First First

I’ve come in second, third, and (most painfully) fourth several times and I’ve racked up a few division wins.  However, for nearly three years, that pesky overall win has eluded me.  That finally changed at the Capitol View Tri in Madison Sunday morning when I finally crossed that finish line to the sweet sound of an announcer saying, “And here comes our first Olympic distance female.” 

This was a super fun race for me.  It was my first event in Wisconsin since my very first race and my parents were able to come to cheer/Sherpa for me.  Also, because I apparently can’t help myself but to become buddies with race directors, I volunteered at packet pickup the day before which allowed me to get to know some of the staff and to chat with fellow athletes which provided me with some much-needed tri-socializing time.  As an added bonus, I think I told so many people that the weather would be fine (despite a forecast of wind/rain/storms/cold) that the weather patterns themselves were convinced.  I had prepared myself to endure conditions on par with Summer Open 2012 and water temps around Havasu 2012 level.  Fortunately I was wrong (first time ever)!  Going into the race I had no idea what to expect.  I have not raced these people before and I’ve been training pretty hard the past few weeks. 

This past weekend was also my first time racing in the elite wave of an event so I was a bit anxious as our small wave of men and women lined up.  I assumed I would be dropped in a heartbeat.  While a few of the boys did just that, I managed to find my way onto the heels of man going just the right pace (though I still beat the poor guy out of the water because he had to get up and trudge through the mud when the water got shallow and my T-Rex arms just kept chugging along right up to the shore).  Out on the bike, things got a little lonely.  I believe I was fourth (male or female) out of the water with a pretty large gap so I didn’t have any targets ahead of me and there was no one coming up behind me either.  I had to constantly remind myself that I was racing and not just on a training ride with the tune of B-I-N-G-O running through my head on repeat.  The way back towards transition was much more fun as the course was by then filled with a steady stream of age groupers, many of whom were kind enough to cheer me on.  Suddenly, I could smell competition in the air and I rode off, unable to wipe the stupid grin off my face. 

My run, I must say, was far less pleasant.  Having stupidly told Coach Mace that the 10k was the goal area of this race and with the assumption that there was an unknown competitor in the age group division zipping through the course somewhere back there, I took off on the run.  Things went pretty well … for the first sixty seconds.  While the video of the bike course had prepared me for the rollers and somewhat rough road on the bike, the 2 dimensional run course map had not prepared me for the constant hills or the thick grass surface of the run course.  Finding myself once again alone for the first half of the run (until we met up with the sprinters) I had a serious battle against myself.  My legs were burning from climbing and my stomach was starting to cramp from the jarring of the downhills; there was no one ahead to chase and no one behind to push.  However, I reminded myself that thing everything will hurt just as bad in two weeks at my A race and there I will most certainly have some competition so I might as well get used to it. 

41 excruciatingly long minutes later, I crossed the finish line.  After chugging some water, hugging my parents, and getting myself on the massage list, I went out for a long cooldown run (since results wouldn’t be official for at least twenty minutes anyway).  Upon returning to the finish line, I found out that I had not only won the female division by a margin of seven minutes but had come in eighth overall regardless of gender.  Woohoo!  I think the only negative of the morning was that I have no picture to commemorate my moment of glory as the directors had decided to forego an awards ceremony this year in lieu of an admittedly much more convenient awards distribution tent (really, I’m not surprised though as my life of podium’s this year appears to be an Alanis Morisette song as evidenced by the lack of one for my cycling win and the removal of the graduate/undergraduate designation awards at Nationals). 

One deliciously greasy brunch and a painfully good ice bath later and I was packing up Maureen in her traveling clothes (ie bike box) for Virginia.  Hoping to roll on the good vibes of this past weekend as I head into the summer season – less than two weeks until Rev3 Williamsburg!

Glasses Up

End of an Era

It seems like just yesterday I put Chicago in my rear-view mirror with tears in my eyes.  Now, three short years later, I once again loaded the U-Haul and left the place I learned to call home.  I grew more as a person and learned more, academically and otherwise, than I ever thought possible. 

Graduation - can't believe how fast it came!

