If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.
~ C. W. Longenecker
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
TNT Tri Latta
I am soo proud of my TNT crew. They have worked so hard, been so dedicated, had such wonderful spirits, & been so enthusiastic about Team in Training. I truly has been a delight to coach them.
This past Sunday was their big TNT race. At the last minuet Jonathan was able to join the 3 girls to complete our TNT Upstate chapter. Nicole had gotten special permission to come and watch, so she & I left G'ville around 3:45am Sunday morning and headed up to Charlotte. Thank goodness the race started at 6:30, because it was already very hot and humid quite early on. We got there to see the girls finishing up in TA and getting ready to head down to the water. They were all so anxious & it was so cute. Boy, they sure have come a long way from that first long bike ride we did together & I made them all try a gel! One by one the all popped up over the hill from the water and into transition they ran. We were so relieved to see them all get out of the water. Especially w/o any PFD's =). They all put up fantastic efforts & their times & their smiles at the end showed it.
TEAM: Train, Endure, Achieve, Matter
Jennie, Lynne, Jan, Jonathan: They all showed what the true meaning of TEAM is. They worked together & conquered fears. And, through the $ they raised for TNT they have changed the lives of countless numbers of cancer patients and their familes.
Great job guys. You are amazing!
Lessons from Macon 70.3
This was my 4th 70.3 distance & it was the longest one yet. It might not have turned out quite how I had wanted, but it was still a good day.
Every-time you go out and train or race you learn something. Something about yourself. Something about your nutritional needs, quality of training, ability to push your body physically & mentally... and the list could go on and on. I learned that I can push myself farther than I ever would have dreamed of 2 years ago.
The mind is such a powerful tool. With a strong mind you can accomplish insurmountable feats. A strong mind is far more important than a strong body. What? Yes, it is. The mind can push the body so much farther than what it would normally be able to handle, where as the body cannot push the mind beyond what it thinks it can do. Training the mind is a very important part of an athletes training & should not be neglected. How do you get a strong mind. Well, for one it's a slow process. Some people will go and get coaches to help w/ the cognitive side of training, while others will go get books. Even if you don't do that, it is important to surround yourself w/a supportive group of family and friends.
Every-time you go out and train or race you learn something. Something about yourself. Something about your nutritional needs, quality of training, ability to push your body physically & mentally... and the list could go on and on. I learned that I can push myself farther than I ever would have dreamed of 2 years ago.
The mind is such a powerful tool. With a strong mind you can accomplish insurmountable feats. A strong mind is far more important than a strong body. What? Yes, it is. The mind can push the body so much farther than what it would normally be able to handle, where as the body cannot push the mind beyond what it thinks it can do. Training the mind is a very important part of an athletes training & should not be neglected. How do you get a strong mind. Well, for one it's a slow process. Some people will go and get coaches to help w/ the cognitive side of training, while others will go get books. Even if you don't do that, it is important to surround yourself w/a supportive group of family and friends.
Another very important way to build that mental strength is by consistently getting your physical workouts in. Put trust in what your coach tells you to do. Believe that the program they have given you will work for you. Keep an open line of communications w/ them so they know how to adjust it. And then, stick w/ that program. Consistently. This will give you the day to day confidence that come race day you can do the distance. You can finish the race. And, you can do it well. If you second guess yourself, your ability, your coach, your training program ... you will crush your mental strength & you will not perform at your full potential.
Coliseum's Rock 'N RollMan 70.3 "MACON"
I think Jeff and I are the bringers of bad luck when it comes to traffic. We scooted out of Gville around 1pm Friday & we had till 7:30 to get to Macon and get our bikes checked into transition ... plenty of time, right? Well, not so much. We made it but after a few accidents & idiots going incredibly slow from the torrential down poors we made it there. When I pulled my bike out of the car I hit the Polar sensor on my front fork & popped it off. I had to find zip ties to fix it. Grrreat. After the 10mi easy ride I went
to the Expo and got some zip ties from the great Roswell Bicycles. Thanks guys you are the best. If you are ever need a good bike fit they do a fantastic job, & are definitely worth the drive. Last year I took my bike down there & they worked wonders on my fit!
Macon is know for being a torture fest & it definitely lived up to the tradition. Because of it, Jeff & I had joked that we were going to go out and party Friday night & then sleep in and "accidentally" miss the race. We didn't b/c we knew we would have had our butts majorly kicked by a pregnant lady when we got back home. =) I tell you what. It is so nice not having to mess w/ a bike the morning of a race. Although, I was quite eager to get to my bike to check & see if my tires blew since I forgot to let air out. They were fine. Before the race I finally meet up w/ all the crew. It was good to see so many familiar faces. Just knowing you are not completely out there all by yourself is nice.
