Goodbye LA, Hello Thornton Colorado

Posted on May 10, 2008 in Ramblings, Training Updates

After the Olympic Trials, I headed back to LA for a week of hard training, intense packing, and saying goodbye to my favorite haunts in the area. It was sad to leave my LA family; they were so amazing to stay with and so hospitable. I got very lucky when they agreed to let me stay with them. To show my appreciation, I got them some gifts but there is really no way to thank a family for taking you in for months and letting you be a part of their life. It was such a great experience for me to get to know the kids as well as Sam and Jay; their son Wing grew up so much in the few short months that I was there from saying a few words to talking in sentences and their daughter Lela was always a breath of fresh air. I definitely am going to miss everyone and of course the crazy dogs…but I am heading back to a crazy dog of my own in Colorado not to mention his crazy owner.After a week of getting my butt handed to me in practice, I packed up the car with all my stuff and then added all Jenna’s stuff and then squeezed in some more stuff until there was not one ounce of extra space and headed back home early on Sunday April 28th. It was great to have Jeena along for the ride; she was a great driving companion and we made amazing time. Sorry Mary but she doesn‘t need to pee quite as often as you so I was forced to hold it and so we only stopped every 4 hours instead of every 2. We did the drive all in one day and arrived exhausted in Colorado at 10pm ….after 16 hours of driving and an hour lost to the time zone difference. Jeff was suprised to see us so soon and we ruined his welcome back suprise, sorry about that. Jeena and I settled in and will be ready to start training camp thornton edition on Monday...

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Healing in LA

Posted on May 10, 2008 in Race Reports, Ramblings

I arrived back in LA a bit of a mess; I wasn’t able to swim and my whole body and head still were in a lot of pain. But in than 2weeks, the Olympic Trials will be held in Tuscaloosa Alabama. I am scrambling to try and plan my last minute travel down to Alabama and find flights that aren’t going to cost me an arm and a leg. Since I don’t have funding from the national team, I will have to pay for everything and hope they reimburse me something in the next year. Plus the reimbursement has a cap so I am trying to keep the travel under that so I don’t have too much out of pocket. This week it is very hard still not being able to swim. Each day that I can’t get into the water is tough, I am definitely concerned since tapering and traveling for the past 2 weeks along with not being able to swim this week after the crash is going to hurt my chances of keeping up in the swim. I can’t afford to miss 3 weeks of swimming leading up to a race where Sara McLarty and the other girls are going to be on fire in the water. But at this point there is nothing I can do to change what happened in New Zealand so I just am just going to focus on what I can do. And on the bright side at least I am no longer feeling sick and nothing is broken. Here are some pictures from the race in New Zealand courtesy of my amazing home-stay family: The photos above are from the race…pre-crash. This photo below is me and the girls post-crash. You can see my arms are pretty bandaged up and I have some nice cuts on my forehead and...

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Fail to Succeed

Posted on Mar 15, 2008 in Ramblings, Training Updates

I failed in one of my running workouts this week. I was supposed to descend the run starting out conservatively and then ratcheting down the pace every two miles to finish running hard. Unfortunately, I started out way too aggressively running my first 2 miles too fast. Then, I was forced to hang on and suffer for the rest of the run. I completely failed to complete the workout as intended; however, I still improved my fitness and mental toughness by finishing the session with 100% effort.I think that sometimes failing in a workout whether it’s a run, swim, or bike makes you a stronger athlete. If every workout went perfectly as planned, it wouldn’t be a challenge. The interesting thing about doing sports is that every workout is an opportunity to improve my physical and mental fitness. Thinking that there is no possible way I can take another step let alone finish the workout and yet gutting through it to finish makes it easier to get through a tough race when the body really start to hurt. Staying focused and positive when a workout goes poorly is the best way to prepare for that situation in a race. I love this quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” I have definitely been at the end of my rope and somehow managed to survive. I remember my first marathon in Chicago, I had an unseeded number so was supposed to start way back from the elite runners. But I wanted to really give it a go in the race so I jumped the barrier and started up to the front as close to the pros as was allowed. My attitude was either your going for it or you’re not, and I didn’t want to finish with any excuses as to why I didn’t have a good race. So I wanted to hold 6 minute pace as long as I could and managed to hit the first half in 1:19. While I paid for the early pace during the last six miles, the risk also garnered me a great finish as well as made me mentally stronger and smarter for the next one. In triathlon, I have had similar experiences where I don’t think I can possibly finish a workout or race yet somehow I manage to get through it. Every time it is much better to finish even if it’s ugly than to quit and it makes the races that go well according to plan even more...

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Getting by with a little help from…..

Posted on Mar 4, 2008 in Ramblings, Training Updates

Confucius, otherwise known as 孔夫子; Kǒng Fūzǐ; K’ung–fu–tzu, or “Master Kung“, was a thinker and social philosopher whose teachings have deeply influenced Asian thought and life. His philosophy emphasized morality, justice, and sincerity. Confucius’ thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism (儒家). Confucius emphasized the importance of study and is still seen by Chinese people as a Great Master. He wanted his disciples to think deeply for themselves and relentlessly study the outside world, relating the moral problems of the present to past. One of the deepest teachings of Confucius may have been the superiority of personal exemplification over explicit rules of behavior. His moral teachings emphasise virtue, self-cultivation, emulation of moral exemplars, and the attainment of skilled judgment. What does all this have to do with triathlon? On the surface of day to day training, not a whole lot…. However, after all the workouts and hard training, life and our journey in triathlon still has to have meaning and provide fulfillment aside from success or failure at any specific event. Each day involves personal choices: to give 100% or cheat yourself, to support your teammates or put them down, to appreciate your coach, friends, family or to take them for granted, to see the world through empathic eyes or critical ones, to see your challenges as opportunities or dread them as insurmountable mountains. This season, I want to find embrace each step of the journey and remain calm under all the antagonizing eternal pressures. Here are a few wise quotes from Confucius that really capture the essence of my hopes for this years’ adventures. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do. “ “Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.” “Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses. “ “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” “Wheresoever you go, go with all your...

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"Eat, Do the splits, & Be happy!"

Posted on Feb 12, 2008 in Ramblings, Training Updates

“Eat, Do the splits, & Be happy!” – I need to give credit to the brilliant poet Lela. She is the creative and bubbly 8 year old daughter of my home stay family in LA. Her motto hangs by the front door as a daily reminder and definitely helps me keep things in perspective as I head out the door for yet another training session. Kids don’t sweat the small stuff and focus on what is really important. This season I want to be more like Lela and not worry about the all the external things I can’t control. During all the hard workouts, I am focusing on doing the best that I can whether I am on-fire or feel awful. Failing or succeeding in one workout in February will not determine my race results or define my season. Keeping the daily challenges from getting to me and enjoying the journey will help me find the success I am looking for this year. It has been a nice treat living with Lela and the rest of my home stay family, and I look forward to learning a ton more over the next few...

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World Famous

Posted on Feb 12, 2008 in Ramblings, Training Updates

Well no not really but I can dream…. I did get a nice interview featured in the online news section for Lawrenceville. Check out the article here. I would like to thank Barabara from the alumni and development office for writing such a thorough and complimentary piece. She made me sound impressive. And last week, USAT published a list of the American Triathletes who have qualified to compete at the Olympic Trials in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. There are 12 women and 10 men on the list, and at this point I am perched percariously at the tip of the women’s...

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