On Hold...

For weeks something heavy was weighing on my shoulders I had to make a decision and it wasn't going to be easy.  Back in January my life had taken a 180 degree turn.  I had a new job (which I love), I was now commuting almost 3 hours a day and I was traveling a lot for work.  So for the last two months I have been trying to create a balance in my life of work, travel, commuting, sleep, volunteering and training ... I felt like I was becoming a "jack of all trades but a master of none".  What should I do?  This question loomed over me for weeks.  Well last Saturday I woke up and made my decision.  I said it out loud to myself and it felt like the world had been lifted off my shoulders.  Even though I made the decision I was nervous about telling people.  I knew it was the right decision but I didn't know what other people would say.  I shared my decision with a few friends and they agreed that it was the best decision for me.  I had thought about it for a long time and the decision was well thought out.  I decided to put my 70.3 training on hold and try to defer my race entry until 2014.  Due to my new job, the commuting and my travel my training has not been consistent.  It becomes hard to swim when you don't have access to a pool for a week because the hotel you are staying in didn't have a pool.  Or it is hard to get some time in on your bike when your bike was at home but you were 100s and 100s of miles away.  Not only was training suffering physically, mentally I had my doubts too.  I shared my decision with my coach and he too thought it was the best decision.  He told me that I should not worry about what others thought and that I was not quitting just putting it on hold.  He is right ... I still have three half marathons, three sprint triathlons scheduled, and open water swim and countless other races to focus on this summer.  As much as we want to think we can do it all sometimes we have to say no.  I did the 70.3 last year and I know what I need to do to be ready ... and I wasn't going to be ready.  I have put it on hold...