In August of 2010, soon after my first triathlon, I did an internet search for a tri club at CSU with the goal of meeting people and making new friends.  Thinking myself inadequate, I was beyond terrified to email then president Danny Harper regarding information.  He was so welcoming that I decided to attend the team’s first meeting where I sat in the back and tried my best to go unnoticed.  Soon, I started attending group rides led by Ashley Nice and swims with Coach Wendy Mader where I was welcomed with open arms and quickly began to make friends.  Before long, I had been talked into a road trip to Las Vegas for a race where Sarah Lubin happened to mention the possibility of me making the nationals team.  I was flabbergasted.  Low and behold, six months later I was crossing that finish line in Tuscaloosa. 

First race with the team - Oktoberfest 2010

Post-Pumpkinman in Vegas 2010

Team at nats 2011

Slowly but surely, my training increased and my times got faster; but those were not the only changes that occurred.  Suddenly, I found myself wanting to go to bed a little earlier, go out a little less, study a little more, cook for myself a little more often, and keep the apartment a little cleaner.  Something was changing.  One day I realized that I was calmer and more content; life was (and remains) good.  I owe most of this growth to my amazing teammates and coaches.  There are far too many incredible people and experiences for me to list them all but I think of them frequently and they are often on the forefront of my mind.  I can’t get through a track workout without picturing “Coach Cody” giving me splits and encouragement or Steve’s simple but to the point, “Go hard don’t stop.”

Team fun, winter 2012

Nationals 2012

Havasu 2013

Over the past year things really took off for me.  I found myself a great boyfriend, continued to foster strong friendships, completed my thesis, found myself and internship, and my training continued to blossom (guided by Coach Mace, Coach Tess, and Coach Reu).  As my time in Colorado came to a close, it seemed as though life couldn’t possibly get any better.  But that’s the funny thing about life: it is always getting better as long as you allow it to.  While I’m still not exactly settled into my new life yet, I know that the future holds amazing possibilities for me.  I could have easily spent the last three years miserable because I missed the Midwest and I could spend the next three missing Colorado.  Instead, I’m choosing to embrace the life before me while I do my best to hold tight to my roots.  And Colorado, don’t worry I’ll visit soon; RAM IT!

Ladies' pushup 2011

2012

2013

In no particular order thank you to: Coach Mace, Coach Reu, Coach Tess, Coach Wendy, Coach Doug, Ian, Danny, Sarah, Rebecca, Whitney, Jesse, Ashley, Erick, Blake, Cliff, Teddy, Cody G., Cody S., Rob, Fiona, Chris, Eliza, JT, Steve, Bevers, Susan, David, Tom, Ethan, Anj, Steph, Evan, Mely, Sara, Neil, Geneva, Julia, Kelly, Angela, Becca, Megan, Dr. LaGasse, Lauren Sletta, Dr. D, Dr. Cordain, Addie, Jesse, Alex, Taylor, Amykins, Provelo, Discover Massage, Elan Yoga, PR Triworks, Andrew, Brian, Kate, Katie, Ryan, Lib, My parents, all of my classmates, and my CSU Rammies.  Sorry to anyone I may have forgotten it doesn’t mean I love you any less!

Going away party

Race Report: Collegiate Nationals

It’s hard to believe that my final USAT Collegiate Nationals is over; I’ve been picturing that red carpet in both my waking and dormant hours for months.  While I didn’t exactly accomplish all of my goals, it was overall a very successful race and an amazing experience. 

After a little extra time in the Denver airport due to snow, I finally arrived in Phoenix, AZ on Tuesday night.  I was greeted by my friend Angela (her family graciously housed and fed me for a few days before the rest of the team arrived).  For the next few days I enjoyed the sunshine, rode the course with my ASU tri friend Julie, scammed my way into the ASU (outdoor!) pool, and enjoyed fresh-picked grapefruits from Angela’s tree.  On Thursday, I was met by the rest of my team and by my own personal cheerleader/Sherpa/punching bag/therapist Ian. 

Dinner with my team

A few of my teammates: Susan, Sara, and Steph

On Friday, I was excited to go watch the first ever draft-legal nationals race but was sidelined by a flat caused by a pesky valve extender.  Two hours, a trip to tri-sports, and a few new tubes later though I was good to go and VERY grateful this happened the day before race morning!  The rest of the day was filled with nationals excitement as I loosened my legs, relaxed in the expo, hopped in the water, and carb-loaded with my teammates (I was a little high-strung, however, so sorry/thank you to everyone who dealt with me – especially Coach Mace and Ian).

