For me, it all started with this Beach2Battleship race in
2009. I went out to watch Eliza
come out of the water and run to her transition area (T1) and then begin her
bike ride. I couldn’t fathom the
distances she was traveling that day, and thought for sure that I could never
do a fraction what she was doing.
It seemed ludicrous! But
the energy of that day fueled the spark that was lit the month before when a
friend came to stay with me to race in the famous YMCA Wrightsville Beach Sprint. She was still nursing one of her
babies. Beside her in her
transition was a woman who was undergoing chemo. What was my excuse?
I went to a workout with my now- trainer and coach Greg Koenig and was maddened at my performance (or lack thereof.) I decided to say it out loud, “I am going to try a
triathlon.” And just to make sure
I didn’t back out, I decided to raise sponsorships and race for a bigger cause,
to take the focus off of myself and keep perspective. When I was struggling during a race, I would remind myself
about true hardship. That’s how
TriForAmani was born, and through triathlon, I have now raised enough
sponsorship to support 33 Kenyan babies for a year. My dream has come true!
I didn’t stop after that first triathlon, and I didn’t stop
after that first year. It’s too
much fun! TriForAmani brings
everything together for me: keeping me healthy, setting a healthy example for
my kids, enjoying the great outdoors, spending time with friends, and helping
others all at the same time. I’ve
now finished my third triathlon season, each with 5 triathlons. October 20, 2012 brought me so much
joy, and I wish for EACH of you to experience even a fraction of the happiness
I felt that day. Here’s a recap.
Beach2Battleship 2012 was a new experience and unlike any
other on so many levels. Although
I’m very familiar with “race nerves,” for my first half- iron distance race, I
was unable to acknowledge them and then chill out as I usually am. Thursday and Friday before the race, I
was so anxious, and still so excited!
I’d been ready to just get out there and get the job done for several
weeks, and the waiting was just killing me! I had done the work, and I knew that once the race started,
I’d be okay, but I grew more and more frustrated that I was wasting energy
being anxious instead of just enjoying the ride.
The day before the race was all about logistics. With a point- to- point race like this
one, there are two transition areas, and getting the multiple bags packed and
decorated and where they needed to be was new. It was not hard, but it was different which meant I had to
take everyone’s advice and roll it into what worked for me. I know the question is not whether
anything unexpected will happen, but whether I will be prepared to handle it
when it does. To prepare myself
for the unexpected, that week I had gone to a pre-pre-race meeting, had practiced
changing a flat with the great Jim Mincher, and gone to the official pre-race
meeting, I was pumping my tires to go check my bike into the first
transition area on Friday afternoon when I hit the first bump in the road:
Front tire flat. In three years,
my first flat was on the day before my first half- iron race? I laughed out loud. And I’m happy that I had the presence
of mind to be grateful that my first flat wasn’t when I was cruising at race
pace!
Thanks to Brandon and Jim at
Two Wheeler Dealer, when I took my bike to T1, it was as good as new. I, however, was a wreck. I had been in the middle of showing my
house that Friday morning (why did I think that was a good time to show my
house?) when school called and my youngest son was being sent home from school
for being disruptive. So, I had my
sweet little devil sidekick with me for the day, and my nerves were shot. This was really unlike me! I loooooove racing. I’m not a fast enough runner to be
finishing anywhere near the top of my age- group, and I do this for fun! To me every finisher is a winner, and I
gain so much more respect for myself with each race. So why was my heart racing for two solid days!? I couldn’t get on top of it. So, I did some yoga, and I kept on
breathing. I kept on putting one
foot in front of the other.
Taking my bike to Wrightsville Beach Park did not help my
nerves. I love my bike; she’s my
girl Judi (JustDoIt). We have spent some serious time together this year! Leaving my Judi at T1 was such a
strange feeling! When I said
goodbye to her at T1 Friday afternoon, it was wild knowing that the next time I
saw her would be on race day, finally!
At that point, I was certain that I was in over my head! All of those beautiful athletes and
beautiful bikes…. What in the world was I thinking!? That’s when I reminded myself of all of those training hours
I’ve put in, how lucky I am to have a body healthy enough to do what I choose,
of all those friends and family who have answered my call to help Kenyan
children, and all of those beautiful children who now have a better chance
because of TriForAmani.
All of that nervousness contributed to how ready I was for
Saturday morning. I was lucky
enough to get to spend the morning with my strong, beautiful, and inspirational
friend and Pink Lady Rebecca Moxey.
We commiserated about how nervous we both were about our first half, we
set up our gear, we went back a million times to touch everything just to make
sure it was there, and we headed down to the southern tip of the island to watch
the incredible start of the full Iron Distance race. I saw my friends from the YDubTriClub, some racing and some
cheering. We heard the national
anthem, and heard the announcer talking about our girl- ELIZA! He said it was “entirely too much Pink”
for him that early in the morning, but it was just right for me! Eliza was all decked out in her Pink
wig and her Pink Ladies Tee- jumping up and down and revving up the energy for
the race. I started to feel
better. I touched the water and
with the slight chill in the air, the water felt like a warm bath and the
current was ripping! It was almost
my turn. I was feeling a little
more like myself every second.
