I crossed the finish line, got a bottle of water, and collapsed in the shade. I told my husband that I didn’t think I wanted to or could complete twice that distance in a race. I was convinced in that moment that it was best for me to stick with the triathlon distance I had just barely completed.

This was the first of two Olympic distance races I would complete that year, 2014, my first year after knee surgery. I had been thinking that I might want to get into longer races – such as a half-Ironman – about twice the Olympic distance (the swim is similar distance for the two races, and the bike and run are about double).

But in that moment, that sounded impossible, no fun, silly, why bother.

The following year I completed two half-Ironman distance races.

The next year I decided to double that to complete a full Ironman.

Don’t give up. Don’t underestimate the power of small changes over time. Our bodies are amazing and adaptable. With consistent small steps towards the direction we want to travel, we will get there. And we seem to (or I clearly do) easily forget the pain and keep coming back for more!!