I thought about writing this blog after the race but then decided the race has already been done.  It's 3:00 a.m. race morning.  Bags are packed, bike is waiting for me in transition and I am ready to go.  I have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions this week.  Everything from feeling afraid of the water to overcoming the biggest hurdles and surprising myself with an awesome finish time.  Both can very well happen...

9 months ago I discovered I had cancer.  My body has gone through a complete transformation.  And after all of that...I feel the healthiest and strongest I have ever felt in my life!  How is that?  Is it the body that amazing it can recover so quickly???  Is it my mind and positive thoughts that helped my heal so quickly???  I think both body and mind have to work together.  But the 3rd factor that gives a person strength is love.

Through my ordeal I have been surrounded by an enormous amount of love from both family and friends.  When I think of all the cards, food, hugs, smilies...it is overwhelming.  My body had no choice but to get stronger.  You guys are great healers and I cannot thank you enough.  

So today when I put the finishing touches on a race I have already won, I will be thinking of all of you.  The strength and perseverance you have given me will get me through the water, over the hills and across the finish line.  This will be one small way that I can say Thank You and hopefully pass on this strength and perseverance to others in need.  It has been the greatest gift...next to your LOVE!

KimmieBFast

LOVE LIFE...BE BRAVE!!!

:-)

P.S. I had the best race of my life! Finish time was 5:11 thanks to my support group.  You guys made me feel like a rockstar today!  Love Ya!

Race season has finally begun...YEAH!!!  Or least that's how I felt 2 days before my race.  You guessed it...my infamous open water swim panic attacks are still with me.  What is it about the mind that takes you to places you can never imagine?  I'm somewhat of a control freak when it comes to my own thoughts and attitude.  OK...maybe I am also a control freak in other aspects of my life but that's another blog. :-)

My race was FAR from what I expected.  SO far that I had to change all my goals within the first 5 minutes.  This race was all about survival.  At least with a goal like that I knew I would succeed.  I have been surviving life since the day I can remember so I have become an expert at it.

I won't bore you with my whole race story but I feel that the swim portion is worth sharing.  There are a lot of us out there that have this problem but no clear answers.  I know this because I Googled it when I got home :-)  The sad thing is there are no real answers. At least not yet.  I will take this on as my summer project and get back to all of you when I have unlocked the door to overcoming this fear.  Please check back soon. :-)

My swim started off alright.  It was chopping but not as bad as it had been the day before.  I was cool.  Then I started sighting.  Maybe too much.  By the time I reached the 2nd bouy I was doing the back stroke.  No worries.  This is my safety net and I would go again soon.  By the time I hit the first turn I was back stroking the whole way.  I was freaking by this time but still keeping my cool.  Most of the swimmers were missing how beautiful the sky looked that day.  I however was enjoying it and trying to think about everything but swimming.  I thought about Michael and how happy he is when I bring home a finishers metal.  The little boy next door who says I'm his hero...I had to be a hero for him.  Mandy...I knew she was worried about me.  She needs to stop worrying so I had to prove to her that I would be fine.  The second turn came.  GREAT...headed back to shore!  Not so fast!  When I decided to side stroke so I could see where I was going I realized I was way off course.  NO...REALLY WAY OFF COURSE!!!  The other swimmers were at least 300 yards from me.  Now the panic really sets in.  It's not going away at this point.  So I decide that I might need assistance.  But before I call for help I told myself that I am going to survive.  Coach will still be proud if I just make it through this swim.  I am now doing a modified breast stroke and calling for the kayaker.  I can't believe this is happening!  I'm a strong athlete...I'm good at this sport...I am KimmieBFast!!!  Help arrives but I refuse to hang on.  I know if I do we will only drift farther away so I tell her to just stay near me.  She was the most supportive volunteer.  Thank you!  While she is on one side cheering me on there is a man on the other side puking!  Yes...that's right!  Sea sick in Missouri!  At least I wasn't that bad.  I felt sorry for him but it at least gave me perspective on my own demons.  The kayaker left and I was on my own again.  Still modified breast stroke.  Then I felt land!  Thank GOD!  I could actually stand and walk but only for a short time.  It was the break I needed and helped me swim the rest of the way in.  43 minutes later I was out of the water.  I SURVIVED!!! 

The rest of the race was sub par for my KimmieBFast status but I made the best of it.  I cheered on everyone I passed and hopefully helped a few athletes along the way.  I think I am a great cheerleader so maybe that's why I am almost last out of the water.  If that's the case then fine.  I will always cheer anyone on...especially those who can kick my butt in the water.

70.3 Ironman Kansas is less than 2 weeks away.  I will overcome these panic attacks.  I will have a great race.  And I will survive...that's what I do.

KimmieBFast

LOVE LIFE...BE BRAVE!

>:-)

Saturday, March 27th I set out with my coach to PR my 1/2 Marathon.  I had wanted to run a sub 1:40, but anything better than 1:43:09 would do.  I have been working hard to improve my speed but after having cancer, surgeries and chemo, I was not sure what the lasting effects would be.

When I met Coach he said that rain was ineviatable.  No worries...I do my best in bad weather.  Kansas City is a small town which makes it fun at the start line.  I felt like we knew everyone there.  Or at least my coach did since he is a "Rock Star" when it comes to the local races.  Sure enough...just as we started the run...it rained. :-)

I think my heart rate hit it's high and stayed there from the first mile.  My legs and body felt strong but I had a hard time breathing the entire time.  Good thing Coach was prepared.  He talked to the other runners, told stories and mostly told me how well I was doing.  At mile 7 he said we were right on target to make our goal.  At that point I thought he meant just PRing.  I did not think he was talking about sub 1:40.  Once we hit mile 9 I was feeling much better about completing the race in a decent time.  It wasn't until Coach said "we are at 1:39" with less than 1/2 a mile to go that I actually realized how close I was to getting my goal time.  That was the hardest part of the race.  I thought I would cry, puke and pass out all at the same time...if I had the energy.  I crossed the finish line at 1:40:18!  19 seconds shy of my goal but I'm going to call it good.

It's amazing what a persons body can do and even more amazing the power of positive thinking.  I have visualized this finish for a long time and it went exactly as planned.  I am so thankful that I have an awesome coach who was willing to pace me and encourage me the whole way.  

What an awesome race!  Did I mention I was 5th in my age!!!  Now who's the Rock Star???

Today marks the beginning of my 2010 triathlon season.  It is going to be a great season not only because I have the best Coach but I am also apart of the best triathlon team.  I have finally found some team mates that are actually crazier than I am but just as serious about their training and races.  Here is a picture of my coaches and crazy team mates trying to stay warm during the du they did in the snow and ice...they are loco!

The biggest goal I have for this season is to qualify for the 70.3 USAT National Championship race in South Caroline.  I know it is very doable if I have a good race at 70.3 Kansas.  However, I need to be more prepare if the worst happens...like how to deal with a flat tire.  I am also going to incorporate a few days of training low in hopes that it will benefit me during the race.  We will see how far I get with this concept.

In addition to that I want to do a few road races this spring so that I can improve my biking skills and test my speed.  I'm a little nervous about doing this. Maybe that's because every time I mention it to Coach he says I am going to fall.  Maybe this is one race I won't try to win.  I'll just hang out towards the front and see what happens. >:-)

The next few weeks are pretty routine but I'll keep you posted if something big happens.  Until then...good luck to everyone this season and train hard!

Kim

LOVE LIFE...BE BRAVE!!!

:-)