Something NEW is coming ...

... Stay tuned!  =)

Qualified for Age Group Nationals!

HOW COOL -  I just got an email saying that I qualified for the Age Group Olympic Distance Nations in Milwaukee, WI. Too bad it's the weekend before my next Ironman or else I would so be there! Maybe next time =)

My 1st IRONMAN

November 3rd, 2012

Panama City, Florida

- IRONMAN -

Where do I begin ... biggest day of my life! Surprisingly I was fairly calm on the days leading up to the race. Pretty sure it was because even though none of my family could come, I knew loads of people down there & my best friend's family has kinda adopted me. The triathlon community really is like a family!

Yes, that is Mirinda Carfrae =)

The Monday before the race I got off work around 7:30pm and then my friend Nicole (who was also racing) & I drove through the night down there so we could have some vacation time too. Tuesday night we went for a quick 5mi run on the race course. It felt incredible & was probably the fastest 5mi I've ever run (supposed to be an easy run - it did feel easy, promise!) ... must be the race magic in the air already! I checked in at the race site on Wednesday & of course spent some good time in the expo! Also went for a nice bike ride of the run course on Wednesday w/ Forrest, Regina, Susan & Parker - where I tried to glean as much Ironman advice as I could from those seasoned veterans. Thursday I practiced swimming in the ocean with the gang and then prepped all the gear bags for race day & cleaned my bike. The ocean was pretty choppy that Thursday & I just tried to not panic & put faith in what Forrest & Regina kept saying, "if it's choppy now it will be nice and calm on Saturday." Friday came & we all just tried to lay low. Katie Malone came over to go over race strategy. As we were all talking Katie goes "what are your bags still doing here ... wait ... where are your bikes?!" Turns out bike check in was at 3pm and it was now 3:06. There was a whirlwind of chaos as we grabbed the bikes, Katie and her husband Brad grabbed our bags & we all took off sprinting to Transition Area (TA) in our flip flops - looking like complete retards! We made it there by 3:11. They did not want to let us it, but Nicole begged & somehow got them to changed their mind ... so yes we got to put our bikes in TA. Not till we left TA did it hit me how serious that was ... If you don't make bike check-in you DON'T RACE!! EEK!!

Most of the SC gang

RACE DAY:

Woke at 4am. Went down to the race site, dropped off the bags, pumped up the bike tires, realized I didn't have my water bottles, went back to the room, got the bags, went back to the race site, dug through a box with 100 bags in it, found my special needs bike bag & put my extra bottles in it, went & put my drink bottles on my bike, went to the boardwalk to put my wetsuit on, headed down onto the sand to find friends ... now I can relax, right? Oh, crap what am I doing? ... and this is when my freaking out mode kicked in. I can do this. I can do this. I really can do this. God, I hope I can do this!

We all filed in through the timing arch, waited on the beach until the pro's went off and then I creeped into the ocean until I was about knee deep. I guess it was so choppy that some lifeguards were falling out of their kayaks. I was focused, or maybe more like trying not to run away so I really didn't notice the waves! 3000 people waiting for the gun to go off ... BANG! ... & we are off, moving farther and farther out into the ocean until I was about thigh/waist deep then I put my "I got this" face on & dove into the next wave & was off. Pretty sure I got a blood nose at one point, but I just kept pushing. People were everywhere! I can see how easily it would be for people to freak out. Stay strong, just breath, stroke, stroke, oh crap I just hit somebody oh well! stroke stroke, ouch! that hurt. Why does this person continue to hit me. breath, stroke, I got this! At the end of the swim I ran out on to the sand, through the chute that was lined by volunteers ready to strip my wetsuit off, then up to TA to get my Bike Bag. After that they ushered me off into girls changing "tent", I threw my helmet & bike shoes on & ran to go find my bike. A volunteer was standing w/ my bike ready to hand it to me, so I grabbed it & kept running out to the mounting line.

