Be Kickin' it Off

Saturday May 31, 2014 at 7am marks the official start of my 2014 Triathlon season. With Ironman Arizona being my BIG race this year, and not happening until November 16, 2014, it makes for a long training year….but honestly I’m excited (at least right now) to test myself out with some shorter races along the way. Toughman Indiana this weekend is the first race where I’ll get to see where I’m at.

Oh yeah! :)

Toughman Indiana is in Richmond, Indiana which thankfully is only about 2 hours from Columbus. It’s part of the Toughman Triathlon series which is a lot like the Rev 3 series triathlons with various tri’s in various cities around the country. A lot of my JustTri teammates are doing a half iron triathlon the first weekend in June and initially my plans had been to race with all of them, seeing as how it it is being held in my old stomping grounds of West Michigan...perfect! But I was asked to officiate a wedding for a dear family that I used to serve in my former church and I couldn’t turn it down. Doing this wedding is an honor and it’s also helping to pay for my bike transportation to Arizona in November, so I had to find another half iron to race.

My buddy Tim Dasgupta suggested the Toughman Indiana race as he raced it last year. Tim called the Toughman Indiana half his “redemption” race after a challenging race a few weeks prior in Knoxville.  That was a tough race for just about everyone with pouring rains and hypothermia. Ugh!.  Tim performed amazingly in Toughman and I’m super proud of his efforts. He as assured me that this half iron is supposedly flat and fast….it’ll be the first time I try out my new triathlon bike and see how she does in a race. The weather looks just perfect…..low 80’s for the high which I love. It’ll be wetsuit legal which is a pain but also good practice because Ironman Arizona will DEFINITELY be wetsuit legal and I might as well get used to it.

Toughman Indiana Swim 

This past month has been challenging for me in many ways and so I’m heading into this with an attitude of playfulness and fun…..I want to push myself but also enjoy the gift of racing and smile as much as I can. I’m not so much interested in beating other athletes as I am meeting and exceeding my own personal goals that I have created with my Coach. I’m grateful that I’ll have another training buddy, Andy Lowe, down there with me. However Andy is practically an elite athlete so I'm assuming he’ll be showered and changed by the time I finish. We’ll see.

Preach.

So here’s to a good racing season for us all….whether it’s a triathlon, marathon, 5K or trail race. May we all savor the gift. Be Kickin’ it Off. Be Brave.

Be Grateful

Last weekend was Ironman Texas. I had two good friends competing in this race, and truth be told, last fall I had thought about entering it myself. Thankfully I didn’t, becuase for everyone who knows me, training in this recent winter would have been the end of my triathlon career. Training through the winter months for a May triathlon is possible, but challenging. One of my friends who was racing IMTX lives in Denver, where the weather was a tad milder and she actually got some good workouts outdoors for the most part. My other pal is actually my triathlon coach, who spent a good majority of the winter training in Texas and New Mexico. So suffice it to say it’s a challenging race because it’s early in the triathlon calendar year, but it’s possible.

Both of these women inspire me for multiple reasons. Kristina (Denver) is a gal I met while doing my last “shakeout” bike ride for Ironman Louisville in 2012. Her pink bike and sparkly attitude inspired me at once. We had a conversation that day and have stayed friends since. She’s a force to be reckoned with….she a risk taker and unapologetic about it. She’s been through challenging relationships, jobs, health issues, injuries, and come out the other side with the most amazing attitude about racing that I’ve ever seen. Kristina has done multiple IM’s and even had to DNF a race once due to hypothermia. Did that stop her? Never. For this recent IMTX, she had an MRI reveal some challenging in her hamstring and glute, making running difficult. Kristina’s take on this? Simple. “For now I will swim the shit out of the swim, bike the hell out of the bike, and am cleared to walk my 'run' like nobody's business. There's a reason we have 17 hours at Ironman and if I have to crawl across that finish line, I will. And I'll do it smiling for I love this sport.” WOW.

Kristina all smiles :)

Amazing bling!

