A Selfish Reason to Race?

I have often said that "Forty is where things started to get really good."  I got a bit more comfortable being me.  My running took off.  I have run Boston - twice; achieved "Streaker" status at the Breast Cancer Marathon - #RunDonna.  And ... I found Triathlon.  As I near fifty, I can only imagine how much better things can be.

 

I haven't "raced" triathlon at a level worth calling competitive since I kind of fell into the sport as "support and sherpa" for my older son, the one I refer to as #KonaKid.  He started in youth tris and then jumped headlong at the age of 12 into "adult sprints."  I followed along because I was a "momma hen" and didn't want my baby chick on the road with all those scary grown up athletes.  It wasn't long before he had proven that he could hold his own and make those "scary" grown ups chase him down in order to beat him at the finish line.  Yes, I have some great finish line stories.

In the early years:  2008 - 2010, I would wait on the beach (forfeiting a finish time) for my Boy to get out of the water, and then off we would run to T1 for the rest of the race.  At that time, I could beat him on the bike and get a decent lead on the run.  He always caught me on the run.  #LittleSnot  He always placed high enough in his age group to qualify for USAT Age Group National Championships, but was not able to participate due to age rules at the time.  

Not too long after, once I knew he was good on the course, I actually began participating in the entire event.  Eventually, I swam a little; finagled a somewhat decent bike; and worked a bit on running off the bike.  I did one sprint.  Then I jumped to 70.3.

2013, a year after my first 70.3 ("half ironman"), the bar was raised significantly by my #KonaKid when he raced his first and second 70.3 within 2.5 months of each other and both under five hours.  The announcer at the finish line of his second 70.3 (Ironman Honu 70.3) called him a "Brat" and the grandparents immediately dubbed him #HonuBrat.  A few hours later at "slot rolldown" he was on his way to Kona for the Ironman World Championship.  Four months later, October 2013, he was the youngest competitor on the Ironman World Championship stage.  In 2014 he raced in the USAT Age Group National Championship securing a place on Team USA for the 2015 ITU World Championships.  It was a busy three years for him.

A couple of months ago my #ChooCrew training partner and I decided to add a challenge to our season with a late season 70.3 at the USAT Long Course National Championships. My thought process was I have a slim chance of maybe, just maybe, qualifying for Team USA and the ITU Long Course World Championships than I do at qualifying for the ITU International/Olympic Distance World Championships.  

The notification that I qualified for USAT Age Group National Championships was a welcome pat on the back, despite knowing beforehand that I would not go to Omaha, Nebraska.  And, it brought out the "honest realization" that my desire to race the LCNats was more than somewhat selfish.  I wanted to be able to say that my Boy was not the only Abbey to qualify to race on the world stage.  Is it wrong?  Probably so.  Does it lessen my desire to go and possibly garner a spot on Team USA?  No.  Will I lay off the intensity of my training?  Nope.  My coach would NEVER allow that.  Am I looking forward to a new type of race atmosphere?  Definitely.  Racing in a different country?  You bet.  But, that is later.  For now, one thing at a time.  Ironman Chattanooga.  Then, USAT LC Nats.

Training Partners or "Accountabili-buddies"?

There's this girl, woman really, who's been on the periphery of my training circle for many years.  In more recent times we have become better friends with quite a lot in common as it so happens.  Our families have grown closer, and during the course of the last several months we have become fairly dedicated training partners.  (Another friend of mine would call us "Accountabili-buddies")  Having been an early morning - read before dawn - runner for many, many years prior to the silliness of triathlon, I find it easiest to kick start my day by getting my work out "in the books."  She has NOT been an early morning person, and frequently reminds me of that at 5:20 a.m. as we stand on the pool deck me having already had my first LARGE cup of coffee and Facebook fix and her ... well, not so much.  However, by the end of the workout she is, in her coach's words, "down right chipper."

We often seek our respective coach's approval to modify or reschedule a workout so that we can do them together either literally or virtually.  Just ask her about the "Crazy Brick" day.  Wow!  That is one virtual workout neither of us is likely to soon forget.  ;-)  We have planned races and training camps together so as to maximize our efforts towards a common goal:  Ironman Chattanooga 2016.  Both of us being experienced IronWomen know that solo 140.6 training can be lonely, isolating, and sometimes downright depressing.  We have put some spark in our training by adding in fun when we can.  Sometimes it is a race that falls in the middle of a long training run.  Other times it's a not so exciting Friday Night Pizza gathering.  We have begun calling ourselves the #ChooCrew and have given ourselves matching swimsuits complete with #ChooCrew2016 monogramming.

There is a regular stream of text messages that are more often than not training related.  However, there are the conversations that discuss the ups and downs of our careers, what's for dinner, the new movie that was just released, and what our Boys are doing. While we do not train side-by-side every workout, or even every day, we do keep each other up-to-date in that text stream with what we did and what we maybe were SUPPOSED to have done.  The give and take is very even, and I believe that both of us will have a one of a kind race season that can only lead to even greater and fabulous things beyond 2016.  Accountability breeds transparency which, in our unique partnership, means that we can push each other knowing fully that in our two different age groups (and 10 year gap in age) we are setting the stage for success.

Building Athletes and Finding Finish Lines

Last year ended extremely well, athletically speaking:  a PR in the 140.6 distance, a third invitation to the best amateur team out there - Big Sexy Racing, a second "c'mon over" by Honey Stinger to bee in the 2016 Hive, and a couple of new opportunities to be a bit more involved with a couple of product lines that I have liked and utilized for several years now.