Me, Jeff & Nicole - day after the race

As I started out on the bike I couldn't stop smiling. I'm doing a freak'n Ironman today. This is so cool! Katie's words kept running through my head, "focus on effort level and cadence. Keep those under control!" I was going a good clip, but swarms of cyclist would pass me. If they are passing you it means you passed them on the swim! Cool. Just keep your mind straight and keep your cadence and effort level controlled. Don't let those bikers get in your head. Do not start going their pace. Race smart Sarah. Race smart. The bike really felt great. Around mi 30 Jeff came up behind me and whacked me! I sware he almost got cursed out! It was really nice seeing him but I could have done without being practically pushed off the road! We talked for a bit & then he took off. By the half way mark (56mi) both of my elbow/arm rest pads had flown off & my arms were resting directly on my metal ... well this feels great! NOT! Block it out of your mind. Don't think about it again. It is what it is. Lets go! The special needs were at my 56 and I couldn't wait for my potato sticks that were waiting for me. When I rode off I realized I accidently threw the potato sticks bag off w/ my empty water bottles. Crap! Nicole passed me shortly thereafter and we talked for a bit. It was so cool catching up with her & hearing how she was and getting the low down on where the others probably were. Honestly I wasn't sure if I was ahead or behind her until that point. She was holding a faster pace than me & although I could keep up with her I knew I needed to race smart & if I kept her pace my run would probably majorly hurt ... so I said my goodbye & told her I'd see her at the finish line. Around mi 75 my lower back was killing me. I was starting to flounder a little. I was really hurting. You are doing an IRONMAN, you got this girl! Somehow I got my mojo back and tried to finish as strong as I could. Coming back into TA people were lining the roads & cheering. It was amazing. As I ran into TA a volunteer took my bike and I was ushered through another chute, given my TA2/ run bag and then off to the women's changed tent again. Great volunteers helped me, I brushed my teeth, threw my running shoes on, visor on, got slathered with sunscreen & then I ran through TA and out onto the running course.

Heading out on the 2nd loop of the marathon

On the run I settled into a nice pace. Felt like I was cruising. The bad/good thing about knowing so many people racing and their friends & family down to support them was that I knew if I started walking people would harass me! I walked the aid stations b/c by this point I couldn't eat solids or gel ... so that means I was drinking the flat coke at each aid station to keep me going. The first 13 mi loop went well. I kept my pace & was really cruising! The craziness of the day kept me going. At the turn around, back at TA, I got my special needs bag ... potato sticks!! And I'm off running again. People all over were walking, but I just wouldn't let them get me down. I can do this. Just keep going. Katie or Nicole might be right around the corner, you had better keep your butt running! Around mi 15, I came up on this guy & we started running together. He told me that if I kept my pace there's a possibility I could break 13 hours. 13 HOURS?? I had no clue what pace I was really going. I was just trying to race a pace that I could keep & just tried to stay steady & controlled. Guess it was paying off! He had to start walking & I was left on my own. Shortly after that I came across Chad & punched him in the shoulder since he was walking & I kept running. At the turn around near mi 21 I started to walk ... EVERYONE seemed to be walking by this point. We were back in a park away from everything. It was secluded and pitch black. Guess Chad had kept up w/ me since I punched him because after about 5 steps he came up behind me and said "Don't you dare start walking now!" ... so I started running again & he ran with me the rest of the way. I had told him that I was trying to break 13hrs & bless his heart he stayed & ran w/ me the rest of the way, looking at his watch & trying to keep me on track. With 3 miles left I was really struggling and had to walk a few times between aid stations.

I didn't break 13 hours, but I did get 13:05 which is AWESOME!!! When it got difficult and I was hurting I would tell myself "You are doing an Ironman girl, you got this!" - I would start smiling and think its supposed to hurt! That's why only a select few can say they are an Ironman. Thanks to a lot of people, specifically my best friend Nicole, I am an IRONMAN!!

Florida Ironman Race Report ... Coming soon!

HUGE Workout Weekend!

100 mile bike ride - I think so!!!

To say I was nervous going in this past weekend is beyond an understatement.
Saturday: 100mi bike ride & transition run
Sunday: 15mi run

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." - N. Wlesch

100 mile bike ride, ok ... but 100 miles with a LOT of climbing I wasn't so sure about. Not only a lot of ups and down, but half way through we had to climb the biggest climb around ... Caesars Head. I'm training for a flat race, why do I need to be doing this ... to make me stronger. And, that it has. Not only physically but mentally too! Sure it was tough some times, but I learned I was capable of pushing through what I thought were physical barriers (which in turn were really just mental barriers that I had placed on myself).

Saturday could not have gone better. It was called "Ride for M.A.C." and they had 30, 40, 60 & 100 mile options. Since Ironman is right around the corner, Nicole & I decided to do the 100mile while several of our athletes did the shorter distances. It was great having everybody out there ... keeping each other accountable. =) There were great SAG stops and the support out there could not have been better. I highly recommend this ride to anybody in the future! The plan hadn't been to stay together since Nicole & I will be at different paces on race day. Or, at least I didn't think that was the plan. Nicole never got too far away. Sometimes I could see her, sometimes I couldn't. I just tried to keep the pace that I thought I would hold for the entire ride. As we got closer to the mtn there she was. Can I just say I have the best friend in the world. I had never done the mtn & and lots of reservations about it ... (climbing it on a triathlon bike & WITHOUT a compact crank). Having her there & singing no less =) as I went up that mtn goes beyond words. I was/am very grateful.

