CAF San Diego Triathlon Challenge

One of my favorite events of the year is the ocean swim I do at the CAF SDTC at the end of October.  The SDTC takes over La Jolla for a whole Sunday.  They have swimmers swimming 1.2 miles in La Jolla Cove, bikers tackling the notorious Torrey Pines incline during their 44 mile trek and runners looping around La Jolla in their 10 mile run.

If you are on a relay team, like I am every year, you only have to endure one of these amazing feats, but if you are a triathlete then you are taking on the biggest challenge of doing all three of these! I find that amazing in it self, but what is even more amazing about CAF and this triathlon is that a lot of these competitors are challenged athletes, missing one or more limbs.  Now that is inspiring and something to appreciate.

My favorite things about SDTC are the pictures, the moments, the accomplishments and the supportive atmosphere.  New records are made, new personal best times are had (I was able to shave off a good 5 minutes of of my time from last year!!), and new stories are told.  It is great to be apart of this event and I am so lucky to work for the title sponsor of this event, Aspen Medical Products.

Aspen Medical Products and CAF have been working together for a very long time building awareness and funds for challenged athletes through the San Diego Triathlon Challenge.  This a cause that is very close to a lot of us and has become a company wide en devour.  We fund raise, we hold luncheons, we get to know CAF staff, we get to know challenged athletes, we participate in relay teams, we volunteer, we walk in the 5K walk, we take tons of photos, we provide, we ride, we swim, we run, and we support.  Aspen makes this a weekend event and gets everyone together for one cause that couldn't be more empowering to me as an athlete.

I was so excited to have my boyfriend, Jimi, my Uncle Jeff, and my younger cousin, Jenna, join me for my morning swim and be my support group.  Mom and Dad followed along with a play-by-play from my uncle, and I received encouraging texts from my sister, Lily, and friends!  Seriously so blessed to have such a great group of people in my life!  Thank you all for your support, whether you came out to cheer me and the other athletes one, had words of encouragement, or donated funds through me in order to support CAF.  It all makes a difference and it made for a great event and a great swim!

P.S. I was super lucky the water was warm enough to go in with out a wetsuit...free as a bird with a suit and rash guard! Here are some great photos from my Uncle Jeff!

CAF Swim start from top of the hill

Jenna and I pre-swim

Me surfing a little wave in at finish

Jimi, Me and Jenna after my swim

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Influence, Vision and Beauty

Both of the these videos are done by Karen Walrond of wildly convinced that you are uncommonly beautiful and the author of the bestseller The Beauty of Different.

The mission is to change the perception of beauty and accept the fact that we are beautiful in our differences and that the only way to change the world's perception and definition of beauty is finding the beauty within ourselves and in our differences.  

She has found her calling and how she can contribute to the gift of life through the spirit she was given by showing you how to love yourself.  It is inspirational and amazing.  We are all here for a reason, we all wish to influence some or many people, but the question is how?

This comes to a book I am reading by Jessi Connolly Be Quiet & Say Something.  She talks about how we need to look past ourselves and our own lives to see the greater picture, to see the bigger plan that is dealt to us.  The plan that gives us purpose and that allows us to share our gifts and spirit with the rest of the world...to make the world a better place, a beautiful place.  Her vision is equally inspirational and amazing.

I have not finished her book and I have not read Karen's book, but I can tell you right now, that these are the kind of women I want to read with, learn from and maybe someday actually be living proof of their influence.

I too want to influence, maybe in a smaller way, to capture the attention of the few and make this world a better place.  I have an idea of what, but I am not sure of the when, the who and the how.  I am for sure still learning, and have so much work to do...but I at least hope I am on the right track.

That is what influence does.  It gives you hope for something better, something bigger, and something beautiful.  We all have it, we can all find it, and we all get to contribute, but we all get to do it in our own beautiful way if we allow ourselves to go out and get it.

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