"You're killing it!"

That was one of my favorite cheers from this past weekend. Yes, race day finally came. Tri-babe Meg and I completed our Olympic triathlon in the scorching Chelan heat on Saturday morning. It was 3 hours and 9 minutes of fun, determination and effort until my sweat ran dry...literally dry. Luckily people along the run portion of the course stood out in their front drives with hoses to spray us down! I had wanted to finish in 4 hours...which was a generous amount of time taking into account mishaps along all three legs.

The swim was a bit tough at first. I started off strong but then all of a sudden freaked out and it took me a few minutes to catch my breath and get my face in the water again. At least the side stroke kept me moving forward! :) After I separated from the crowd I basically yelled at myself in my head saying "you better pull yourself together, this race has barely begun!" Once I got myself going I started passing people and finished feeling strong as I ran out of the water to my bike. The bike was fun. It was beautiful scenery and the hills were rolling, not steep like the ascent up 77th to my house! I hydrated and pushed myself as far as my legs could go....however, I didn't eat enough and my legs were exhausted at the end. So when I started the run I was trying to fight through my tired legs. My stomach was in a serious cramp...but I told myself "just keep running, just keeep running" kind of like Dori on Finding Nemo. As I was running up the hill just before the finish line all of my friends and parents were cheering me on and it felt so good to have the support...I couldn't stop smiling...except for when my headband fell off and I had to put it back on right before the finish line. i guess I could have left it off and shaved a couple seconds of my time...oh well, I'll have to remember for next time!

It's funny. I feel good about what I accomplished, but I always want more. I have to remind myself that I gave it my best and that's all I can ask of myself. Enough of this not feeling adequate. I trained and I crossed that finish line and as Phil would say "You are doing it, You are a triathlete!"

man of iron

2009 Coeur d'Alene Ironman

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.


I can only imagine the determination it takes to train for and complete an Ironman. The race consists of three legs: 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Yeah, that's right a full marathon after all that other stuff. I was a spectator at this year's Ironman in Coeur d'Alene supporting a good friend that trained all year for this one 11 hour day. So much relentless work goes into hundreds of days of preparation for one single day's performance. What if you had a stomachache? bowel issues? a cold? an injury? I don't think it would matter. The athlete's determination would endure and he would complete the race regardless of any obstacles.


From the sidelines I was overwhelmed by the energy, the athleticism, the diversity...it was one of the most inspiring days of my life. If I was crazy (like four of my friends) I would have signed up and paid the $600 entry fee the next day for the 2010 race. Luckily, I have some of my mom's head on my shoulders and knew better (at least for now). But I did walk away from the experience with a renewed and energy and joy towards life and training for my small "Olympic" distance tri in July. Watching people of all shapes, sizes, and ages battle through the day with perseverance and endurance makes you realize that anything is possible when you put in the work to prepare...there is a reward - the finish line.

There are so many races in life...and so many finish lines to cross. All I need is determination.

A lot of waiting for 30 seconds of cheering Brian on 10x

Brian "airplanes" in to finish strong in 10 hours and 55 minutes

training

Meg and I can officially start our training for the triathlon now that we have our official "I love baseball" shirts. The arms say "I love basebally" and the front says, "and swimming...and biking...and running." We bought them to support our friend Brian who is in the midst of training for an ironman (this june) and is raising money to support the organization I love Baseball that works with youth in the Dominican Republic. We rode our bikes down to Gregg's to have our locks attached to our bikes and then rode to the new LA fitness in ballard and went for a swim and then rode back home...exhausting!

triathlon

Lewis shatters the Triathlon record by finishing all three legs at once.

A couple of years ago I managed to somehow sign up for the danskin triathlon...last summer I kind of missed the boat and didn't make it into any races, but this year I'm getting ambitious. My plan is to complete an olympic distance tri - 1500m swim, 24 mi bike, and 10K run. Stepping it up a notch from the sprint distance for sure. If you know me I love to devise a plan...so tonight I looked an 8-week training plan that looks a little intense. I'll probably start out strong and do well the first two weeks and then slow down a bit...that's usually how it goes.

However, maybe if I write about my training on my blog it will keep me more accountable? hmmm....worth a try at least. I'm not starting this second. I think tonight I do a little pilates before I hit the sack and call it a night. But come monday, I'll be on track to become an "olympic" athlete. haha! :)