Relaxing NormaTec Style

My Number One Fan!

Ok now for the fun stuff, RACE DAY HAD ARRIVED!  Racking my bike in transition equipped for over 1000 bikes, I was mildly star-struck as I recognized the big-league ladies next to me.  I proudly hung my baby girl in transition before watching the men’s race.  While I would typically hate waiting around for race start, today was a different story as I was filled with the excitement of the men’s race.  Our CSU boys starting the day off with an impressive showing – landing TWO men in the top 10 (Steve at 5^th and Chris in 8^th)! 

Race Ready!

Ready to go!

Finally, it was my time to don my wetsuit and show what I’m made of.  I came out of the water about 2 minutes back from the leaders and took off towards my bike.  My transition, unfortunately, was pretty rough.  My rubber bands were somehow already broken when I got to my bike and I then dropped my chain as I mounted.  Before long, though, I was on Maureen and working my way up through the field.  Despite several 90 and 180 degree turns, that course was FAST, I couldn’t help but ride with a smile on my face.  I steadily gained on the leaders and came off of my bike in 9^th (though my T2 was just as bad as my T1). 

Heading out onto the run course, I knew it was time to dig deep into my race brain.  This was where I fell apart last year, letting nearly 25 women pass me within 6.2 miles.  This year was different though, I’ve been working hard on my run and while I am still not a “runner” it’s not a true weakness anymore either.  Despite being passed right out of transition, I set my eyes on the back ahead of me and started picking girls off.  Let me tell you what, it was hot as sin out there and it was not overly fun.  However, the words of my coaches rang in my ears and I simply put one foot in front of the other until the finish line was in sight. 

I flew down the red carpet and across the line in 7^th place with a time of 2:06:43 (a pretty substantial PR for me).  I hadn’t hit my goal of finishing top-five and getting on the podium, but that’s the danger of setting high goals and, really, making top-10 in the nation is nothing to be ashamed of. 

After the race, I had the honor of sharing an ice-bath with the fastest collegiate women.  I then had a few hours to recover before the super-sprint relay (recovery consisted of me telling Ian what food/drinks to get me and where to cart my stuff to – thanks dear).  We finished our relay in 7^th out of over 30 teams and had a great time doing it despite the soreness (and hey, I had the 6^th fastest female split). All in all, it was a successful day, in addition to my top 10 finish, my team moved up in the rankings, coming in 9th as a combined team (out of over 100 schools)!

Coming in on the Relay Course

After that, it was finally time to stuff myself with Mexican food before heading off to the awards ceremony.  While I had grand plans for the night, I have to admit that it turned into Ian and I sharing slushies and ice cream before falling asleep in front of Bravo television (he may have been more tired from chasing me around all day than I was from actually racing).

All dressed up in our "thrift shop" gear for the awards ceremony

I think my favorite moment of the day was crossing the finish line as I heard the announcer say in a shocked voice, “And Bailey Hinz from Colorado State, out of nowhere! Where did she come from?!”  He may not have known, but I did.  I trained passionately for this race and left it all on the course.  This was possibly the first race (other than Havasu) that I didn’t finish saying “What if?” and THAT is something to be proud of.  I cannot say thank you enough to my coaches (Mace, Reu, and Tess), my family, Ian, and my teammates for their support as I've fallen in love with this sport.  While I close the collegiate chapter of my career, I am SO excited for what is to come!  

Training Camp/Havasu Race Report

After five months of literal blood, sweat, and tears my race season has officially begun again.  As has been the case for the past few years, my season kicks off strong with the two most important races of the collegiate season: the MCTC (mountain collegiate triathlon conference) championships (in Lake Havasu, AZ) and USAT collegiate national championships (which will be April 13^th in Tempe, AZ).

As this past week was our spring break, a few of us decided to fill it with a good mix of fun and training.  My adventure began with a few days in Las Vegas with my friend Megan.  I had plenty of cross training walking up and down the strip and dancing my booty off until the wee hours of the morning (where I was further blessed with the fun experience of how non-triathlete men react to cyclist legs in short shorts – oh boy).  

