Chicago Triathlon-Goals and Grace

Ooooooooohhhhh Chicago, Chicago....

I signed up for the Chicago Triathlon on a whim so I could hang out with friends and get at least one OWS tri completed before the end tri season. Well, the triathlon did not happen. The Chicago Triathlon became a Duathlon. I had to laugh at myself. I actually completed two duathlons earlier this year. But here I am on number 3. They say, three times is a charm right? Perhaps, the "Tri spirits" were cutting me some slack. I chuckled to myself when the swim was cancelled. I was both relieved and bummed. I seriously wanted to swim in Lake Michigan since I did NOT complete the swim portion of the 2017 Chicago Tri. (You can read about that triathlon from my 2017 post.) But I am grateful. My team mates who live in Chicago were wonderful hosts. I was surrounded by new and old friends, athletes and volunteers. I count that a win for sure.

In triathlon, one must hold on to the hope of meeting their goal while gracefully surrendering control of the outcome of any race. The best one can do is show up and race the course that is given. Lake Michigan was quite turbulent the day before the race. I did a quick OWS practice with 4 foot swells and silently prayed that race morning the lake would be calmer. It was not so the the swim was cancelled. Understandably disappointed like many of athletes, we humbly put our wetsuits away and prepared for the race before us, a run/bike/run. Our minds shifted slowly yet gracefully from Triathletes to Duathletes and off we went to start the run then bike then run journey.

Each athlete was amazing. Some participated in the para-athlete division while others were in the first timer division. There were older athletes, younger athletes, international athletes, etc. On August, 25, 2019, we were all duathletes celebrating our accomplishment. Congratulations to every participant. You stayed the course. As athletes, we know must adapt and adjust. Perhaps this race was simply as set up for our next race. As any triathlete, we were probably planning our next race before we finished the Chicago tri. That is what we do. We sign up and we keep going. Until the next race....

Remember never forget to enjoy the journey.

Coach Stacy

Comments

Fear, Feedback and Fuel

On Sunday, I started the Chicago Triathlon. It was one of the largest in the United States. The goal was to complete 1500m in Lake Michigan cycle 24.5 miles and run 6.2 miles in Chicago. I completed this race last year. It was both challenging and fun. This year the outcome was not what I had planned. I started the race surrounded by wonderful people, Some I knew while others were strangers. We all started the race together. Rough waters awaited. Lake Michigan looked menacing. She churned and tossed us from the moment we entered the water. Here I am at the first bouy. My plan was slow and steady since I was not familiar with this type of water. So I swam. I remembered saying to myself, "Slow is fast". I focused on each stroke and thought of little else. I saw a friend swim by me. It made me feel great as I turned to the straightaway toward the finish. I could see the finish through my Rx goggles. I swam and swam. As I sighted for the tall buildings in the dis...

Grit- Road to Chicago Olympic Triathlon

Definition Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual's passion for a particular long-term goal or end state, coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challenges that lie within a gritty individual's path to accomplishment, and serves as a driving force in achievement realization. Commonly associated concepts within the field of psychology include "perseverance", "hardiness", "resilience", "ambition", "need for achievement" and "conscientiousness". This is who I am. Stacy the Grit. Yes, I could spend a lot of time talking to you about my finish time and what I could improve upon yadda yadda yadda but anyone who reads my blog knows that I rarely focus on the outcome. I focus on the process. I focus on how did I arrive at a specific point and time. I focus on the jour...

You Define Success*****

Today I must admit was an extra-ordinary day. I had the opportunity to do something I had never done before. I completed 2 endurance events back to back. I participated in the Maryland Sprint duathlon on Saturday and Olympic Distance on Sunday. This consisted of 39 miles of cycling uphill and 10 miles of running in back to back within 24 hours. For a few, this seemed like a walk in a park. See these events bring out the most talent athletes around. They look fast and have fancy bikes. I signed up for this race because a buddy asked me to do so. There I was. No fancy shoes. A bike that is 11 years old. No fancy outfit. NOTHING. I just said to myself, " Oh well, you defined what you want to get out of this." Oh course, I was totally intimidated by all the racers. I had not planned on doing this event. The course is very tough. I have not trained for much in the past few months, but exercise regularly for sanity. All I could do is ...

The Journey

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