Whom does your “outlet” please?

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This past weekend I participated in my first triathlon of the year. It was a beautiful day and I won…which means I finished and I was still breathing air 🙂 This particular race was an Olympic distance triathlon and I will be doing a couple more of these as I build towards my ultimate goal of completing a half-ironman triathlon in late September.

Olympic distance triathlons include a 1500 meter swim, a 25 mile bike and a 6.2 mile run. The half-ironman triathlons include a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. I’ve completed 2 half-ironmans in the past and since I turned 50 this year I thought it would be cool to be able to say I did a half-ironman while carrying my AARP card.

I love to compete and after years of playing basketball and using that as my outlet, I found my knees could no longer take the pounding so I searched for a replacement, and seven years ago I became a triathlete. Competing in triathlons serves as a great, healthy outlet for me and creates positive energy for all aspects of my being. My training regimen, although quite intense, gives me more energy, a better attitude and requires discipline that often bleeds into other areas of my life.

On top of all of this is the fact that spending time with other triathletes on race day is an uplifting experience for me because triathletes are quite focused and very positive people. The most exciting part of race day is the pre-race prayer as the owner of the organization (www.hfpracing.com) is a Christian and it is pretty cool to have several of us pray and witness together.

Healthy outlets are an important part of living a healthy life and are especially important for those of us in recovery. How do you fill your “free” time today? Do you have an outlet? Is your outlet creating positive results? Is it pleasing to more than just you? A healthy outlet should create positive energy for most aspects of our lives, especially our roles with faith, family, work and recovery. The litmus test of “whom your outlet is pleasing” is to ask yourself if what you are doing is pleasing to the Lord. After all, that should be our “aim”….2 Corinthians 5:9 “So our aim is to please Him always…”

P.E.A.C.E.

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