From Strangers to Triathlon Friends

June 10, 2019

Well the first race of the season is complete!  On a very rainy Sunday, I competed in the Grand Rapids Triathlon, which was my first Olympic distance triathlon since becoming pregnant with my sweet little girl Evie.  I expected that racing as a mommy would have some challenges… I also expected that I wouldn’t be able to predict the challenges!  I really should start out by saying that my husband Todd and I are extremely lucky with Evelyn’s sleep habits… this little girl has been sleeping through the night for months.  So you could say we really had this one coming.

For this race, I was not expecting Evie’s sleeping habits to completely fall apart.  I was worried when we tried to put Evie down at 7:30 (when she normally goes down) and she would just scream-cry.  We figured maybe her sleep schedule was just off, so we let her stay up until 8:30 pm when she gets her last bottle before bed.  She went down no problem!  Until I coughed around 11:30 pm and she woke up.  Maybe she wasn’t used to sleeping in the same room as us (she moved into the nursery a couple months ago), maybe her travel crib isn’t very comfortable… but whatever it was, she started scream-crying.  And wouldn’t stop.  We tried rocking her, we tried singing to her, we tried YouTube videos, we tried snuggling, we tried Baby Shark and nothing worked!!  Finally, Todd and I decided to put her in the car seat and drive her around because at least that would let his parents sleep, who were likely regretting the decision to let us stay with them (sorry!!!!).  He also insisted that I sleep because he is the best 😊 Thankfully, the car trick worked and she fell asleep.  Unfortunately, Todd discovered that the McDonalds in Jenison is not open 24 hours and he was extremely disappointed.


Flash forward to the race!  I was cranky.  And it was raining, so I was even more cranky.  I realized about 45 minutes before my race when off that I was being really cranky and that was not a great attitude for racing.  So, I spent some time reminding myself how blessed I am to be able to race and the amazing things my body is able to do, including growing and now raising my beautiful little gremlin.  I managed to get my mindset back on track and ready to race!  Which must have worked because once the horn went off, I was off!  My swim has been a source of frustration for a while now.  I’ve struggled with getting my pre-pregnancy speed back and just felt stuck.  Then, the week before the race, something just clicked and my swim times dropped!  I realized at the first buoy that I was leading the swim, but I knew there were ladies on my toes.  The rest of the swim was spent weaving through the waves that went off before mine, but I was able to hold a mostly straight course and keep up my swim speed.  I also really, really love my new Roka wetsuit!  Although I seriously need to invest a little more money into my goggles because I was racing in a really old pair of Speedo goggles… but hey, they still work!

 


First out of the water for the first time at the GR Tri!  This is the happy face of a momma who got her swim-groove back!


I exited the water feeling good and ready to bike!  I checked my watch, expecting the time would be “slow” because I could tell that the swim was fairly long.  It was definitely long, but I was happy with how my swim had felt and I couldn’t complain about my position!  I felt strong on the bike, which was also a bit of a pleasant discovery because I haven’t ridden outside on my tri bike yet this year… it is a LOT easier to ride on the trainer and put Evie in her swing or let her play in her jumper than try to find a sitter and ride outside!  I started to hit a bit of a wall over the last 4 miles of the bike.  The fatigue started to set in and I couldn’t see many riders ahead of me.  For most of the bike, I had been working to catch riders ahead of me, which helped keep my motivation high.  But now I was in a “dead zone” and I was really wishing I had put GU Brew in my second bottle instead of water.  With about a mile or two left, Roseann Peiffer and a couple of men blew past me!  I knew if I was going to try to top the podium, I couldn’t let her out of my sight and I would have to do my best to outrun her, so I dug deep and pushed the last couple miles of the bike to come into transition just behind Roseann and one of the men.


I knew my transition had to be smooth and fast… and then I ran past my spot.  Dang it!  Thankfully I only went a couple racks past, so I spun around and then my transition was fairly smooth.  I headed out onto the run course hoping I was in the lead… it was hard to tell because the relays and the collegiate women started in the first wave, so I had spotted a couple of women ahead of me on the bike.  But shortly into the run, a woman on a road bike joined me and confirmed that I was the lead woman.  Okay, now I just needed to run really well!  Then my quads started to get tight.  Great, here we go again, just like a previous GR Tri where my quads completely cramped on the run.  That’s when the guy from the end of the bike came up next to me and asked what my run pace was.  I told him “I’ve got 7 min pace right now, but my quads are getting ready to cramp, so this is going to be a long run.”  He responded something along the lines of “nah, you’ve got this, that pace sounds good to me!”  And so started a triathlon run friendship like I have never experienced before.