Vegas with the lovely Megan

On Sunday night, a few of my teammates arrived in town with my bike along for the ride.  Megan was sweet enough to release me from my position pool-side for a few hours in the afternoon to take advantage of the awesome riding around Las Vegas (who knew?).  On Monday, we rode a modified version of the Ironman 70.3 World’s course, changing it to take us on a sightseeing tour past the awe-inspiring Hoover Dam.  What an incredible sight!  On Tuesday morning, we headed out of town for another gorgeous ride through Red Rocks Canyon followed by a somewhat demoralizing track workout.  We then loaded our smelly bodies up and headed over to Lake Havasu, AZ where we would be for the rest of the week.

Riding up from Lake Mead

Wednesday started with a solid run of the course and a much needed pool workout.  Unfortunately the pool was open less than an hour, heated to 86 degrees, and swamped with retirees breast-stroking around.  After lunch and a little beach time, we wiggled into our wetsuits and got in some open water work.  Gliding through the cool water, I was filled with bliss.  I had really forgotten just how much I love open water swimming!  Thursday was another tough one, riding the course and doing repeats of “the gauntlet,” a section of steep hills through a neighborhood on the course.  While this was tough, this workout really paid off come race day.  On a side note, I was shocked by how much easier these hills on my new little carbon bike versus the aluminum beast I was riding around a year ago! 

Getting in Some Open Water Practice

As of Thursday evening, the rest of the team arrived in Lake Havasu and Friday meant final race recon and prep.  This race is a little different than any other is the majority of the field consists of collegiate racers from within the Mountain conference.  Over the years many of us have become friends and/or created friendly rivalries so packet pickup turns into a little reunion.  I had the further joy of my friends Amanda and Mike driving over from California for a visit (I haven’t seen Amanda in over two years so this was beyond exciting for me). 

CSU Tri Team Ready to Race!

Race morning I woke up ready to rock.  I was finally grateful for the last nine months of 5am alarm clocks for swim practice as this one felt no earlier than a normal day.  I heated up my new favorite race morning meal of mashed sweet potato, applesauce, banana, and honey and donned my lovely CSU tri suit.  Finally, after months of anticipation, it was go time. 

Go Time

The wind was blowing at a solid 15-20 mph, making the swim start fairly wavy and a little tough to see.  A large group of ladies drifted off course and wound up on the wrong side of the channel.  While I went slightly off course, I did realize it before the main pack and was able to right myself before being washed up on shore.  Once in the channel, I took off, concentrating on holding proper form and on catching the feet in front of me.  The past few months of 100 and 200 repeats rang through my head as I heard Coach Reu’s uncomplicated advice of, “it’s ok if it hurts, just go faster.”  With about 500 to go, I found myself stroke for stroke with another pink cap with only a few ahead of us.  We pushed each other out of the channel and into transition.  I almost laughed out loud with glee when I glanced at my watch and it read 20:25 – a three minute swim PR for me.  Coach Mace yelled that I was in about fifth or sixth place (a little farther back than I had hoped) so I grabbed Maureen (my Slice) for her inaugural ride and took off into the wind.  I quickly passed a few ladies and was going strong until I misjudged my shifting and dropped my chain on an incline.  Fortunately this was a fairly quick fix.  Back on the bike, it was an absolute battle into a strong headwind heading out, though I was for once extremely grateful to be so fun-sized as my low profile gave me a little advantage.  With Thursday’s workout behind me, I was able to hammer through the hill section (passing a couple of nervous riders) and get back on the straightaway with the wind at my back. 

Running out of T2

Running out of transition, Coach let me know I was in third or fourth place about 40 seconds back from the girl ahead of me.  Now, this run is a little different than the average 10k as the out and back is book-ended by a section of soft sand and a large set of stairs (which leads up to the London Bridge).  Despite this, I set my brain to track mode and found myself running some fairly decent splits.  However, I still have my head in a place of being a “bad runner” and was therefore shocked when I started using landmarks to time the distance between myself and the girl ahead of me and found myself gaining on her.  I finally passed her at the turnaround and set my sights on the finish.  Around mile 4 I was unfortunately passed by one of the girls I had taken on the bike.  At this point I realized I was in third and in a position to go well under 2:20 (my two goals).  I visualized Coach Mace’s grueling track workouts at this point and managed to keep my pace for the final miles.  I crossed the finish line in 2:18:23, a two minute PR (and a 14 minute course PR), good enough for third place. 

