Congrats Kim & Kevin on baby Nora!
Kim, my friend Bree’s only goal going into her first ironman this October was to beat her labor time - maybe that’ll have to be your Hawaii goal this year..
I’m just here to link to Bree’s Blog about training for triathlon as a mom and how it changes things. See it here at breeweehawaii.blogspot.com
Hawaii moms - Bree Wee, Ingrid Rolles & me
1. “You are Juli.” - Len Fiocca (dad). I am Juli. Before. During. After. I am me. This Journey to Kona reminds me that I journey with love and joy and happiness. At the start line and at the finish line, I’m still me.
2. It could be confusing, but as I meditate on it during a long ride, it is simple. Goal setting, visualizing, is the process to put the energy - the possibility - out there. Out there, dangling in mid-air magically. Life’s happiness, however, is not in the possibility. The process, the doing, the joy of each moment, provides fulfillment and happiness.
3. Peace. I like this take: “Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”
4. Mantras: Flow (opposite of force); Freedom (opposite of resistance).
5. Abundance. The abundance of the energy and positive karma of Kona reflects the abundance surrounding us daily. Taking from others is unnecessary. Instead, give, and give openly. This reminds me of the story about the man who was robbed and caught the person in action. The “victim” gave the robber more things.
6. It is what it is. There is no good, no bad, no judgmen
t. You never know what is going to happen next.
7. I love my life. Here we are - Autumn, Michael, my mom, the Goddess of Compassion, and I
In life, sometimes we are blessed enough to have friends that offer not only companionship, but also, inspiration. I grew up with one such person, Sarah Dance and I swam and played water polo together from the time we were youngsters until we left for college. We didnt just swim together, we ate more snow cones than all of Alaska combined, we spent the summers schooling the boys in ultimate frisbee, and she drove the car while I stood through her sunroof scoping out the roadway situation (dont ask).
There is nothing about Sarah that is average, she is the freaky product you get when some with natural talent works extremely hard. While in college she led Truman to the DII NCAA championship while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and volunteering at a hospital. It is no wonder ESPN named her the 2005 Academic All-American of the year.
Now in Medical School, she has embarked on another athletic persuit. Sarah will be racing the Philadelphia Triathlon on June 24th. Sarah will not be racing for herself, she will be racing on behalf of Emma, who was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago. Sarah is trying to raise $5,000 before the race. The money will go to finding a cure…so, check out the website, search your heart, and consider supporting one of our sisters in sport.
http://www.active.com/donate/tntne/tntneSDance
These are the four words that preceded a challenge my oldest daughter, Lauren, recently proposed to me. Lauren swims for The Woodlands Swim Team and has been swimming competitively for half of her young life. She gets a kick out of beating me in the water, and she does so with ease, and with just about any stroke compared to my freestyle-only swimming (I MIGHT be able to hold her off if I handicap her with breaststroke while I swim freestyle). Yes, it is extremely humbling.
I did not grow up swimming, and honestly, I have probably very little comprehension of the difficulties she faces in her races. I have no clue what it is like to have to perform in a meet which has prelims and finals, where, if I am fortunate, I get to swim 14 individual races in a period of four days (not to mention relays). But, c’mon…I HAVE raced a few marathons, some Ironmans, and several Half-Ironmans…so, really how difficult could it be? My races last hours, and hers…for the most part she is finished in a couple of minutes.
Ah, then those four simple, yet complex words, “I bet you can’t…”
Lauren knows I have a competitive spirit, which when faced with somebody telling me “I can’t” do something, usually means that I will work hard just to prove that person wrong. So, when Lauren and I were comparing the difficulties of triathlons versus swimming, she set a challenge for me. She told me, “I bet you can’t swim a 200 fly even if you tried.” I accepted the challenge…foolishly, maybe?
The USMS National LC Championship will be hosted by my hometown Masters Swim Team this coming August, and Lauren graciously gave me until then to train and prepare for the 200 fly. If I succeed, she gets to do my laundry. If I don’t, well…we won’t go there!
I have made the commitment to this race, and have engaged the help of The Woodlands Masters Swim Coaches. While they are positive I will fulfill the challenge set by my daughter, I know it will take a lot of hard work and preparation.
So, now you may wonder…WHY am I doing this?
1. To inspire my daughters to not be afraid of trying something new, regardless of their age. “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” -Babe Ruth
I did not grow up swimming, so the butterfly stroke is something I have viewed as a form of punishment. Really, is the body meant to undulate like that? It surely is not an efficient stroke, is it? It might be a beautiful stroke, when done correctly, but the operative words are…when done correctly. Regardless, the best way to inspire somebody is through actions. Besides, if I don’t try…how will I really know if I can or cannot do something? How can I expect my daughters to live up to a standard, unless I personally do the same?
