Glitter and Dust

The Spirit of an Athlete.

Seattle Marathon Redemption

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After weeks of traveling, work, and getting settled into the holidays, I am finally able to sit down and share my experience running the Seattle Marathon. It never takes me this long to reflect on a race, but this was no ordinary race, and my life hasn’t really been quiet enough to allow me to clearly sort out the details.

Two weeks ago I lined up with thousands of runners for a 26.2 adventure on foot around the beautiful city of Seattle. It was, and still is, a little surreal to think that this was my tenth marathon since becoming Continue Reading…

What’s Next?

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What’s next? This seems to be the most common question a chronic athlete is asked after finishing his or her “A” race for the season. I’ve been asked this question more times than I can count since crossing the finish line at Ironman Coeur d’Alene, and it took me about six weeks to finally come up with an answer.

Umm. Good question. What the heck IS next?

Trust me, I felt a little lost after finishing the Ironman. After pouring so much of my body, mind, and spirit into training, competing, and recovering, the weeks following the race were a bit Continue Reading…

Life Lately

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First off – shout out to fall. I love this time of year when the leaves paint the town with colors of yellow, orange, and red, and all of my favorite holidays are right around the corner. We’ve had some stormy weather lately, which has been a nice change from the warm summer days.  I’m definitely a 4-seasons kind of girl, though I prefer an extended summer and fall.

Justin is already gearing up for our Halloween extravaganza and is pulling out boxes of Halloween décor this weekend. Like last year, we plan to pull out all the stops to Continue Reading…

Ironman Coeur d’Alene: Celebration

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The moment I crossed the finish line at Ironman Coeur d’Alene the physical side of my body shut down and the emotions, which had been building throughout the day I was able to suppress, took over. In fact, it was one of the most emotional moments of my life. After taking a few steps forward I was greeted by a smiling volunteer who swooped my hot, sweaty mess into her arms, congratulated me, and placed a finisher medal around my neck. I rested my arm around her shoulder as another volunteer quickly removed my timing chip and handed me Continue Reading…

Ironman Coeur d’Alene: The Race

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At 3:45 a.m. on Sunday I woke up to Eye of the Tiger blasting on Justin’s cell phone. It was the perfect alarm tone, and I cracked a smile and rolled out of bed. I could immediately feel the adrenaline kick in as I made my way downstairs to pour a massive cup of coffee. Justin prepared my favorite pre-race meal and smeared a bunch of avocado on toast, topping it with salt. The atmosphere in the house seemed a little tense but fairly tranquil as we all gathered our gear and made our way out the door by Continue Reading…

Ironman Coeur d’Alene: Pre-Race Waiting Game

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Six years ago I was flipping through the channels while staying in a hotel room on vacation, and stumbled upon the televised Ironman World Championship in Kona. I was immediately sucked in and sat on the edge of the bed, directly in front of the TV, completely in awe of the athletic talent and inspirational stories. Once it was over I looked at Justin and said, “I want to do that. That is going to be me one day crossing the finish line.” Well, on Sunday, August 21, I did it. I crossed the finish line and in doing Continue Reading…

Wrapping My Head Around An Ironman

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Less than 3 weeks to go until Ironman Coeur d’Alene. After finishing Ironman CdA 70.3 several weeks ago, I really started to wrap my head around the magnitude of this race. I never mentioned it in my race recap, but during the second mile of the half marathon I pretty much convinced myself that I was going to back out of the full Ironman. There were several moments on the course when I hit those “lows” and doubted my ability to double the distance. Even after I finished the race I was questioning my sanity and whether or not Continue Reading…

Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene Race Report

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It has already been a little over a week since I lined up with athletes from all over the world to race the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene, but I’m still basking in the afterglow. I can’t believe that between pregnancy and parenthood, it has been nearly two years since my last triathlon. Although I felt a little rusty and would have liked more time to practice transitions and do more open water swims, I was feeling confident and excited to toe the water of my first race of the season. If you would have asked me a few Continue Reading…

Too Close For Comfort

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I got hit by a car while riding my bike yesterday, but before I get into those details let me start by saying that I love being on my bike. The sound of two wheels spinning beneath me. Wind sweeping around my body. Blood flowing, heart pounding, the sights, sounds, and smells of mountain air, pine, farmlands, and pavement. Yes, even pavement has a distinct smell. Cycling makes the senses really come alive, as though you are part of the land, living, feeling, breathing it, and not just passing by from the comfort (and safety) of a car.

Just like Continue Reading…

Thoughts On My First Road Race

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As much as I love riding my bike, I have always told myself (and anyone who would listen) that I would never, ever, never, never, never actually do a road race. So, naturally, on Saturday I participated in my first ever road race. If you would have asked me 6 months ago if I ever saw myself racing on a bike with a group of other women, I would have laughed and served you a big fat “no’ on a golden platter. While I really enjoy spectating at road race events, and watching the various Tours all spring and Continue Reading…