Women's Podium

Following the race, I got in some relaxation, sun, and quality fun time with Amanda as well as with my teammates.  While I would’ve loved to bask in the glory of a successful race for a few days, it was right back to training at Monday morning for me (though I did sleep through 5am swim after the van rolled into town at midnight).  Seeing the results of hard work fuels me to work even harder in the final weeks leading up to my nationals taper.  I am excited to make a few adjustments and to hopefully ride this wave into another big PR.  Train happy, race happy – it’s going to be a great season! 

Race Report: Tidewater Classic - My First Cycling Race

It was raining for my first triathlon, my first post-high school 5k, my graduation, and every first day of the semester for the past six years; therefore it is only fitting that my first cycling race this past weekend was met with chilly temperatures and a torrential downpour (needless to say, I will not be planning an outdoor wedding when that time comes).  After effectively avoiding a crossover from triathlon into cycling (admittedly my strongest of the three sports)for the past few years, I was finally talked into a 21 mile road race in Williamsburg, Virginia during my most recent trip to visit Ian (hey – if he was willing to fly my bike, I suppose I was willing to race it). 

Going into the race, I was a little nervous.  I was terrified of tight formations, sprints and surges (not my strong point), and remembering the etiquette of road racing.  However, I tried to avoid expectations and simply enjoy myself.  Lined up at the start line, it was pretty obvious that this crowd doesn’t see a whole lot of new faces in the female divisions (I don’t think I’ve been hit on that much since 2007 when I was the token blonde girl in a small Italian village) which helped to distract me and calm my nerves a little.  During the roll out, I did my best to lay low and settle into the pack and to then find a position near (but not at) the front once the real race started – I did NOT want to establish myself as the newbie triathlete who was willing to pull everyone for 20 miles only to get destroyed at the finish.

Obviously this is one of the men's races, 

but you can see how beautiful the day and road conditions were.

After about five or six miles, however, I started getting bored.  Realizing I was at a conversational pace and that most of the group was still together in one pack, I surged ahead and took the lead.  At this moment, I had major delusions of grandeur.  I pictured myself riding away from the pack and finishing the race minutes ahead of the rest in a wave of glory.  Unfortunately, when I surged ahead, about half of the group went with me.  After about 5-6 more miles, we entered our second loop and a few girls flew past me.  Suddenly, the game of draft legal cycling started to get fun.  Surging ahead to catch them, the ride became as much tactical as speed (which was only magnified by the fact that the rain now made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead of you).  As we neared the finish, I used all any knowledge of draft legal racing that had been spewed at me by Ian over the last year and took a spot near (but not at) the front of the pack.  Finally, the finish line was in view.  With the final stretch on an incline, I had a distinct advantage over the sea-level girls and I sprinted my booty off across the line.  Much to my surprise, I looked around and realized I had come in first place among the cat 3-4 women!

After soft-peddling back to the car, I quickly changed into dry clothes and collected my winnings (a leftover William and Mary Cycling sweatshirt – best prize ever because it helped warm me up).  I was tired, freezing, hungry, and hooked.  After coffee and iHop breakfast, my elevated spirits were even higher!  Did I probably get lucky in placing as well as I did?  Yes, definitely.  Does it matter?  No.  I had an absolute blast and enjoyed the adventure of stepping out of my box a little (because learning to drive stick shift this week and proceeding to do so by myself in rush hour Virginia traffic wasn’t enough of an adventure).  I’m sure I’ll never just transition to being “just” a cyclist – I get bored way too easily; but I think I’ve found a new and fun way to race/train during the off season.  I’ve already started searching for some Colorado road races and can’t wait to get back out there!

You get some great looks in the airport when flying with 

your bike, suitcase, carry-on, and guitar. Oof!

Inspiration

Last summer as I was gearing of for Boulder 70.3, my swim coach, Reu, had a little visualization talk with me.  He told me to pick an object which would inspire me to keep working and push through when the race got tough or when I was feeling mentally or physically tired (he personally things of his awesome yellow motorcycle helmet).  I thought and thought about my options for an inspiring object.  I eventually settled on the image of my dad’s sailboat slicing through the waves.  This image work and I drew it to mind throughout the race but something just wasn’t right.  I knew there was a better option out there but I just couldn’t bring it to mind. 

