Pumpkins in the rain

The Transition Area

Ahh...the transition area. That wonderful space during a triathlon where you quickly as possible switch from one sport to the next. Prior to starting the race, you have painstakingly laid out all of your clothes, food, water, number, etc. in order to make it a seamless portion of your race. In actuality, it's the place where you are completely jolting your body from one event to the next. Swim to bike or bike to run. Some of us are fast in transition and others will never live down their first transitions!! (sorry mom, I couldn't resist) Bottom line, we try to blast through faster than an Indy car in the pit stop of the 500. Truly we should treat transition as important as any other part of the race.

That all being said sounds nice until I find myself in the middle of a transition of sorts in life. It's a good transition.. no.. a great transition to be going through. I have been waiting for this time for the past year and a half. Dreaming of the day when certain stress and anxiety would leave my life. But I didn't really lay out my transition area ahead of time. I just kind of showed up and found myself here, in the transition area.

May 2008, I was on vacation with my husband and good friends, the Witherows. Eric and I were so excited to be in Mexico for a week of sunshine and sleep. While there, I started to realize, I needed to do something else for work. I wasn't happy as a police officer. But I had no idea what I was going to do. Being the not-so-patient person I am, I of course wanted to figure it out right then and there. But life doesn't work that way and I was going to have to wait. That summer, I started in a Masters program for counseling. The first class in, I knew this was the wrong direction. So, I quit. No shame there. I went through some major emotional moments the following fall working cases that were painfully sad for me. I was again reminded, I needed to find a new direction. I couldn't image spending 18 more years wondering when I was going to that profoundly saddened again. Eric suggested I look back into becoming a teacher. He knew how much I loved teaching DARE at the elementary schools. I thought about it once before. This time, it just seemed to fit for me. It took some research and decision making to determine where and when I wanted to go. It seemed it would be FOREVER before I actually was going to start.

I began to sleep on a regular basis again when I told my chief I was quitting. The 50lb weights I was carrying on my shoulders rolled right off. I'm entering the transition area, looking for my space on the bike rack.

Paralleling my decision to go back to school was my dream of starting a youth girls triathlon team. USAT coaching clinics fill up in a matter of minutes. I had searched for a clinic in Santa Monica and one day learned they opened an additional class on the dates I was hoping to attend. I signed up and somehow(God) was able to get into the class. Just prior to my last weeks of full-time work at the police department, I attended the USAT level 1 coaching clinic. Wow!!! I was completely blown away by the instructors. I have always loved the Olympics and secretly wished my parents had started me in gymnastics when I was two years old. Our instructors were the coaches of Olympic and world class elite triathletes. I was overcome by the amount of information and tried to absorb every last drop. I have found my space in the transition area!

This past week, I came to the space in transition where you take just a moment to regroup. I didn't chooses this space. The H1N1 strain of the flu did that for me. My whole family has been blown over by this flu, requiring me to be pretty much at home for two weeks. The sliver lining is, I have been given more than just a moment to take a breath and relish in the moment of the race I am now in. I have had time to complete my USAT test and just mailed if off today. I have spent some great days with my girls. Days where we just sat and read and spent time. This is the point in transition where I fuel up. Yes, I have eaten my fair share this past week, I have also fueled up on good family time.

And now, I'm getting my running gear on. I've started school, which I love. I completely feel I am in the right place. I'm ready to train and coach and can't wait to help people become their best. Most importantly I feel I am running a race that is now the best for my family. No more will I have to run out on our plans or tell the girls I will be gone all night.

It's good to slow down sometimes, in transition. Even for just a moment. Whether in life or in a race. Relish the moment and how hard you have worked and fuel up for race ahead!

Lake Stevens 70.3

I know my sister-in-law, Karie has been expecting I write this much sooner.  Sorry, it's taken a week to process the Lake Stevens 70.3 Ironman!

Years ago, I told myself I was going to do an Ironman before I turned 40.  It happened to be and still is, the craziest endurance event I can find.  So, of course I want to finish one.  I have learned to be VERY careful about what I dream of doing.  Usually it happens. 

When I woke up on August 16th, I thought of a great video a friend sent to me at work on a particularly difficult day.  A day I didn't think I could handle.  It helped me remember who helps me through all of my days, especially the tough ones.  I had a good cry and remembered the message.  I prayed, God would help me through this day too, and he did....