My tri coach (Carrie) is amazing in her own right. I don’t think anything scares this chick. She once told me that for a long time in her life she was told she “couldn’t” do things and now she takes the “can’t” and turns it into “can.” Carrie is an elite athlete, already been to the IM Kona World Championships and has big goals for returning to Kona multiple times. In addition to her own training she coaches over 70 athletes and puts up with my bullshit over and over again. Carrie races amazingly at IMTX and placed 6th in her age group. I’m certain she’ll try again this year for a Kona slot. After IMTX I know she could have been disappointed about not making it to Kona this time around, but told me “I’m so proud of what my body could do and how it performed. I had a great race.” WOW.

IMTX swim start

Only 5k left to go!

Running up the hill!!

I think one of the reasons these ladies WOW me is because this is NOT my natural way of thinking. When I’m faced with setbacks or when things don’t go the way I want or expect them to be, I assume it’s because I’m a failure or something is intrinsically wrong with something I did. That then spirals into self doubt and worry thoughts about what I could have or should have done better. Problem with this thinking (other than the obvious) is that it feeds on negativity and can suck the joy out of the sport.

Memorial Day weekend is always Just Tri camp weekend. Due to the fact that I’m racing next weekend, this recent weekend was a bit “lighter” for me and with some other things I had to get done, I was only at camp for one day. When I was there for that one day however I got to have dinner with teammates and hear a little pep talk from Carrie. She spoke about gratitude and about how there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for, even in the most challenging of times and circumstances. It’s true. And sometimes when I'm pissing and moaning for a bad training day or even a bad race, I need to remember that there are plenty of folks out there who would trade places with me in a second. And I need to be grateful.

So the entire team got little gratitude journals. Everyday we write about what we’re grateful for…..I actually used to do this in college, but for whatever reason stopped. I’m hoping to start again. It’s going to be a long year….IMAZ isn’t until November. There willl be ups and downs. And yet even with this recent challenging month…..there is plenty to be grateful for. Be Grateful. Be Brave.

Be Crazy…Or Just Plain Stupid

Back when I first started running, I joined a local group called Team in Training. Team in Training (known around the community as TNT), was affiliated with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Their focus was on helping to raise funds for cancer research while allowing individuals to train and race various distances...half marathons, marathons, triathlons, century rides, etc. When I received the flyer in the mail, I was still new to Columbus and was NOT an athlete. I’m a definite gym class dropout. I was somewhat in shape but NOT a runner. So I took a chance and decided to join TNT and train for the Columbus Distance Classic in May of 2007. I had to raise about $1000 (I think) and it was scary, but I hit my goal...AND I ran the half marathon in a time of 2:28. Crazy! I remember thinking I’d never be able to run another 13.1 miles.

That summer I signed up to do another half marathon with TNT, this time in San Diego, CA. I had to raise more this time, probably close to $2000 (again, not sure). There was more to cover...hotel expenses and airfare to CA. That half was a challenge but I finished and again felt like I had done something spectacular. I decided to run my first full marathon that fall, October 2007, with TNT. I was a “team leader” that time and didn’t have to raise as much money, but still had to raise some funds. Being a local event, I think it was about $500-ish or so. My first full marathon was the Columbus Marathon in October of 2007. Finished in a time of 5:05 and was hooked.

I haven’t done any fundraising associate with my racing since that time. Asking for money has always been a challenging endeavor for me….I’m not sure how to do it or how to convince others to give of their hard earned cash for my efforts. I think because money is such a scary thing for me (not having enough, worrying about it, etc), I tend to shy away from risks that involve fundraising or asking for money.

But Pelotonia has always been intriguing for me. Pelotonia is a 2 day bike ride with various routes and options, all designated for the efforts of raising money for cancer research. Since its inception, Pelotonia has raised millions of dollars for cancer research. Many of my friends have done this race multiple times, riding 50, 75 or even 100 miles one way and sometimes doing the same thing the next day. They raise serious cash…..a one way 100 mile ride in Pelotonia is a commitment of raising $1800. Yikes.

This past year my good friend Heather discovered a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with cancer. She went through treatment and has come out the other side. Heather is young, a professional in the community and has always been so good to me. She joined my run group in the past few years and has run half marathons and a full marathon. This year, she was determined to ride Pelotonia as a survivor. And I’ve always dreamed of joining her.

