Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers. I thought it fitting to post about all the things I have to be grateful for. I am thankful that I have an outlet like triathlon to go to in time of joy, sadness, frustration, elation et cetera. I turn to triathlon often, and plain and simply it is a healthy way to deal with everyday life. Mostly I don't like exercise, but through swimming, biking, and running I'm able to take away stresses that nothing else seems to suffice. The thought of daily exercise is something that I struggle with like any other person. The difference is that I choose to try to stick with it without thinking too much about it. I know how great the feeling is when I'm done working out so I try not to think of the work ahead and the pain that is involved. Don't think, just do. I'm human and I go through phases with triathlon. Some days I'm all in and some days I'm not. I like sharing that because it shows anyone can do this. I'm a mom, a wife, a part time employee. I'm not famous. I'm not a pro-athlete. I am a very dedicated age group female that is living the lifestyle, and for that I'm truly thankful.
My family is something else that I'm so thankful for. I have a great husband, two boys, two brothers, and two sets of parents that are my rock. I have friends too that I know I can count on and vent to in time of need. Life is so busy, but I know the friends and family that I have will always be there for me, and that is a real comfort and something that no price tag could cover.
I'm thankful that my husband Mark has always supported my triathlon and running endeavors. It hasn't always been easy fitting in all the workouts to prepare for events. When my boys were little Mark was always there to help out with the boys so I could get my training done. He has been my biggest cheerleader over the years and has attended almost every single event I have done. He doesn't realize how much it means to me to see his face at the beginning, middle, and end of a triathlon. It is huge and gives me something to look forward to in between transitions. I don't think I could have gotten through an entire event without him being at the finish line.
My mom is another huge supporter of mine, always cheering me on. The fact that I know how proud she and my step dad are helps get me through some very tough training and events. My mom can always pull me out of rut, too. No matter what I might be going through with training, work, or life she is there with solid advice and I'm so grateful for her wisdom.
I'm thankful for my dad who is a huge athlete himself. A former basketball star, runner, and now tennis player my dad has always encouraged my athleticism. I learned early in life from him the importance of staying in shape and living a healthy lifestyle. He taught my brothers and I how to swim, ride our bikes, play basketball and football. Some of my fondest memories growing up are the football games at the park that we played.
I have an opportunity to touch lives everyday as a Masters Swim Coach and Substitute teacher. I am so thankful for those jobs as I can share my passion with others and help them achieve their goals. The last couple of years I have had several students complete an Ironman event with my swimming help. The feeling of giving back to something that is so near and dear to myself is like no other. As long as I can coach, I could actually give up triathlon if I had to.
My boys are a special light in my life and without them I can not imagine what I might be doing. My sons have helped keep me grounded in life and triathlon realizing what is most important-their well being. It's quite simple really as long as they are cared for, healthy and happy, not much else in my world matters. My purpose in life is to make sure their life is better than my own. I love sharing my love of sports with them and now they are old enough to participate in some 5k's with me and we can run together as a family. It has come full circle since the days that I pushed them in a running stroller around the lake nearby. My love of triathlon has shown my boys that I'm more than just a mom ,and that anyone can have goals and achieve them.
Last, but not least, I'm thankful for health and to still be able to participate in triathlon and running events. I never take for granted the health God has granted me. Health is a gift and I'll keep swimming, running, and biking until I can't physically do it.
Happy Thanksgiving and Tri On,
Kelly
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Enjoy the Moment
One of the things that I have learned lately about triathlon and life is to try to enjoy the moment. We live in a culture that is constantly moving and changing and it is easy to forget to live for today. I tend to fall into the trap of thinking what is next, when in reality what is next might not come. My last post I wrote about how we triathlete type folks are always planning, training, thinking about what is next, but during my last event I learned to take a break from worrying about the logistics of racing and just get into the excitement and glory of the day which in reality is the most important part.
The people responsible for this transformation in attitude are my dear friends Todd and Jodie Purich. We have been friends since our kids were a year old. Todd put together two relay teams this year for the Half Iron man distance at Beach 2 Battleship Triathlon in Wilmington, NC. This is one of the best long distance triathlons in the country and was rated fifth in the world according to Triathlete Magazine. It offers both the half iron and full iron distance and the venue is beautiful as you start at the beach and end in downtown Wilmington. The race is well run and the crowd support phenomenal. I would highly recommend adding it to your race or bucket list. Don't be concerned that this is not an Iron man brand race, it is awesome and the proceeds raise money for the YMCA of Wilmington which helps children and families.
I loved racing this course as a relay team and would highly recommend it if you want to participate in a longer race, but don't have the time to train for the whole 70.3miles or 140.6 miles. This year there were over 100 relay teams. Racing as a team was fun too as we had our own cheering section for each other. I was more relaxed knowing that I had to crank out a bike ride versus all three sports.
There were several special parts or moments that I enjoyed that day. The first is being with good friends and the fact that their children who I have known since they were babies were part of the relay teams. Their sixteen year old twins participated in their first iron man event. It was really cool for me to see how excited the kids were to race. Their daughter seemed to really catch the "triathlon bug" as she expressed interest in doing more events. That was so exciting for me to see. It's hard to describe the feeling that one gets from attending and racing at these events, but the best way to describe the environment is electric. There is so much positive energy floating around you can't help but get caught up in it. This year there was a band playing afterwards and they had a large screened television near the finish line showing video highlights of everyone racing. It was quite a sight to see.