 

Heading out on the run… little did I know at this point, but the guy next to me, #3525 Mike Lupini, was going to stick with me for the entire run and keep me going!


I later found out his name was Mike Lupini.  For that run, he was my person.  He encouraged me to stick with him and to hold that pace.  We had some lighthearted conversation when I wasn’t focusing on my breathing.  And when my inhaler popped out of where I had it tucked into my shoulder strap and came apart into THREE different pieces, he grabbed two of the pieces while I grabbed one.  Seriously, my heart just sank when it hit the ground because I didn’t know how I would get going again!  But Mike was right there.  After the turn around, he asked me how far back the 2nd place woman was and assured me we could do this.  When we hit the hill that I dread because I have too many memories of just trudging up that thing, he talked me through it.  At the very end, he told me I was burning him (which I somehow doubt) and to go for it, to go for that big sprint finish.  When I started to tire in that last stretch, he was right behind me telling me to go, don’t let up!  My parents were right there at the finish and I gave my dad a big high five before I grabbed the finish tape with a giant smile on my face!  And then I found Mike and thanked him because I seriously do not think I could have done it without him.  He assured me that I had done just as much for him as he had done for me, but again, I seriously doubt that!  He was my person, he was there for me for no other reason than because he wanted to.  We were strangers before that run started, but we ended as triathlon friends. 


 

 

Making my big sprint finish with a high five for my dad and my mom on the right!  I’m pretty sure Mike could have out sprinted me, but he encouraged me to go, go, go and finish strong!  I am so thankful for Mike and all the people who encourage me every day!

 

People like Mike are why I love this sport so much.  Even though it is a race and we are all competing, we are there for each other, encouraging each other.  We all know what those rough days feel like and we all want each other to experience those amazing days where everything comes together.  Because of Mike, this was easily one of my favorite races.  It certainly wasn’t my fastest race and I definitely started the day with a poor attitude, but I was blessed with the most incredible experience on that run.  I will always remember the lift that Mike’s words of encouragement gave me and I will continue to pass that onward.  So when you pass someone on the bike or on the run, remember that a few simple words of encouragement can mean everything to that person.  And, in turn, knowing that you are encouraging others will give you a push!  We might be competing against each other, but we all share in our love for triathlon and the struggles this sport pushes us to overcome.      


It was so much fun to race in Grand Rapids again with all my triathlon friends!!  A huge congrats to my favorite Every Man Jack members Todd Buckingham (3rd Overall in the Half Ironman), Ben Hammer (5th Overall in the Half Ironman) and Eric Abbott (7th Overall in the Half Ironman).  And of course my bestie and favorite Betty Squad member Sara Dumich, who crushed it with 3rd in her age group!  And my new favorite Suunto Factory team member Scott Johnson who finished 9th overall in the Olympic and 2nd in his age group.  And I cannot say enough how amazing fellow Stellafly member Abby Snell is!  She finished 2nd overall to the incredibly speedy Stellafly Clara.  Abby only just started running after her adorable little boy Emmit was born a few months ago!  And of course a big congrats to all the members of Team Stellafly and a huge thank you to the one and only head of Stellafly and photographer extraordinaire, Laura Caprara, for capturing amazing photos!  I’m biased, but this is clearly the best photo….

 


Next up I’m planning to compete in the Sanford Lake Triathlon with one of my favorite race companies, Tri to Finish!  After that, Todd and I are hoping to head back to the west side of the state for Tri Del Sol, which is the race Todd missed last year because a certain little girl decided it was time to be born!  But the big races, Age Group Nationals and Traverse City 70.3, are coming up fast!


 

First Trimester Lessons

April 18, 2018

I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to write about my first trimester because it was pretty miserable.  But in reflecting back on those eventful first few months, I realized that all the hard work I had done learning to listen to my body over the past many years with my coach Barb Lindquist had become very important. 

