Continuing on my “FUN” train, I raced a local sprint Triathlon this weekend:  Twin Lakes Triathlon.  I have done this race 3 years in a row, but it has been around for 20 years, so yes, I did it back in the mid-90s as well when I was racing as:  Jennifer Parker.  I just saw those results this past weekend and that was fun.  Ironically, my swim has not changed much in 15+ years – go figure.  🙂

The race had 500 athletes and they sent off the fastest (per swim time) in the first wave of 62 athletes.  The water was HOT but it is only a 1/2 mile and if the wetsuits are legal – wear them.  I think Ben and Patrick could hear me gasp when they said they left their wetsuits at home.  People….wetsuits are ALWAYS faster…and they require a ton less energy – if wetsuits are legal, wear them.  ALWAYS.  Anyway, there was a little trash talk before the race, but I don’t mess around with the boys — I mean, THEY should beat me…and I want them too, so I was only trash talking the swim (I am smart).

Anyway, I was first out of the swim wave at 9:42 for the 1/2 mile and screamed at Patrick who was right behind me: “I told you to wear that wetsuit!”  AND I beat him out of T1, so I was first on the bike – but that lasted all of 15″ as he went by me and went on to average 26 mph for 14 miles versus my 23 mph!  Yep (see, that is why I keep my mouth shut).

I had a great ride and came into T2 without ever seeing any females.  I got off the bike with a pack of about 5 guys..so I was running in about 9th or 10th overall and my goal was to be top 10 (with the men) so I was working hard to stay with them and trying to keep Ben in my sights.

I was running well.  We GOT super lucky and the weather was perfect.  I mean 70F degrees, so I better be able to run well!  IT was so fun…I was running hard and FINALLY running well – I was clicking off 6:45s and finally below that 7 min mark that has taken me awhile to get back after my injury.

I crossed the finish line as 1st Female and gave it all I had. I could barely stand up  when I was finished.  I knew that the next woman was no where to be seen, but that didn’t matter to me.  I wanted to run 6:xx for this run and I did and if I just “eased up” because I was winning that doesn’t get me anywhere….so, I pushed MAX effort from start to finish.   I ended up winning by 6+ minutes (and a course PR for me), which is lovely, but…

The night before the race the kids asked to come and watch!  The twins have seen Jerome and I race a lot, so I do not always bring them. PLUS this race started at 6:30am and I was done by 7:45 or so….so a rough, early start for kids.  BUT, Jerome (trooper!) brought them and while I never KNEW that they were there – they were!  I am so focused in the race,  I would not notice if the President of the USA was there…but I saw them afterwards and Graham asked why I did not win.   I said, “I did win.”  No, mom, those boys beat you.  HA…yes they did Graham….and you know what?  That is OK. 🙂  I love it that Graham sees no gender in sports (YET).

I rushed home so Jerome could go for a ride and I went out to breakfast with the kids.  I could not eat anything – ever since it has been hot here in Chicago, I have NO appetite – nothing interests me – no wonder my Hawaii friends are all 95 lbs!  How can you eat when it is always SO hot?

But, one thing that I know is I am SO fired up and excited to race and train.  AND that is always a boat that I want to be on. I feel GREAT!  And, I realized I am fit and need to get out and race some larger races, so with that promise and talking to my little inner circle (Dave my forever mentor, Jerome and Elizabeth – thanks guys) I decided to put my name on the wait list for Short Course Nationals and see if I can get in.  Then, I signed up for Long Course Nationals (1/2 IM) in Oklahoma…and I am doing a competitive 1/2 IM  next month in Wisconsin.  Time to get on the party train now versus the “all fun” train!

I am excited to step up the bigger races and get out in the mix more!

SO many friends and athletes that raced Twin Lakes – Congrats to everyone out there and thanks to everyone for cheering for me!  I “kind of” heard you all. 🙂  (I did see you Laura Wheatley – thanks for the pictures!).

Here is a picture of Patrick and I – overall winners – I had the pleasure of coaching Patrick for a few years – he is getting ready for IMKY.

This past weekend, we had a great family fun weekend.  It was one of those weekend where you sit down on Sunday night and wish you had another day (well, that is every weekend, but…)…

Since 2004 this weekend has been our annual trek to the East coast to visit Jerome’s parents and race Eagleman 70.3.  This year we decided to take a break from that trip (race really) and stay home.  And, we surely made the best of that decision.

