Completing Challenge Penticton brings this current phase of my season to an end.  With back to school tomorrow, this seems like perfect time to reflect on my summer of training.  For me, this season has been about opening doors to what didn’t seem possible. I first came across this idea of opening doors to the adjacent possible in Steven Johnson’s book, ‘Where Good Ideas Come From.” His idea that innovation happens when a steady accumulation of smaller doors keep opening to create a space where ideas mix appeals to me. My training this year seems to have created this kind of space. Some might call it a breakout year. But really it’s been a set of steps. They haven’t all been easy. In fact, I think that’s why it’s worked. I have a whole new definition of hard. I’ve had some of the epic fails that are necessary for moving forward. The most memorable of which was a hill repeat workout that had me scared of falling off my bike and then spinning home defeated. But I got back out there. My coach Stephanie took me back out the next week and believed in me and I started to believe too. I conquered that hill. As I know well from interacting my students, a key step of learning can often involve taking a step backward first (Perrault, 2011). It’s like an a little dance.

My season isn’t over, in fact, in some ways it’s just starting. [cue the Mexican mariachi music]

I feel lucky to have coaches that believe in me. Thanks, Bjoern, for putting together training plans that open doors. Cozumel, here I come, with a whole new idea of what is possible.