We may have gotten lost on the way back, but only ended up with 3 extra miles. With about 25 miles left to go, Nicole stopped waiting for me at the stop signs & made me finish it myself. Fighting my own battles and demons up all the hills. It was great. Having already climbed the mtn I had more confidence in myself. I knew I could finish strong. Mind over matter. When I pulled into the parking lot and saw the look of shock on Nicole's face (knowing she had finished a few short minutes before me) was priceless.

Great day, great weekend!

Another IRONMAN ????

I just signed up for my 2nd IRONMAN before completing my 1st ...

I've officiall crossed over to the dark side!

Ironman Mont-Tremblant, Quebec

!!! YAY !!!

Summer is practically over & a lot has happened!

Wow, I have been negligent in keeping this up. This summer has been busy but great! Here's a quick recap.

Florida Ironman training is going well. The miles are adding up and it is getting more & more time consuming and taxing on the body. I'm excited to say that I am not injured yet! Lets hope it stays that way =)

There is only one race that I was going to be able to race since my last post - The Paris Mtn Triathlon. It's crazy hard and I was excited, but nervous about the challenge. The weather here in SC has been a little crazy and the race director canceled it due to the monsoon and wash outs across the road. This course is very technical with lots of steep/sharp cornering, so it was definitely a good call on Jeremey's part.

My Team in Training athletes have had very successful season so far. The first group is already done with their races and now we have about 10 athletes gearing up for their races - Augusta 70.3 & Nations Triathlon (oly distance). Not only are their lives changing, but they are raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and changing countless lives. It is quite rewarding to be a part of a great cause like this & to show people that anything is possible.

On a different note ... I GOT A JOB!!! Well, I've had a couple part time jobs, but this week I accepted a full time nursing position at Greenville Memorial's Medical ICU department. This is sooo exciting! I am finally starting my career =)

Beach Week - YAY!!!!!

I graduated from University of South Carolina Upstate's Nursing BSN program about 4 weeks ago and was so excited to be able to come down to Florida with the family for a week. Honestly, I travel out of town almost every weekend, but this is really the first time that I have gotten to actually relax. Of course, I continued to train while I was down here ... but it definitely was a more relaxed atmosphere.


We started out the week with a reveal party. What is a reveal party? Well, no one knew the gender of my sisters baby except me, not even her or her husband. I ordered a cake with the gender specific color inside and then we all got together. Ben's parents were skyping on one computer & my grandparents were on another computer. It turned out great ... and ... it's a GIRL!!!

It has been a great week with the family. Too bad I have to go back to reality soon. My NCLEX is two weeks from today, and I am freaking out! My goal is to study full time until then so I'm cutting down my work hours. I plan to kick this tests butt! =)

Low Country Splash 2.4mi: 05-19-12

This was a swim I have wanted to do for the last several year & was finally getting to do it!

During the summer of 2008, I started racing triathlons. It was then that my love for swimming took hold. Ever since then I have wanted to race this 2.4 mile swim, but was unable to due to it landing during my families vacation time in Florida. This year it fell on the week before our FL timeshare & I was so excited. From really a year out I was planning on racing this event. I was telling everyone I was racing ... but there was only one problem ... I forgot to register for it! Yep, that's right folks. I forgot again! I had asked off work and was planning on driving down there Friday morning after my early bike ride with Nicole & Jeff. We were biking early b/c we wanted to spend the afternoon in Charleston. Thursday night I awoke in a cold sweat when I realized that I had not registered for the race. Stink! I pulled out my smart phone and looked up the website & found where it said "Online Registration Closed [and] No On-site Registration." I was devastated. How on earth was I going to tell Nicole!

I was really grumpy the next morning. Maybe b/c it was 4:30am, but it was also b/c I knew I had to break the news to her that something I had been planing for a year wasn't going to happen b/c of my stupidity. On the drive over to meet Jeff for our bike ride I finally told her. Turns out she had received an email the day before saying there would be registration at packet pick-up. YAY!!!

The morning of the race was weird. There was no bike to haul, no transition bag & no tri suit to put on. We had heard rumor that conditions were dangerous and it might get canceled ... so the alarm goes off & Nicole instantly looks up the website to make sure it was still a "go!" I think she secretly wanted it to be canceled! =) We arrived at the parking lot & the busses were ready to take us to the start. It was bazaar standing there, only holding my goggles, swim cap & towel. We were bused to the start line and it was a throw back to the good 'ol elementary school days. The air temperature was freezing and the winds were crazy! What are we doing!?! I had to strip down to my swimsuit and then stand around while they were doing the pre-race talk. It was sooo cold. Nicole was trying to use me as a wind blocker and hide behind me - stinker!

