Chic ride.......

Heather came to stay with us to get in some hill training this week because she lives in "flat Florida". So, I rounded up the girls on Friday and planned a little "chic ride". It was Heather, Eve, Annie and myself. Haley was invited but she had to be a responsible student. It was really windy with LOTS of hills. Thanks gals for the fun ride. All these girls inspire me. Heather-pro triathlete, wife, mother of three and multiple Ironman champ.....she's the energizer bunny. Eve-mother of two and wife of an Ironman athlete in addition to a full time job! I don't know how you do it all and still go SO fast?! Annie (ITU Pro), you work harder than anyone I know and I can't wait to see how Boise goes.....your first half (props to you for 5th at Memphis). Coops-bummer you couldn't join us but I admire how hard you're working in school, at work and in your Ironman training....you are one tough cookie. And I know I look under-dressed but I was just fine, these girls had me working hard.


And we're off! Heather is still messing with her bike (it had just been assembled moments before we left).

I just read a post by Bree Wee (I've never met her and she has no idea who I am). But it was a good one. http://breeweehawaii.blogspot.com/ is the link. Anyway, her blog is a great read, she's got an inspiring story. The last post really hit home for me.

I think, so often as female athletes, we're made to feel bad for being competitive. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with wanting to win? Winning obviously has different meanings to different people....my point in this statement is not that everyone shoots to win an entire race but more "winning your race" and what that means to you. I think we all set goals for ourselves whether it be finishing a race and running the whole run (Trish :), beating a time from a previous season, winning an age group or catching up and passing someone you are competitive with. Isn't that why we work so hard? That's why I work so hard.....and I'm not ashamed to say, I work really hard. It is called a "race" after all! We need to stick together, challenge each other, be competitive (& unashamed while doing so), cheer each other on and inspire one another to try hard and give it 100%. I love that I have many strong women in my life (too many to name).....who I learn from every day. Thanks for a great ride girls and for inspiring me to try hard! Thanks to Bree for writing a great post.

note: I added to this post re: the "winning" topic because after reading it again myself, I realized it sounded like I thought everyone was training to win races......and that I was as well. I wanted to clarify what I meant by "winning". We are all driven by something, recognize what that is and use it to help you achieve your goals. Ya gotta want it to get it.

Spring Thaw Duathlon Series, Part 2

Sunday was the second installment of the duathlon series in 9 mile Falls. The distance was a little longer than the previous ones. 3.3 mile trail run, 22 mile bike, 3.3 mile trail run.

I am proud to say, I was the first one there. I'm not kidding. Haley can attest to my desire to get to races REALLY early. Cody was out of town so our lovely babysitter arrived at 6:30am. I was able to swing thru my trusty Starbucks and was racking my bike in transition at 6:55. Atta girl.

Eve showed up not long after I did and it was nice to have some company. We picked her a real nice transition spot and I joined her when she went over to pick up her number and swag bag. Then, we had an hour and a half to do absolutely nothing. I don't mind this. I like walking around with my tunes on and stopping and chatting. It's nice to be at a race where I actually know the participants. It's good time to catch up.

After Eve pulled a geriatric move and fell while warming up (seriously).....we were off to the start line. Eve looked tough with blood dripping down her leg and some weeds in her shorts. I just stood next to her looking jittery. We talked about paces and I decided that Eve was a good carrot. I have to admit, I was quite nervous before the start. I'd say more nervous than Oceanside.....and Wildflower. I am learning this is a good sign. When I'm not nervous, bad sign.

Countdown...and it's time to go. And, there goes my carrot. By the first lap, I could no longer see Eve. There are a lot of trees, maybe she's not that far ahead. Hm.

I had a solid first run, I went a little bit conservative but I'd never done this distance so I didn't want to blow it on the first run.

Got on the bike and within a mile, I saw Eve pulling over on the side of the road, rubbing her butt cheek. I checked in with her (didn't slow down or stop, just yelled "you alright?"), she thought maybe she hurt her hip in that Rambo warm up. So I kept going. Since she was upright and not visibly crumbling, my conscience was put at ease. This is the Spring Thaw Duathlon after all. I knew I wasn't going to catch Haley unless one of her wheels fell off so I decided to look for some boys to chase.

Out on the bike course, Roger, Matt, Jessie & Jessi cheered and at the same time, Jessi hung out the window and risked her life to get the "good shots" (all photos here were taken by her). It was so nice to have some fans. It was also nice to have someone taking pictures of me. Although, I might take that back after seeing this shot.

Seriously, I'm not that scary in real life and I DO look like a girl when not yelling like a caveman. But I had to give a shout out to them. They were doing such a great job! Thanks also to Nat & Greg for cheering.

Here I am rounding the last corner of the last lap.

I had a good day. Placed 2nd overall (1st amateur) behind Miss Zooty Pants and won my age group.