Personal Best by Barbara Edelston Peterson

Being a mom was all I ever wanted. It would converge all that mattered most to me: loving and being loved, needing and being needed, teaching and learning, striving and leading. When I finally had my own children, I was smitten, overflowing with love and pride, eager to nourish them forever. In Yiddish, this is kveling. I’m the queen of it, and I would never want it to be different. My life was complete.

But life can change in seconds. Lightning strikes, you win the lottery, you fall in love. It happened one afternoon in my kitchen – nothing X-rated (unless you count the initial) – just a lively conversation with my sister that led to an unexpected tingling sensation, a mounting curiosity, and an overwhelming desire as she described a new triathlon called XTERRA. Knowing my passion for mountain biking, and our mutual love of athletic challenge, she felt it would be perfect for me. This sister, my identical twin, is an endurance athlete known for her Ironman triathlon conquests and long-distance running. She assured me that this off-road triathlon would be doable; it attracts only those who swim open water, ride extreme terrain, and run trails and soft sandy beaches.
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XTERRATORY – My 20-Year Mountain Bike Ride from Whiskeytown to Wailea

The crow would have to fly close to 3,000 miles to cover the distance between Whiskeytown, California and Wailea, Hawaii. For me, this vast and wonderful territory of land and sea measures 20 years of a most exciting and rewarding life.

In 1983, I was 27 and lived in a tiny cottage nestled in the redwoods on the flanks of Mt. Tamalpais in Mill Valley, California. It was new territory, and a new chapter in my life.
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It’s Never Too Late

Seven years ago, upon turning 40, life took a turn into uncharted territory. My first book was published! My babies had grown into young girls who were involved with sports, school and friends. My husband and I were closer than ever, enjoying more independence which basically meant more time together on our mountain bikes (we met mountain bike racing in the early 80′s and continue to love riding together). As a 40 year old mother, I was in the best shape of my life: swimming daily, playing a lot of tennis, skiing in the winter and mountain bike racing in the summer. Much to my surprise, life as a 40-year old began to feel like the best years of my life. Had someone suggested that before too long I would become a world class triathlete, I would have chuckled and said, “yeah, right.”
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Bikram for Body, Bikram for Life

There may not be a stiffer person than I at Funky Door Yoga in Berkeley, California. I used to do yoga back east when I was 16 years old. Back then, the class met each morning in the center of a green pasture. I vividly remember meditating upon a yellow dandelion before Salute to the Sun, and the immense pleasure I received that summer from my limber body. Now, many years later, I have returned to yoga. This time I can be found two to three times a week in a steaming hot, brightly lit and fully mirrored Bikram yoga studio.
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Around the World Xterra Style

Last June, I boarded an early morning international flight from San Francisco to Prague. Five weeks later, in mid-August I boarded another early morning international flight from San Francisco to Vancouver, Canada. And three weeks after this, on September 11th of all days, I boarded the same early morning international flight that I took in June, to travel from San Francisco to Germany. Each of those mornings, after tip-toeing out the front door of my sleepy home to catch the Airporter Bus, my heart pounded wildly against my chest – beating only slightly within the bounds of a normal heart rate. Where is this 48-year old mother of two going? To the next Xterra!
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