Last Sunday morning at about 5:00, Eric drove me to the start of my first half-ironman.  As my body shook from sheer nervous energy, I told him I could still recall the moment I decided to do this.  At that point I was wondering what I had been thinking.  To help me, Eric drove part of the run course, which I hadn't really bothered to check out.  Finally, I had to stop procrastinating and get to the transition area.  I got my body marking taken care of and entered transition, which I would do a few more times that day.  I arranged my stuff about six times before I could assure myself it was right.  As I always do, I met the first of the great people I was to meet that day.  We had a nice little chat about how worried our moms were about this event.  My next step was to pick up my timing chip and make the first of many trip to the porta-poti.  I returned to my bike and checked my stuff just one more time.  That was it, I couldn't change anything...I was as ready as I could possibly be!

Now, time to find the family.  I met up with Eric, the girls, Mom and John.  Now it was time for Mom to make the first of her many trips to the porta-potti.  Like I said, she was nervous!  We started to walk toward the starting area of the park.  It was now time.  My friend, Pam sang the National Anthem and she was amazing.  I decided I should find my wave and went off to find the other ladies wearing yellow caps.  We began to saunter towards the dock as waves began taking off.  As I walked onto the dock, I saw Kyle and Heather, two friends from church.  What a blessing!  To get a big huge hug right before you get in the water.  I made it to the final dock and the announcer started telling us to get in the water, we were going in seconds.  Another blessing...I only had time to jump in the water before the start.  The water was surprisingly warm as I began my swim.  I was thrilled to find I wasn't sucking air or panicking.  I found the "white cable" some of the ladies told me about before the race and just kept repeating, steady relaxed strokes.  Before I knew it, I was to the first buoy.  1/4 mile down and again before I knew it 1/2 mile down.  I actually began to really relax and was able to focus on my stroke.  I rounded the end and finished the last 1/2 mile.  I was elated at this point.  My day could have ended there and I would have been happy.  But it didn't...

Transition was pretty smooth, other than knocking my neighbors helmet, food and asthma medication off her bike (I put it back).  I took off on my bike and surprised myself again to see I was clipping along at a pretty good pace.  The first hills were fairly easy and before I knew it there were Darlene and Bri!  How great...to see your friends while your completing an Ironman. I did miss Bri's great signs. "Train like a racehorse", "Sting like a bee" and "Go bikers!"  I did see the last sign telling me I "rock" shortly after seeing Jim at the next intersection.  Then right after that I saw Eric, the girls, Mom and John.  Wow!  The first loop flew by.  I couldn't believe how many places I saw my friends and family.  Eric was amazing, he was able to get to so many spots on the course.  I really think I have the best husband!!!  The second loop was a little more of a challenge.  But I pulled through and even kept an average speed which was faster than what I predicted.

Finally, I was at the run.  I kept telling myself, the hard work is done.  I've run for so many years, it's second nature and there wasn't anything to fall off of!  My legs felt great for the first half but were ready to be done about an hour before they needed to be.  I formulated a plan to run to each water station, and walk through the water station, while I cooled down, ate and drank.  This seemed to work.   My body was on fire, but I was done!  As I rounded the corner toward the finish, I saw my friend Julie who gave me a huge high five.  I crossed the finish line, completing the Lake Stevens 70.3 in 6:43:50.  The first of many and one more step closer to my Ironman goal.

I have more memories than I can write from that day.  I loved how my girls told me they wanted to eat as soon as I was done.  I love being their mom!  I loved that my Mom and stepdad could be there with us.  They have been dedicated supporters for a long time.  I loved that my husband found me so many times on the course and has supported me in everything I have done since the day we met.  I loved seeing the Gibsons who have totally supported and encouraged me.  I can't wait to train Bri!!!  

I met my goals; to finish and have a great time!

It's almost time....

I just looked at the ticker on my blog, "3 days, 17 minutes" until the Lake Stevens Ironman.  I didn't imagine how I would feel when I saw such a small number on the countdown ticker. Surprisingly, I have been sleeping well the past few night and I feel great.  In fact I have been sleeping better than ever.  Maybe it's the week of summer rain that has decided to show up.  

I can't wait to get out on the course and see what it's like to complete a half-ironman.  I have in my mind two goals; finish and have a great time.  I'm confident both of those will happen. I'm looking forward to seeing my good friends out on the course.  You know your friends are great when they tell you they are getting cardboard to make signs for you.  I've found out some of my police friends are going to be out there as well.  I'm most excited to see Eric, Payton, Marley, Mom and John.  I'm sure Marley will be driving everyone crazy as she already says, "go biker" every time she sees a cyclist.  Will she do this 1500 times on Sunday...oh, I hope!

