That dirty four letter word...

What four letter word could possibly make this potty mouth shudder and cringe-- FEAR! It's been hanging around lately. Not necessarily the fear that horror movies or strange phobias generate... but the kind that comes from being pushed outside of where one is comfortable. Comfortable with all sorts of things and aspects of life. Ahhh... success!!! Who doesn't like to feel successful? Pushing yourself outside that comfort zone to the next level and beyond what you may possibly be able to do might mean (gasp!) failure! I hate failing. But do I hate it more than the status quo? It's amazing how much power such a tiny word holds. I really don't get it. I definitely don't remember the feeling of 'fear' hanging around when I was training for my first triathlon. Maybe ignorance really is bliss! Could not really having a clue as to what I was asking my body to do both during training and on race day prevent fear from gaining strength? I will cross the finish line at Beach2Battleship. I will be an ironman. I will reach my goals. But I don't think I want FEAR to vanish completely. It definitely helps keep me on my toes and makes me honest with my workouts and in life. (Hmmmm... now if I could only channel this into the other aspects of my life... dare to dream!)