TeamZ..."tri-be"

So, I belong to (and sometimes actually train with) a triathlon training team called TeamZ. Sometimes, people see the gear logo and confuse the Z for a 2, but it's named after a guy with the last name Zerkle and, well, they were a bolt of lightening, kind of fell out of the sky, divine intervention, sent from on high as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not so good with transitions and change, in life or in triathlons. Sometimes they are easier than others. Sometimes they're a complete disaster. Back in 2006, things got pretty rocky and all at once there was more change than I could handle on my own. Across the board--work, socially, family, routines, financially, spiritually--apples were wildly flying out of the cart, slipping out of my hands and getting smashed everywhere; and I didn't even have a wheel to roll on! The usual things that I had clung to for security and grounding seemed to be further and further out of reach and, although I had begun to participate in triathlons as a source for community and relaxation, the circles with which I had trained were suddenly not available. A slue of injuries seemed to add insult to, well, injury. And with races scheduled??? Stuck. Stalled. Flatted. Flattened.

As life would have it, the injuries led me down a path I would not have chosen for myself...join a team? No chance! Never! Traditionally, I can be quite independent...mostly because I'm stubborn, partly because of the "mob" mentality, and also because I'm a chicken. If I fail, let me fail in the privacy of my own ego! Thank you very much! Sigh! The irony of my situation is not lost on me. Here I was, terrified of losing the little lifeboat I had called safety, refusing to take refuge on land! Sigh! Maybe because I'm just stubborn and proud enough, the option of TeamZ seemed like a good "temporary" fix--it would be after all "only" for a few months--better than training alone or not completing the events! What I found was a community of like-minded spirits, supportive teammates, and friends traveling each in and on their own journeys, working towards outward athletic goals but also working inward on self, AND really knew how to have fun! Bonus! Just when I felt lowest, TeamZ showed up, bells (cowbells) and whistles (okay, horns) and a whole lot of kindness and camaraderie. Okay, maybe having a tribe isn't so bad after all...