The swim went great. I had never done a "swimmers" event and was surprised at how aggressive everyone was at the start. They were not there to play nice & if you got in their way they were going to push you down as they swam over you. Thankfully I'm pretty aggressive as well. I held my own & didn't let them push me around. I had overheard some of the swimmers talk & say that once you got to the bridge there was only 3/4ths of a mile left to go. My strategy was to swim strong, but keep enough in the tank so that I could really push from the bridge to the finish line. There was only one problem with that. After the bridge the bay opened up and the water became very choppy. When I say choppy I mean it was the choppiest water I have ever swam in. It felt like we were in a washing machine. It was nearly impossible to incorporate sighting into your stroke while keeping your stroke seamless. Sometimes you looked up & all you saw was water because you were at the bottom of a wave. Sometimes you would put your arm out and all you felt was air because you were at the top of a wave. It really was crazy, but I loved it! My finishing time was 1:00:11. Woohoo!!!

I had so much fun. Even though I couldn't crank it out the tail end of the swim like I had planned, it wasn't because I didn't have the energy left for it. I was so excited when I got out of that water and still had energy. This means my base training is there as I start to venture into Ironman training I definitely felt like I could have gotten on a bike after hopping out of that bay water.


We finished the day by going back out & through the markets and shops in Charleston. It was a great trip.

Lake Murray Sprint: 05-06-12

Playing in the lake with everybody ... even Lily the dog!

You know the old saying ..."don't do anything new on race day?" Well, I kinda botched that one up!

I like this race. The area is beautiful and I was lucky enough that one of my TNTers had a house right there on Lake Murray. Three of my TNTers, Nicole & I went down to race this triathlon. It was so nice to play in the lake & just relax the night before the race. Nicole made us all our normal pasta dinner while I went over some last minute open water swimming tips with the TNTers in the lake and then washed the bikes down.

So happy after its over

Race mornin: The TNTers were all nervous since this was their first triathlon ever. Everyone found their places in TA and got all set up & then went to go get warmed up. Time did not allow me to warm up in the lake & that threw me off a bit, but it's all good. The gun goes off and we are swimming. I had told Nicole to hang on my feet and draft, but I guess that didn't really work. My sighting was right on and I finally got into a nice groove about half way through. After taking that last turn and heading back to shore I started hitting men from the wave before us. Wow, I slammed right this one guy ... he was going perpendicular to me ... um, WRONG way buddy!! Got out and it was a mad dash to TA to get on the bike. The bike felt great! I had recently changed my bike fit around so I could start activating my gluts. This was my BIG MISTAKE of the day. This race was really the first time I had been on a real bike ride with the new fit.

Emily celebrating after placing in the Novice division!

It felt great ... until the run! I have changed my mentality when it comes to running. My goal is to consider myself a "runner" by the end of the season and so I went into this race excited to see what I could do on the run portion. Ha! With the newly activated muscles on the bike, I was in for a long run/walk 5k. Yes, I said run/walk. I've gotten new running shoes and absolutely love them. My form has improved and also my times. Unfortunately, every time I hit an incline my legs cramped like no other. My legs cramped so bad that I would end up swinging my legs around to put on in front of the other. It was a pretty funny sight!! I stopped a few times to try and stretch them out, but they came right back. Oh well, live and learn right! I still had fun and was excited to feel good on the run (when my legs weren't cramped so bad that they were stuck straight out). =)

Scott rocking it as he ran into the finish chute

TryCharleston Half: 04-21-12

"The triathlon that didn't happen"

Yes, this is where we were supposed
to be swimming for the race!

This was my first half of the 2012 season. I was excited to be going down and racing with the crew. Lots of friends, a long weekend at the beach, and a big race ... nothing could be better! 

... Uh oh, I forgot to register for the race. I knew Wednesday was the last day to sign up, but I thought it closed at 7pm not am. OOPS. Crisis averted - Elizabeth w/ SetUp Events said I could register at packet pick-up on Friday. Whew!

Turns out there has been a stomach bug going around I just happened to get it Friday night. I ended up hugging the porcelain thrown all night. After a rough night I knew there was no way I could race, seeing as I would be going into it dehydrated and still sick. I decided to sit this one out. Nicole ended up having an ear infection & couldn't swim or stay on her bike b/c her equilibrium was all off ... so BOTH of us were out! Ugh. 

I definitely think that pulling out was a good decision for both of us. We rested up and managed to wander out to the race site to see our friends cross the finish line. Even if our cheering wasn't as enthusiastic as normal we still wanted to go out & show our support for the crew.

