Brushing Off the Cobwebs

Wow, I just noticed that I haven't posted since August, so I guess I can say I'm "brushing off cobwebs" in more ways than one. The other cobwebs I'm starting to brush off are getting back into racing again. Last year was a tough year for me. It started with a high note of running a PR at the Houston Marathon, but then quickly went downhill from there. I was diagnosed with a calcaneus stress fracture in the beginning of February which kept me from running through the end of March. Then, just as I was getting back into it, I ended up with an entrapped nerve in my calf in mid-July. After going through just about every treatment you can think of, and not seeing a whole lot of improvement, the doctor scheduled me for a nerve release surgery. Thankfully though, right before I was supposed to have the surgery, I started seeing a little bit of improvement and decided to push back the surgery to see if it would heal on its own. It did, i was able to avoid surgery, and started running again at the end of November.  So, all in all I was able to run for about 4 of the 12 months last year. Not fun! I learned a lot through the difficult experience, but it's something I would not want to go through again.

This weekend I race in my season opening race, the Red Hills Triathlon in Tallahassee, FL.  This was the third year I've done the race and as always, it was a fantastically run race. Last year when i did this race it was actually the first time I had run since being diagnosed with my stress fracture.


On race morning, we woke up to some pretty cold temperatures. The air temp was in the low 40's and the water temp was in the low 60's...brrr! I was definitely not looking forward to plunging into that water, but at least it ensured that the swim would be wetsuit legal. I was in the fifth wave with all the women 39 and under. When the gun went off we all took off, running through the knee deep water, then diving in once it got a little deeper (didn't take long). When my face hit that cold water it was shocking, so much so, I had a hard time catching my breath. I started to freak out a little bit, but after I took  few strokes on my back, I was able to get under control.

The only bad thing about wetsuit swims is trying to get out of them in T1. After a brief struggle, I peeled it off and headed out on the bike course. Once on the bike, it doesn't take long to figure out why the race is called Red HILLS. The course is only sixteen miles long, but you get your full money's worth, it is tough! It's a beautiful area and on mostly quiet roads, but the hills are no joke. It was still pretty chilly, so I was more than happy to get off the bike and start running.

Upon arriving in T2, I realized that I could feel my feet or hands much at all which made it a little difficult to get my helmet off and my running shoes on. After fumbling through transition, I was off on the last leg. The run course is 5k and split between running on pavement and trail. My legs felt pretty good, the only problem was I couldn't feel my feet. I felt like I was running on wooden blocks until about 2.5 miles into the run when I started getting feeling back.



It was fun to be out there again competing with everyone and dusting some of those cobwebs off. I have alot of work yet to do, but I'm looking forward to the upcoming (hopefully injury free) season. One thing I am continuing to learn is even if I don't feel like I'm in the shape I'd like to be in and I'm not necessarily competing at the level I would like to, just being out there working hard and enjoying the sport is enough.

Olympic Lessons

The closing ceremony for the Olympics was last Sunday evening and I have to say, I was a little disappointed. Every two years, I spend about two weeks watching more television than I have probably watched in the previous entire year and these last two weeks were no exception. I love the anticipation and excitement leading up to the Olympics as we hold our Olympic trials and select our athletes and then nothing beats watching our athletes go head to head against the best in the world. It’s also a rare opportunity to get to know some of the fittest people in the world that otherwise you never hear about.

Here are a few of my favorite Olympic moments from this year: 1) Watching the women’s triathlon come down to a sprint to the finish line which required a photo to determine who crossed first 2) Watching Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh win a third beach volleyball gold in their last match together 3) Watching the American women’s 4x 100m relay team smash the 27-year old world record 4) Watching Michael Phelps close out an incredible career and 5) Watching a young and unexpected Gabby Douglas win the all-around gymnastics gold medal.

