Run, Cougars, Run!

Run boys, run!

I am so proud of these two boys of mine!  They ran their guts out this morning.  I brought my big camera so I could get some good shots of the boys running this year.  It is hard to coach and carry my camera with me.  I never remember to take pictures while the boys are running because I am cheering so loud.  HA!  

Nolen's race was first.  He was so excited.  He kept up with his team mates the entire race.  As he was nearing the finish line he started sprint.  The boy next to him started to block Nolen with his body.  It was so frustrating.  Every time Nolen tried to pass him, the boy put his body in front of Nolen's.  He never made it around the boy.  The boy kept putting his hand in front of Nolen to stop him from passing. Nolen really did a great job.  

Edward raced with the 9/10 boys.  He has been working so hard these last two weeks.  He really pushed hard today.  He is brilliant!

Patriot Triathlon

My summer of triathlons is coming to a close.  I competed in three triathlons, one of which I don't really count.  HA! This has been such a fun summer training and getting better at a sport I was scared to try last year.  

I am hooked for life.  

My boys competed in their second triathlon last night.  This was a much better run event than their first triathlon.  There were 80 kids competing and my sweet boys came in first and second! WHAT!?

All that running at cross country has really paid off because now they know what it feels like to run fast.  Their triathlon was backward.  They ran, biked, then swam to the finish line.  They had such a lead on most of the kids their age because they could really run fast.

My amazing parents drove over from Arizona to cheer us all on.  I am so lucky!  They helped get the boys ready for their race and then woke up early to watch my race this morning.  

I woke up this morning at 5:30 AM.  I wanted to take my time getting ready.  I forgot how long it takes to braid my hair in double dutch braids.  HA! TWENTY MINUTES! I braided my hair then headed down stairs to eat my breakfast.  I made my favorite breakfast; a tone it up waffle with raspberries and cocoa nibs. I did all my normal morning routines before I woke up my mom and headed out to the race.  It was a perfect start to the day.

We arrived at the race start line around 7 AM. 

I quickly set my transition area then went to the bathroom ONE LAST TIME.  This is essential.  I always feel like I need to pee right before a race.  I should have gone one more time but started gabbing with a few people I knew.  That was a bad idea.  

The race started promptly at 8 AM.  We all lined up in a single file line to enter the pool in 10 second increments.  I put my 400 meter swim at 8:00 minutes.  This was another critical error.  In practice, on a slow day, it takes me 7:31.  I should have seeded myself much faster.  I jumped in the pool and caught up to the guy in front of me right away.  He didn't flip turn.  He stopped at the wall EVERY TIME and blocked the wall so I couldn't flip turn.  He hogged the entire lane so I couldn't swim past him.  I tried going around him twice to no avail.  He did pass three women and I passed right behind him, but seriously, this guy would not let me pass him!  I swam on his feet the entire time.  I even stopped a few times just to let him get ahead of m for a bit.  That was really annoying.

My swim time was 7:43.  UGH! I know I could have been a full minute faster had this guy not been in front of me.

I ran to the transition area and didn't even towel off.  I put on my socks, shoes, sunglasses, and helmet then grabbed my bike and ran for the exit.  It was a minute and twenty-eight seconds total.  YAY! 

I felt so good on the bike!  I had ridden the course the week before so I knew what to expect.  This was a VERY smart choice.  I knew there were three very large hills I needed to conquer.  I knew what gears to use and when to push and when to hold back. I am so glad I practiced this ride.  I held back a bit until I got on the last and final hill.  Then I pushed it, HARD! I passed EVERYONE that had previously passed me.  I passed 20 people on that hill.  It felt great.  I was breathing so hard but I did it.  I knew after that hill I only had to ride two more miles back to the transition area and I was set.

The bike took me 45:59! I was 6 minutes faster than when I practiced the ride.

I made it back in to transition, racked my bike, took off my helmet, and grabbed my hat.  I put on my tennis shoes and doubled knotted my laces.  This took me forever! I could not get one of my laces double knotted.  I almost gave up but then thought better of it and tried again.  I'm glad I did.  I would not have wanted to stop and tie my shoes on the run.

I left for the run feeling great!  It is all uphill the first mile and  a half.  I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and pushing myself up the hill. I had never run this course before so I had no idea what I was getting in to.  I thought I was near the top of the hill when the course turned off the road and went up another sandy hill.  That was incredible.  I passed so many people.  They were walking up the hill as I ran.  I made it to the top and sailed down the other side.  I ran to the bottom of the hill and then hit another hill.  It was the last half mile so I knew I could push myself up the hill.  I used the tactics I learned in cougar track club: Just pass the person in front of you.  So I did.  Then I saw another person.  Then I passed them.  Then I passed another and then another.  I did not let anyone pass me (except a 14 year old boy running a 6 minute mile pace).  I even sprinted to the finish line.  My time was 28:24 for the 5k.  A bit slower than two weekends ago but considering I had a few hills to conquer, I think I did great. 

YAY!

Stephen, Edward, Nolen, my mom, and my dad were all waiting for me at the finish line.  My mom had come with me and been at the race from the start. I told her to text Stephen when I started the run so they could be there at the finish.  AND they made it!  It was awesome to finish the race and know that I have more gas in the tank.  

I had a feeling I did well, but I wasn't sure how well.  We waited around for the results and low and behold, they called my name for THIRD PLACE in my age group.  It was such a great feeling! 

I can not wait to do another race.  I want to keep getting better.  My total time was 1:25.24!

AND maybe, just maybe, I will inspire other people to try something they are scared to "tri"!

A few extra photos from the triathlon photographer:

Mediocre

Mediocre 

I have always been mediocre.