To remind you of the timeline, I found out I was pregnant at an appointment with a fertility specialist on December 18th.  Yay!!  A few days after I learned I was pregnant, I beg...


Continue reading...
 

The Beginning of my Pregnancy Journey

March 13, 2018

So.  Here we are.  It took me a while to write this blog, and not just because I was in Ann Arbor on a rotation at the University of Michigan for 3 months.  Mostly, it took me a while because things just kept changing.  I guess life is like that.  In my mind, there have been multiple, multiple versions of this blog.  I can’t jam everything into one blog, but I want to at least get a few things out there and finally write this. 

Back in December I was celebrating the wedding of my wonderfu...


Continue reading...
 

Pro Racing and Lessons Learned in California

May 18, 2017
So yeah... surprise!  I decided to take my pro card again this season after a year of exploring different areas of triathlon.  Last season I raced XTERRA triathlons in two different states, including my dream of completing the PanAm Championship in Ogden, Utah, and crossed Ironman off my bucket list.  As last season came to an end, I had multiple conversations with my family and my coach about taking my pro card again.  I talked over the pros and cons with them for months, but in my heart I k...

Continue reading...
 

My "Newbie" Season

October 20, 2016

It took me a while to start working on this blog because, honestly, I wasn't really sure what to write!  After such a crazy, up and down season, I was a little shocked when my Ironman race had only the relatively predictable challenges of long course racing and nothing crazy or really bad happened.  Although, racing as well as I did was very crazy!  So I will start by saying this: I hadn't told many people about my plans to race Ironman Louisville at the end of the season because I was insane...


Continue reading...
 

Three Weeks, Three Races and Finding "It"

September 19, 2016

Well.  I haven’t done a very good job of keeping on top of race report blogs and now I’m 3 races late.  I don’t want to make this a book, so I will be brief with my race reports and stick to the main lesson I think I learned this season.  So here we go…

Prior to the Boyne City Triathlon I was not feeling all that great.  Although I am very proud of the race results I have had this season in Arkansas, Grand Rapids and Illinois, I just wasn’t feeling like myself.  I know that can c...


Continue reading...
 

When Your Body Turns Against You

August 15, 2016

To start, I wanted to say another thank you to everyone for your comments and concern.  It really meant a lot to me and that was one of the major factors motivating me to write this and share more of my story. 

 

As many of you know, I have asthma.  But, thanks to encouragement from my coach to look into more treatment options and a great pulmonary specialist, I’ve been receiving monthly injections for my asthma along with allergy shots.  This combination has resulted in my asthma bein...


Continue reading...
 

Back In MY Saddle Again!

June 13, 2016

Well, as many of you know, I have had a very crazy past couple of weeks!  It all started about 4 weeks ago when I was minding my own business, riding my tri bike on the trainer and watching one of my favorite shows when I hear an ominous “CRACK!”  My right extension was suddenly very wiggly and my heart sank.  The bracket connecting my extension to my base bar had cracked in half.  I took my bike to a few shops in the Lansing area, but no one was able to fix it.  My bike trouble quickly...


Continue reading...
 

USAT Off Road National Championship - Arkadelphia Style!

May 8, 2016

                From the beginning, my first XTERRA was interesting.  You may remember a week or so ago when the weather channel was talking about crazy storms hitting the south… yeah.  We drove through that.  And previewed part of the mountain bike course in that downpour on Friday after we arrived in Arkadelphia.  And yes, that is a real place; I now have the t-shirt to prove it!  Long story short, what all this rain meant was that the water level in the lake became high enough to touch...


Continue reading...
 

9 Crazy Days and The "Big" News

October 9, 2015
It's been a while since my last race and I've gone quite a while without writing a blog.  I have many reasons for that, but I will save them until last.  First, I will try to cover the final 9 days of my 2015 season as quickly as possible, because a lot happened!

Boyne City Triathlon
First I headed up north to race my favorite destination race: the Boyne City Triathlon!  This race boasts a great course, delicious (and free!) food from food trucks post race and a very great purpose.  This...

Continue reading...
 
 
 

Make a free website with Yola