heart and courage

Those times when you listen to '90s R&B on the trainer and start singing "I'll Make Love to You" to the cat and then realize what you're doing and thank god you live alone.

Anyway, I have exciting news: Coeur Sports -- which makes triathlon, cycling and running clothing for women -- has chosen me to be a brand ambassador for 2015.

Sorry. I don't know how to make it bigger. TWSS.

I guess they saw my Ironman finish time and realized they'd have gotten 16-plus hours of advertising if I had been wearing their gear. Ha.

In all seriousness, though: I applied to be part of Team Coeur because I love my sport, because I strongly believe there's something powerful and healing about movement, because I find a metaphor in triathlon, in the act of enduring multiple scenarios, of moving forward, from one discipline to the next, dealing with whatever gets thrown your way.

"Heart and courage," as the Coeur motto goes.

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I went back to California this past weekend for Friend Christmas. Conversation ranged from why neck tattoos are a terrible life choice to all of the different options for birthing positions. (Remember, as I mentioned previously, Thai is very pregnant. And for some bizarre reason, Arvan knows a lot about midwifery.) We also talked about impossibility and how people spend so much time telling themselves they can't do something: "There's no way I can" or "That's just crazy talk" or "I'd totally fail."

I wonder: If you took all those no moments and used them instead to let yourself dream big, bold, downright scary dreams, what would happen?

Quite possibly the most epic game of Cards Against Humanity ever:

OK, maybe that's not the best example. But I think maybe you catch my drift.

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Speaking of the holidays, 2015 is right around the corner. And even though New Year's Eve is kind of a stressful experience marked by ridiculous pressure to have The Most Amazing Night Ever when the reality is the best nights are the ones that aren't planned, I am so grateful for the new start. It's been a roller coaster of a year, with a lot of really tough spots, and I'm eager for something a bit more cheerful.

This is what's on my Christmas wish list:

That's right: Hope, good company and a bit of bourbon. Because I did, after all, just register for Ironman Louisville.