The Movers Are Here.

We made it two whole years in Hattiesburg. It's moving time again. My husband keeps getting promoted and relocated - he's doing too good of a job! This time to Shreveport, Louisiana as a Regional VP with Belk stores.

I've been trying to organize my house for this move a little better than in the last three. Putting "Like Animals Together". I don't know if it makes it any easier for the packers but I'm thinking it might help when it comes time to unpack everything. It's so weird unpacking and finding things like a single light bulb wrapped up like it is a priceless antique mixed in with clothing or something random like that.

Hattiesburg has been good to us. I made a lot of really good friends quickly here and will miss them a lot. From my first swim when a nice girl named Deanna said hello and introduced me to Judy and Lesley, the two other girls that she trained with to my newest training partners Denise and Brinn. I will miss them all. Thankfully I will see them at some races! I'll see Denise in a couple weeks at Indian Creek. Brinn, Deanna, Lesley, and Judy at River Cities in August. And all of them at Mighty Magnolia in October.

Denise had asked me if I would like to have dinner with her and her husband Kyle (Masters Swim Coach)  before I left and she surprised me by inviting a bunch of the HubFins Masters swimmers to join us! Makes you feel foolish that we weren't going out and having fun like that the entire time I was here. Fun time!

I'm hoping things will go well in Shreveport. I've already lined up a coaching position with COSST - The City of Shreveport Swim Team. I'm going to be coaching the Jr Varsity swimmers; I'm looking forward to it!

I'm also hoping to be working for the Sportspectrum . It is an awesome specialty sporting goods store - running and triathlon products! I know I'll fit right in there! Sportspectrum and Matt Brown have been putting on the River Cities Triathlon (my absolute most favorite race of all time) for years and years.

I've already joined the Sunrise Triathlon Club and they have the Red River Masters Swim Team so hopefully I will be meeting some people to train with in Shreveport.

And I will be able to continue working as an Associate Consultant with Clinique. It is really a fun job and I'm glad that I will stay with the company.

So things are shaping up, just need to get through the next couple days with the packers and movers. I made sure to get in a good ride yesterday with Denise and Brinn, and went to swim this morning for the last time. Kyle had me do what we call a Birthday Swim for the kids, only for me it was a Goodbye Swim.  Everyone on the team lines up at the edge of the lane next to the wall holding kickboards. They proceed to push the water back and forth in the last lane creating basically a giant ocean storm. Then you get to swim a 50 of fly starting and finishing in the waves. It was fun!  I'd do it again. It was a nice way to say farewell.

Good bye Hattiesburg. Thank you everyone, I'll miss you!

I'm A Lifer

Note:  I wrote this post for my ICEdot blog.  I thought I would share it here too!

I'm A Lifer

I was thinking the other day about my life as a triathlete.  I’ve met a lot of triathletes in my years.  Pretty much all of them get into the sport and after a few years stop racing.  Maybe it’s because they start having children, maybe it’s because they’ve met all their goals, maybe it’s because they just burn out.

That’s not me.  I’m a lifer.  Granted, I don’t have kids so it’s been easier to continue my triathlon lifestyle over the years.  I know I will continue to train and race until my body just can’t take it anymore.  Lifetime triathlete.  I love this sport.

Maybe I continue on because it is something I found that I do well?  I’ve found that at 52 I don’t race against my age group anymore.  My goal is set on placing in the top few overall women at the races.  It’s fun seeing the number 52 by my name in the top 10 overall women.  I wonder how much longer I can remain towards the top.  I wonder how many more years my poor knees have in them.

I decided years ago that once my knees don’t allow me to run or ride anymore that I will take up golf.  At least that way I can be outside for hours on end enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.  And… I will always swim.  I want to be one of those little old ladies who are at the pool regularly swimming Masters.

In 2015, two years from now I will have been racing triathlons for 30 years.  I’m a lifer.  Are  you?



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Team Aquaphor 2013!!! I'M BACK!!

Formal announcements for the Team Aquaphor 2013 are out and I AM IN!! My 6th year to represent Aquaphor and Active Ambassadors! All I can say is Happy Happy Joy Joy!! I love this team!

The team is in it's 8th year and Aquaphor has been a fantastic sponsor!  We have a new manager at Active Ambassadors and Alana is doing a great job! It's funny how just after announcements went out my training ramped up... coincidence? I think not! I've said it before and I'll say it again, being on this team makes me take my training and racing to a completely different level than before I was sponsored.

First race wearing the kit is tomorrow at the Crawfishman Triathlon in South Louisiana!  Here is a link to my race report from last year. I'm looking forward to tomorrow although I am in nowhere near the shape that I was last year for the race.  Ugh...  I'm afraid it's going to hurt.

Can't wait to represent for Team Aquaphor tomorrow! There is a nice size group of triathletes going from Hattiesburg!  My friends from last year and three more girls who swim Masters with me!  Let you know how it goes!