The Power of YES

One of my favorite things about doing triathlon is the opportunity it provides to be involved in a community of like-minded, active people. I love (LOVE) that Sherri was open to doing a presentation at her daughters' school, Scera Park Elementary. There was no hesitation, no gasp at the suggestion, just an enthusiastic "yes!"  At the presentation, we talked about why we love triathlon, what gear we use and the importance of putting good 'fuel' into the engine that drives our bodies. A few of the teachers perked up and mouthed that they were training for a century or triathlon. They're enthusiastic smiles said it all, "We're one of you!"

The other day, I texted Britt: "Bkng South Frk in 1hr, want 2 come?" Her response? " Yes! Where do I meet u?" When she arrived at the mouth of the canyon, I told her I brought my shoes in case she was interested in a trail run at the top, "Yes!" she said "I brought mine just in case."

Was it hard? Yes, really hard. I'm out of shape. But I only know one way to get back into shape; more "yes" less "no". Training with the TriEdge-Kestrel team has provided a chance to be with amazing women. I call them 'yes women'. When we needed volunteers for the Telos tri, everyone that wasn't racing said "yes." Planning the snowshoe trip to Tifie, everyone who was available said "yes", even though a few had never been snowshoeing before. If there's a cool new, crazy hard, totally nuts race, I know who would try it with me. More importantly, if I ever needed help I know who I would call, because I know what they would say.

Te Koi approached me at Echo Triathlon two years ago to chat about this new TriEdge thing; I could have smiled and nodded as he told me about this little idea he had. Even though I didn't fully grasp what he was talking about at the time, when he asked for my help, I am still phenomenally grateful that I said "yes." 

Muhammad Ali said, "I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

 My coach used to say, the key to success is simple: show up, pay attention and say "yes".  Seems insignificant, but it's not always easy to follow. My bed is really comfortable and that dumb alarm is really loud at 5am. I think to myself, "show up" and that gets me out of bed. When I get to bootcamp, I think, "pay attention", and when my trainer says in her shrill little 5am voice, "should we do one more set?"

I say, "yes."

Salt Lake City Half Marathon

Well over the past few years I've come to watch family and friends do the SL Marathon and half.  For whatever reason I'd never done it, usually opting for a different half to begin my running season.  So this year, I was really excited to run this race, as I'd heard so many good things about it.

I'll start by saying that this race is H-U-G-E!  I can't believe how many people participate in this!  The Salt Lake Marathon includes numerous events so there are hordes of people.  I ran the race with my brother, sister, niece and two nephews which was really fun  At the race start I of course had to use the potty, and the lines were SOO long!  There must have been at least 40+ people in front of me, and the race was set to start in 15 minutes.  I knew I had to go before I started running or it would get ugly.  So, I waited.  And then I waited some more.  Finally, they started counting down to start the race and I kept on waiting.  I figured once the race started, people would clear out.  And they did!  I finally started running about 9-10 minutes after the official start.  I figured my chip time would be sufficient, and I didn't need to worry about the gun start.

SO - once I started running, I was LOVING it!  It was the most perfect spring day.. cool temperatures (58-ish), clear blue skies, and no wind.  The first couple miles are a terrific downhill going away from the University of Utah, and I was loving just cruising down them.  The first about 3 miles or so were just along main roadways, but then we turned into the neighborhoods.  Because of the masses of people racing, the roads were entirely blocked off, and homeowners were sitting out holding signs, clapping, cheering, etc.  It was great!  I loved running into Sugarhouse park (one of my favorites in the area).  At about mile 8 my right calf started getting tight.  I had been worried about that happening, and it did :(.  But I just kept on going, though my pace was slowing.  I was super happy to hit Liberty park and enjoy the shade and the crowds of people.  My favorite sign was one an older guy was holding saying "tight butts drive me nuts".  Haha - I got a good giggle from that one.  At mile 11, I turned up State street and faced the long gradual incline, followed by the big hill leading up to South Temple.  Man, that hill was a freaking beast!  By this point, the sun was up, and it was just getting hot!  I just had to put my head down and keep on moving.  When I was about 50 feet from the top of the hill I buckled and walked to the top.  THEN, the best thing ever happened!  I turned the corner and saw the finish line!!!  For some reason I thought it would finish inside the Gateway (as it had in previous years).  I was SO happy to see that, and I took off.  My excitement gave me magic legs to run on... I was booking it -- at one point I looked down and saw I was going at a 6:45 pace.  Then I realized the finish was still a ways up the road and I felt like throwing up.  But I just pushed hard and had a strong finish.