Even if you never have any aspiration to race I would highly recommend volunteering at an event like this. You will completely be inspired and have an awesome time just seeing what participants go through and the positive encouragement that strangers give one another as they see participants on the course and cheer them on. What always warms my heart as a participant are the kind words I receive from complete strangers.
My friend Todd, who put together the teams, really contributed to me getting into the moment. He said little things all day like, "Isn't this great...Did you look around on the bike, isn't it beautiful?...What a day!" It was little phrases that he said that made me look at the little things about the day rather than worry so much about my time or who was in front of me. Enjoying the weather and the day was as important as the race.
We enjoyed all types of weather that day too which made me feel really alive. The temperatures in the early morning were very cold at 39 degrees and by the end of our race it had warmed up to 70 degrees. The sun was shining and the sky was clear which really helped make the day great as well. If you've ever raced in the cold and the rain you can appreciate good weather even more.
I learn something each time I race and B2B was no different. I've raced this course three times, but I still learned something from one of the participants this year. In transition while waiting for my swimmer to come tag me I talked to some other cyclists. We were talking about what kind of layers of clothing to put on since it was so cold to start and we knew it would warm up by the end of our rides. One of the guys said, "newspaper." I did not follow at first and then he said," Stuff some newspaper in your bike jersey. It acts as an insulator and then you can pitch it when you get too warm." I loved this and will try it sometime. The other tip I learned was to duck tape underneath your cycling shoes. There is an area underneath cycling shoes where you clamp into your bike pedal. Air can come in through this small area, but if you put a little piece of duck tape around it the cold air will not come in. One day before the race I also invested in some neoprene shoe covers for my cycling shoes. The covers go over the tops of cycling shoes and provide a shield from the cold wind, and insulates the foot so your toes are nice and toasty during cold weather riding. These were key that day.
Enjoy the little things in each and every day. No matter if you are a triathlete, business person, teacher, parent or whatever. We should all take time to enjoy little moments as life is but a blink.
Tri-On,
Kelly
The people responsible for this transformation in attitude are my dear friends Todd and Jodie Purich. We have been friends since our kids were a year old. Todd put together two relay teams this year for the Half Iron man distance at Beach 2 Battleship Triathlon in Wilmington, NC. This is one of the best long distance triathlons in the country and was rated fifth in the world according to Triathlete Magazine. It offers both the half iron and full iron distance and the venue is beautiful as you start at the beach and end in downtown Wilmington. The race is well run and the crowd support phenomenal. I would highly recommend adding it to your race or bucket list. Don't be concerned that this is not an Iron man brand race, it is awesome and the proceeds raise money for the YMCA of Wilmington which helps children and families.
I loved racing this course as a relay team and would highly recommend it if you want to participate in a longer race, but don't have the time to train for the whole 70.3miles or 140.6 miles. This year there were over 100 relay teams. Racing as a team was fun too as we had our own cheering section for each other. I was more relaxed knowing that I had to crank out a bike ride versus all three sports.
There were several special parts or moments that I enjoyed that day. The first is being with good friends and the fact that their children who I have known since they were babies were part of the relay teams. Their sixteen year old twins participated in their first iron man event. It was really cool for me to see how excited the kids were to race. Their daughter seemed to really catch the "triathlon bug" as she expressed interest in doing more events. That was so exciting for me to see. It's hard to describe the feeling that one gets from attending and racing at these events, but the best way to describe the environment is electric. There is so much positive energy floating around you can't help but get caught up in it. This year there was a band playing afterwards and they had a large screened television near the finish line showing video highlights of everyone racing. It was quite a sight to see.
Even if you never have any aspiration to race I would highly recommend volunteering at an event like this. You will completely be inspired and have an awesome time just seeing what participants go through and the positive encouragement that strangers give one another as they see participants on the course and cheer them on. What always warms my heart as a participant are the kind words I receive from complete strangers.
My friend Todd, who put together the teams, really contributed to me getting into the moment. He said little things all day like, "Isn't this great...Did you look around on the bike, isn't it beautiful?...What a day!" It was little phrases that he said that made me look at the little things about the day rather than worry so much about my time or who was in front of me. Enjoying the weather and the day was as important as the race.
We enjoyed all types of weather that day too which made me feel really alive. The temperatures in the early morning were very cold at 39 degrees and by the end of our race it had warmed up to 70 degrees. The sun was shining and the sky was clear which really helped make the day great as well. If you've ever raced in the cold and the rain you can appreciate good weather even more.
I learn something each time I race and B2B was no different. I've raced this course three times, but I still learned something from one of the participants this year. In transition while waiting for my swimmer to come tag me I talked to some other cyclists. We were talking about what kind of layers of clothing to put on since it was so cold to start and we knew it would warm up by the end of our rides. One of the guys said, "newspaper." I did not follow at first and then he said," Stuff some newspaper in your bike jersey. It acts as an insulator and then you can pitch it when you get too warm." I loved this and will try it sometime. The other tip I learned was to duck tape underneath your cycling shoes. There is an area underneath cycling shoes where you clamp into your bike pedal. Air can come in through this small area, but if you put a little piece of duck tape around it the cold air will not come in. One day before the race I also invested in some neoprene shoe covers for my cycling shoes. The covers go over the tops of cycling shoes and provide a shield from the cold wind, and insulates the foot so your toes are nice and toasty during cold weather riding. These were key that day.
Enjoy the little things in each and every day. No matter if you are a triathlete, business person, teacher, parent or whatever. We should all take time to enjoy little moments as life is but a blink.
Tri-On,
Kelly
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