Part 3 of 3

And now the best for last....the 2010 USAT National Club Championship

If the USAT offered Cliffs Notes, you'd read that Full Throttle "whooped it." What I'm about to break down for you is the fact that this TEAM race symbolizes (likely not shockingly) what our TEAM represents: Togetherness, Enthusiasm, Aptitude and Mentorship.

Each season, athletes grow, get injured, take time off, excel, podium, PR, DNF, surprise themselves, "dig deep"-errrr than they thought they could, are disappointed, inspired and even quit. How can all of those drastically different, heightened experiences circle around triathletes cut from the same FTE cloth? All but the latter come to fruition at TEAM Nationals.

We're Together: something that brings out the best in us.

We're Enthusiastic: we're as competitive with others and our teammates as we are supportive of them (ish).

We have an Aptitude: for excellence and nurturing.

We are Mentors: NUF said.

(Oh yeah, and we won.)

Part 2 of 3

Speaking of overachievers, I had the privilege of going to watch a few FTE family members compete in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaiiiiiii. Let me put it to you this way--in the amount of time it took for these spandex-covered, scrumptious pieces of inspiration in human form to complete a colossal race, here's what I did: I had breakfast, cheered, sunbathed by the pool, filed my nails, ate lunch, picked my nose, did NOT eat it, went for a 10k run, showered, cheered, caught up on my correspondents, likely Googled myself bc I'm vain, cheered, went shopping, had a beer, readjusted my hair, read the newspaper and met them at the finish line. Other than the run, the most aggressive thing I did all day was apply sunscreen. Twice.

Watching our athletes (in fact any athlete) cross the finish line was truly remarkable. When you're on an island that's over 2,000 miles away from any continental coast, you really do get a sense of how large this world is, despite how small it appears to be at times. I can think of no other place to host the WORLD championships for Ironman than such a remote location, so I got an idea of the field of athletes putting themselves to the ultimate test in the middle of a tropical nowhere. Whereas I don't relate to the need to go that distance nor in those conditions (ever!), I have to admit **warning: sappy moment ahead** I had the chills watching our FTE kids cross that finish line because it exemplified the fact that I'm not only amongst wonderfully talented people, but also those that know no limit when it comes to loyalty.

Part 1 of 3

It has been a while since we posted a blog, but I blame training and racing ... we were too busy SHOWING you that we know what we're talking about that we didn't have time to blah blah blah about it (plz see the whole "actions-speak-louder" debate). In light of the spirit of triathlon, I thought I'd get this party started with 3 separate blogs. Yup. Get ready to read, kids. First up? The Offseason...

The Offseason is much like a first date: you look forward to it, but once you're there you're a lil' uncomfortable and not exactly sure what to do with yourself. Some people have a great experience, but most triathletes argue that it takes a few to really get to know what The Offseason is all about...right now? I'm definitely right smack in the middle of my first date with The Offseason and things aren't going very smoothly. I'm nervous, awkward (some would argue that's a constant), inconsistent and desperately trying to find a way to get out of it...to no avail.

Reluctantly, I admit that my body is flashing major WARNING signs stating very clearly, "REST OR I'LL MAKE YOU." I should've gotten the hint last Tuesday when I was in transit to the spin room at Chelsea Piers to get my workout on...no joke, all I did was walk out of the locker room, up a flight of stairs and there on the Suunto board next to my name in BIG GLOWING numbers for all of my teammates to see was my heart rate: 124. Riiiiight. Based on that, here's the transcribed conversation that occurred btw me and my body:

Neurotic triathlete: "124? You're telling me it took 62% of our maximum heart rate to walk up 15 stairs?"
Body: "I'm telling you it'll take 62% to get up and pee in the middle of the night if you don't stop training this way. Don't make me go to 65%."

That didn't stop me from completing the spin class nor did it sway me away from running 7 miles in Central Park yesterday. You know what? Now my ITB flared up and I'm literally not able to workout. It's a love/hate relationship that, like a woman, my body knows best and always wins. Complain fest? Not at all. It's just proof that the body needs downtime to heal. Even if the only thing that creeps up faster on you than your resting heart rate is the scale increase of 5-10lbs, you have to get to know The Offseason...you have to get through that first date.