The Crew

Premature loss of a dear friend

Donny Jacobs: 11/28/85-4/3/12

Today I had to speak at my dear friend's funeral. Since we were inseparable when we were young, the family asked me to speak about his early years. Death becomes a common occurrence to you when you are in the healthcare field, but his death knocked me upside the head like a ton of bricks. When you are 25 you don't expect someone you have been close to since the cradle to fall asleep and not wake up. Donny was a great guy. He was going to be graduating from Vanderbuilt as a nurse practitioner with a specialty in critical care. He wanted to be the best nurse there was, and he was on that path of becoming just that. Even though we had gotten older and started on our own pathways of life, he was someone that I always felt close to even if we hadn't talked or seen each other in a while. Donny showed me that it was okay to set your sights high and then go for them and achieve them. He was an incredibly successful nurse and an inspiration to me for going back to nursing school and achieving my goals.

Below is what I read at his funeral.

Hi – My name Sarah Parker, & I grew up with Donny.

Today is a happy- sad day for us. Sad because a very dear friend has left this earth. But it is also a happy day because we are celebrating the life of Donny, our dear friend. When I think about it- for me, Donny has always been there. Let me explain … the fact is that I honestly cannot remember life before we were friends. Both our parents work at Bob Jones University and we were neighbors in faculty court on campus. Donny and I ended up being play buddies and doing everything together as youngsters, whether we were supposed to or not!

As I started thinking back on all those good times, I couldn’t help but laugh at many of the things we did - and things we got in trouble for doing.

One day Donny, Allen & I were playing tag & I was “it.” The boys started to climb the trees to get away from me, so I went up after them. Higher and higher we went. These trees just happened to be directly up against the back of the Dinning Common, and it turned out if you went high enough you could get up onto the roof … and that’s just what we did! We thought we were pretty cool running around up there and we almost got away with it, but the next thing we knew one of us was stuck and someone had to go get a ladder to save us.

Donny’s love for science started when he was young. I can remember going over to his house & he’d show me all the cacti he was growing or his new snake that he had to feed. He even had those hermit crabs & we would sit and stare at those things forever in the hopes that one would come out of its shell and move into the next/bigger size shell. He promised me that they actually did do it, but I surely never saw it happen!

His family had moved to over Blythwood Street and we moved to White Oak- just one street apart. We walked home from school together almost every day. We would stop, inspect bugs, and talk about any and everything. One day we stopped to look at someone’s new puppy. Time slipped by and we knew that we better hurry home. We gathered our things- well most of them. The next day on the way home Donny spotted my viola case in the ditch. It had been left in there overnight!

I used to get so mad at Donny in elementary school. He started going to LRC a couple of times a week during recess to work on homework. Recess was supposed to be our time during the school day to have fun. It’s when we pretended we were orphans stuck in an orphanage, trying to escape from the evil teachers. Whether it was his choice, or not, back then he learned early that his studies were important and he worked hard to better himself.

One year we were fascinated by ladybugs and we started catching as many as we could at recess. It was our personal science project. When we walked home from school together we would catch even more of them. Our poor mothers got stuck with all the forgotten ladybugs, squashed in our backpack pockets … and the smell was not nice! We tried so hard to be legitimate scientists. We tallied the number of spots each bug had and gave them names. Donny learned what they liked to eat and we made them a home. It was really just a huge pickle jar from school with holes poked in the lid for air, but it was our little creation. My mom was a K4 teacher and she figured out a way for Donny and I to come over to her class and teach them about a ladybug’s life. Ok, maybe it helped that his dad was the principle! We must have been in either 3^rd or 4^th grade at the time. I will never forget how excited we were walking across the playground, over to the other elementary building, holding our big pickle jar full of ladybugs. Donny was a leader and a teacher at heart from the beginning.

It is neat to see the different qualities that made Donny special as a young boy, represented in the grown up version of the Donny we all knew and loved. What you saw in Donny is what you got. He was one of those loyal friends that you could always count on. He had a heart a mile wide, and a smile to go with it.

Donnie has been a major inspiration in my own nursing pursuits – he was a constant encouragement and cheerleader to me. I will greatly miss my friend

Downtown Columbia Sprint Triathlon

This triathlon was close enough to home so we decided to save some $$$ and drive down the morning of the race. Jeff came with us as the babysitter, so AJ was able to come too! They were great cheerleaders! I stayed at Nicole's house and she even cleaned my bike while I was at work ... my my how the tables have turned!

4:45 am - I am blinded by my room light being turned on in an attempt to wake me up ... thanks Nicole! You're a great alarm clock =)

The drive wasn't very long, but I still managed to pass out ... that was until Jeff took a picture of me and used the flash. I remember waking up from my nice slumber and saying "you're sooo mean!" Of course that picture quickly got uploaded to Facebook. Btw, don't listen to what they said, I was not drooling!