I was disappointed with my overall time (1:55 and some change), but couldn't be mad about racing on such a gorgeous day on a race that had awesome energy!  Props to my ROTC nephew who hadn't been running at all and still scored a 1:43 time.  Ah the joys of being fit and young  :)

I will run this race again for sure, but next time I will slay it.  The lessons I learned on this race were:

1)  Don't procrastinate getting your miles in, until 2 weekends before your race

2)  Sometimes a race day can be not your best running day, but you can still enjoy being out there and hitting the pavement.

Race Breakfast: Peanut butter and honey half sandwich

Pre Race: Sports Legs, Badd Ass pre-workout w/ water, half a banana

Run gear: Altra Intuition, Darn Tough Socks, Fuel belt, Garmin Forerunner 205 (old trusty) :)

Nutrition: Two Gu Roctane in delicious Pomegranate and Chocolate Raspberry.  Zip fizz in water belt.

Post Race: Protein drink immediately after (stowed in my handy FLEXR bottle at the finish), Sports legs, Contour STiM Machine on my sad little calf and legs.

Legacy Duathlon

First of all, I must thank TriEdge and the Legacy Duathlon race director for their generous entry into this race. Most athletes would agree that free race entries are golden opportunities and should not be missed! Having said that, I found myself in a tough predicament the week before. I discovered that I have two disks within about an inch displaced in my neck. No wonder I've dealt with pain in my neck/shoulder/back for the last 4 years and lost an inch in my height (5'10 down to 5'9). The Monday morning previous to the race I woke up to train and could not turn my head to the right- at all. Long story short, I had four chiropractic and laser treatments on my spine and no exercising or training all week long. By Friday, I was getting anxious to race and the pain in my neck had subsided. Friday night I looked at the weather forecast; thunderstorms. Oh well, there's no swim to worry about in a duathlon so the race was on!

Saturday morning I woke up excited to race. This was my first race back after having a baby, and first race on my gorgeous new Kestrel. I couldn't wait to see what she could do. I must admit, driving down the freeway heading toward Legacy park, I kept (safely) checking out my bike in the rear-view mirror and smiling. I know I'm not the only gear geek out there that does that. I've never been to Legacy park and had no idea what to expect.

Pulling up to the race was like coming home after a long hiatus. I love watching athletes prepare. Tires were being pumped up all around me, and people were huddled by the tents eating bananas and Gu. A few brave souls stepped out in skimpy spandex in the cold while the rest of us bundled up. In the most sincere way, I have to thank Head USA for the awesome jacket! I stayed nice and warm and contemplated biking in it. I also have to thank my Bearpaw friends. My boots kept my feet cozy and cute. I was impressed the way the race director was very conscientious about sticking to the schedule and starting on time. The race was well organized and well attended. After racking my bike in a prime location, I had a little time to chat with fellow racers. People were friendly and laid back.

