"I like you. I'll gladly sit down and have dinner with you after the race. But when the gun goes off, I pretty much hate you, and I want to stomp your guts out. That's racing." -J Rapp



"the best night of my life.....
...in the most beautiful place on earth"



"It's just one, long, tedious conversation with yourself" -Paula Newby Fraser






"Have faith- trust in the plan - the breakthrough will come. I promise. " Woo




"You can keep going and your legs might hurt for a week or you can quit and your mind will hurt for a lifetime.” -Mark Allen




“The only time you can be brave is when you’re afraid.”


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A Letter from a Friend...

The below entry was written by Morgan Francis---to say I have coached her is really giving me too much credit---I gave here a program to follow that I felt would get her ready for Vineman...she is one tough competitor!

Morgan is the epitome of a Triathlete---works her tail off to personally see what she is made of.  She fits it into her already full daily schedule, never backs down, and is a sponge for more and for any bit of information she can get to become a better athlete....Go Morgan!  This weekend is her first 70.3 (Vineman)...she will do great! 



My Journey…

My desire to compete in triathlons happened by chance. I was at a meeting for a triathlon group called ONE Multisport in August of 2010. I was there to support my husband who expressed interest in becoming a member of ONE. He was late and so I socialized with people I knew. After the meeting, several of the attendees recommended that I sign up for the Special Olympics Sprint Triathlon on September 11, 2010. After some hesitation I gave in and signed up.
I ended up placing 2nd in my age group and 4th overall for women. The following races would turn out to be similar. I would hesitate to sign up, doubt my ability, and then I would place among the top three in my age group. As I competed more, I desired more. But I knew I would need help, I could not take on this sport alone.
So on January 27th, 2011, I reached out via Facebook to this man who I knew little about.  I picked Erik Svans because I saw how bad he wanted victory at IMAZ. He was in a mental zone that was untouchable. I was mesmerized watching him run and then sprint to the finish line.  In truth, we had only shared a couple of words. In fact, we were more like strangers than acquaintances. Here is what I did know: He was a fast runner, he killed in at the IMAZ, and earned a slot for Ironman Kona. I thought, “He is perfect!” When I asked Erik to be my coach I did not know what I was getting myself into. Basically I wanted someone to tell me what how to train. I was solid on the bike, a slow swimmer but not afraid of the water, and had just completed my first half marathon with my mother. So I had skills but no knowledge. Basically, I was going into this relationship blind and little did I realize at the time…Erik was also wearing a blindfold – He never coached before.
He pushed, he critiqued, he asked for feedback, he wanted more, he gave me confidence only to strip it away so he could build me back up, he left me physically beaten, and desired even more. For six months we have communicated little in person, nothing over the phone, and exclusively via text and Facebook. I did not tell anyone that I had a coach. I was protective of what I had.  I also wanted people to wonder how I had gotten faster, stronger, and better. Plus, I cherished and respected his time. He is a busy man training for Kona, practicing dentistry, and happily married with wife and children.  Let’s face it – he was just as busy if not more than me.
Erik wanted me to train on average 12 hours a week. How was I going to do that when I drive 40 min to work every day, work 40+ hours a week at my doctoral internship, counsel college students, drive 60 min home, make dinner, and spend what little time I have left in the day with my husband? After all, this was my predoctoral internship, which meant, I was not supposed to have a life outside of ASU C&C. However, I knew I wanted victory at Vineman 70.3 and in order to become better you have to sacrifice things.  I said good-bye to sleep, to coffee dates with my girlfriends, to late fun nights on the weekends, to Happy Hour on Friday, and to shopping for fashionable shoes and clothes because now my $ was going to bikes, wheels, helmets, running shoes, supplements, and protein powder. In the winter, I would wake up before the sun had risen and jump in a cold pool to swim lap after lap wondering how many black lines on the bottom of the pool I could count for the day. I learned how to get ready for work in 20min, eat my breakfast in the car, drive strategically on the 101 highway, run up the stairs to my office (elevator was too slow) so that I  could start seeing clients by 8am. In the summer, I would wake up before 4am so that I could beat the heat of the desert sun. My mouth would feel like I was putting it to a hairdryer and my skin would feel like I was standing in an oven. I developed the most hideous of tan lines and the worst blisters on the back of my soles. At times I would ask myself, “What am I doing running at 5am when I should be back in bed?!” I would throw my running shoes in frustration or cry to my husband because my heart rate (once again) was way too high. Jason was there through all of my tears, frustration, success and failures, and without his support I would not be emotionally ready for Vineman 70.3.
The days before the race I have heard can be the hardest. This is when you taper your workouts and the anxiety starts to increase. Doubt can enter in your mental game: Did I train hard enough? Could I have done more? What if something goes wrong during the race? What if I don’t eat enough and I bonk on the run? Or what if I push too hard and then I have nothing left? The truth is…I will make mistakes. In fact, I have in every race I have ever competed in. The trick is to keep going, to keep pushing, to sustain the drive to finish. You only get one shot while you are out there and it is best to give it everything you got.
So thank you to my husband, for your unconditional support and love. You are my everything and without you I would never be the person I am today. Thank you to my best friend Julianna. You always found a way to make me laugh no matter how tired I was. You offered me praise even when I did not deserve it. I love you so much. Thank you to my mother, for her loving card. I will wear Kyle’s pin with honor and pride. Thank you to my father, who at one time doubted me. I know that may sound negative but it was the best motivator anyone ever gave me. You tell me I cannot do it all and I will show you that I can! Thank you to my teammates of ONE Multisport. You are a family to me. You make triathlon training fun and bearable. Thank you to my strength training coach for meeting me every Wednesday at 5am to make me stronger and mobile. Most of all, thank you to my coach Erik. I know I asked you too many questions, worried about too many things, and was probably really annoying most of the time. But you hung in there. Week after week you put in the workouts on my log, asked for feedback, and made the adjustments needed to make me stronger. I am so grateful for you. I promise to make you proud out there and I will not let you down.

You will all be with me on Sunday July 17, 2011.

“There is no thrill in easy sailing when the sky is clear and blue. There is no joy in doing things which anyone can do. But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take, when you reach a destination you never thought you'd make!”
                                                                                    ~Ironman Triathlete 

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