But to do so I’ll have to get past this fear of raising the necessary $1800 for the one way ride from Columbus to Gambier. With all I have going on in my life right now, I’m wondering if it’s a smart choice. I keep thinking of the line from Forrest Gump, “Are ya crazy? Or just plain stupid?” And maybe I would be to try this. But another side of me says “go for it…..get outside yourself for once and do something for others. Use your love of training and your efforts towards IMAZ to help others like Heather have a chance. Do it in honor of your mother, a colon cancer survivor. Do it in memory of your grandparents, who died of lymphoma. Do it in memory of your colleague’s aunt who just lost her battle this past week. Do it in memory of your other colleague’s father who won’t get to watch his grandson grow. Do it in the name of so many others who have been through WAY worse things that you can ever dream of experiencingg. Do it because YOU CAN.”

So stay tuned. I think I’ll probably take the plunge later on this week. And I’d love to have your support. Be Crazy, or Just Plain Stupid. Be Brave.

Be Growin' Up

So I probably annoyed some folks during the month of April, but that’s ok. My birthday was April 22 and I was turning 34 years old. I’ve always been a fan of birthdays. My parents always tried hard when we were growing up to make our birthdays special. We were on the “every other year you can have a party with your friends and on the opposite year it’s just a party for family only” plan.  That was ok too. I was fortunate to have a sleepover party in kindergarten where the best part of the night was cramming all 4 of us 5 year olds onto my older brother’s waterbed, a roller skating party in elementary school, a pizza/movie night in junior high and a dinner out with girlfriends in high school….and I got to drive (and was sung to by the staff at Chi-Chi’s and wore a big sombrero).

Milk jugs! YES!

Family Camp at Lake Michigan

To this day one of my favorite foods is Mom's spaghetti sauce

Ballet……it didn't stick.

Jumping on the bandwagon of a friend of mine, the awesome Marie Miller, I thought I’d try to notice something special and unique about each day in April. The purpose of this wasn’t to promote myself or make a big deal out of my one day, but to try to push myself to see beauty and joy in each day and express that with a heart of gratitude. I kept thinking that there were some people out there thinking “Ok Amy, you get a day….not a month. Just a day.” It reminded me of that scene from Sex and the City where Charlotte is trying to make sure her “wedding week” goes smoothly and Miranda reminds her “Ok Charlotte, you get a day. Not a week. Just a day.”

April was a challenging month in many personal ways. However, I felt like I really tried to find the blessings and the surprises that I might have missed. I took some chances and formed some of my own birthday celebrations and just hoped people would show up….and they did! I ran a “so-so” marathon and didn’t end up stewing and having a pity party for the rest of the day. I got to see a college friend and a conversation we had almost 12 years ago in a coffee shop in Holland, Michigan became the beginning of a journey that led us both to that day, where we could call ourselves professionals in the field of eating disorders...who would’ve thought? :) I celebrated my birthday with cards and lots of well wishes, a lunch at a new favorite place with Ironchef Becky, a birthday breakfast with my swim group and dear friend Yazi, a sushi dinner with some amazing people, and a happy hour wine night with more incredible folks.

with Yazi :)

Birthday swim party!

Wine and chocolate…let's party!

Turns out celebrating is still fun.

And I learned a lot in April. I learned to ask for help when you need it…...people are willing to offer accountability and support. I learned that life is short and people leave our world too soon….tell those in your life that you love them often. I learned that as much as you train for a race sometimes the conditions and your body challenge you….suck it up and be grateful for the gift of racing. I’ve learned that pain can make you isolate and feel incredibly down and alone...try to push against it…..even just a little bit.

So I might not be exactly where I had always hoped I’d be at age 34, but maybe that’s ok. My plans and reality haven’t always seen eye to eye.  I’m sure there will still be days when I question my place in the world and in life and worry about the future…..but for now I’ll just put one foot in front of the other, and welcome the feet that walk along side me and kick my ass when I need it. Be Growin’ up. Be Brave.