Guess you could say it was any other normal race morning. This was my first race wearing my new On On Tri jersey! We got to transition, set everything up, got body marked, laughed with friends, tested out the bikes ... ooo... why isn't my bike shifting into the big crank. I start to panic & was not very happy. Thankfully there was bike mechanic there and he tightened up my cables for me, and then I was all good again. =)


What?!? It's already time to go into the pool?!? We start lining up in numerical order and I started to panic again. Seriously? I am #49. What if I am not fast enough for being #49 and get passed ... I don't like getting passed in the pool! They tell me to go and I take off running. Last week I walked to the edge and then dove. Well this time I was feeling a little confident and decided to run and then dive. Haha! You know you are in the air way to long when you feel like you are floating in the air and wondering what's going to happen next. And then all of the sudden I just kinda went kerplop into the water & my goggles ended up around my neck. Ooops! Gotta practice that a little more! Ok, so it turns out #49 was perfect. I didn't get passed, but I did pass 3 people! The swim felt pretty good. I ended up passing the first guy at the first wall but then it was clear sailing till the last 50 where I hit the 2 ladies. After climbing out of the pool I took off running into transition. 44 seconds baby & I was out on my bike!

The bike was a 3 loop course through downtown Columbia. This year my bike was a little faster than last year, and the course felt so much safer! I pushed hard & I only threw up once! Yes, maybe I'm on the mend! It was a technical course and you definitely needed to be alert. Every time I take a fast corner I still get nervous & feel my bike sliding out from under me (even though it's not), but at least now I don't really slow down because of it anymore. Katie whizzed by me at one point & yelled out some encouraging words. At the end of the last biggest hill, Nicole passed me and hollered at me too. Maybe one of these days I will be zooming around like them =)

Ah, the run. Hmm ... well it was slower than last year. Obviously I was not happy about this. I could chalk it up to the 55mi bike and T-run from the day before, but whatever. That's what happens when you are training for a 70.3 and are using this race as a training day. It is disappointing to see the lack of improvement in my run. Honestly its my own fault though. My coach (Nicole) tells me what I am supposed to do ... I have just had issues getting it done. Look at Katies freaking awesome running form in the picture below. I think she's even smiling! Yep, that's what I have got to work on! If anything the run this past weekend was a wake up call and helped me realign my training priorities.

Even with the slower run I was able to bring home 2nd place in my age group (25-29)!!

I am now on recovery week. Yay! Since Sunday's race I have already been working on my running drills and I will continue to work on the run as the weeks go by.

Going Local - New Racing Team

Power On!

I am racing for a new team!! This season I made the decision to support my local triathlon shop and will be racing for On On Tri. I am so very excited about this opportunity. They've got great customer service and dedicated to providing athletes with equipment, knowledge, & service to support them in obtaining their athletic goals. Al & Jamie over there are fantastic! If you need anything and are in Greenville head on down to 400 E McBee Ave, and if you're not local ... just click on their logo on my sidebar to go to their website (www.onontri.com). Check out their online store, services and don't miss the On On Tri University for some great reviews, blogs & videos. You will find great info, great gear and great prices!!

2012 Racing Season has BEGUN! - Parris Island Sprint

I am so excited for this season to start up. It seems like it has been forever since my last triathlon & weekend trip with the friends.

There is no better way to start out the triathlon season than by racing the 1st race that SetUp Events puts on - Parris Island Sprint. Yes, it's actually on the Parris Island marine base. It was my third time doing this race & I was pumped! Nicole, Jeff & I headed down there Friday afternoon. We got checked in, did our normal raiding of the BiLo to get Code Red, got food and than headed back to the hotel to clean the bikes. Tell you what, I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time. We finally all got settled, Jeff conked out early, Nicole got on her phone to talk to hubby and watch her little one on video ... and I ... I got to study cardiac rhythms. Yep, that's right, I am a dedicated nursing student! Ha!

The morning came early. Thank goodness we set the alarms on our phones because the hotel wake up call did not happen. Good thing we are good friends ... we put up with A LOT from each other ... oh, so many memories that I cannot go into!! I love my friends =)

Happy St. Patties day - race day! I was wearing my stealth black uniform, but my green running shoes kept me from getting pinched. We finally made it to the race site and started to get all prepared. It was fun seeing all the familiar faces, and a few new faces too. So nice to see Orae, a highschool-er that I had met at the pool a few months ago. He had decided to do this triathlon as his senior project. When I met him, he couldn't even swim one length of the pool, but I saw him swim Friday morning he was working it! I was excited to see him here and ready to race.