It's been a great journey training for this event.  I have some amazing training  days and some really tough training days.  I have taken a lot of time from my family.  My hope is this time away is an example to my kids of how important it is to stay healthy.  My husband's support is unwavering.  He's endured many of my early mornings to which I find breakfast ready for me when I return.  I am also very appreciative of my mom, sis-in-law Karie and friends; Darlene, Andrea and Tracy who have encouraged me along the way.  Thanks ladies!!!

I know Sunday is going to be a great day.  I'm determined to enjoy the whole process, coming away with experience I can pass along to other future triathletes.

Fear

I just spent the past week in Eniat and Winthrop with my wonderful little family. We first visited our friends, the Gibsons at their property. They generously shared their holiday with us, which included a 4th of July parade, swimming, bouncy house, water slide, picnic and fireworks. The kids had a great time with Bri (their new nanny). I'm all about having my kids look up to a superstar runner and most importantly a great person. After filling our bellies with ice cream, doughnuts, and slushies for two days, we traveled with Winthrop. We camped at Pearrygin Lake which is now my favorite place to camp. The campground was right on the lake and included a boat launch and swimming area. Views of the outlying hills were perfect and we had a family of deer which we visited every day. The girls became expert "deer-spotters". They pretty much blew our ear drums with each sighting.

I was also happy to get in some training time while camping. It helped that our new puppy was up at 6am each day, ready to greet the world. I swam with Bri at the pool in Sun Cove. I forgot how much fun it is to swim in the sun in an outdoor pool. Bri did great and taught me a new stroke which is going to take me some time to master.

In Winthrop, I found some wonderful training grounds. Although beautiful, these grounds taught me a lot about conquering fear. I used to take off into the woods and run by myself. One day, while running at Snoqualmie pass, I felt the hairs on my neck standing up. I was sure someone or something was watching or following me. I did an immediate 180 and returned to my car. I don't think I have run on trails alone since that day. I was pretty excited to see the roads in Winthrop looked great for biking and the swim area was long enough to get in some good open water swim training.

My problems began when I set out to run the first morning. As I ascended the hill out of the park fear crept into my brain. I started to worry about predatory animals just waiting for a nice "jogger snack". So, I gave in and returned to the park and completed my run in the relative safety of the park. I really had to laugh at myself later in the morning as we set out for town in our truck. There on the road were runners and cyclists. None appeared to have bite marks!

We ventured down to the swimming area later in the day. Eric swam for a few minutes and then I got in. The water was comfortable and clean. As soon as I began my crawl stroke, those fears and worries about swimming in open water began to creep into my mind. Did they have to make so many Jaws movies??? Now, I know Jaws doesn't exist in Pearrygin lake but the fact that I couldn't see too far in front of my face was unsettling. I got out after a few laps and told myself I would return each day of our trip until I conquered this fear.

The second day, I went for an afternoon bike ride. I now felt ready for these unknown roads. I had an amazing ride through the Winthrop valley toward Twisp. There are tons of little horse farms, any of which I could have immediately moved into. Later that day, I swam again and made it farther in the green waters.

On our third day, I made the waters of Pearrygin lake my friend. After reading about how much energy stress takes from our bodies, I decided I was going to calm down and get to swimming. As I began to swim, I could feel my fears begin to set in. With each breath, I pushed them out and felt my shoulders and back relax. My body straightened out and I began to swim the stroke I comfortably swim at the pool. I actually started to enjoy the waters, even the green murkiness I was swimming through!

Finally, on our last morning (my 35th birthday), I went out for a run, as I love to do on my birthday. I ran from the west park through a trail to the east park. The morning was crisp, skies were blue and the scenery was amazing. I ventured out to the road and worked my way towards Winthrop. I passed a couple out for a walk and noted they did not have any animal bite marks! I then turned around and completed the hill back into our campground. I had to laugh at myself when something in the grass next to the road moved. I jumped and so did that deer!!! I finished my run and was greeted by my girls. We shared some giant cinnamon rolls. I celebrated a perfect way to spend my birthday!

On an ending note....I met my mom for a swim this morning at the local pool. As I started in the water, I was struck by the taste and smell of chlorine! I would have been great to be back in the lake again.

Rock N Roll Seattle

Yesterday, I began the Seattle Rock N Roll half marathon with over thirty thousand other people. It was an entertaining two hours of people watching, filled with memorable moments. They began with the two ladies waiting in line for the porta potties, wearing shorts, t-shirts and plastic garbage bags over the top.  It was a bright sunny day and I'm still hoping they took those off before they started running.  Next came my favorite person.  The Police Officer at mile one who said, "You guys are doing great...the finish line is just around the corner."  The true to form cynicism of a Police Officer!  This kept me laughing for the next mile! There were great costumes too.  I just keep wondering how comfortable they can be about an hour into the race. Especially the sequins, lays and wigs!!  Mostly this race was filled with great enthusiasm and I always love seeing so many people in one place doing something healthy.  I'm hoping everyone is feeling good today.

