You can take the girl out of the triathlon, but you can't take the triathlon out of the girl.

Kaiden wondering what in the world his mommy and aunt are doing out there!



I'm not that short, he is just that tall.



I have given myself exactly one week to feel sorry for myself and as of Monday morning, I am back to my old self. There was an all girls triathlon at eagle creek, but I really wanted to do a 5k so I headed down town to do a running race. I slept in, woke up and had my coffee and headed to the race. My mom and I talked my sister into doing the race so I was excited to make it a family affair.


I haven't done any short course speed work since July and I have been tapering the last month so I kind of forgot what it felt like to race a 5k. I took a look around me and saw a few chicks who could give me a run for money so I decided to start out fast and see what happened. I started out too fast and I was definately leading the womens race. I clocked in at mile 2 somewhere a 6:45 pace and then proceeded to blow up. I took a look behind me and there was no one there so I slowed down a bit so that my lungs didn't out right explode into the canal. It didn't take too long for me to realize that I had lost some upper end aerobic run fitness over the course of the last month. I have been doing longer, slower runs for 2 months now and I am someone who needs to train fast to race fast.


I won the race and realized how much I enjoy late summer/fall races. Running has always been my original passion and it makes me respect my body and appreciate the little things in life (water, a bench in the shade, etc...). After I finished I ran the course backwards until I found my sister, who was also running (with a bleeding blister), and finished the last 1/2 mile with her. My mom, nephew and puppy Lola were all waiting for us at the finish line and it was nice to spend time with them, especially doing what I love on a beautiful day.


After I checked the results from the all girl triathlon, I was a little bummed b/c I would have been 2nd, but I had a great morning and enjoyed myself. I will be turning my focus this fall to running and I have some pretty cool long distance running events coming up.


Even more important is that I still have my zest for triathlon and I have been getting all giddy planning my race schedule for 2009. I am like a kid in a candy store flipping through my event guide and I have a pretty amazing plan of what races I want to do next year.


I love training and I love racing and I will not let one lousy race ruin my spirits. So, even though Ironman didn't treat me to well this year, I am excited to know that my passion is deeper than ever and that is what essentially makes me stronger.