so people wouldn't think I was too crazy) at the bike. And when I was done, and had gone my full 11 miles, I got off, looked at the bike and said, "Yeah. Take that, fool."

Word.