For myself...it was a fun race.  I'm a bit of a loaner when it comes to racing.  I know tons of my friends were out there running but I didn't manage to see anyone.  Fortunately there was an enormous amount of traffic, so I didn't make it to the start on time.  I started with the thirteenth wave, rather than the third wave.  This probably came as an advantage, slowing me down and helping me stick to my target pace.  It took awhile to weave though the crowd and I finally found my stride.  I was completely happy I signed up for the half marathon at mile eleven, when I was ready to be DONE!  I rounded the corner to the finish and heard Eric and Karie yelling at me.  Yeah, they found me!  I crossed the finish in 1:53:25.  Not too bad for a season of triathlon training, not really paying attention to my running pace.  I finished just in time to see the male winner of the MARATHON!  Amazing!

I'm usually not to worried about what I wear, or even if it matches.  Last weekend, I went with Darlene to see some clothes by Oiselle.  Darlene has told me how amazing these running clothes are, so I finally decided to give them a try.  Oiselle's clothes are designed for women runners.... and they are COMFORTABLE.  I tried a pair of orange (of course) shorts and actually ran in one of their cotton t-shirts.  I'm now sold on Oiselle's clothes.  I recommend them to all women runners.  They are completely comfortable and light.  I even was great on a warm day in a cotton tee.  (Thanks Darlene!)  http://www.oisellerunning.com

The best part of the race came at the end (of course) when I met up with my cheering squad; Eric, Payton, Marley, Payton and Bella.  Payton tackled me on the ground!  A greeting like this, makes Rock N Roll Seattle my best marathon race!  Next report.....Lake Stevens Half TRIATHLON!!!

Moses Lake 09

After a night of zero sleep, I wasn't feeling too ready for this race.  I finally had to admit to myself, I was scared to swim a mile in open water.  But I signed up, so I was getting in.  When I saw my Mom, just before the start, I almost started crying!  Fortunately I met an amazing woman while warming up.  We had some good laughs which helped to ease the nerves.  This is one of my reasons for loving triathlons.  There is always some hilarious person at the start to help ease the nerves and remind me...this is fun!!!!

When the race started, I began my usual stroke and found myself...out of air!!  I had a fleeting thought of just bagging the whole thing and then I remembered how stubborn I am and that I had no plans of quitting.  So I decided to revert to plan B and change strokes until I could calm down and catch my air.  After the first quarter mile, I was able to get into a rhythm and started the crawl again.  Before I knew it, the swim was over and I was in the transition area.  I remember Eric saying, "can't you smile".  I though, oh you just wait honey!  

I was off on my bike.  I knew Papa G clicked of photo of me with a mouthful of food in my mouth.  I later learned he thought this was quite funny.  I actually love this part about cycling, how easy it is to eat and ride!!!  The bike went really well.  I enjoying the fact that I did lots simulated hill training this winter and loved the giant hill even more on the way down.  I was going faster than I planned and didn't push it too much, ending up completing my bike portion in about 1:15.

I began my run, feeling pretty good.  I actually thought I was running faster than I was, kind of like the way kids think they are jumping high in the air, only getting about 1/4" off the ground.  I ended up averaging about a ten minute mile but was happy to feel strong the whole time and pass a few people in the process.  I ended up across the finish line in 2:44:19, 8th in my age group (out of 11).  

The best part of my day came next when Eric and my Mom finished their races.  This was Eric's first triathlon and I was hoping he was out enjoying his experience.  Since his race started a couple hours after mine, I was able to see his final transition and finish.  I was delighted to see how strong he looked, coming in off his bike.  He set off on his run and returned in about 30 minutes.  This was fabulous as he recently worked up to running three consecutive miles in the past few weeks.  It was adorable to see him cross the finish line with Payton who I'm sure thought she just finished a race herself!!  Eric's goal was to finish the race in under two hours.  His official time was 1:28:18.  Very well done!!  My mom had a great race too.  She improved her transitions and finished a half hour faster than last years race.  Way to go mom!  You continually amaze me.  Her finish photo made it to the front of the photo display.  It's pretty darn cute when you are accompanied across the finish by two four-year olds and a two-year old.

We had an amazing weekend in Moses Lake.  Even though our spare caught on fire on the truck on the way over and the awning to the trailer broke!  Budu racing put on another fabulous event.  We met some new friends who we hope to see at future races and had a great weekend of health!  

And don't worry, I already have another race picked out for Eric.  I mean, Eric is excited to enter another race!!