Grit CAN trump talent!

Last weekend was my first triathlon of the season. Not that I have many lined up, but this was the first in preparation for Timberman. I had pretty low expectations since it was being held locally, impliying hills beyond my comfort zone.

While I've been training for the past five months or so on every hill I can find, I'm not a natural climber and I'm also built like a sprinter... A sprinter that still hasn't managed to shed off the extra 10 pounds post babies. 

But on this fateful first tri of the season day, all the hard work I've put in paid off- not only did I win my age group qualifying me for the national championships, but I also came in 5th overall! In my wildest dreams did I ever expect such awesome results.

I've been putting in some hard miles in preparation for this season, now it's time to step it up further and ask myself, how bad do I want it? How much am I willing to sacrifice in order to be good at this sport? The truth is I don't know, but I'm a long way from being done.

Summer is here and so is my new gear!

This training season has been harder and more humbling than I ever expected. Not just physically, but I've had to mentally keep myself in check while juggling with multiple demands that require my attention. Particularly over the last few weeks it has been a big challenge to find the time to train.
My biggest struggles at the moment are:
1) Losing a good 5-10 pounds before HIM (which stands for Half Iron Man) in August.
2) Improving my run. Coach C is busting my chops with interval training, speed and distance work. The improvements have been astounding for short distances so far, but it feels that the improvements to my long run abilities are coming along so slow! I know I can't become a fast long distance runner over night, but I desperately want to!

On another note, I found myself in need to order a new kit and/or join a team. I recently joined this Facebook group WomenForTri, and after learning about the group's goals, I realized that they completely align with my mission to close the gender wage gap. So after much consideration, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. Do I really believe women can achieve what they set their mind to? Yes I do. Do I believe women can raise each other up? Absolutely. Triathlon is an individual sport, but as women, if we support and encourage each other, we can reduce those barriers that limit our ability to believe in ourselves to achieve our dreams.

Here's the kit that arrived today!