Our weekend started off with a dance recital for Morgan and her friends.  They were in HIP HOP, which at 10 years old is still cute.  They were in SKIN TIGHT silver pants, fake eyelashes and full make-up.  Gosh…anyway, here is Morgan and her friend Della post show.  Excuse the eyes, this was taken on my IPhone.

And, then there were 2 soccer games…where Graham won both!  (which is not always the case this season).  Here he is after one game at the “Graham”  Coffee House.

Then, on Saturday night, it was Jerome’s turn in the fun weekend.  For those of you who do not know Jerome, he LOVES a few key things in life:  Coffee, Bikes and Beer….and he is always researching and trying to find the best beers all over the world.  So, on Saturday night after the recital, he opened up this and started to decide which one to have.  And, yes, this is in our basement (not how NEAT this is!).

And, then on Sunday morning we had 2 events…Graham ran a 5k with Jerome and ended up winning the AG.  Now, the reason this is so key is that the AG is 14 & under.  So, basically every year Graham does this 5k (hometown) race, someone beats him because FRESHMAN in high school are 14 years old.  I have complained (!) to the RD, but to no avail.  So, this year when Graham did the 5k and won his AG he said it was the “BEST DAY OF HIS LIFE!”  🙂

And, then there was a fun Triathlon for me!  Lake in the Hills triathlon is local, fun and I just had the best time EVER.  I woke up on Sunday morning and literally jumped out of bed – so excited I was racing locally with all my friends and triathletes that have been around these parts forever!  And, this year, Trudy the RD added an Elite wave, so it was trash talking all morning and all day.  I was fortunate to win the race (and set a course PR and I felt awesome!) and have Marie Carberry there from the Village taking some fun pictures of me racing!  Thanks Marie!

After the 5k, Triathlon – we headed to another soccer game for Graham and then to a Pool Party for the Masters team I swim on – by the time the weekend was over – we all needed another day!  We would not have it any other way – HAPPY SUMMER!

Last update I was talking about how “relaxed” I was this year and how I was going to just lay low.

That lasted one race.

After my sprint triathlon last month, I was not happy.  I had a great time at the race and won the AG, but it was not a race I was proud of – I did not race super well.  I thought I would just go with the flow – OR worse yet, that I could just race on my experience and guts.  Well, friends, that doesn’t work anymore.  Triathlon is a whole different ball game now – and there is always someone faster and stronger and well, everything, than you and I.  I had 2 choices:  either stick with my initial plan of “fun” or scrap it and get to work.  Truth be told, I had done all the work, I was fit and in shape…but, mentally I was giving myself an “out.”  WHICH is OK if you can handle the consequences of that; I could not.

So, I went back to the drawing board, told the team of people I keep close to me that I was changing directions and going to RACE and GAME is on.  And you know what that means?  I had to go from mindless training to MINDFUL training.

One of the things that athletes – especially new athletes – tend to make the biggest mistakes on is just going with the flow.  Following a group plan or following a group activity without any specifications to their individual needs.  These athletes just train to the point of just being obsessive about the sport – NOT what is the right workout to do in order to meet their goals.  I was doing what I wanted each day.  Sure, there was track and hard workouts – but if I did not want to push on the bike, I did not.  And that is not mindful training.  That is “working out”.  There is a huge difference.  I wanted to ride with my friends who had different agendas than I did and it just allowed me to socialize and talk too much.  That is not specific training, that is “working out” …AND when the goals and outcomes of races make me upset or disappointed, then it is time to re-assess.

It was my turn to either change my training OR change my attitude on my race results.  And, my attitude was not budging.

I changed my training.  I got a little more specific.  And, I started to rest and get rid of the junk in the plan.   AND I TAPERED for this race.  Yep, no excuses.

Fast forward to this weekend when I went to Hammond, Indiana (no need to go there, fyi), to race an Olympic Distance race: Leon’s.  There is a ton of history with this race.  In fact, I did one of the original races in the mid-90s.  Then, the race went away and now, thankfully, it is back.  And, this year held a super, super competitive field.  And, an AG Elite wave.  And, since I am not racing Eagleman next weekend (boo sniff) this was a great year for me to race.

There is a TON of media with this event.  Comcast covers the entire event and interviews all the past champions and some of the new competitors.  It is awesome!  One of the athletes I work with, Chris Wickard is the 2x Champion there, so not only was she interviewed, but I was too.  And, as a coach and competitor, that was awesome.