The race started and people were already swimming breast stroke ... grrreat. It is finally time for me to start ... I dove in, got some great distance and came up swimming fast. I felt great! Working on my stroke technique over the winter paid off. I ended up getting stuck and having pass 7 people and I still cut 10 seconds off my swim time. My transition time would have been great, but somehow I didn't fasten my shoe and it fell off while I was running out with my bike. Woops! Guess, I'm a little rusty! I tried to keep a high cadence on the bike and continue to push it the entire time. It paid off. I cut more time off of last years bike time. Ran into transition 2 and then I was off for the run. I admit it, I am not good at pacing myself. I felt like I was pushing but don't think I was enough. About a half mile out from the finish here comes Nicole running at me. She yells for me to keep pushing and then angles towards me. I yelled for her not to come run with me so what does she do ... she runs about 2 feet behind me. I can hear her breath & I knew I had better not slow down or she would plow right into me! I finished the run with a last little surge and then dry heaved as the marine took off my timing chip. Poor guy thought he was gonna get hit!

It was a good day. I am thrilled to say I PRed & I ended up cutting almost 4 minutes off last years time. If I keep whittling off time ... soon I will get to where I want to be!!

Recap of 2011 and looking forward to 2012

I would be a liar if I said this season didn't have it's ups and downs, because it did. But, those downs are ones I created from expectations that I placed on myself. In all actuality it was a GREAT season with GREAT results!! When I started triathlons in 2008 I "raced" to finish and to prove myself and others wrong. Never did I expect to be placing 2nd in the STATE and getting 3rd place in my division at the HalfMax NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP's! Can we all say ... cool!!

3rd place HalfMax National Championship

I think it is important to set goals for yourself, otherwise you have no purpose ... nothing to make you push yourself to the next level. The goal could be finishing or coming in 1st, but the most important thing is being able to adapt those goals depending on the circumstances. Great friends help too! They put up with the grumpy early mornings, the awesome climbs, the bonking sessions, the long rides, and the celebrations! When you get wake up calls before 4am, you know you are friends with some special people! My Team in Training athletes had an awesome season and many of them are continuing their  athletics with marathons and half marathons during this off season - success!!

When I was younger I remember watching the Ironman World Championships in Kona on TV and saying that those athletes were crazy! Yet at the same time I admired their commitment, athletic abilities, & perseverance. Secretly, I wanted to be them one day. Who knows what my future has in store for me, but I will say I am already setting goals for 2012. It is going to be a great season. My first IRONMAN is on the docket and I will be racing with all my fiends ... so excited!!!

Since the tough HalfMax I have stayed active with lighter workouts than during the normal triathlon season. This week my Winter/Off Season has started and it is so fun to be back at it!

Florida Ironman 2011

2012 Florida Ironman ... Here I Come!!

This past weekend I went down to the Florida Ironman (FLIM) to volunteer and cheer on all my friends who were racing. It was an awesome experience, and all of my friends did phenomenal. Having planned ahead, I went down already planning on signing up. Being down there and watching it just solidified my decision.

I cannot wait for next year and everything that is in store for me. It will be GREAT!

TriSports.com Halfmax National Championship - 10/08/11

There was excitement in the air because it was race weekend!! Of course, the procrastinator that I am left packing to the last minute. After finishing some homework I finally had to crash, and ended up frantically packing Friday morning. Friday noon came and 4 adults and a baby piled into Jeff's fantastic new Power Wagon truck, with lots and lots of gear/luggage. ("duh Big Red truck" is no more & now we have to find a new saying for his grey Power Wagon). Jeff normally drives like a little 'ol grandma, but with Nicole in the back seat and him trying to prove the power of his new truck we got to Myrtle Beach in decent time. It would have been even faster, but my small bladder slowed us down. =) On the ride, like usual, we tried to mentally prep for the race by going around the truck and stating our goals & projected times for the next days race, and also setting up our plans for the day. My plan was to try and hold back some on the bike so that I would have my legs for the run.

Our motel was aah-may-zing! I have to say, Nicole did a fantastic job getting our motel room. The "room" was more like a LARGE apartment. Every room had a great view of the intercoastal waterway, with a perfect view of the swim course. This led to a great place for watching the pro's swim on Sunday.

Friday night came and I seemed to just lay there while the clock ticked by. Baby Addison cried here and there, but I think it was more the nerves and excitement for the next day that kept me up. 5am and it's time to wake up. Seriously?!? I tried to eat breakfast, but that wasn't working so well because I was wound up. My outside was telling a completely different story though. Krysta was like "you know we are racing today? You are so calm, what's up with you!" Well, I really wasn't calm. I knew this day was going to be a hard day, and I knew I was going to have to work for it. But there was pressure on me - self inflicted of course. This was my "A" race for the season, my training was there, I was healthy, the weather was cooperating and this was setting up to be my best half ever ... or so I thought / hoped / wished for. But, the day didn't play out to that end. What happened? I went from knowing it would hurt, but expecting a good day to talking myself out of DNFing (DNF = Did Not Finish).

