As Emily and I approached our vehicle after completing our Riverside triathlon, after waiting for the medal ceremony, and even after packing up all our equipment from the transition area, we heard sirens, saw flashing lights, and when we looked up, it was the final racer coming in from the bike and on to her swim.  She was pedaling her mountain bike up the final hill, a full hour and ten minutes after we crossed the finish line, followed by six motorcycle police officers heralding the end of Riverside's very first triathlon.  I was so inspired by her determination.  She reminded me so much of where I started on this journey--a little out of shape, but so motivated to change my life that I was willing to push myself to the absolute limits of what my body could do.  It is amazing what can happen when you mix a lot of motivation, a dash of courage, and a handful of perseverance.
          For some reason the theme of perseverance has come up a lot in the last few weeks--at work, at home, among my friends, in my training--perseverance seems to be a common theme. I have shared in the past how inspired I am by my daughter and her determination to play volleyball.  Over the years she has had coaches underestimate her potential, she has had an injury that led to shoulder surgery, and, unfortunately, she inherited her mother's height, which seems to be the kiss of death when it comes to being a volleyball player.  Recently, she didn't make it on her club volleyball's elite team, and while she was devastated, once again her attitude has inspired me. Instead of giving up altogether, she has just changed her focus.  Instead of shooting for an athletic scholarship, she will work on an academic one, while continuing to practice her volleyball in hopes of walking on to a team once she gets there.  I love that attitude, and I think that as I train for my Ironman, I will continue to look at her determination and use that to push me on through some difficult training days.

          As I was swimming a few weeks ago a funny thought came to me, "I wish I had more perseverance."  The more I thought about it, the funnier it seemed that here I was swimming at 5:30 AM, doing something that I don't love, and I was worried about my perseverance.  I think sometimes I confuse being frustrated with not persevering.  The actual definition of perseverance is, "the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition," and nowhere in that definition does it state that frustration cannot be a part of the equation.  In fact, many of my training partners have experienced frustration lately, but have refused to give up.
          For the last couple of months a few of my running friends have been dealing with issues that have made running difficult for them.  One has had foot issues that have, at times, had her walking her marathon training miles, and the other has had trouble with her knee.  While both have been sensible and rested for periods of time, they have continued on by cutting back on the miles and doing more cross training, including biking and swimming.  When my friend visited her physician about her knee, even the doctor had to concede that runners are a stubborn breed.  He told her that he wouldn't tell her not to run anymore because, "Asking a runner to stop running is like asking them not to breathe."  Even Kay, who is dealing with Stage III rectal cancer, has been a consistent early morning running partner.  I know I can speak for the majority of my running friends when I share that we always feel better when we are out running and biking (and for some, maybe swimming as well).  We are rarely happy when we have to rest and hear about our friends on the roads without us.
          The workouts this week were a challenge for me, but I know this extra training will prepare me for February when the real Ironman work begins.  On Wednesday I started some double training as I begin a push to be prepared for the swim portion of the race.  I am resting on Mondays, swimming and biking on Wednesday and Fridays, running Tuesday/Thursday, and then swimming, biking and running my longer miles on the weekends.  I know I have the motivation, I plan to persevere--I just hope my body cooperates with my plan.  I will succeed!

Siobhan--“Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.” (Love you girl!)
              --Charles Jones, Life is Tremendous

