Tri 2 Inspire - The Making of Bionic Bri

“In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and clear that one feels as if one's been hit in the chest, all the breath knocked out, and one knows, absolutely  knows  without the merest hint of a shadow of a doubt that one's life will never be the same.” Julia Quinn, When He Was Wicked My race season has begun and as I anticipated I had my behind handed to me.  My first race was the Richmond Tri Club Sprint on April 26.  This is an amazing event that is put on by my tri club.  The swim portion of the race is held in an Olympic-size pool and it is treated as an open water swim.  Buoys are placed in the pool and participants must swim around the buoys and cannot push off of the walls.  The swim is down in waves of 10.  The swim goes by so fast!  It is my favorite pool swim triathlon. Since I am still rehabbing my foot, I chose not do the run portion of the race.  The race did not offer an aquabik...

“There is something about losing your mother that is permanent and inexpressible – a wound that will never quite heal.”  Susan Wiggs My mom’s Alzheimer’s is progressing.  It’s not anything alarming such as her not knowing who I am or wandering off, it’s the little things.  She becomes confused more easily, sometimes it is difficult for her to follow a conversation, and she is repeating herself more often.  It is heartbreaking to watch my mom slowly drift away.  Even at 40 years old, I need my mom. I need her to help me deal with the recent passing of a friend and fellow competitor.  I am having a difficult time accepting that my friend is gone.  Prior to her becoming ill, she was the epitome of total wellness.  She had a radiant, infectious smile that would make her stand out in a crowd.  She was an accomplished runner and triathlete, a personal trainer, and a coach.  She set the example on how one could live a healthy and activ...

“Your attitude, not our aptitude, will determine your altitude.”    Zig Ziglar I know, I know, I know….this post is way overdue.   I definitely need to do better.   So to be economical I’m combining all 3 race reports into this post.   As always, thanks for reading. Redemption – Monticelloman Olympic Triathlon – 3:32 (May 5) The first time I attempted this race I DNF’d.   I did not make the swim’s 50 minute time cut-off.   After having my pity party, I was determined to come back and redeem myself.   The morning of the race I was feeling pretty confident as my husband and I traveled to the race site.   My confidence soon faded as I made my way to the transition area and saw Lake Monticello. Fear and self-doubt rushed through me.   A part of me was ready to turn around and go back to my friends’ house.   I was afraid that I was going to DNF again.   Once I finished setting up my transition area and getting my stuf...

"The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals.  The struggles within yourself – the invisible, inevitable battles inside of us all – that’s where it’s at."  Jesse Owens Operation Ironman Phase 1 did not go as planned.  As discussed in my last blog post, I injured my foot and ankle.  The injury warranted for me to wear a boot for almost a month.  Besides dealing with my foot and ankle injury, I have dealt with a bad case of bronchitis, which I call “the crud”.  The crud had me down for the count for days at a time.  I missed days from work and training.  Then of course there has been the crazy Virginia weather. This was one of the worse winters we have had in quite some time. My office closed twice this past winter, which just doesn’t happen! And unlike last year when I was able to bike outside during most of the winter, that didn’t happen this year.  So as the weather breaks I find my once strongest discipline, c...

“When adversity strikes, that’s when you have to be the most calm.  Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on.”    LL Cool J Yesterday marked 6 months before Ironman Mont Tremblant, and I found myself sitting in my doctor’s office waiting to have my right foot examined.  My foot had been bothering me off and on for the past week.  Ironically it didn’t bother me when I ran; the pain and discomfort would only occur a day or two after running.  I have had issues with tendinitis in my foot before, but with me training for my first Ironman, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a stress fracture.  Per my doctor I have tendinitis and I should not run until I am healed. Usually news like this would send me over the deep end, especially since I was planning to compete in a 10K race on Sunday.  This time was a lot different.  Prior to meeting with my doctor, I had already created a Plan B in case my foot was broken.  My Plan B en...

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”    Friedrich Nietzsche The year has begun as a mixed bag.  Fortunately it has been more good than bad, and it is only the beginning of the year.  This is my year; I am throwing down the hammer in all aspects of my life, not just with my racing. THE GOOD: I have not one, but 2 sponsors for this year’s race season!  CycleOps/PowerTap asked me to come back as a sponsored athlete for 2014 and I was recently chosen by Hammer Nutrition.  I am very blessed and humbled that such incredible companies would choose me to represent them.  They both sell amazing products that I use and offer incredible customer service.  CycleOps  is known for their bike trainers and virtual training software.   PowerTap is the brand to choose if you are in need of a power meter.  PowerTap even offers power on a budget with the PowerCal.  I own a Fluid 2 trainer and use the PowerCal.  ...

Little “a” is my new name for Alzheimer’s.  I came up with that name from my friends that have battled against cancer and they call it Little “c”.  By calling it Little “a”, it takes away its power.  Since my mother was diagnosed I have given Little “a” too much power.  At times I allowed it to make me feel overwhelmed, useless, and helpless.  I allowed Little “a” to bring the darkness upon me.  The darkness is my name for depression.  I have dealt with the darkness before, such as when I was laid off unexpectedly and when my father passed away.  Little “a” momentarily had me thinking there was no way out of the darkness, that all was lost.  Fortunately with the support of my husband I reached out and got the help that I needed. Part of my early treatment with Little “a” meant joining a Little “a” care giver support group, going to see my therapist (everyone should have a therapist on speed dial), and being placed on a low dosage anti-de...