SWIM: Felt Amazing! It was a run in start & I wasn't quite as close to the water line as I would have liked, but it was fine. I just prepared myself for getting kicked alot. I really felt amazing in the water. Found my grove early & was able to keep it & push. Ended up drafting off the someone for a little bit before hitting the first turn. Then we started hitting all the slower guys and there were lots of people to pass. I just LOVE passing people!!! I made that last turn back to shore & about half way back the athletes doing the sprint joined up w/ us. Some of those poor peop
le doing the sprint were struggling that last little bit & I was passing them like the were sitting still ... it was sooo fun!! I hit the sand & took up a good run pace up the huge hill to transition. There were no wetsuits this year so that helped. Turns out I knocked a few minutes off my swim time from last year!
BIKE:It took a little while to get my bike legs but by a mile in i felt normal. 5mi mark - I'm already a little sluggish. What's going on? Where is my power? By the first bottle exchange (mi15) I knew it wasn't going to be a pretty day. I already felt extremely tired. Sarah, just push through it. Come on. (I talk to myself when I have issues!) The middle portion didn't seem horrible, but I started calculating my time & I was definitely slower than I should have been or wanted to have been. I hit 18mi left on the bike & my mind starts playing w/ me. You're already slower than you should be. There's no way you are going to make your goal. Just stop. It's all I could do to keep my legs pedaling. Should I stop. I still have to run after this. How am I going to do that? Well, I kept going. I pushed through it. It hurt. It really hurt, but I was not going to get a DNF on my record.
to the Expo and got some zip ties from the great Roswell Bicycles. Thanks guys you are the best. If you are ever need a good bike fit they do a fantastic job, & are definitely worth the drive. Last year I took my bike down there & they worked wonders on my fit!
Macon is know for being a torture fest & it definitely lived up to the tradition. Because of it, Jeff & I had joked that we were going to go out and party Friday night & then sleep in and "accidentally" miss the race. We didn't b/c we knew we would have had our butts majorly kicked by a pregnant lady when we got back home. =) I tell you what. It is so nice not having to mess w/ a bike the morning of a race. Although, I was quite eager to get to my bike to check & see if my tires blew since I forgot to let air out. They were fine. Before the race I finally meet up w/ all the crew. It was good to see so many familiar faces. Just knowing you are not completely out there all by yourself is nice.
SWIM: Felt Amazing! It was a run in start & I wasn't quite as close to the water line as I would have liked, but it was fine. I just prepared myself for getting kicked alot. I really felt amazing in the water. Found my grove early & was able to keep it & push. Ended up drafting off the someone for a little bit before hitting the first turn. Then we started hitting all the slower guys and there were lots of people to pass. I just LOVE passing people!!! I made that last turn back to shore & about half way back the athletes doing the sprint joined up w/ us. Some of those poor peop
le doing the sprint were struggling that last little bit & I was passing them like the were sitting still ... it was sooo fun!! I hit the sand & took up a good run pace up the huge hill to transition. There were no wetsuits this year so that helped. Turns out I knocked a few minutes off my swim time from last year!
BIKE:It took a little while to get my bike legs but by a mile in i felt normal. 5mi mark - I'm already a little sluggish. What's going on? Where is my power? By the first bottle exchange (mi15) I knew it wasn't going to be a pretty day. I already felt extremely tired. Sarah, just push through it. Come on. (I talk to myself when I have issues!) The middle portion didn't seem horrible, but I started calculating my time & I was definitely slower than I should have been or wanted to have been. I hit 18mi left on the bike & my mind starts playing w/ me. You're already slower than you should be. There's no way you are going to make your goal. Just stop. It's all I could do to keep my legs pedaling. Should I stop. I still have to run after this. How am I going to do that? Well, I kept going. I pushed through it. It hurt. It really hurt, but I was not going to get a DNF on my record.
T2: I ran my bike to my spot & then I stood there. Again, my mind telling me to quit. By now my mind and body are already spent & I start crying - i'm not really a crying person, but i cried, then I put my running shoes on, visor on, & started running.
RUN: Not much to say. It was extremely rough. The aid stations were about every 1.5-1.75mi & when it is so hot & muggy that is really too far. (I heard someone later say that it probably felt like 100degrees, but real temp was mid to upper 90's w/ extreme humidity.) By this point my body had stopped sweating & I had chill bumps. Seriously Sarah, what are you doing? - I'm going to finish! Finishing was my goal by this point & that's what I did. When I got to the finish line there was Jeff hollering at me. When I saw him & that finish line I started crying again. I was so drained.
Jeff had an awesome day. He ended up PRing for this course! At least one person, out of the hundreds that did it, had a good day! I am so thankful for the great friends I have - for sticking w/ me during the great times & the not so great times. Thanks to my sponsors for their support & especially for the new special sponsor for this race, Tim & Allyson. I couldn't have done it w/o their support. Thanks guys.
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