Call me crazy.

Tag necklace and photo courtesy of 3BlueHoots

My life is crazy. I have three wonderful crazy kids who keep me busy 24/7. A dog who is my furry fourth child who also demand my attention. Not to mention my poor husband, who has, unfortunately fallen to the bottom of my daily priority list. And let's not forget Skylar's Candy Clips - my little busy company composed of one employee - me. Yep - me, myself and I.

So maybe it was turning 35 that did it. Either that or my brain is finally going loco. But this year is the year that I committed to getting fit. So I signed up for two challenges - a half marathon this June and a triathlon this September. You're crazy, girl! people will say. Uh-huh. I'm getting that a lot. But as crazy as it sounds, the more I get into my training program, the more doable it's becoming for me.

My husband once said, anyone can run a half marathon. Really? That's easy for him to say. He trained and ran his first marathon in less than 6 months. And finished in about 4.5 hours. Show off. And me? When I started training for this crazy, 13 + mile run, back in late January, I can barely run two miles without feeling like my legs were going to pop from my hip sockets. But I ran. And ran. And ran some more. A few days a week, in fact. And got myself nifty running shoes. Now I can run almost 8 miles. It is exhilarating to feel the wind on your face, and the pavement beneath you. Liberating, in fact. It clears my head and gives me renewed energy.

And the triathlon? Well, it's actually a sprint - a mini version of the real triathlon. A half mile swim, 10 mile bike ride, and a 5K run. Swim? Wait a minute? I can't swim. Sure - I can doggy paddle my way from one end of the pool to another. I can even tread in deep water. But to do actual laps? 36 laps to be exact = the half a mile I need for the triathlon. And to swim it in open water. Yikes, yikes, double yikes! I tell myself that I will be taking this one step at a time. One day at a time. Which is exactly what I did. I signed myself up for some adult swim lessons and on the third class, I was finally able to do 3 laps of freestyle swim. Success!!! 33 more laps to go...

It all sounds crazy, I know. What does all of this have in store for me? Well for one thing, it's forcing me to be in the best shape of my life. I'm not there yet, but every day, I'm inching closer and closer. It's not a bad thing too that those "too tight" pair of jeans that I hid in the back of my closet can now close and zip up on me. Maybe all my lonely old clothes that got stored away after the kids were born can have a second chance.

And my inspiration? My family. I want my kids to see that anything is possible. That you shouldn't be afraid to try a challenge. That if you set your mind on something, you can actually do it. Little life lessons that I myself, at 35, am just beginning to learn.