We jogged back to Rebecca’s car, forcefed ourselves another
few bites of nutrition, and then caught up with Pink Lady Beth Andrew and three
other YDub friends.
Into the water
we went to bob like corks and wait our turn, and before we knew it, the PINK
caps (appropriate!) were off! The
current was really racing, and I was grateful that I live here in Wilmington
and have learned how to navigate serious current like that! There were a few moments of “what was I
thinking” again as I was smacked in the back of the head and crawled upon, but
soon I settled in and became calm about the gallons of salt water I was
drinking. I didn’t realize it at
the time because I was caught up in “long and strong,” but I was having a great
swim! Before I knew it, the swim
was over and I was soaking in the amazing energy of the volunteers on
deck. I told one guy who helped
strip my wetsuit “Watch out, I’m tall,” And he said “Well I’m strong so we make
a great team.” THAT was the energy
of the volunteers. They are
crucial.
I felt great running to T1, and I saw my husband and
kids! I didn’t know if I’d see
them there because of the bridge construction, the soccer game schedule,
etc. Yet there were those four
beautiful smiling faces, cheering me on even though I’d spent countless hours
training away from home, and even though I was a grumpy old witch the two
previous days. I had to do this
race with gratitude. I have so
much to be thankful for. So, I get
into T1 and where was my bike? I
couldn’t find Judi! Ah- there it
was- on the ground, with everything in this direction and that, glasses on the
other side of my rack and helmet back near the rack behind. I collected everything and sat to put
on my cleats and gave a chuckle.
OK, that was the blip.
Check.
Off I went to run out and mount the bike and Jim Mincher
(thank goodness he was tech support!) ran out and fixed the top of my flat kit
that was hanging off probably from the bike’s spill. He gave me the great advice “Relax. Nobody ever won a race in the first
mile.” This echoed in my mind throughout the bike ride, though I never actually
entertain the thought of winning a race anyway! As I drove past my husband and kids again to start the bike,
I yelled “I love you!” and that is really all that matters.
Until I realized that my water (with electrolytes) had
spilled out of my aero bottle while it was lying down on the ground. Uh oh. Starting a 56mile bike ride with one water bottle and no
more electrolytes except the ones in sugary Gu and Shot Blocks…. Yikes and
yuck. I reached the water bottle
handoffs, and at the second one, the water bottle had a giant hole in it and I
only got to have a few sips of water from there. And even though I know that if you reach the thirsty point,
you are already behind, I just kept going. What was my other option!? I felt decent on the bike, but I knew I didn’t have my usual
mojo. I could tell that the days
of nervousness had caught up with me.
The high point of the ride was to have my friends around me, like Beth
Andrew, Renee Griffin, Crystal Fink, and Frances Atkins. The low? Definitely when I was eating a bite of my pb&banana sandwich
and fiddling around with nutrition and I got a drafting penalty for not being a
full 3 lengths back from the girl in front of me. Uggh. I wasn’t
drafting (I was far right and she was out left and at least 2 ½ lengths in
front) but I still technically broke the rule. 4 minute penalty!
I made it, though, and made my goal of under 3 hours on the bike even
though I was not feeling superstrong.
Off to the run!
My weakest leg of the race, but there it always is, waiting for me,
giving me chance after chance to Just Do It! I’m working on it, but the run always gets me. And at mile 3, I had no idea how I was
gonna pull another 10 miles out of this body. How did I make the mistake of putting in new race laces the
night before and not running in them?
Wow, they were too tight by mile 3 and too knotted to do anything about
it. Another chuckle….. another opportunity for
improvement. I was so happy to see
Ydub cheerleaders at Satellite, and then my sweet husband figured out where to
go so that I saw him, my three boys, and Amity, my best friend who had driven
up from Raleigh, 5 times on the run before the finish line! That was it!
That was how I got through it. I was able to tick off a mile and a half here and there
between each time I saw them, and then before I knew it, they said “See you at
the finish line!”
On the way in I was thinking about all of those wonderful,
emotional things that I promised myself I would reflect upon when things got
tough. I am so blessed to have
health, friends, family, coaches, the desire and support to give back, and this
wonderful life to enjoy. I could
hardly believe it when I saw the black and white finish line right there in
front of me. When I was almost
there, I choked back tears to see and hear Sarah Heuttl and Sharon Siebert
there screaming my name, then my family and Amity, and I could hardly keep
myself together.
And then I
broke. I saw it. The Pink Ladies…. Literally. There were Elizabeth Hinshaw and Eliza
Blackwell in all of their Pink, jumping up and down for ME this time! For me! I did it!
And I’m back for more next year. The weather can’t possibly be as beautiful, but I won’t be
as nervous, I won’t let my bike get knocked over, I won’t get a drafting
penalty, I won’t put in new shoelaces the night before, and I will charge ahead ready to meet next
year’s challenges. I will just
keep breathing and I will keep putting one foot in front of the other, all for
that feeling at the end.