This event was not micro-chiped, so racers were asked to line up for the first run from fastest to slowest and they sent people off one by one manually recording start times and as you entered transition and started bike etc. someone always called out your number and they entered it. This system seemed to work well and keep peoples time accurate. I was grateful to have a run to warm me up before the bike portion. The run was a little hilly, but the entire course was in a state park so the path was smooth. The rain had stopped so it turned out to be a great day to race. After jumping on my bike, I took off, passing the fast runners that finished their run before me. The bike course was pretty flat and I settled into my aero bars enjoying my watermelon Gu chomps (believe me, it's a treat). despite a wrong turn heading back, I loved the bike course. When the bike portion came to an end, I started my second run hoping the speed on my bike would compensate for the slower run. At the finish I was greeted with a big surprise, the possibility of a podium finish. I enjoyed the post race food and the leg massage as I awaited the final results. I ended up taking first place for my age group! That is one of the fun things about racing, you never know what to expect on race day. You can't control the weather, flat tires, or knowing who is going to show up that day ready to compete. In the end you do your best, celebrate it, and prepare for the next battle.

A special thanks to TriEdge, Legacy Duathlon, Kestrel, Bearpaw, Gu, Head USA, and Flexr Sport for a great day!

Icebreaker - Mind over Matter

A few weeks back when I realized I'd be in town for the Icebreaker, I started to get really excited!! I've been being more consistent with my training since the beginning of the year and was anxious to see how I'd do. I think I was even more excited because end of year last year I had come down with pneumonia, and instead of going out with a bang, I just fizzled out :(.

So earlier in the week, in preparation for Icebreaker, Amber and I biked and ran the course to get a good feel for it, and I was SO excited! However, I'd been having some stomach issues that day, and then Thursday they were in full effect... Friday evening, I thought I was on the mend. Then, I woke up at 5:00am Saturday morning with the worst stomach cramps ever... I kept telling myself it was mind over matter, that I could will my stomach bug away! I got up and tried to get some food in me so I would have a bit more energy to race.

I was glad to get to the transition area early enough to get all a good spot, and get all my things settled.... now, if only my stomach would settle! At this point, I wished all my stomach problems were just pre-race jitters, but they weren't... UGH! So I downed a few trusty immodium, and hoped for the best. About 15 minutes before race time, I finally started feeling better.

Lining up for the swim, I started to second guess my decision to swim in group zero, wondering if though my tummy was okay, if I had enough reserve energy to push, but it was too late now. They started the swim, and people were jumping in the water so quickly that all I could do was SWIM! Usually I love the swim, it's my favorite event, but this time, I was just going all out and didn't really get into a groove (but that's what happens in a sprint, right?). When I hit the end of the first 50 meters, I got a kick to the face and knocked my goggles off (annoying!), but I just popped 'em back on and kept on going! I was happy to finish up the swim, and get ready for the bike (all the while hoping my body wouldn't rebel!). I was so happy to have my BEARPAW slippers to run from the pool bubble, outside to the transition area - it helped to keep my feet free of debris, and to dry a little more before throwing on my cycling shoes.

Going into T1, I had been worried about getting cold, but it was so warm, I just opted for a wind breaker (which by lap two I didn't even need). I downed part of a pineapple gu (not taking any risks on caffeine not knowing how it would affect my belly), and I was out of transition. I'll be honest, I was feeling pretty dang good going up those first two hills on lap one... only one guy passed me (which for me is great, since the bike is my weak point). I just got into my groove and went as hard as my little legs would let me. I was feeling so happy by the time I was pulling around the last turn for the run.. Yay! Only 3.1 to go!

The run was not too bad, but I just was out of gas... I guess not eating much, and being sick for the days leading up to a race isn't the best for having a little storage of energy. Hmm, go figure. Anyway, I was happy with my run time, about 26 minutes and I didn't have any bowel issues (to put it delicately), hallelujah! So glad to just be finished!!

Not feeling good before hand, I didn't have any expectations really, just to finish under 1:20. But, I was bummed after to realize I missed the podium for agegroup by 37 seconds. I did, however, still have a decent finish, at 1:16, and I know I gave it all I had to give which is how I wanted to feel at the finish. It was a great group of racers, and I will definitely do the Icebreaker again.

For this race, I was so glad to have my BEARPAW slippers to keep my feet warm, Gu to energize me, HEAD goggles which never fog, and don't suck out your eyeballs, and my Flexr bottle!!