I am not asking for your sympathy.  Just stating facts here. Speaking of facts, this blog is all my opinion about life.  I can only hope that my simple musings will help others find some connections with themselves and know they are not alone in their thoughts.  In this age of over information it is often difficult to decipher fact from fiction on the internet.  Although, a lot of what I have to say is based on facts from my life, it is all still my opinion and my observations from life.  

I am a middle of the road girl.  I am neither overly smart or dumb.  I am not stunningly beautiful or ugly.  I am not extremely talented nor am I untalented. I am not overly strong or weak. 

Mediocre.

And that is OK.

I remember the first time I realized I was not pretty.  It was 5th grade.  All my friends had decided we needed boy friends.  I was not interested in any particular boy at my elementary school so my friends decided they would ask Adam Smith (now I am not even sure that is his real name any more) if he would be my boyfriend.  I didn't like him.  I barely knew him. He was playing soccer on the play ground.  When the girls came back to tell me he had said, "no" I was surprised.  I knew then, I wasn't pretty.

I always had to work really hard at school.  While my friends could memorize math facts and read pages and pages of notes quickly, I spent hours pouring over notes and still not retaining anything.  My siblings and I were tested for gifted.  I didn't get in.  They did. I had to work really hard in school just to maintain a B average.  I often failed tests.  Not because I didn't study but because I truly could not retain any of the knowledge I had read.  I wasn't dumb but I wasn't smart. I worked extremely hard in college to graduate with my Bachelors then eventually my Masters degree.  It wasn't from a lack of effort. I always put in more effort so that my teachers may take pity on my and pass me even if I couldn't actually pass the tests.

I can't say that any sport ever came naturally to me.  I tried many.  Soccer, baseball, tennis, swimming, barrel racing, running, and biking.  Any sport I have excelled in is because I have worked insanely hard to make small gains.  I, currently, train 6 to 7 days a week just to maintain this fitness level.  I never thought I would be able to run a sub 10 minute mile, but with some serious hard work and effort, I actually did!

Now, I bet your thinking, but your a great singer.  You've always had a great voice.  OH HOW FUNNY THAT IS! My mom has video proof that I could not sing on pitch in the 7th grade.  I sang loud and proud but not well.  It has taken me 20 years to understand my voice.  College was a struggle.  I remember walking in to my classes petrified! I sang off pitch all the time.  I had to practice for HOURS in a practice room to learn to sing on pitch.  Even now, I sing off pitch if I am not paying attention.  I had to struggle to get noticed by any of the staff at BYU-Idaho. 

Photography took years to master and I still make mistakes.  I had to read and re-read classes to understand simple instructions.  I practiced daily to get better.  

All of these things made me realize something.  I had to work hard to get noticed.  I had to put in a lot more effort than most of the people around me.  Coaches and directors often didn't notice my talent.  They did however; notice my lack there of.

I felt stupid, a lot.  I felt not good enough, a lot.  I felt not pretty enough, a lot.  

I remember always giving life my best.  I would try SO  HARD and for what?! So a coach wouldn't notice my effort.  So a director wouldn't even see me on stage.  OR he would say, "Ok, everyone gets one more try at this audition and do it just like Julie did it." But not cast me in the show. 

I will say, I am a stronger better person because I am mediocre.  I see the little guy struggling.  I know EXACTLY what that feels like.  I see the girl trying to memorize math facts and I empathize with her.  I know she needs help.

I see the kids struggling to remember where middle C is on the piano.  I hear the kids singing their guts out and trying to improve.  

I see you!

 I was you. 

 I am you! 

I was given such a great opportunity in my life to coach and teach.  I want to motivate rather than tear children down. I see the sweet underdog who will always be mediocre and I appreciate their mediocre talent.  

This rips me apart because I see my boys struggling the EXACT SAME WAY! I see them trying so hard.  They want to win the race.  They want to know all the answers.  They want to be the smartest kid in class.  They want to be the best.  They want their teachers to notice them.  They want their coaches to notice they are trying their very best even though their very best isn't the top of the pack. 

Why?! Why!? Do we only notice the very best of the best?

Why is it so easy to coach a kid who has natural talent?

Why is it so easy to teach a child who gets it?

Why do we look past the kids who are mediocre?

Well not me! I know what that feels like.  I know what it feels like to be looked over.  To be passed up.  I don't care if you're the best.  I don't care if you're not the smartest most talented kid in the room.  I want the untalented kids.  I want the mediocre children.  They are the back bone of our future.  They are the children that learn to work hard and even when no one notices, they continue working hard.  They have learned that it doesn't matter if no one sees their potential.  They see their own potential and that is enough.  

RUN!

We started running again. 

Ok, I have been running consistently since my fat college days.  

My family started running again.

I don't "LOVE" to run, I love that I can run.

I love that running gives me freedom.

I love that my body can run.

I love the challenge or running.

I love that track and cross country bring my family together.

 I love that running has helped heal Nolen.

I love that after a hard run, Edward is elated.

Last Saturday, the Cougar Track cross country team ran in the foothill of the Sandia's.  It was beautiful, challenging, and fun. Today, we ran a community 5K at the UNM lobo invitational.  Running is one of the hardest things I have ever done.  It is not something you can stop and pick back up right where you started.  You have to constantly work at running to make it tolerable and maybe a bit enjoyable.

I started running with my friend Lacy more than 15 years ago.  I ran my first 5k with her.  I was so slow.  I was dead!  I look back at the photos and can remember how difficult it was to finish that race. My time was 33:49.  A 10:53 minute per mile.

Today, I ran an 8:38 mile pace!

Running has changed my life for the better.  I hope it will help my boys confidence and that they, too will learn they can do hard things.