As June fades away and July is upon us, the Summer Round Up looms on my calendar in giant red letters -  my easy, at-a-glance method for identifying upcoming races. This race, the second of the Triple Crown series, is always tough because the course has never been the same for me and this year is no exception. It's hard to prepare for what seems to be the grab bag of races, but I suppose the mystery of the course can either relieve or increase my stress, depending on my attitude. This year, I'm living by the "ignorance is bliss" philosophy and telling myself that my training has been solid and I'll be prepared for whatever is thrown my way. In other words, just shut up and run.

Word has it that the race is a looping course on the east side of Bear Creek Park, as opposed to the west side that I have become accustomed to suffering upon in years past. I'm happy for a change of scenery, even if I know there is a wicked hill on the back side of the course which I may have to face multiple times. Unlike other years though, I am confident in my training and while I often question my ability and feel like I'm possibly even dying on some days, my run times have been improving overall and my recovery is getting better every week.

Last weekend, my husband and I decided to spontaneously enter a sprint triathlon which neither of us have attempted in many, many years. Since I hadn't trained for either the swim or the bike, both of those legs proved very difficult for me and I had to harness every bit of my tenacity to get through the first two legs without a slew of loud obscenities and public tantrums. However, I've found a new spark in my relationship with running and when I finally crawled off the bike, I was overjoyed to head out on the run course to an activity that I both love, hate, respect, but most importantly, thrive upon. I felt like the triathlete facade was finally over and it was time to get to work. I didn't even take my usual TomTom watch along and decided to just run for the sake of running. To run because it made me feel strong, proud and alive. As it turns out, I posted the second fastest female run time and beat a majority of the men (albeit a very, very small race). I was giddy at the results and yet reminded of a lesson that I had almost forgotten. That lesson is that most often in life, your best performances are the ones that come from the heart.

This year, I won't be running the Triple Crown to improve my time or place higher in the standings. Though all of those things are pleasant surprises that result from good training, I know I'll really be running simply because I can and because I love the freedom and positive energy that it provides. It won't be the sufferfest that it's been in the past because I know I'm in a much better place these days. I love my team and I love the running community. This year, I'm going to turn the race around.