2. To demonstrate to my daughters that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to as long as you properly prepare. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” -Benjamin Franklin
To date, I have been able to swim 1×50 meter butterfly, but of course, I get to the wall and am gasping for air and my entire body is completely exhausted. Currently I might only be ¼ of the way there, but I am preparing for the 200 fly by religiously working on my core strength (with the help of Gaiam and Trigger Point’s Stability Pods), by taking swim lessons (thank you Fun IN Swimming), and by swimming, swimming, swimming.
3. To motivate my daughters to pursue dreams outside of their comfort zone. “If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison
There is no doubt that attempting the 200 fly is out of my comfort zone, but it has now gone beyond a challenge, and has become a dream of mine. Even swimmers acknowledge that the 200 fly is one of the more difficult races. I can talk to my girls all day about the importance of pushing themselves to the edge, but I would rather have them watch their mom demonstrate the pursuit of a dream.
Happy Training.
Anniversary dates, for each and every one of us are filled with emotion, regardless of the memory or event celebrated. Over the course of the last few days, we have witnessed the unfolding sickness and core-shuddering pictures of a student from Virginia Tech that has not only horrified the student body and faculty of that campus, but also sent shock waves through the entire nation and world (the site of this sadistic killer makes me shudder).
The details of this incident bring back personal memories of shock, horror, and shear terror residual from the Fort Gibson, Oklahoma school shooting which occurred during the time I was a teacher and coach at my Alma matter. Further, the awful Sunday afternoon that my uncle “flaked off”, exhibited threatening behavior toward himself, immediate family (wife and two children), extended family (my aunt, my parents, and me), and local authorities, resulting in witnessing/hearing gunfire that ring through my memories to this very moment, though this happened over 12 years ago.
Today, April 19, 2007, marks the “anniversary” date of a very life changing moment for my home state of Oklahoma and this nation (9:02 AM marks the 12th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City – my thoughts are extended to all the victims, their families, and all the firefighters, medical personnel, police, and other countless individuals who were involved with this terrible attack), as well as another more personal “anniversary” date for someone extremely special to me.
Last year, around 6:45 PM my boyfriend was struck by a van while we were doing a training ride for the Coeur d’Alene IM. Again, my mind cannot help but to “relive” the entire day leading up to the moment, and the events that followed – through the rest of the evening, the night, and days that followed. Initially, he was sent home following a diagnosis of a few broken bones in his shoulder However, (following going to work… Yes!…I said WORK! – at 8 AM – remember, the man was hit by a VAN less than 12 hours prior and didn’t make it home from the Emergency Room until after 1 AM), we went to his personal physician and, following more X-Rays, discovered he had broken his scapula in three places (“shoulder blade” which is one of the most difficult bones in your body to break – the force to break it is equivalent to someone taking a baseball bat directly to it), his clavicle (collar bone), at least 6 ribs (couldn’t really determine exactly how many from the X-ray), and a bone in his right foot.
Four days following the accident…following two additional trips back and forth to the Emergency Room…a CT Scan was done of his abdomen and the “trauma team” finally diagnosed that sometime within the past few days following the accident his spleen had ruptured and he had lost over half the blood volume in his body! (Okay…so, now we knew why he was feeling so crappy! The man nearly died!) Finally, an emergency surgery was performed to remove his spleen and stop his internal bleeding.
Fortunately the man is an anomaly…a “freak of nature”…an IRONMAN triathlete…and survived without any residual, major mal-functions! Every physician, nurse and anybody who knew anything regarding a traumatic experience of this nature could not believe that not only was he alive and had survived, but he was released from the hospital 4 days after having such an invasive surgery – and that he was hacked off that he wasn’t released sooner!!!!!
He has fully recovered. Yes, the moments, minutes, hours, days and first few months following the accident were tough. However, to this day, he will tell you that it was/is his experience of Ironman training and racing that he drew upon to assist in his resilience and ability to recover (he is also quick to respond anytime and (without fail) EVERY time I ask, “are you alright?” with “NOOOOOOOO, ‘Hon’!!! I was hit by a van!”
To date, he is training for this year’s Coeur d’Alene IM and I am confident his reliance will see him through the finish line to once again hear Riley call him “an Ironman”!!!
Peace and IM resilience be with you today and always,
lisa
