My Sources of Inspiration

Successful Ironman training and racing would not be possible without acknowledging people who have inspired me along the way. This post is solely about my athletic inspirations. This is not to dismiss or ignore friends and loved ones who have inspired my non-athletic pursuits--you are many and you are crucial!! I'm simply sticking with the purpose of this journal.

In no particular order...

Heather Soistmann. My amazing friend Heather completed her Ironman in 2009 with a smile on her face and glowing stories. Come to think of it, Heather does most things with a smile on her face and glowing stories. She is my constant reminder that life is to be embraced with passion, celebrated with aliveness, gobbled up with voracious appetite. Heather realizes that limitations are largely self-imposed, and she regularly crushes her own. Heather has been my Ride the Rockies partner and my triathlon buddy. She's watched me shine and picked me up when I've melted. And she was the first person I called when I got the official confirmation congratulating me on signing up for Ironman.

Jacquline Mericle. This dear friend is pure sunshine in my life. Jacquline and I often ride and run together. I'm the overly serious one; she's the one saying "hi" to everyone we see. Thank you, friend, for always reminding me that training is also meant to be FUN. Jacquline has mastered positive self-affirmations. She's learned that successful racing is largely about conquering self-talk. I'd like to think this has rubbed off on me.

Lisa Sippy. Lisa is my longest athlete friend. Although we've been friends for over 25 years, we have only recently started racing together. Lisa is an avid runner, having completed a few marathons and half-marathons, and many shorter races. Lisa and I have been each others' cheering-sections-from-afar, sharing training wins and woes. And in March of this year, we raced together for the first time. We met in Dallas for the Rock 'n Roll 1/2 marathon. Lisa immediately set a blistering pace and I was simply focused on keeping up with her. When we crossed the finish line, I was shocked at our time--my self-limiting belief had me finishing 15 minutes slower. It is because of running with Lisa that I shifted from seeing myself as "someone who runs" to "a runner." It's more than just a shift in semantics. Come January, we'll attempt to shave another 15 minutes off our time at a 1/2 marathon in Miami.

My Mother. When I was an awkward teenager struggling with all things awkward-teenager, my mother was a model of self-care. She always prioritized health and wellness, and she was my first official workout partner (remember step aerobics?). To this day, she keeps active and healthy, and we often walk or practice yoga together, activities that bring us even closer.

My Father. Some of my earliest memories of my dad are of him lacing up his shoes and heading out on a run. I can still smell the bubble gum he'd chew. He ran a marathon one year and did very well, and I can remember thinking that that was a pretty awesome accomplishment. Little did I know at the time I would be following in his footsteps years later. My father was always super fit--he had little body fat and was a health-food nut before there were health-food nuts. Even now, he's vigilant about his health and well-being.

My physical surroundings. I moved to Denver to be outside. It also helped that my older brother lives here. The mountains, the sunshine, the lakes, the valleys--they all scream for me to be outside. I do things on bike rides I would never be able to do on road trips. I see things on trails I would never see otherwise. So when my training plan tells me to take a 4-hour bike ride, I itch to get started and am kinda bummed when it's over.

To all of my sources of inspiration: a "thank you" doesn't quite suffice. I certainly would not be where I am without you.