2010 Race Medals

So, I don't have any more races scheduled for the year, so I figured I'd review 2010.   What a year! 2009 was my first in triathlon and this year was one of some awesome accomplishments and one where I made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot about racing.

This year I competed in:
  - 3 Sprint-distance Triathlons
  - 3 Olympic-distance Triathlons
  - 3 Half Marathons
  - 2 Bicycle Rally's
  - 1 Adventure Race
  - 1 Half Ironman

1.  Supporting first -time races is good for the community and for our sport.

2.  Adventure racing is a heck of a lot of fun.

3.  If you want to race fast, you have to race smart. (And that means slowing down for sharp left turns)

4.  After finishing my first 70.3, I realized that I had the drive, the will  and the sincere desire to tackle a full Ironman.

5. Bike rally's are not to be feared. Personally, I felt they would be filled with a bunch of peloton-riding hard core cyclists.  But, everyone is so friendly and they didn't even laugh at my aero bars (at least not in front of me) And, rest stops every 10 miles... with cookies??  Seriously?  Made me question being a triathlete.

6. If the race you're going to ride / run in has hills... it's best to train on hills.  Trust me on this.

7.  No matter how far you are out of your league you feel in any race, you still belong there.  There is room for the person who finished first, just as much as there is for the person who finished last.  Don't let anyone tell or make you feel otherwise.  No one can take the experience away from you.

8.  Always double check the race signs.

9.  Bloggers are a great source of inspiration, motivation and experience!

10.  I can't wait for the 2011 season!!

I had a great talk with my friend, Peyton, tonight. (Sorry, Peyton... hope you don't mind).  But, I can't tell you how much I love talking with people who are just catching the triathlon bug ("Newbies").  Mainly the ones who are considering it, but are scared to death. Why? Because that's exactly where I was a year ago.  Ok. 385 days ago.  I competed in my first sprint triathlon on July 11, 2009.  I was scared to death. Other than knowing that I was going to swim, bike and run... I had no idea what to expect. I had read a ton of articles online, but still wasn't sure how things were going to end up when or if I crossed the finish line.  Well, I finished and while I was exhausted, I immediately started thinking about what I could have done better and if I had only pushed it a little harder on the bike, I could have finished "this" much faster. Yep. I was hooked.


Since July of 2009, I've finished:
5 Sprint-distance triathlons
3 Olympic-distance triathlons
1 Half Ironman-Distance triathlon (70.3 miles)

3 Half Marathons (4 if you count the one in May '09)
1 Full Marathon

1 Adventure Race - Warrior Dash
1 Bike Rally (45 miles)

And the season this year is just getting started! :)  Entering races and events keeps me motivated. If anything it keeps me accountable for my training.  I keep track of my training meticulously, thanks to BeginnerTriathlete.com. It's a great site and using the forums and the training logs are free!   Here's a quick peek at how the site keeps track of everything.

Training Totals

July's totals:
Bike:	7h 01m 33s  - 112.8 Mi
Run:	3h 00m 09s  - 18.2 Mi
Swim:	3h 18m 57s  - 8440.42 Yd
Strength:	5h 55m

2010 totals
Bike:	57h 24m 35s  - 841.64 Mi
Run:	33h 36m 27s  - 202.65 Mi
Swim:	41h 28m 15s  - 90022.42 Yd
Strength:	16h 03m

Family First 
It must seem like I'm working out 24/7, but that's really not the case.  Because, being a mommy is my number one priority and I work full-time. For the majority of the time, I do 2-a-day workouts.   I'm very lucky to have a pool at the hospital that I work at, so I'm able to do my lap swimming there. I also work with two very awesome people that just happen to like to do triathlons or some part of triathlon workouts.  Most days, when I'm not attending a Chamber meeting or other work-related functions, I work out during lunch.  Then after work, I come home and spend the evening with my family until my daughter goes to bed and then I start my second workout of the day.  That's usually either a P90x session, a 4-6 mile run around the neighborhood or some quality time with my bike trainer.  The last of which is my least favorite. Weekends usually include one early morning long run or a bike/ run combo, so I'm back right after breakfast or an early morning race.  It leaves me with the majority of the weekend to spend with my very busy little one, which I should actually be tracking as exercise, because we can play "Following the Leader" for at least an hour.


Back to "One Day"
So, where does this lead me on my "One Day" post title?  I think it comes down to how much I enjoy sharing my active lifestyle with others. Whether it's just answering general questions about triathlons or putting together a half marathon training plan for a first-timer, I love it. I can't tell you how proud I was of my mom, who at age 64, finished her first sprint triathlon earlier this year!  She trained hard and accomplished something she wasn't sure she could do. We all start out questioning our abilities, but given the right opportunity, we can find out what we're capable of.  So, my "one day" is how this new found love of triathlon and my background in marketing/ event planning/ PR might be a great mix for becoming a good race director. I've already talked to our local coach at Fit-N-Wise and we're going to meet later this month about planning some additional tri's for next year.  It looks like I'll be getting my feet wet as the race director for an All-Women's Tri!  How cool would that be for our area?  From there... who knows?  Maybe we'll have a 70.3 race in North Texas in the future.  Ironman...I'm available. Ha! :)