| Crossing Finish Lines | | | | my training team had read my "I am an athlete" e-mail |
| By Carrie James | | | | and they knew how much of a big deal this training |
| Â | | | | was for me. I was always in the back of the pack, |
| "GO CARRIE!!!" | | | | often the last person to finish the workout, but I would |
| Â | | | | run into the park where everyone was recovering, and |
| I heard and saw about 15 of my teammates in blue | | | | they would all cheer and say "way to go, athlete!" I |
| and yellow jerseys screaming from the sidelines. | | | | was greeted by huge smiles and high fives, and |
| Â | | | | colleagues who were obviously proud and to my |
| "SPRINT!!" | | | | surprise even impressed with me. |
| Â | | | | Â |
| I heard my best friend yelling, as she joined me on the | | | | I realize now that this whole process has been a |
| course to run the last few blocks with me. I sprinted to | | | | series of finish lines. I can't speak for my teammates |
| the finish line, through cheers and screams, and the | | | | but I personally have crossed athletic finish lines I never |
| announcer said "I believe that was Carrie James!". I | | | | thought I would cross, training my body for this race. I |
| fought back tears, lifted my hands to the sky to thank | | | | crossed emotional finish lines, realizing with every |
| God for getting me through the run when my legs | | | | grueling workout that I was doing things I never thought |
| were gone and all I had was prayers, and bit my | | | | I was created to do; things I never thought were part |
| quivering lip as I handed over my bib number and tag. | | | | of my identity. |
| The first face I saw as I passed was Mike Reilly, the | | | | Â |
| "Voice of Ironman" - the inspiration and the leader for | | | | ? |
| our company in the sport of triathlon; the man who had | | | | Â |
| motivated us to take up this sport. What a great | | | | I held it together pretty well at the finish line that |
| greeting. He welcomed me with open arms and I tried | | | | Sunday afternoon, until I saw my good buddy Chris |
| not to sob. I wanted him to think I was tough, after all. | | | | pass the finish line. I felt hot tears start to stream down |
| I'm sure he already did. | | | | my cheeks. He had been such a motivation to me |
| Â | | | | through this whole process, telling me "you can do |
| I held it together pretty well, I thought, considering the 3 | | | | anything you put your mind to" even when I'm sure he |
| months of training, the emotional and physical hurdles, | | | | believed at times that I might not be able to complete |
| and the friendships I had experienced on my way to | | | | the task at hand. He would e-mail me motivational |
| this finish line. I joined my teammates on the sidelines, | | | | forwards during the day to pump me up, he would tell |
| because I realized that even though my celebration | | | | me things like "you will never regret a workout; you will |
| had begun, there were still members of my team who | | | | only regret not working out". He was always at the |
| were in later legs, still pounding the pavement to get to | | | | finish line of one of our brick workouts, with a big high |
| the black and white checkered FINISH banner. I waited | | | | five and a smile, encouraging me the whole way. |
| in anticipation….."who's next?" and cheered as | | | |  |
| loud as I could with the little lungs I had left as each | | | | The reason I broke down when Chris crossed the |
| team member crossed the finish line. "GO MIKE!" "GO | | | | finish line wasn't really about him necessarily, although |
| CONNORS!!" "GO SCOTT!!" I had been sick for the | | | | he had been an amazing friend and teammate. It was |
| last 3 days and this day was one of the worst, so I | | | | about the whole process; this team of individuals I |
| screamed as loud as I could even though my lungs | | | | never would have grouped myself with athletically, |
| were burning with every breath from the physical feat | | | | who had believed in me, cheered for me, cried with |
| I had just put myself through. It felt like this was part of | | | | me, screamed encouragement at me, busted my butt |
| my race; I wasn't done until I had cheered every one | | | | during the ActiveX workouts. The collective team as a |
| of my teammates to the finish. After all, cheering each | | | | whole had been the exact positive peer pressure I |
| other on has been part of our race, part of our story. | | | | needed to take myself to another level athletically. If it |
| Â | | | | would have been one friend or one colleague pushing |
| ? | | | | me, I don't think I would have gone as far or done as |
| Â | | | | well as I did having an entire team behind me. The |
| In March two of my buddies at Active, Mike and | | | | positive unit that was the ActiveX Charity Team was |
| Steve, cornered me and convinced me that I was | | | | such a strong group, I think we all encouraged each |
| being a wuss for not participating in our thrice weekly | | | | other to places we didn't think we could go. And we |
| ActiveX boot camp workouts. They promised me that | | | | had fun while we were doing it. |