Fast forward a few months.  My friend Megan and I were climbing out of my car when she said, “Oh hey, I have something for you” and handed me a little pink Oakley for Young Survival Coalition (YSC) pin.  YSC is a program which supports young women diagnosed with breast cancer (check it out at http://www.youngsurvival.org/), an issue which has become extremely close to my heart over the past few years.  It is easy to make our mothers/grandmothers/aunts the face of breast cancer as they are who paint the ads when we walk for the cure or outfit our football players in pink for the month of October.  However, to me, the face of breast cancer is a little bit different.

Love this jersey – made by Giant and supports YSC

Two years ago, I sat quietly in the back of Research Methods in Music Therapy class as the professor had us all introduce ourselves (name, hometown, and fun fact about us).  I was fully engrossed in the contents of my planner when from the front row a tall, beautiful girl with short platinum hair containing a purple streak said, “Hi, I’m Megan, I’m from Naples, Florida, and this is the first semester at CSU I’ve started with hair.” I later found out that Megan had been diagnosed at age 21 with Stage IV breast cancer (contrary to my original suspicion that she was just crazy and liked to shave her head from time to time).  I didn’t spend much, if any time, getting to know Megan that semester but we ended up rooming together the next fall at national conference, which I attended and she presented at.  We hit it off immediately.  A few months later, through a series of serendipitous events, we ended up going to Vegas together for spring break.  The trip was full of adventures and shenanigans which I will not go into on a public forum, but the point is that we became fast friends.  Ever since, we have been all but inseparable. 

Megan and I in Las Vegas

On February 7^th, Megan celebrated her 5 year cancerversary: a day which doctors told her she only had a 15% chance of ever seeing.  The importance of that day cannot be stressed enough.  However, to me, the amazing thing is not that Megan has survived the last five years but that she has truly been alive.  No one would blame her for being angry and cynical, for dropping out of school, for staying in bed every crummy day, or for becoming a hermit (goodness knows I hole up at the slightest sniffle).  Instead, Megan has one of the sweetest and cheeriest dispositions I have had the pleasure to encounter, she has stayed in school and is committed to finishing her degree no matter what the obstacles, she’s always down to go get breakfast/dinner/froyo, and is one of the best dancers in the continental United States (an activity which she views as therapeutic). 

Celebrating Megan’s Cancerversary

Besides being one of my dearest friends, Megan serves as an incredible inspiration to me and has inadvertently become my motivation in triathlon.  Whenever I dread a workout, I am grateful that my body allows me to workout.  If I am tired, I think about the exhaustion that those who undergo cancer treatment must feel.  When the fight for the finish line feels long or seems distant, I think about how short and easy it is compared to a five year battle. 

Hairs growing back - BOOM

As I head into my next season, I have no doubts as to what my “inspiring object” is.  My pink pin will be affixed to my transition bag and I’m hoping to get my hands on a sticker for my bike (maybe even some temporary tattoos).  But the truth is, that object isn’t motivating at all, it is the woman that pin represents who inspires me every day.  Thank you Megan for being the beautiful human being that you are.  I love you and congratulations on your five year cancerversary!  P.S. I can’t wait for next month’s round two in Vegas! J

Triathlete Wisdom from Superbowl Sunday

Ah here it is, one of the most celebrated American holidays is once again upon us: Superbowl Sunday.  Now, many athletes, especially endurance athletes, seem to hold a bit of animosity towards the big boys who throw around a prolate spheroid and knock each other over.  And I get it, I’m as annoyed as the next guy when I see one of our CSU players scoot by on his stipend-funded moped to his scholarship-funded class despite their inability to win a game while my nationally competitive teammates and I struggle to be granted pool time.  But I digress.  The truth is there are several lessons we can learn from football.  Of course there are the obvious lessons (the importance of coaching, offseason can determine the season, the agony of injury, comeback kids, etc), but there are others as well.  So, kick back with some beer and wings this afternoon and be prepared for some football wisdom.