          When I took on the challenge of training for an Ironman, I knew that the training necessary would be grueling.  It has taken months of early morning swims, bikes, and runs.  I have spent many miles running or biking to increase my speed, stamina, and confidence.  And I have had to carefully plan my events this year. By the time I arrive at the Vineman (Ironman) race in late July 2013, I need to be able to complete the course before the 17 hour cut-off time (really 16 1/2 hours because our swim wave starts 30 minutes after the first swim wave).  My schedule for the next nine months includes another sprint triathlon, a full marathon, a century (100 mile) bike ride, and then completing an unofficial Half Ironman.  So far I am right on track to meet my goals.
          A couple months ago I competed in my very first sprint triathlon at Camp Pendleton.  What I didn't know then was that sprint courses do not have uniform lengths for their swimming and biking legs.  At Camp Pendleton I had to swim 500m in the ocean, which just about killed me, and after I drug myself out of the surf, I had to get on my mountain bike and pedal 18 miles even before I attempted the 3.1 mile run.  To say I was unprepared is an understatement.  My swimming was so poor that by the time I got to the bike portion I had used up most of the energy I had available for the entire race.  I was so discouraged that I actually began to doubt that I would ever be able to train enough to finish my Ironman.
          Today was a different story, and it wasn't just because the lengths were shorter.  I honestly felt like I was more than ready for this one.  I also had a secret weapon with me--my running buddy Emily.  We left dreary, rainy Murrieta only to find nice racing weather in Riverside.  The threatening, dark clouds above actually made for perfect running weather--not too hot and not too cold.  We arrived super early so we could pick up our race packet, organize our bike and swim necessities in the transition area, and still have time to stretch, hit the bathroom, and relax a little before race time. This was a backwards triathlon so we actually ran first, then biked, and our last leg was the swim. Psychologically, this was perfect for me.  I know I can run and my biking has gotten stronger, so I knew by the time I got to the pool I would have enough energy to complete a 150m swim.
          Emily and I had planned to watch our pacing so we didn't go out too strong on the run, but after about a half mile we realized we were going faster than we ever do in our training.  At one point we were doing a 7:15/mile pace, much too fast for us to keep up for over three miles.  We slowed it down for the rest of the run and finished the 3.1 mile course in about 28 minutes. 
        Our transition to our bikes was quick.  This was a beautiful bike course running along Victoria Avenue with views of all the amazing Riverside mansions, several schools, and lots of orchard properties. Despite the scenery we got down to business, and we were soon passing people up on the bike leg.  We passed over thirty people and found ourselves among some pretty strong looking athletes all the way to the bike finish.   At the transition area, we switched into our swim equipment and ran towards the pool for the final leg of our race.
         The pool did not intimidate me.  I jumped right in, but as soon as my feet touched the water I was hit with a painful charlie horse in my right calf.  I stopped for a minute to stretch it out, and then continued to swim the 150m using just my arms so I didn't risk another leg cramp.  I got behind some really slow swimmers, but on the second lap I passed them up, swam the rest of the pool using my freestyle, and never once resorting to a doggie paddle or breast stroke like I had at my Camp Pendleton race.  I pulled myself up at the end of the pool and ran towards the finish line.  Emily was there to cheer me on, and I crossed the finish in 1:16:12, a very decent time for me.
          I am very proud of this finish.  I trained hard, I raced hard, and it really paid off.  I actually finished 6th in my age-division...less than 5 minutes from the woman who got 1st in my division.  I know I still need work on my swim, but I have nine months of training left to prepare me for the 2.4 mile swim I will do for Ironman. What today showed me is that training does pay off.  I may not like getting up before 5 am to swim and run, but if I do, I will be rewarded in the end.
         

          Now you may not have noticed this with all my blog posts and Facebook updates, but I am very committed to my training.  I have been swimming 2-3 days a week, running 3 days, and trying to get 1-2 bike rides in as well.  With all that, I won't even begin my official Ironman training until October 22.  Having said all that, sometimes I just like to get out there and have some fun.  So when my friend Mark asked me if I would run the Survivor Mudrun with him last month, how could I say no?
          The ironic thing is that this time last year I was stressing about just being able to complete this race's obstacles, and after a year of Crossfit, running, biking, and swimming, this is my fun race.  It is not that this race is easy, I still had to run about 3.5 miles and tackle 23 challenging obstacles, but I was really prepared for this one.  As Mark and I approached our first obstacle, the k-rails (cement barriers), I was not able to hurdle over them, but I hopped over them with very little effort compared to last year. What a difference a year makes!  Mark and I did equally well with climbing up and down the mud hills, swimming through the mud pits, and running up and down a pyramid of hay bales.  We approached each obstacle with gusto, went into it hard, and came out the other end running toward the next challenge. 
          I must admit, I did not even attempt the monkey bar obstacle.  It wasn't that I was avoiding it because it was too difficult--I really thought this one did not look safe.  We had just exited a pool of muddy water, our hands were completely wet, and the thought of trying to use our wet hands to scoot across metal bars seemed a little dangerous.  I think I made a good choice as later in the day someone actually fell so hard to the ground attempting to swing across that they had to call an ambulance to pick her up.  I like to have fun, but I also understand that I need to avoid injuries if I am to continue my Ironman training journey.
          The last few obstacles before entering the stadium toward the finish line had us swimming through the lake, jogging over rocks submerged in the shallow part of the water, and sliding on a giant inflated slide into the lake below. The funny part of this is that as we entered the Storm Stadium, we looked all cleaned up like we had not ever completed the multiple mud obstacles.  The other funny thing is that the final challenge had us crawling through a mud pit with mud the consistency of peanut butter, so our final medal pictures had us looking like we had been dipped in a vat of milk chocolate.  We had a great time at this race, and the mud was like the hot fudge on the sundae--only not quite so delicious!
          One of the best things about running this with Mark was not only his enthusiasm for running this race, he trained hard and a did a great job pushing himself, but he was so encouraging to all the racers around him.  As we passed people, and we passed lots of them, Mark would shout some words of encouragement of give them a pat on the back.  I know he helped a lot of people keep going on a course that was not easy for them.  I think Mark might have the running bug now and I am so happy to add him to the group of my running friends.
          Another amazing thing that happened during this race is that Kay, after more than three weeks of radiation and chemo treatment for her Stage 3 Rectal Cancer was not only able to complete this race, but she did so with her usual style and gusto.  When she started her treatment cycle she wasn't sure she would be able to even walk through this race, and she ran throughout and even finished in a time that was right around where she finished last year.  Cancer is not keeping this muddy chick down!
          For my friends that are not really into running, you might want to try doing one of these races that breaks the running legs into chunks with fun and challenging obstacles in between.  Find a friend like Mark or Kay to train with and it makes it that much more doable. I know that when I am having fun, especially with my friends, it really does not seem like hard work at all.  After all, who doesn't like to get a little dirty sometimes--here's mud in your eye!

