Tag: ironman

Chasing Dreams: Kona Report – part 1

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It has been a few months since my husband John finished the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona on October 13, 2012. While it is a little late for a race report, I wanted him to share what he learned with the Running A Life Community. And, I know several of you have asked as well. What follows is his response to our request. Enjoy!   As I exited the water at Dig Me Beach, and shook off the salty Pacific, pieces of my dream fell to the ground and gave way to the reality. In the water, you could see …

Why cheating matters – and why it’s not about Armstrong

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Lance-come-lately’s admission of doping has many talking, while others wish the tabloid gossip would go away, wondering why in the heck we should care about someone who lied and cheated in a sport that affects so few of us. I’ve hesitated about posting my thoughts; I’m not a fan of controversy on my blog. But you’ll be happy to know that this post is NOT about my take on the Lance-Armstrong-gate. This post is about why cheating matters to me, why I’m upset about cheating, and why I believe cheating is a bigger issue than some may care to admit. …

Roll With It: Bone Island Triathlon Race Report

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January is an odd time of year to do a triathlon for someone who lives in the dank cold of the Northeast United States. But, after Ironman Mont Tremblant in August, my coach Vince and I decided that I would pass on the fall racing season in favor of building my bike fitness. Somewhere around mid-October, I knew I wouldn’t make it until the spring season without some sort of race. So, I consulted my friend Google. Oh, wise Google, what type of mischief might a marauding triathlete get into in January?  Google replied: This inaugural event, organized by the same …

I put my hat on

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I put my hat on, and head to the end of my driveway. I look left, right. I make the turn onto my street. The movement is de-li-cious after a long ride, hunched over aerobars. Now, I move the way I was made to move. I tug on the hat to make sure it is snug and low. I see the stretch of road ahead of me. There is magic in this moment, in the pitter pat of my feet. Magic. Pitter pat. Just like this. Pitter pat. My muscles and tendons stretch, and give a yawn. They open to the …

Who are you calling old?

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Last week, on December 11th, I turned 40-44 years old. Okay, really, I turned 39 years old, but in terms of my age group for the 2013 triathlon season, I’ll be racing in the 40-44 year old division. That’s because USA Triathlon calculates your age group based on your age by December 31st of the racing year. By December 31, 2013, I’ll be 40. Thanks to USAT, I can cue the confetti and streamers now to mark my evolution into a new decade. Some (who shall remain nameless to protect them from having birthday cake thrown at them) have implied that perhaps …

Coulda, Shoulda

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“Whoa!” I exclaimed as I walked into the garage. “It is HOT in here.” “It’ll be hot in Cozumel,” John replied, barely looking up from his aerobars. It was the Fall of 2011. John was ramping up for Ironman Cozumel, where he would attempt to qualify for Kona. Now, in the Fall of 2012, we all know how that story went. On this day in particular, he was in the middle of a 6.5 hour ride – on the trainer in the 90-degree, airless garage. Why ride the trainer in a hot garage on a gorgeous early Autumn day, you might rightly ask? …

Thanks for asking

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Many times, I’ve been asked different variations on the same question: “Why?” Why do you run? And, why do you run sooooo far? What makes you want to do an Ironman? Repeatedly? Are you going to keep doing Ironmans all the time now? So, is all this stuff the new normal? Why would you put your body through all of that?  Because I’m not sure the person truly wants to hear the real answer, I usually offer up something quick like “It’s fun,” or “Because I can.” Then, I offer a nervous smile, because I feel fairly certain that the …

My Missing Mojo

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Last Thursday, I was into the first few moments of a series of power-targeted intervals on the bike, and I could feel it. On Sunday, in the last two miles of a trail run, my legs kicked into high gear for some of the fastest miles I’ve run in a while, and I knew it was with me. Just two strokes into Monday’s swim, and there it was. My mojo. My magnificant, move-me-up-mountains mojo. It’s mojolicious. Okay, you get the point. Alright, one more time… *  *  M  O  J  O   *  * I like to keep my thoughts …

Anything Is Possible

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Standing on Ali’i Drive, after watching the swim start of the Ironman World Championships, I saw their purple shirts, a shade of purple I recognized immediately as belonging to pancreatic cancer awareness. The front of the t-shirts read, “Molli is doing the Ironman with Pancreatic Cancer.” That must be a typo, right? They must mean ‘for’ pancreatic cancer. There’s no way she could be doing it with pancreatic cancer. Having witnessed the pain and torment my mother went through in the past year, I couldn’t imagine anyone surviving that horrible disease, let alone completing an Ironman with it. I didn’t …

Kona: An IronFan’s Perspective

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  It’s been two weeks since the Ironman World Championships, where John crossed the finish line in 10 hours, 13 minutes and 37 seconds, which places him in the top 23.8% of the best triathletes IN.THE.WORLD. Impressive. Almost as impressive as his IronFans who hopped and shuttled and pushed and cajoled around the race course to make sure we were in just the right location to scream our crazy heads off and snap choice money shots, like this one:   But, hey, it was our job, which, to use the words of our friend Danny, included:  “Eat. Drink. Applaud. Repeat.” As …