Not only did I enjoy watching the Olympics, but I also learned a few good life lessons from some of the athletes: 1) Michael Phelps- when things don’t go your way, you have two choices to make: move on, learn from it, and use it as motivation or let it crush you. After not even medaling in his first event, he refocused and used it as motivation for the rest of the games and went on to win 4 gold and two silver medals and become the all-time record holder for Olympic medals. 2) Gabby Douglas- your past doesn’t have to predict your future. Gabby was raised by a single mom who at times struggled to even pay her mortgage. At 14 years old, she convinced her mom to let her move across the country to train under one of the top coaches. Little did she know that decision would lead to her becoming the first person of color to win the all-around gold medal. 3) Our marathon team- even the best of the best deal with injuries and setbacks in the biggest moments of their lives. We had six athletes (3 men and 3 women) travel to London to compete in the marathon for us. While they all made it to the start line, only half of them made it to the finish line. The other half dropped out at some point during the race because of injury/nagging pains they didn’t want to turn into an injury. 4)Oscar Pritorius- when you set your mind to it, you can overcome any obstacle. While I know that there is debate over whether he should have been allowed to compete or not, it’s still astounding to see what this double amputee has overcome. Not only did he have to compete against other able bodied athletes to even make it to the Olympics, but he also had to compete against the Olympic committee in getting permission to compete in the games. He had a dream and a goal and was willing to do whatever it took to see it come true. 

5) Sarah Attar- don’t worry about what others think, just go out and do your best.  The Saudi Arabian knew she had no chance of coming close to winning, but she did all that she could. She didn’t have access to near the amenities that the other athletes had, but she had a goal to compete at the Olympics and she did just that, breaking barriers and becoming the first female to compete in track for her country. 6) Meb Keflezighi- you’re never too old. Many people counted him out saying that at thirty-seven years old he was past his prime. He proved them wrong though, finishing just out of the medals in fourth place. 7) Missy Franklin- as important as competing well is, you have to have fun too. This girl always had a smile on her face and you could see the excitement on her face just to be able to have the experience of the Olympics. Yes, she was a fierce competitor and brought home plenty of hardware to prove it, but at the same time she was able to relish in and enjoy the experience of being an Olympian.

We got to see some incredible athletes accomplish astounding feats, but I’ve realized that oftentimes we aren’t drawn to an athlete only because of what they can do athletically. We are inspired when we see the obstacles that they have overcome and the strength that they have gleaned from those circumstances. You know what they say: “What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.”

Chattanooga Tri- From a Different Perspective

About a week ago, I competed in the Chattanooga Waterfront Tri.  I had done this race twice before (2009 and 2010) and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to be able to do it again. I know I have wrote numerous times about my awesome support team that I have including Matt, my husband, and my parents who all traveled up for the race as well.  Probably the most exciting part of the weekend was that my parents were not only there to support me, but were there as participants with the goal of finishing their first Olympic distance race.

Getting ready to go

My mom has wanted to tackle this distance for awhile and so a few months ago when I was talking about doing the race, she bit the bullet, signed up, and realized there was no turning back. While she had a few setbacks and minor injuries during her training, she showed up a little nervous, but ready to tackle the challenge.
My dad initially had signed up to do a relay with Matt where he was going to do the swim (if he felt up to it) and the bike and Matt was going to do the run, mainly because my dad hadn't run more than 5 times in the past 8 months due to a foot injury.  My dad has always struggled with swimming and not too long ago couldn't swim more than 50 yards without stopping, but after really focusing on it and taking some lessons, he has really improved and felt like he was up for the challenge. Going into the race, he had half-jokingly mentioned that he might just do the run if he felt good, but that's exactly what ended up happening.
I figured I've written enough about my races recently and I'd do something a little different this time, so I asked them a few questions so you could see things from their perspective. Here goes...

From my mom's view: My thoughts before the race:  nervous as usual---will I be able to do this??  Will l be able to finish?  Oddly enough, having a late start kind of calmed my nerves!  I kept telling myself that I had done the training and was ready for this.  Dustin, you are a great coach and give me confidence!

 So at 8:25 am I slid into the water and was told to get going!  Down the Tennessee River with about 1000 people in front of me ( I started at 1055 out of 1068 entrants!)  The swim was great.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought, wow, I can do this!  Got help out of the water and into transition on the bike.  OK----this is where things got challenging.  I have always been afraid of the bike.  Too much potential for injury!   Chattanooga bike course is not for sissies.  6 hills (mountain-like) each direction.  On top of that, I couldn't get my hydration bottle out of the holder, so was slowly dehydrating myself!  Still, my legs felt great and I was in a positive mood as I entered transition 2.  Took my time changing shoes, taking a Goo and setting off on the run.

