Years in endurance sports? Began swimming as a junior at Olympus High, against my Father’s wishes. He was and still is very protective of his family and still asks me every time before a triathlon if I have my life jacket for the swim. I did my first sprint triathlon years later at Cottonwood Heights. I met my husband through swimming masters at Steiner Aquatic Center. I was at the time serving as chairman of Utah Masters Swimming and he encouraged me to run and bike a lot more. I did my first Olympic distance triathlon with him at the Utah Summer Games before we were married. I’ve done most my triathlon racing in the past five years.
Occupation? My husband is an internal medicine physician working at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital while I stay at home with our three boys ages 10, 8, and four years old. My dream would be to one day form a women’s only triathlon training and support group. I would love to help women train and complete races while sharing the strength I’ve received from training and racing.
City of residence? Centerville, Utah since October 1997. While dating my husband, we would always drive to Centerville to ride. I can ride 110 miles from my door without getting in a lot of traffic. (I keep my rides between 20-40 miles now due to lack of time).
My most memorable race? The 2005 Echo Challenge Half Iron. This was my first and only Half. At the time I was riding my Raleigh aluminum bike (first aluminum frame ever made - which was my mother-in-law’s old bike). The head set was loose and any hard application of my front brake would pop my tube and so the night before the race I borrowed a bike from a friend. I finished third overall women with a time of 5:30. My best running race was a ½ marathon in my early 30’s before I had kids – I ran a 1:43. I look back now and wonder how I did it. Last
year I participated in LOTOJA with a relay team – I rode the first 83 miles.
Most Challenging moment in an event? Running is without a doubt my most challenging moment, whether I’m training or racing. Starting my run at the Half Iron at Echo it was 102 degrees and I knew it was going to be very difficult due to the heat leading up to race day. I had mentally planned for a VERY hot run and had a specific plan to make it through each mile of the run. At mile eight it became very difficult. It was at that point my goal became to just get to the water station at mile nine, then came ten, 11, etc. I was very surprised at my finish place and time considering all the circumstances. The more races I do the more I believe that the longer and more challenging the race and conditions are, the better I do.
Short or Long Course: It was while I swam at various Master swim meets I discovered my strength at long distance events. This has also been the case in triathlons. I would much rather ride 100 miles then run a 5K. With a young family and a very busy life, the longest distance I have done is a Half Iron. I would like to try an Ironman distance someday but feel I need to wait until our youngest is in 1st grade (2009).
Favorite Event: I have a lot of them. I just did the Bear Lake triathlon and loved it. I enjoy the Ogden and Scofield races because they are so family friendly – a lot of things for the kids to do while mom races. I loved Scofield for the whole pig on the grill post race. My ten year old did his first tri there last year. It also holds a special place in my heart in remembrance of Richard Barnum-Reece. We spoke at length and reminisced about my children and our Lake Powell 5K open water swim we both competed in while waiting on the boat ramp for the race to begin. This and the St. George Tri that year help me remember what the most important things in life are for me.
What inspires me to train? It can be challenging when both mom and dad like to train and compete in long distance events. My husband was 6th overall in the 2006 50K Goblin Valley run and is very passionate about his running, as I am with my training. We need each other and our family to remain in balance. We understand and respect each others need to train, but always try to have time for our family and each other. We utilize baby-sitters in the early morning on Saturdays in order to get our workouts in at the same time so we have the rest of day on Saturday’s to be together as a family. My abilities in triathlon have been a gift to me, giving me incredible strength, self confidence, and motivation to be healthy. Training also helps me be a better mom, but, being a competitive person I need to be careful not to get to wrapped up in performing at a certain level and expecting certain times and splits–this takes to much time and energy.
Training & Racing Philosophy: I do most of my training when school is out and have a regular baby-sitter set up two to three times a week on the same day at the same time every week so I can ride and do one run outside. I swim in the evenings and run one to two more times a week on the treadmill. I’m trying to adopt a new philosophy in my training. It’s not about how fast I am going or how far I’m going anymore. It’s about a balance I’m striving for, listening to my body, enjoying how training makes my mind, body and spirit feel and enjoying who I am with and my surroundings. When I go to a race, I try not to put any pressure on myself to perform at a certain level or to do certain times. I don’t wear a watch anymore and try not to dictate whether I feel I’ve had a successful race or not by my time. The courses are too different and feel we should celebrate each race with a sense of accomplishment. I love the energy I feel at races and the people I have come to know through those races.
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