June 28, 2008 Eagleman 70.3. The above picture is of me at the finish...my pose sums up my day. It was hot, hot, hot. Congratulations to Crissy and Kerri for being true champions and going against mother nature to win first place in their respective age groups and to both qualify for Kona IM World Championship. For me, I was grateful to finish. Someone snapped this picture of me finishing and told me next time I cross a finish line to thrust my hands triumphantly in the air. Funny...but I thought I did that. "Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." ..Og Mandino.
Beautiful smile....beautiful person.
I had the pleasure of seeing Dana at EFFDT in June. We spent the ferry ride talking and later I got to see him on the run to the finish. I was headed in the opposite direction...I had not made it to the turnaround, yet. I think of Dana as one of our premier regional athletes. He is not only a great athlete but as an individual he is encouraging, optimistic, grounded and open minded. Life can be difficult at times. We expect events to play out the way we would like them to and sometimes they don't. But what separates one person from the other and their struggles is how we walk through the barriers that are thrown in front of us. Great athletes have bad days and sometimes bad race days. Dana is a great athlete that shows up for races and takes the day's events one step at a time. Accepts the outcomes and moves on. He loves his sport. He was quick with the smile for me at mile 4 and greeted me with a hug at the finish. You have got to love it...he may not have had the race day he wanted but he didn't miss an opportunity to encourage me, spend time talking about the race, snapping pictures and planning the "next time".
Thanks Dana. 
June 2008
May 22, 2008
Accidental Triathlete. My friend called me that today and it seems to suit me. I love to train, I like the variety and I know I will not feel guilty eating the double stuff Oreos.
May 7, 2008
Whoa. Does anyone have extra lunch money? Because St.Croix 70.3 ate my lunch! It was so hard. I am on day three of recovery and I can't believe I still feel every muscle and bone in my legs. I could go into race details but no one much cares. I finished 9th in AG. I had hoped for better but revised my expectations when I arrived on the island and my friends took me on a tour of the course....on my bike. I had a great time with my friends, learned a lot and am looking ahead to more races this year. If you want more specific details of race, email me at Sales@TriClique.com and I will spill all that I know.
"TriClique and Achieve!"
April 2008
I originally thought it was just about the jewelry. My dream was to sell jewelry at an exclusive seaside location and my thoughts have always been moving in that direction. I loved retail. Meeting people and making the sale. Simple.
My friend and I were having dinner in Washington DC when he told me he wanted to do a triathlon before he died. He was only 51 at the time, but it was something he always wanted to do and never got around to. I told him I would join him in his quest. I did my first triathlon in 2003 while on vacation with my family in Florida. It was a "spit" distance. It was my definition of a race that was really short. All of the disciplines distances were only as far as you could spit. I borrowed a bike from a local bike shop (the owner's $7000 road bike….talk about trust on his part and
stupidity on mine). I loved the entire experience. I didn't do another race for a year, but it was only fear that stood in my way of doing another one.
Meg Maier
One woman I had met at the pool helped me take the next step by getting me started on a schedule of running and swimming. The runs started at 4:40 am with just three and sometimes four people at times, and then we would jump in the pool for the swim. Through this make-shift training schedule, we accumulated more people of like interests that needed to get the training done at a "god awful" hour of the day. I finally bought my bike 3 months before my first race (I don't suggest doing this, by the way).
One month before participating in my first race with an open water swim, a friend had to hold my hand while we walked into the Severn River. I was petrified, but I survived. When race day finally arrived, I was nervous, but I have to admit, I loved the entire experience. I felt like a true athlete. My entire life I had always participated in sports and was active. But it wasn't until I was racking my bike with "true" athletes, I felt so good. I never felt like I didn't belong there. I felt lucky.
I can say competing in triathlons "changed my life", but not just in the health and athletic aspects. I have learned so much about myself. I have surrounded myself with people who I have come to realize are not just athletes, but a larger support group of people who love and care about one another. I have learned about what defines a real friend and when someone says "trust me", you can; or when they say, "I will be there for you" and they are. Our little running group of 17 strong has helped each other through deaths of loved ones, broken friendships, broken bones and broken hearts. So, you are probably thinking "what in the hell does this have to do with triathlon jewelry?!". Not a damn thing. I just thought the story was interesting, and it has a great deal to do with my commitment to mentoring.
SO... my interest in the jewelry came about because I went to a couple of expos and never saw anything that I would want to wear or use to commemorate the event (other than a lousy t-shirt that they give you in your goodie bag). So I took my passion for jewelry and the sport and combined the two. Simple.