Do it for the love of the game

Brett Favre got a pretty bad rep when he retired for the millionth time from the Packers only to take on a few more seasons as a Jet and then as a (gasp) Viking.  As a Wisconsinite, I get that this was practically a mortal sin.  However, I get it.  To me, it always seemed as though Brett wasn’t playing for the fame or for the money (after all, he has that illustrious Wrangler endorsement) but instead for the love of the game.  As he got older, he simply couldn’t give up on the game, the way many of us can’t imagine a life without multisport.  As a triathlete, I try to remember that I’m in this not for a plaque or medal but because I love it and, like Favre, I will do whatever it takes to stay in my game.

Poor Guy didn't get a lot of love after he left

There’s a place for all shapes and sizes

Football players come in all shapes and sizes from Gilbert Brown at 6’2” and 340 lbs to Jim Leonhard at 5’8” and 185 lbs.  Each player offers a specific asset based on his body.  At the starting line of a tri, it is always amazing to see the differences in bodies.  Some athletes are tall and lanky while others are short and stacked – each offering its own specific set of advantages.  Personally, I sometimes get down on myself because I am not as thin as the “typical” female triathlete.  However, I try to remember that my shoulders help me swim and my big quads help me ride.  As in football, we need to start seeing our bodies for all they do for us instead of how to fit a mold.

Ian and my bike side by side (and this is the larger of my bikes)

The game is played from start to finish

Everyone remembers that Hail Mary touchdown or an amazing sprint finish.  But the truth is, games are often won or lost by plays in the early and middle parts of the game (think: certain missed Bronco’s field goal in this year’s playoffs).  In a tri, it is easy to settle in or not push in the swim or in a transition because there is still plenty of race left.  But the truth is that every moment is a part of the race and should be treated as such.

We can all be friends here

One of my favorite moments of a football game is immediately after the game when players from opposing teams greet and embrace one another.  There always appears to be friendly banter as though happy to see a friend despite the loss of the game.  In triathlon, we develop an awesome community.  Out on the course your main objective is to beat that guy/girl but that should never stop us from sharing post-race meals and laughs with that person no matter who climbs the podium.  I love seeing the friendly banter between pro’s on Twitter.  Obviously, these people compete against one another but they also share a sense of camaraderie and true friendship. 

Gomez and Brownlee immediately after the 2012 Olympic race

Success doesn’t necessarily equal respect

Yes, sometimes the bad guy does win.  However, it only takes mention of players such as Michael Vick or Ray Lewis to realize that the athletic success of these players does not mean we respect them.  I personally respect Packers Aaron Rodgers and Donald Driver for their humble and respectful demeanors and would do so win or lose.  In triathlon, I don’t care who crosses the line first; I respect the athletes who play fair, who are kind and respectful before/after the race, who are humble, who thank volunteers, and who have a smile on their face.

Goldenboy Rodgers has bought my friends drinks and dates girls who have never heard of him while Driver has written thank-you letters to fans and the state of Wisconsin. <3

Being a bully doesn’t pay off

Two words: Detroit Lions.  This team is notorious for bully-like behavior such as the 2011 Thanksgiving game stomping incident of Suh on Dietrich-Smith.  Yet the Lions went 4-12 this season.  Ouch.  In triathlon, you can do some pretty awful things.  You can mess with bikes in transition, steal from transition, throw unnecessary elbows, purposefully draft, cut someone off, the list goes on.  But these things don’t really make you win in the long run.  The only way to the top is through hard work, dedication, talent, and luck – so you might as well be nice while you’re at it!

Not everyone can win – and that’s ok

Two teams play in the Superbowl and only one of them wins.  Each season, 31 teams will not be named champions.  Yet, we still love our teams.  On the morning of January 13^th, I woke up still a Packer fan and my Colorado friends and neighbors were still Bronco fans.  There’s even a sect of Americans who, despite all evidence to not be, are Miami Dolphins fans.  We don’t love our respective teams based on their record.  In fact, most people can’t even explain why we love our team; we just do.  In that respect, our friends and families love us for who we are and will do so no matter how long it takes to cross a finish line.  It is easy to place value on ourselves based on our successes or failures but the truth is that these events are secondary all secondary. 

So there it is, lessons from Superbowl Sunday: love the sport, love your competitor, and love yourself.  And, oh yeah, GO PACK GO!

Superbowl 2011