 All of a sudden, everything fell apart.  I started seeing stars in front of my eyes and having tunnel vision.  I thought to myself, "should not have taken my blood pressure pill this morning"---something is wrong.  I set out on the run course determined to finish the race, but knowing that I was going to have to take it very easy!!  So I walked most of the 6 miles, with a few runs thrown in.  Now running is my strongest skill, so I thought this would be a piece of cake.  Not so in a triathlon.  Expect the unexpected!! My favorite part of the race was the swim and the finish!  To be able to complete an Olympic distance event is something I have wanted to do since watching my daughter, Dustin, complete the challenge.  It has given me the cofidence to even train for a 1/2 iron man race.  If I can do this, anyone can!!!  It's all about the training and having a good coach.  My thanks go to my lovely and smart daughter, Dustin---the best coach ever!!  


From my dad's view: Thoughts going into the race:
 - Concerned about the swim.  Knew that if I felt bad I would just go rest at the kayaks.  Swam close to the kayaks the whole time. - Was debating whether I would try to do the run or just let Matt do it.  I appreciated Matt making it easy for me to decide at the last minute.  Wanted to do the whole race but didn't want to do anything stupid and hurt myself since I had only run 6-7 times since September. Synopsis of my race: - Didn't feel good early in the swim.  Felt a bit of panic as I looked at how far I was trying to swim.  The bridges seemed a lonng way away and there was still farther to go! Decided to just swim from kayak to kayak.  After stopping at two kayaks I felt better and only stopped once more to get water out of my goggles.

Dad's in the pink cap

 - Didn't push on the bike since it was a long ride for me.   Found it interesting that my slowest speed going up hill was 6 mph and downhill was 32 mph.  Huge difference!  Enjoyed the ride except my backside was hurting by the end.

 - Decided to run but quickly realized my legs were pretty dead.  Just ran/walked as best as I could and tried to enjoy the course.  Passed Sue and realized she wasn't feeling well so stopped and waited for her.  She had a strong kick into the finish line and I had to push it to keep up with her. 


Best part: - Finishing the swim!  For somebody who couldn't swim 50 yards a couple of years ago without being out of breath it was a huge accomplishment for me. - Also pleased wiith how good my foot felt after doing so little running in the past 9 months. Worst part: - Having that feeling of panic early in the race.  Afterwards I thought its good to do something every once in awhile which scares the heck out of you.  It teaches you how to control your fear and still get the job done. Will I do it again: DUSTIN FIND ME A RACE!!!!!


As for me, I had an okay race. The swim and bike were good, but like many others, I just had nothing left for the run. The heat was brutal and having to be one of the last people to start because of a computer glitch only made it that much worse. It was a fun trip though and I can't tell you how proud I was to see my parents cross that finish line!!

Summer Days

About two weeks ago, my sister Devon and her troop arrived. They came so that they could go to her husband Jon's cousin's wedding, but were staying for the whole week. As usual, we had so much fun spending time with them and their kids Isaac, 4, Jackson and Leah, 3, and Carter, 8 mos.
Coming from Temple, TX which is about a 13 hour trip from Pensacola, is quite a feat with four young kids.  They made great time though, getting here by 7:30 on Friday night. After being in the car all day, the kids had plenty of energy to burn off even though it was almost their bed time.  After playing for awhile and then going on a walk, it was past time for the kids to go to bed which was fine with them because they were excited about sleeping in the room that Gi-Gi and Pop-Pop had fixed up for them with new bunk beds and all.

On Saturday evening they all went to the wedding, but there were no kids allowed at the reception, so me, Matt, and my parents picked the kids up and took them to the fountains downtown. They had an absolute blast running through and playing in the water.
Monday was Memorial Day, so everyone was off of work and we all went out to Matt's grandma's house in Perdido for the day. There were about 30 of us out there and as usual, Matt's dad and aunt prepared a great spread of food. We spent the day catching up with family and friends, catching fish and other sea creatures, swimming, and riding the jet ski. All the kids rode the jet ski, though Leah was a little scared of it and Jackson even rode on the tube pulled by the jetski (with his dad of course). The kids were pretty tired after a day in the sun with no naps. Jon and Devon got to go out on a date while my parents and we got the kids ready for bed.
One of the highlights of there visit was when the kids spent the night at our house. We picked them up on Wednesday evening, Matt took Thursday off work, and we took them to see the really big airplane movie (the IMAX at the air museum). The boys loved it and I think Leah just liked getting to sit on Uncle Matt's lap the whole time. Later that evening we got to see some friends that we hadn't seen in about 4 years. Heather was actually our volleyball and softball coach in high school.  Her and her husband brought their three kids over to swim and barbecue. We had a great time reminiscing and catching up.

