Land of the Free BECAUSE of the Brave

     I've always considered myself a pretty patriotic American. I love apple pie, hot dogs, baseball, crazy 4th of july celebrations, labor day, memorial day, etc.  But in the last few years my patriotism has changed.  I think I had a very superficial outlook on these American holidays - I was patriotic because everyone was, of course you wear red, white and blue but I don't think I appreciated these holidays for what they really represent.  All of that changed a few years ago when my brother decided to become a Marine.  His decision was met with very mixed feelings from everyone who knew him, pride at his bravery and fear that if he ever got deployed he might not make it back. 

     Three months away at bootcamp with next to no communication besides an occasional hand written letter was incredibly hard on my tight knit family of 11. (Yes, it is possible to be a really close family with that many people.)  When he graduated from bootcamp, my family made the trip out to San Diego to support him and experience what it meant to suddenly be a military family.  I remember being struck by the magnitude of  the decision that all of these young men made to serve our wonderful country.  That weekend was filled with many tears, some at finally being able to see my brother, some from laughing so hard at some of his bootcamp stories but most importantly some at finally realizing what it truly means to be an American and the sacrifice that some men and women are called to give.

     Now fast forward 3 years to today, when we celebrate the 4th of July and our Independence and I can't help but think of the history of this great Nation and the sacrifices that have brought us to where we are today.  While I don't agree with every decision our government makes, or have the same views as everyone else, I can't help but feel patriotic and like one unified nation even if it's just for one day.  But more importantly I think of the men and women who have fought for our freedom and independence from the very beginning, they have valiantly given so much of themselves.  Some have given their lives, others have given up holidays and events with their families, their absence is always felt.  So I encourage all of you to take a moment today while you are enjoying your BBQs, day at the lake or just hanging with family and friends to really think about what this day means, take a moment to thank servicemen and women for what they do and what they have done.  I thank God daily for the fact that we live in an amazing country and I pray daily for the men and women who continue to serve our country to make it the free nation that it is today. 

Early Summer Races

     Summer is and always will be my favorite season - unless I move out of the Chicago area and migrate to a warmer climate.  I love summer for many reasons, the warm weather, the BBQ's, hanging out at the lake, ice cream, fireflies, fireworks, etc. but my #1 reason for loving the summer is for summer races.  Yes, I know that makes me a runner/triathlete nerd but it's true.  So far this summer I've participated in 2 races, with a few more coming up!

Race #1: Mudderella

Before

      The first race was the Mudderella with my two sisters.   This race was seriously the most fun I have ever had running a 10k.  The mudderella is a 6.1 mile race, with approximately 13 obstacles of MUD!  There was mud everyone, teamwork, incredible bonding and joking around with the various participants and lots and lots of laughs!  I have never been covered in so much mud in my life and I now understand why they say Mud is a great exfoliant - I had such soft skin for days afterwards!  Thankfully my brother in law came to spectate this insanity and we got some great pictures and video, which still make us laugh as we trudged through the mud.

After - Woohoo!!

 

Race #2: Esprit de She Triathlon



Before - Getting ready for the swim with our goofy swim caps!

     The second race I participated in just a week after the mudderella and while it wasn't filled with any mud or nearly as many laughs, it was still an excellent race!  My sister also participated in this race with me.  I originally thought that we would be in the same age wave and get to kill the course together but since she is older :) and our age group was so big they split us up.  Which meant we were each on our own to dominate the course.  This race was my very first triathlon a few years ago and so I love to do it now every year to see if I can get faster, etc.  It was just a sprint distance and since I've been training for my 1/2 IM, it should have been a good race.  I think knowing that my sister was out there somewhere on the course helped push me to go faster and faster. The swim was a little rough, just because of the number of people, it was hard to find my perfect rhythmn, but once I did, I just kept on swimming.  The bike was kind of windy but a beautiful day, I tried to push my speed a little which was a little tricky since they switched the course around from previous years.  The first mile of the run is always the worst after coming off the bike, but my legs quickly responded and I realized that I had more to give.  I'm sure my 3rd mile was the fastest, partly because my legs felt so good and partly because I was buoyed on by the crowds that gather for that last mile, to cheer all the women in to the finish line.  I ended the day with a PR and I took 18th place out of my age group of 140 - which I am pretty dang proud of!  My sister killed this race too - her 3rd triathlon and her 1st one not being pregnant!

After - We don't look too exhausted!

3rd Times a Charm - Right??

   A few years ago I participated in my first triathlon and from that great experience my love for triathlons was born.  Like most athletes, I have always been driven to see how far I could push myself, what new challenges I could overcome, etc.  So far, I have completed 4 marathons, a handful of 1/2 marathons, and multiple triathlons with the furthest distance being an Olympic race.  My goal was to complete a 1/2 Ironman and then maybe one day build and do the full Ironman.  For those of you that don't know, a 1/2 Ironman is 70.3 miles broken down into a 1.2 mile swim, followed by 56 miles on the bike and finished off by 13.1 miles of running. Typically this is point where I get a zillion comments like "you are crazy", "why would you ever want to do that?" with an occasional Good Luck thrown in there.

      The past two summers I have trained with the 1/2 IM in mind - with no luck.  The first year, I got injured a week out - A WEEK OUT! I hurt my foot and was having a hard time walking on it, I even went for X-Rays and the Dr. told me that nothing was broken but that I should definitely stay off of it and not race. NOOOOOOO!!! Those are seriously the worst words a triathlete can hear!  The next year I followed an intense training program and came down with a mono-like virus that had me sleeping about 20hrs a day with absolutely no energy to train.  This year, I decided to give it a go again, and while race day isn't here yet, I'm feeling better and stronger than ever!

       I've been following an 18 week program with an average of 2 workouts a day.  I've been watching what I've been eating and how my body reacts in my workouts.  But I've found, the most important thing this year in my training has been truly listening to my body.  If my body says, "Woah, Em - I need a day off!" I take a day off or even two in a row.  I really focus on a good recovery and I sleep a TON!  My family likes to tease me about it - a 2 hr nap doesn't stop me from sleeping at night.  If my body says, I need salt, sugar, protein - and yes you can really tell if your body needs those things - I don't hesitate to eat things to fill those needs.

An intense Hill workout before the storms came through - look at those clouds!

       Now as my race is only 18 days away - woah - I have been looking back on the progress I have made through my training.  And, man oh man, am I proud of myself!  I can now swim well over a mile without stopping, bike for hours and not be bored out of my mind and run and run and run.  I have no idea how race day is going to go, so many things can go incredibly wrong but so many things can go completely right.  Either way, I am proud of where I am at and what I have achieved so far! Bring on Racine!!!