Posts

Dear Marci!

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Yes I'm talking to you; the 19 Year Old Newbie Triathlete from 2004! Today is March 13, 2024. I don't know if you know why this day is so important; but I'm going to tell you all about it so keep reading. It was a cool, crisp, and overcast morning in Athens Texas at the Cain Center YMCA. It's now been 20 Years also 2 Decades ago that you accomplished something you should be really PROUD of; you crossed the finish line of your first triathlon. You snake/serpentine swam up and down the lanes at the indoor pool. You then cycled 14 miles on an out and back  wide open country roads (and even a kind of busy highway) bike course  on your Specialized Sequoia Sport Road bike. To finish it off; you ran a 3.1 mile run on an out and back course on a path and very low traffic country road. Marci; you became a Triathlete 20 years ago today. I don't know if you ever thought that this many years later; this day would have so much meaning. Believe it and do  it with all the happines

20 Things Learned In 20 Years Of Triathlon

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2004   2024   Celebrating 20 years in triathlon hasn't just been about finishing a race in certain time or standing on the podium; it’s truly been about learning invaluable lessons that has helped me grow as an athlete. I will share the 20 most important lessons I’ve learned from two decades of commitment and dedication that have helped me stay passionate in such a demanding sport. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a curious newbie, I hope these lessons will empower you to create your own journey. So You Want To Give It A Tri? 1. Find Your Why                                                                                                                           Whether a newbie or veteran; it’s always good to know why you are training for and completing a triathlon. Knowing ‘Your Why’ fuels the motivation throughout the journey. 2. Use All Available Resources (Print and Online) Since starting in the sport in 2004 I have seen so many resources between print and online one

About Last Sunday; She Believed She Could So She Did!

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  Race Recap for the 2024 Bishop's Events Dash Around The Point 5k It's been almost a week since I opened up my Season 20 and Decade 2 of Taking Running Seriously at the 2024 Bishop's Events Dash Around The Point 5k at Hains Point in Washington DC. I decided to make this season more than just about me by dedicating each race this year to someone who has had an impact on me during my long and ongoing journey. Last Sunday's 5k was dedicated to my Running Dad Joe Coblentz. We met many years ago through the Montgomery County Road Runners Club as well as the doing fun runs out of the Pacer's Running Store that used to be locate in Downtown Silver Spring. Joe and I ran together during training runs and at races. We built a special bond; one that seemed to be comparable to a father-daughter bond. We had lunch every so often outside of the time we spent running. But then so many years ago; I remember the conversation Joe and I had at lunch; he told me he was diagnosed with

T Minus A Week

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  It's so crazy to believe that in less than a week my 2024 season will have started. More specially my 20th Season as well as Second Decade in running open ups. I honestly wasn't sure I'd make it to this point in my running (or even triathlon) career. There have been many reasons to stick with the sport(s) I have fallen in love with but there have been reasons the past several seasons to have stepped away. I'm happy and grateful I never walked away.  Next Sunday I  am running the Bishops Events Dash Around The Point 5k at Hains Point in Washington DC. It's a benchmark race to see where my run fitness is for the upcoming triathlon as well as running season. It's a pretty flat out and back course along the water at East Potomac Park. I talked one of my friends James; who I've been friends with for 12 years now to join in on the fun. James admitted it was me that influenced him to start running and even though he hasn't ran a lot in the past few years; it

Giving Myself Credit

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It's hard to believe that this picture was captured almost 20 years ago now. It's hard to believe that this 2024 isy 20th Season in Triathlon as well as Running. My passion and dedication and love for Triathlon and eventually Running is something that I'm proud of. There have been too many reasons to quit or take a break over the last several years but here I am. Season 20 is not to far away. It's hard to look back at a lot of the not so good times but there are so many good times to look back at; even over the past few years. I am finally giving myself the credit I should have given myself a very long time ago. I've been doing a lot of hard work so Season 20 is worth celebrating.

My I Can Do Hard Things Swimming Edition

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I would have never imagined that the 200 butterfly would become my all time favorite go to masters swim meet event. As a young reluctant swimmer; joining a local summer league swim team in Maryland in 1993, I had the hardest time learning to swim breaststroke. Once my breaststroke was legal; I swam it at swim meets, it became my go to swim meet stroke. But  now the question was; how would I learn to swim butterfly? I loved how graceful butterfly was but didn't take the initiative to learn the stroke until my second or third summer swimming; which would have been 1994 or 1995. I learned how to swim the butterfly but was nervous to swim it; especially at swim meets of any kind whether on summer league (while still living in Maryland), at both year round club and high school swim meets (both when I was in Texas) so I never swam it. It wasn't until the mid 2000s when I was swimming on masters (age 18 and over) swim teams that I started to think about conquering my fear of swimming

The Notebook

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  It's been 2024 for about a week now and I have yet to blog; so much for keeping my promises of blogging more. For many years and seasons I have kept training plans in the notebook pictured. Each workout has a color to correspond with it; swimming is blue, cycling is green, running is purple, brick workouts are orange, race days are  pink, and rest/active recovery days are red. Besides the day of the week and the date; each workout has it's title and how long the workout should be. I keep track of the details of the workout data (and short stories about the workout) on other platforms. The notebook has helped me keep organized in my training for so long now. If there are any athletes reading this; I hope this gives some guidance on a fun-ish way to stay organized.