| my body would see more changes than the little runs | | | | Â |
| around the bay and kick boxing classes I was doing | | | | I decided through this process that my life from here |
| with my girlfriends. I thought I had been doing pretty | | | | on out is going to be about continuously setting finish |
| well physically this year; I was meeting one of my | | | | lines out in front of me, farther than I think I can reach, |
| girlfriends at the gym twice a week for kickboxing and | | | | and doing everything in my capable power to cross |
| weights, and I was taking Pilates classes twice a | | | | them. Setting goals for myself at work, with my family |
| week. Mike and Steve assured me that all of those | | | | and friends, with my community service, with my |
| workouts combined would not equal three days a | | | | character as an individual. Keep pushing, keep |
| week of ActiveX. So I joined. And I immediately loved | | | | improving, keep impressing myself. It's never about the |
| the workouts. | | | | other people. It's about what I am capable of doing. I |
| Â | | | | think God puts us on this earth with other people (and |
| First of all, the workouts were social. That's what got | | | | luckily put me in this great company with these |
| me the most. I heard "everyone's doing it" enough that I | | | | amazing people) because we need each other to help |
| wanted to be part of the crowd. It was fun sweating | | | | us reach our finish lines, our life milestones. I think God |
| and grunting on the top of the parking garage together, | | | | will continue to put people and opportunities in my life to |
| laughing when our legs were wobbly from squats. | | | | encourage me to finish the race strong. I am so |
| Second, I loved how my body was changing. The | | | | thankful to Him for this experience, for giving me |
| cardio I was doing at home was helping to slim me | | | | strength, great new friendships, and a unique |
| down, but the ActiveX workouts were carving my | | | | experience I will never forget. One that I have to |
| muscles; making me leaner. Even though I was sore | | | | repeat, like, several times a year now. |
| every day for the first month, my body eventually got | | | | Â |
| used to the struggle and started to feel strong. My | | | | Â |
| three mile runs on the bay turned into five mile runs, | | | | "It's important to know that at the end of the day it's |
| and by the end of June I had finished my first 10K. It | | | | not the medals you remember. What you |
| was the first time I had ever ran 6 miles, and it felt | | | | remember is the process-- what you learn about |
| awesome. Once again, it was my ActiveX | | | | yourself by challenging yourself, the experiences you |
| teammates, this time the ladies, who had cheered me | | | | share with other people, the honesty the training |
| through and ran the race with me to the finish. I | | | | demands -- those are things nobody can take away |
| crossed the finish line with my friend and fellow | | | | from you whether you finish twelfth or you're an |
| ActiveXer Karen, and realized that with my team, | | | | Olympic Champion." |
| together, I was able to do what I might never have | | | | ~Silken Laumann - Canadian Olympian |
| been able to do alone. At the end of that race I felt | | | | Â |
| invincible, and honestly, pretty impressed with myself. | | | | 1 Cor. 9:24Â Â "Do you not know that in a race all |
| Â | | | | the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in |
| Then we started brick workouts on the weekends. | | | | such a way as to get the prize." |
| There were about thirty of us from the ActiveX | | | | Â |
| Charity Team who met on Saturday mornings to train. | | | | Heb 12:1  "…let us run with perseverance |
| We rode our bikes around Fiesta Island, did swim | | | | the race marked out for us." |
| clinics where we practiced dolphin diving in and out of | | | | Â |
| the waves at La Jolla Shores, and did bike-to-run | | | | "What we have is based upon moment-to-moment |
| workouts at Glorietta Bay on Coronado Island. There | | | | choices of what we do. In each of those moments, |
| was something about riding my bike down the Silver | | | | we choose. We either take a risk and move toward |
| Strand, across the street from the beach where the | | | | what we want, or we play it safe and choose |
| Navy Seals train, that really inspired me. On one of | | | | comfort. Most of the people, most of the time, choose |
| these brick workouts my CEO, Dave Alberga, rode | | | | comfort. In the end, people either have excuses or |
| the whole ride with me, giving me tips on my cadence | | | | experiences; reasons or results; buts or brilliance. They |
| and efficiency on the bike. He is a very accomplished | | | | either have what they wanted or they have a detailed |
| athlete, and it felt great to be a part of his team. | | | | list of all the rational reasons why not."~ Anonymous |
| Â | | | | Â |
| Our brick workouts eventually turned into full | | | | "The Creator has not given you a longing to do that |
| triathlon-distance workouts. Swim-bike-run. By this point | | | | which you have no ability to do. |