Leon’s is fast and flat:  Perfect for me.  Nothing suits me better – well except rain and hail and 100 mph winds, but that is not necessarily safe.  The Elite women went off with the Elite men and that always worries me, so I focused on staying outside of the mayhem and swam to the LEFT of the pack.  I got clean water immediately and grabbed some feet and sailed in.  I FELT awesome.  I do love my TYR Hurricane and the water was 66F degrees, so nice and cold!  Came out of the water in 20:34 and was 3^rd or 4^th out of the water….

As a side note…I knew how competitive this race was going to be. Not only with Chris and all the past athletes but some young fresh faces – like Jenn Howland who is the AG National champion of some young age..she is 17.  By the way, she beat me out of the water by 2 minutes!!!  DAMN!!!  I knew this was her first Olympic and if I was going to stay upfront, I would have to out bike her.

Chris was off on the bike and I knew Jenn H was up in the lead – I could see the TV cameras.  And, a new fresh face, Darcy was out there too, I finally realized once I passed her.  Anyway, we rode and rode hard and we were moving.  I finally had Jenn H in sight and passed her and said to her, “DO NOT give up …keep a short leash on us during this ride – because you can out –run all of us!”  And, that is the truth.  I have known  Jenn for a very long time – since she was probably about 12…and I knew she was not used to getting passed by her young competitors.  And, I knew that mentally us passing her would freak her out, so I didn’t want her to give up.  MANY give up when they are passed…why? IT IS A LONG race…anything can happen.

Anyway, I hammered on the bike and Robbie Ventura was on the course and Chris rode in 1^st and I rode in 2^nd for the 2^nd half of the bike and he kept screaming, “It is Harrison Harrison” because Chris had on the JHC shorts.  FUN!

I was NOT gaining on Chris at all.  We came into T 2 and she had a minute on me.  That is A LOT of time to make up on a 10k.  I had the camera on me still and ran for 3 miles with them attached at my hip.  It is an odd feeling.  I felt good and was running sub 7 pretty easily, but I was working. I KNEW what was coming behind me.

Side note:  Work with me on this one, girls….so the camera is on me for the first 3 miles of the run AND I was working and it did not bother me, but darn if they show my ASS running that whole time on TV when this race airs — I will be eating lettuce for the rest of my life.

But, I will confess I was SO HAPPY.  Do you ever start a triathlon and during the race think, “WHAT AM I DOING?”  I used to think that in the water….NOT this year or even today.  I was like, “I am in 2^nd at mile 3 of this thing!”  My goal was TOP 10 Elite!  YIPPEEEEE!  (where is the nearest Dairy Queen? – kidding, I was Not thinking about this as I was racing!)

Anyway, I could hear the girls and we had a turn around and everyone seemed to be hauling ass.  And, I felt like I was just holding it together.

And, then along came Adrienne, who ended up winning Overall..she was running so fast, there was NO way I could go…she ended up running a 37:00 for the 10k and then another gal went by and she ended up running a 37:12 or something..so at least I was in good company.  I was still in the 6:45 range give or take AND getting passed hard.

But, I was not slowing that much and just kept the course…Amanda and I came down the chute together and after going back and forth all day together in parts, it was a great way to end the race – for her and I.  She is getting faster and faster every race!!

So, for the Elites, I came in 5^th.  I was super happy.  A few of the AG women were up in that time mix too and I really wish they would have raced Elite, because it is a different game up front solo…but they did not.

And, afterwards it was a huge social party.  Talking to everyone…seeing old, familiar faces….great to see Lindsay Zucco, who we have raced together since the beginning of time – she raced Elite too and had a great race as well….and that young Jenn Howland?  She finished right behind me with a 39:xx minute 10k.  So, she’s going to be tough to beat once she gets some muscle on her (cycling strength).  I was just happy to be in the game, happy to be feeling good and just – well, we had a great time!

I have to tell you who the real trooper of the weekend was:  MIA…a friend and athlete from here who went with me to Leon’s.  I was NOT nervous about this race, but I was a little crazed about the hotel room and HAMMOND…see, you can still smoke in Indiana in public..and the hotel, restaurant and everything smelled like a big gross ash tray.  I was stressed that the hotel was having a wedding..and that I would not sleep.  Mia was so nice and so accommodating…really, a trooper.  I did sleep 8 hours that night and everything turned out super.  Thanks Mia!

AND Congrats to all the athletes out there…I will forget many, but the athletes that I coach that were there and ALL had PRs or great races – CONGRATS:  Mia, Chris, Alison, Brad, Cristie, Dave B, Mark Evenson – Congrats!!!