The SWIM: 1.2miles. So, I was the only person in my swim wave with a non-purple swim cap on. Yes, somehow I had accidently grabbed a random hunter green SetUp Events swim cap & didn't realize it till it was too late. Oh well! I'm not really worried about the swim. Yes, 2/3rds of it is against current, but I'm a good swimmer so it is all good. Well, I had never swam in brackish water before & was not prepared for the absolute zero visibility it provided. There was no way you could draft because you couldn't even see the bubbles from other swimmer feet to guide you. I ended up having to sight about every 4 strokes. That wasn't even enough sometimes when you factored in the current. I took the turnaround buoy a little wide and that threw me out into the middle of the intercoastal waterway. The current kept pulling me farther and farther out towards the other bank and it was a constant battle to stay on course & my time reflected that. Finally I hit that last turn, climbed out on the dock and then ran into TA (TA = Transition Area) to find my bike.

The BIKE: 56miles. The course was in the shape of an "I" and it was 2 loops of flatness. We got to bike on an actual highway. How cool is that! With a flat highway at the beach guess what you get ... WIND! And lots of it. There was easily a 7-8mph difference after the 180 degree turns. Crazy I tell you! With the last turn on the first loop and heading back to TA to start the 2nd loop I started to feel weak. What? I've been holding back some, why am already feeling weak? This is weird. Oh well. Push through it. You knew today wouldn't be easy. You are racing for 70.3 miles. Come on legs lets go! I was able to keep my mph average the same, but my effort level definitely started to increase. At mile 43 I felt like I started to crumble. The most important thing to do on a windy course is to stay low in the aero position, and I couldn't. I had to keep switching from up on the hoods and back into aero. Aggravating for sure. And then the mind games start to play in my head. My nutrition and hydration has been spot on, why is my calf cramping? Why am I so puny?

The RUN: 13.1miles. I walked through TA and thought, oh this is not going to be pretty. This is when your mind comes into play and you are supposed to suppress all the negative thoughts and push through it. Yeah, that did not work for me on this run. The course was an out and back 3 times. At the aid station at mile 2 I saw Nicole and said I was D-O-N-E. She basically told me I'm mentally giving up, and I need to suck it up and keep going. She was right. Funny thing, there was another runner struggling & she said "wow, she's (Nicole's) mean. Can I run you guys!" haha! By the end of the 2nd loop I was in complete meltdown mode. Chin was wobbling, tears were flowing I was going to quit. All I could hope for was that Nicole was waiting at the end of that loop to kick me in the butt and make me keep going. She wasn't there, and I lost it, but I did make that turn to start the 3rd loop and I did finish that race. Sweet Jeff even came back and ran that last little bit with me.

If I'm going to be honest I'd have to say that this race has demoralized me. I felt horrible, and was over an hour longer than I expected to come in at. What happened? I don't know what happened. People say, you learn from your bad races. Well, I didn't learn what to change during the race, but I will probably take a couple Tylenol PM the night before & eat more the morning of the race! The bottom line is, I did finish! I got that finishers medal & I even got 3rd place in the Athena division. Neither of those would have happened if I had walked away from that run course.

The Nations Triathlon - 09/11/11

Being in Washington DC on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 was quite sobering. I am so glad I was able to be in our nations capital on that momentous day.



Stay tuned for the complete recap of the weekend and race!

Open Water ... Scary!?!?

What just touched my leg!?!  >  I can't see anything when I swim.  >  I'm in the middle of a lake!  >  I don't think I can make it!  >  I can't breath!  >  HELP!!!!!

Does this happen to you when you start the lake swim of the triathlon? Don't feel bad. It happens to many people. Whether it is because you haven't been exposed to lake swimming or maybe it is the anxiety of the race getting the best of you. Being out in the lake is one of the best ways to help overcome this.

In an attempt to get the TNT athletes ready for their open water swim, I went to the lake several times as support for my team as they exposed themselves to this type of swimming. Each time they swam about 1 mile and worked on their sighting in Lake Hartwell while I kayaked next to them. There was definite fear for some of them. Others picked it up like it was nothing. The Open Water Swims and Transition Drills are by far some of m favorite TNT training days!

By the last time we swam out there, all of them realized that they could do the swim for their triathlon. They believed in themselves ... and I would call that ... SUCCESS!!