Beginning is winning- Hagerstown Duathlon

Occasionally, I participate in low- key races for the fun and to test my personal limits. It was a great day for sure. I watched my fellow triathlete get 2nd place in her age group and saw many familiar faces in Multisports that I have raced with all season. This was my last multisport race for season so what a wonderful way to end the season.

Yesterday, I completed a local Duathlon.

After the race, I packed up my belongings and drove to a local supermarket to grab food before heading home. I wore my medal to the supermarket. Someone asked me, “Did you win the race?” I smiled and said, “No.”The lady continued “ How come you got a medal and you did even win?” I smiled with my best Stacy smile thinking should I answer or not. I did. I replied “ Every athlete who finished earned the medal. They trained to get to the starting line and decided to put themselves through a 15 mile course that required them to run then bike then run again. The participants’ ages ranged from 14 to 80+ years old. “ She said “Wow, I had no idea. I guess you do deserve that medal. “ She gathered her groceries and walked away.
What is the lesson? Define what winning means for you. Please don’t allow someone else to define what is a win for you. You define your successes. A positive attitude and healthy lifestyle are a win in my book.

Just a little background- The Hagerstown Duathlon is a 1.9 mile run 10 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. This race occurs twice a year, once in the Spring and Fall. I completed both races. First race time was 1:28 min and I got 1st place. Second race my time was 1:24 and I got 8th place. On can not define "winning" by external factors per se. It must be self-defined. I improved on every aspect of my running and cycling, but did not improve in my age group. I'm ok with that. It is all about controlling the controllables. I can't control who shows up and their race performance. I can only control my own. Win for Stacy.

Enjoy the journey

Coach Stacy

For those who like data--- I'm extremely transparent about my races. Read away. Hopefully, I will continue to make improvement next year as I move into the 50-54 age group. Happy racing!

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...

First OWS Tri- Diamond in the Rough

Diamond in the Rough Triathlon Sprint Triathlon~Reflections If you have been reading my blog or know me personally then you know I love music. Music is medicine for me. It soothes me, comforts me and energizes me. It is my favorite wonder drug. With that said, my reflection of my triathlon shall have many musical references. Get Up by Mary Mary Layin' low, rest and pause Sleeping long, slow motion Gonna do, shoulda, coulda Woulda done, excuses What are you afraid of? Don't you know what you're made of? One of God's greatest creations Take this invitation now Get up, 'cause you can't stop Get up, got a lot to do 24 hours, almost gone Get up, don't sit back Get up, if you wanna get there Clocks don't stop and time won't wait I put this song on as I traveled to Perryville State Park where Diamond In The Rough Triathlon was held today. This is a song I have listen to for the past 2 yrs whenever I had doubts about swimming. I sa...

The Journey

Search This Blog