Grandman Triathlon 2012 Race Report

     This past weekend I competed in the Grandman Triathlon with my parents and lots of friends from Pensacola, Fairhope, and other surrounding areas. It was a sprint race consisting of a 600 yard swim, 18 mile bike, and 5k run. Friday evening, me, Matt, and my parents drove over to Fairhope excited about the next morning. It was only going to be my second and my parents' first race of the season. We stopped by the race venue, my parents wanted to check it out since they had never done the race before, then we headed over to our hotel. It was getting late by then. so we pretty much went straight to bed.
    After a night of on and off again sleep, which is pretty typical for me when I'm sleeping in a strange place,  I woke up excited, but nervous to see how the day would unfold.  We got over to the race site at about 6am, were able to find a really good parking place, and headed down the big hill to the transition area. We picked up our chips, got body marked, and racked our bikes.
The weather was great, pretty low humidity and a little cooler than it had been. I was even a little cold getting into the water to warm-up. A little bit before 7am, the race director started getting everyone organized to start the race. They did the swim start different than in past years, they used a time trial start where they started people one at a time in three second intervals. when you got to start in relation to everyone else was dependent on what you predicted your swim time to be. I was number 128, so didn't have to wait too long for my turn to go.
The bay where we swim is notoriously shallow, so I started out running in the water, then did a mix of dolphin diving and running, and finally was able to swim. I actually felt pretty good on the swim and was pretty happy with where I came out. There's a decent run from the swim exit to transition and once I reached my bike i quickly got my shoes on and headed out.
I recently purchased some race wheels and I was excited to see how they felt. They were so smooth and the handling felt great. The course was not an easy one though. You would think after having done this race so many times I would be used to it, but for some reason this time seemed worse than usual. It's got some rolling hills and there was a little bit of wind. Not long into it, my legs were burning and I was just hoping that my legs wouldn't be too spent before I got to the run. I was able to pass a few girls throughout the ride and was passed by fellow Team MPI athlete Barbara Kerby (who went on to win 2nd overall...beast) around mile 5 or 6. The thing I didn't like about the way this race was organized was that with the time trial start, it was hard to get an idea of where I was in relation to some of the other competitors.
     Coming out of T2, first thing, we have to run up a big, steep hill. Once to the top I felt like junk and was not looking forward to the run. However, after the first mile, I started getting into a nice rhythm and felt a little better. I really didn't know what to expect of my run since I've really only been running for a few weeks since coming off a stress fracture followed by another layoff due to tendonitis. With that being said I was happy to find out that my run time was only about 20 seconds slower than last year's time and I had the 2nd fastest female run time over all (fastest female run time was 5 seconds faster than me).
I ended up getting fourth overall female and first in my age group. My parents did great too!! My mom got to race on her new bike and finished 4th in her age group and my dad was able to complete the whole race even though he hadn't planned on running since he has been out of running since September because of a foot injury. We are continuing to pray for God's healing there so he can get back to what he loves doing!! Overall, we had a great trip and as always it was so fun to see so many friends out there racing, especially the ones that don't get to see as often. I have to say though that the best part of the day was getting back home to hang out with my niece, nephews, and sister and her husband who decided to extend their trip an extra day, can't get enough of those little guys. We finished off the day with homemade pizza and playing in the pool.

A New Perspective

This weekend I helped out with a para triathlon camp that was put on by the Challenged Athlete's Foundation (CAF) and hosted by Multisport Performance Institute (MPI) at the Portofino Resort on Pensacola Beach. I'd been looking forward to this camp ever since helping out with the same camp last year because it's an experience like none other. I spent the weekend surrounded by some amazingly inspiring people.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the term para athlete, they are athletes that have some sort of physical disability. We had 14 athletes come from all over the country who had injuries ranging from missing limbs to the debilitating disease of multiple sclerosis. There were a few athletes who were older, but most were early to mid 20's, with the youngest being a freshman in high school. It was so inspiring to hear the stories of their injuries and to see what they had overcome. We had several guys from the military who had lost a leg while serving their country, and one who had even lost both. A couple of the athletes had battled cancer and had their limb amputated to save their life and one athlete lost his leg as a result of a careless nurse that took care of him when he was born.
Now, you may be tempted to feel sorry for these people, but that is the last thing they would want, and they certainly aren't sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. These athletes were some of the funniest, most positive, and hopeful people that you'll encounter. They were so laid back, often making jokes and wisecracks about their missing limbs and their positive outlook on life was unbelievable. I can't imagine how incredibly difficult it would be to go through some of the trauma and hardships that they have been through, yet they all seemed to have the attitude of "this is the lot that was given to me and I'm going to make the most of it."

