Many triathletes and runner’s train alone.  They have a schedule that a coach prescribes, daily time constraints from work, family, their kids sporting events, friends, eating and sleeping.  As a coach and elite athlete myself I can’t stress enough the value of finding a training partner or group.  Mandy and Stacy pictured above are two of my weekly training partners.   Every week we meet to push each other through speed workouts and for easy runs.  We’ve mastered the art of talking and laughing at almost any pace which can make a 17 mile run feel like 5 miles.  If you have a training partner it holds you accountable to show up and pushes you to dig a little deeper naturally then you could on your own.  TP’s are also your support team and know what to say if you’re having a good or bad day.  I recently hit the wall in the LA Marathon.  It was pouring rain, cold and I was tight and feeling miserable.  I knew many training partners were thinking of me during my race and I knew my training partner was behind me and going to catch me as my legs slowed with each painful step.  Mandy caught me at mile 18.5 and said, “Keep going, you can do it, just finish. “  Those words are what Mastercard would call “priceless”.  I re-focused on a new goal, just finish and get the qualifying time for next years Boston.  My Timex GPS told me my average pace which I knew was still a fast enough time to get the qualifying spot.  My PR goal was out the window and my pain level was high.  Just like in a training session, in a racing session I was able to dig a little deeper then I could have then on my own.

The biggest value of a training partner or group is the friendships you build.  Today my dearest friends are people who I spend or have spent hours each week training with.  Our passion for athletics embodies our zest for life.  The goal is to get the most out of each day.

To find a group or training partner,  google: master’s swimming, local bike rides or bike shops, track practices or local clubs in any sport.  I guarantee you won’t be disappointed and you’ll reach a new level of enjoyment for your training and your fitness!

This weekend my family and I traveled to down to San Juan for the inaugural Puerto Rico 70.3, along with a large crew from the Boston area. It was a race I had been looking forward to for over a year, and what a great race it was! The race directors did a fantastic job organizing the event, and I am sure that it will be a very popular venue for those looking for an early season race for years to come. (And, it was a wonderful and welcome change from the snow and cold we’ve had up north all winter!) To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect going into this race, as it was my first race back after taking last season off. My training had been going really well, (thanks Jesse!! I didn’t really think it was possible to get back in shape so quickly!) but I wasn’t sure how exactly that would translate on race day…I had so many butterflies at the start that it felt like my first race all over again! I wondered if after my long hiatus from riding a bike outside, whether riding a bike would be like, well, “riding a bike”-something you never forget. (It was, no troubles there!) And, I forgot how many little details that must come together to have a successful race! Fortunately, as soon as I got out on the race course, it all came back to me and I was so very happy to be back out there…turns out that if you take a season off, you might forget how many gels you’ll need or exactly which goggles are best for a sunny swim-but I hadn’t lost an ounce of my love for racing. Phew! So…on to the race details!

Rather than bore you with a blow by blow of the swim, bike and run (and what a tough run course it was!)…I thought it might be fun to break this race down by the numbers to give you an idea of how my day went!

Thanks to Timex for all the support…it was a great first race as a member of the team!

89 degrees, race day temperature

162 days since my daughter Ella was born

473 days since I last rode my bike outside at Ironman AZ in 2009 (I told you it was a snowy winter in Boston!)

1st race since 2009 (…hence my nerves!)

5th amateur swim split

1st amateur bike split

6 bottles of powerbar endurance and 5 powergels (LOVE this stuff-kept me fueled and cramp free during a very hot day!)

12th amateur female

3rd place in Age Group

Ella and I at awards

In case you can't read that, it says, "Just so you know, my mom is a rule maker, not a rule follower. So now you can prepare yourself for my mom. Info by Autumn.

Although my daughter knows me and nailed me on this, it is also true that I have some built in need to do what I “should”, to “please others”, to meet others’ perceived or real expectations. This ensured my academic success but also fuels internally created stress. Since this is a blog, and not some self-help-wanna-be, I’ll just share and be on my way.

Karen and I

To back up two weeks, I was seriously pre-meltdown (maybe full meltdown) status. Stress + stress = twitchy eyes.

So, last night, when I was out with friends, talking with them about how we enjoy career, family, fitness/hobbies — the realization dropped on my head. I didn’t have to carry around what I “should” do. I chose my new career to enjoy the journey. It was ok to not take on the list of “shoulds” — especially those that just don’t fit me or my vision of my journey.

Cheezy or zen. Maybe. Enjoy your journey.

PS, Cute photo of a best friend, Karen, and I included, since I “should” post pics with my blog.

I was training in Tucson with my coach, about 100 miles away from my former college teammate, Sally Meyerhoff, when I got word of devastating news.    Just days before we were supposed to get together, she was training hard on her bike and collided with a truck.  She was killed instantly.  Tears inundated my stunned face.  I did not know how to respond to the terrible news.  I feared getting back on my bike, but my coach told me that Sally would want me to ride.  With much reluctance and hesitation, I clipped into my bike and so began the most cathartic experience of my life.  I was able to reflect on amazing memories I shared with my dear friend, including experiencing the exact same century ride a year prior with Sally.  At the end of that ride, she had only gone 97.5 miles.  She asked me to ride another 2.5.  I told her “There is no way I can get on that bike again.”  She said, “Okay, I will ride around the parking lot for 2.5 more.”  Then after she got her 100, she proceeded to push me to the ground as we ran our first mile in the 5:40s.  I tried hanging on for dear life, but she managed to destroy any sort of confidence I had after only 8 minutes. She averaged 6:09 pace for the 5 miles after her first century – 40 miles longer then any of her previous rides.

My heart ached for the moments she did not have to make her dreams a reality.  She had a marathon PR of 2:35.  Her goal was to set the Ironman World Championships run record this year.  I believed her.  I admired her arduous work ethic and realized that I had to race for Sally.

I raced the Tobacco Road Marathon in her honor.  I wore what Sally would have wore:  Hot pink compression socks, pink and black leopard print tiny shorts, pink shirt that said “Run for Sally,” French Braids, and Brooks shoes.  I used her legs to help me cross the finish line.  I knew that Sally would have not settled for anything less then a win.  At each mile, a memory of Sally would infiltrate my mind.  When my legs started tiring, I thought of Sally.  Sally would not give up when obstacles arose.  I crossed the finish line with a new course record of 2:55.  Not fast for Sally’s standards, but I raced giving it everything that I had in me. 

I am going to continue going after my dreams to honor my dear friend who inspired me beyond what mere words can capture.  In her honor, my former Duke teammates are going to run a race in every state.  We are also setting up a non profit for female endurance athletes to equip them to reach their full potential.  Run for Sally, run after your dreams.

Europe has had the pleasure of Mr Will Kelsay for a few weeks now, so we decided to take training on the road with a bit of a training camp in London. Whilst fun, this was a little cold and damp, so we relocated last week to southern Portugal where conditions have been much balmier. We’ve both got early season races starting in just under 3 weeks, so its been a good opportunity to get some hard work and race pace work done.

Warm weather clothes needed by the English Channel

Travelling lightThat's more like it - overlooking the Med :)

We’ve got another couple of days here before headed back home – London for me, France (temporarily) for Will. That’s good for Portugal as I think we’ve cleared them out of eggs, fruit, bread and rice cakes!