          I have been wanting to write about this subject for a long time, but I was worried it would sound too preachy.  After all, there are two sides to every story.  But an incident happened here in Murrieta last weekend that crossed the line--so here comes my sermon...
          One thing you need to know about Murrieta is that it is a beautiful place to ride bikes (and run, for that matter).  You can train for hills and for long distance all with amazing scenery all around you.  As you drive around my city it is rare not to see several groups of bikers on training runs.  In fact, even professional bicyclists train here--to our great shame, we are the home to Floyd Landis who was stripped of his Tour de France win due to doping allegations.  There are also many bike clubs that are run through the local bike shops.  These bike clubs sponsor long bike rides, and this is where someone crossed the line.
          Last weekend Jax Bike Shop riders were riding from the middle of Murrieta, down along the 15 Freeway to Rainbow, an area just south of Temecula (Link to Article). According to reports they were riding single file down the right side of the road when a man riding in a sedan got angry and allegedly swerved toward the bicyclist to scare them.  In doing this he clipped one of the cyclists with his side mirror.  Now this cyclist was not seriously injured, but that is beside the point.  Usually when there is an encounter between a bike and a car, the cyclist is the loser.
          The second incident that happened recently had to do with Cher.  She was riding along PCH when she had an encounter with some bicyclists that had her tweeting, "FKNG bike riders on PCH! I HATE THEM ! Almost got in accident AGAIN ! Sic of these IDIOTS! Pull in front of u & theres nowhere 2 go!"  Now I was not there to witness what happened to Cher, and I know that some cyclists can be less than polite on the road, but really, the road belongs to us all.  And like the late Rodney King so aptly put it, "People, I just want to say, can we all get along? Can we get along?"
          I chose to write about this subject this week not just because of these incidents that happened to random people I don't even know, but because I too have had cars be rude to me when I have been riding and running.  As a runner, I am a pedestrian, and pedestrians always have the right of way.  I try to spend a lot of my running time on trails and roads where cars are scarce, but when I need to do long miles it is often necessary to do some of those miles on the roads.  And due to knee problems, I have to run on the asphalt because it is softer.  I run towards traffic, and I always move over when I feel the car might need more room.  What I don't understand is that when there are multiple lanes going each way, why can't the cars move over to the left lane in order to safely pass by, or at the very least slow down a little?  I can't tell you how many times cars zoom by us without a care about our safety.  Are people really in so much of a hurry that they can't put on the brakes a tad to keep a runner or biker safe?
          And I feel even less safe when I am biking.  It is true that I usually ride where there is a bike lane, but what non-bikers don't understand is that often these lanes are covered with sand, glass, water, or the lanes have cracks in them that our tires can get stuck in.  So while I try to stay as far to the right as I possibly can, sometimes I need to move over a little to avoid these obstacles.  I do look over my shoulder to make sure there are no cars, but sometimes cars just don't care.  Some drivers honestly think they own the road, and it wouldn't matter if I was as far to the right as is possible--we are still obstacles to their getting someplace quickly.  The other day when I was riding in Lake Elsinore with my husband Sean, I had a car come right up next to me and honk.  It scared me so much that I almost lost control of my bike.  Now Sean thought that maybe he was trying to let me know that he was there, but honestly, you would think that he would have know that sneaking up behind someone and making some loud noise often leads to that person jumping up in fright.  And if that said person happens to be riding a bike, jumping up in fright is an especially dangerous thing.
          Now I hope I have presented a somewhat balanced view of the car versus bicycle debate, or at least that I have helped non-riders and non-runners see things a little bit from our perspective.  Please understand that most of us are out there trying to stay fit.  We are not trying to get in your way or slow you down--we are just trying to maneuver the roads without getting injured.  Biking and running friends, be polite to cars so that the cars' drivers are more likely to tolerate us.  And car drivers, as you pass by us on the road, please slow down a little and remember that getting someplace quickly is not worth putting our lives in danger.  After all, there is enough room on the road for all of us--we ALL belong!