I was so motivated as I saw many of them, who hadn't ridden a bike in years, if ever, or had never swam in open water before finish up the camp by completing a triathlon. The athletes spent the weekend going through various swim, bike, and run training sessions and sitting through several lectures and then their final test was the race that they did this morning. Everyone finished with a smile on their face and after spending the weekend with these incredible people, I have been given a new perspective on life.

What's going on...

I've been meaning to get back on here for some time, life has just been crazy recently. Lots has happened since I last posted, but I'll try not too make this too long. In February I attended a USATriathlon coaches clinic, passed a test and became a Level 1 triathlon coach. It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time, so when the opportunity was presented, I jumped at the chance. I am now officially a coach with Team MPI. I've been coached by them for quite a while and I've been involved with a lot of their camps, clinics, etc and their isn't a better company that I'd want to be a part of so I was pretty excited when they approached me about working with them.

Isaac

Last weekend we held an Ironman Texas camp in the Woodlands, TX. It was a jam packed couple of days, but we had a great time. Me and Matt drove over a day early so that we could stop and see my sister Devon and the kids. It was a few hours out of our way, but well worth it!

View from out hotel window

We checked into our hotel in The Woodlands on Friday afternoon and not long after met most everyone for a run. The hotel we stayed at was beautiful, it's a very ritzy area and we had a view of the waterway from our room. That evening we all had dinner together and got the plan together for the next day. We had 6 athletes attend the camp and IMTX will be the first ironman for all but one of them. Over the weekend, we had a chance to run the whole run course, ride most of the bike course, and see the swim course. We also enjoyed a great dinner at one of our sponsor's house, Keven Barr the founder of Energy Lab Nutrition.

IMTX camp

Me and mom after a wet ride

I've competed a few times over the last month. Me and my parents went over to Fairhope for the Tour de LADR at the end of March. It was a small fundraiser bike race. When we woke up the morning of the race, it was pouring. We weren't sure if they would still do it, but drove over to the venue to check it out. The rain slowed a little and we were able to race. I stayed with the front pack for the whole ride and ended up being outsprinted at the end by one other girl who i'm sure i could've beat. I couldn't read my computer screen because of the rain and I thought we still had about another 1/3 mile or so to go and so I wasn't in the position I need to be, but I had fun anyways.
Then, two weeks ago, me and Matt traveled over to Tallahassee for my first tri of the season, the Red Hills Triathlon. The thing I enjoyed most about it was the chance to run again. For those of you who hadn't heard, I was diagnosed with a calcaneal stress fracture in the middle of February, was in a walking cast for a month, and had to keep from running for another month. It was killer, though thankfully I was still able to ride and swim pain free. I was a little apprehensive going into the race without having run for 8 weeks, but it ended up going fine and I wasn't too slow :-).

Pensacola was well represented at Red Hills

The newest addition to the Stevens family

The most exciting thing that has happened in the last few months was the birth of my nephew Parker Allen to my sister Lindsey and her husband. He was a week late, must've been comfortable in his mommy's tummy. Lindsey was induced on the morning of Friday the 13th (good thing we aren't superstitious) and he finally made his entrance to the world around 8:30 that night. His big brother Eli (2yrs) wasn't crazy about the idea of sharing his mommy, I think the first thing he said to him was no, get away, but he's starting to warm up to him. I'm sure they'll soon be best buds.
One last thing, Team MPI just started our series of super sprint races out at the Portofino Resort. We had our first race last Thursday and our next race is this Thursday (26th). They are short, fun, laid back races on Thursday evenings throughout the summer, a great chance for beginners to see what it's like to do a race and some good competition for more experienced athletes. If you get a chance you should come join us one evening!