As 2015 drew to a close and 2016 dawned anew, I submitted an application to CycleOps (owned by the Saris Cycling Group) to become one of their Brand Ambassadors.  I knew the number chosen was going to be small, and I really did not think much more about it.  The first week in February, true to the application information, the Ambassadors were announced, and I was among them.  We are only about a month into the "life" of this group, and the training and communication thus far are exceptional.  I am pleased to say that the three brands (PowerTap, CycleOps, Saris Racks) are all products that I can fully get behind and am proud to say that I currently own and use, or will very shortly.  With that successful addition to the training and coaching arsenal, I thought I would take a chance on applying with my all time favorite compression gear company:  CEP Compression (MEDI USA).  Again, with athletes such as Meb Keflezighi, Michelle Vesterby, and Andy Potts on their roster why oh why would they add a "stay-at-home-mom-turned-legal-assistant-turned-age-group-ironman" to their list?  But, they did.  And, my excitement for 2016 then hit a new all time high.

It was as I was chatting with one of my friends and athletes the other night, a little bit of reality sank back in.  She told me that when she trains her driving force is me.  She said, "I want you to see me at the finish line and think, 'I built that.  I created this athlete.' "  But, that's not the point.  I tried to explain to her that it's not MY finish line she is looking for, it's hers.  It is her life she is reclaiming.  Her inner turmoil she is over-coming.  Her demons she is slaying.  I'm just there as a guide; a voice of reason; a reminder (sometimes not so gentle) of what needs to be done to get to the finish line.

I have no desire to be the reason OR excuse for any one's success or failure.  As a coach, I repeatedly tell athletes that I am merely a guide, resource, tool in their tool belt on THEIR JOURNEY to the finish line.  I remind them that I can offer them all of the necessary tools, but I cannot do the work for them.  If they choose to not do the work, it is on them.  However, in that process I will be their strongest advocate, loudest cheerleader, and most single-minded person for their success they know.  Thus, I am constantly amazed, surprised, and in awe of what hurdles can be leaped on the way to success.

I am excited to reap the benefits of working with some of the absolutely most fabulous products available to endurance athletes world wide.  I am anxious to see what my friends, athletes, and BSR team mates "throw down" this year in training and on the race course.  I greet each sunrise with a renewed sense of hope and anticipation for what the day holds.  

You are only promised today:  grab it with both hands and make it yours.

Gifts I've Been Given

Just about the only radio stations I listen to in my car are KLove and Way FM, both are contemporary Christian stations.  I hear stories and testimonies daily about stepping out in Faith; trusting God and what He can do in our lives; overcoming addictions, trials and tribulations; and more than double taht the good things that have happened in peoples' lives around the world.  I often think to myself that I have never been to that "rock bottom" place in my life.  Sure, I've been down; I've been depressed; I've wished for better, more, different that what I had; but I have never felt that I was at the bottom of the pit with no way out.  (Well, there was that one time in my very early twenties, but I survived it and I'm still around to wreak havoc in many other ways.)  What I have learned is that I have been given gifts.  Some may call them talents or skills.  I call them gifts.  I didn't hone them as one does a skill.  I didn't take lessons to refine them as one does a talent.  They just exist.  And, they should be shared.

What I have also learned is that by adopting that more positive approach has allowed me to touch people in another way:  by guiding others to reach their running and/or triathlon goals.  As many know, I first helped a few friends conquer marathon goals after I qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2010.  Since that time I have "moonlighted" as a running and triathlon coach with every single one of the athletes that I have assisted has met or exceeded their goals.  One of the first things that an athlete asks a potential coach is "how much do you charge?"  I am lucky that as an independent coach (one not attached to any coaching group) I can reply that my fees are "negotiable."  Many, if not most, of the athletes I guide are going through a divorce, are single parents, recently lost a loved one, are life long friends, or touch my heart in a unique way.  I cannot charge these people $350/month.  Sometimes I can't even charge $150/month.  It simply does not feel right.  You see, I didn't get into coaching to pad my retirement fund.  I didn't get into coaching to buy a car, or pay off my house.  I do it because I truly, in my heart and soul, believe that God gave me the gift of being able to participate in endurance athletics, and further blessed me with the gift of being able to help others reach their goals in similar situations. 

Many years ago I joined a Bible study group where one of the women NEVER seemed to have a down moment; never a negative or critical word to say about anyone or any situation.  Not even when she was diagnosed with breast cancer was she negative.  She never questioned God or blamed anyone for the hand she had been dealt.  She calls, to this day, everyone she meets Sweetie, Darlin', Honey, Babe, Doodle, Google (my special name), Bug, etc.  Not to long after meeting her I made a conscious effort to emulate her outward persona.  I figured that if I said it often enough, or used enough nice, cutesy names, and smiled even when I wanted to throat punch someone that I could become positive just like her.  Time will tell if it was a successful approach and whether or not it has positively affected my ability to guide another to realize their endurance goals.

I often tell an athlete that I will push you hard.  I will work you until you just want to go to bed.  But, I will be your most reliable confidant, your biggest advocate, and your loudest cheerleader.  I will train with you if I am able; I will travel with you if I can afford it; and I will talk you down off any ledge you climb.  I quickly discovered that being a coach is to be comprised of part athletic coach, nutritionist, psychologist, counselor, friend, confidant, and personal a$$ kicker.  Not always in equal parts, and certainly not always all at the same time.

Not every coach is for every athlete.  Not every athlete can work with just any coach.  I am not the right person for everyone looking for a coach.  However, I can promise that if we open up a partnership, we will be successful for God will have put us together for a reason.  And, if God is for us, who then can be against us?

I Corinthians 9:24-27