Aspen Club and Spa

I did it! Here are the results. Story below…

2007 Tri for the Cure Final Results

MOORE KIMBERLY
Female 35-39 ASPEN CO

Swim - 1/2 mile
00:18:44

Transition 1
00:04:49

Bike - 12 miles
00:38:17

Transition 2
00:04:05

Run - 3.1 miles
00:36:55

Total time: 01:42:52

I’ve always competed in sports where everything leads up to the competition; competing being the thing that really matters. In gymnastics you were fairly non-existent in practice; locked in a dark gym while the rest of the world exists in the sun; or at least it feels that way. It was the ‘meets’ where the gymnast shined; in the cute leotard with the spunky routine and unique self-expression. In tennis, for me, the matches were always the true test of ability. Practice was fun with little pressure; training was unfocused and random. Your competitive drive won you matches that you shouldn’t win and your mental madness lost you matches you should have won.

For me, my first triathlon was upside down in the respect that the training was the most fun, inspiring and empowering and the actual competition was anti-climactic. I’m not saying the event wasn’t amazing, there were over 3000 women competing and the energy was frenetic. I learned invaluable lessons for my next event and the camaraderie with my friends was a blast.

But what I felt from the time I arrived to the time I finished was a sense of power at what I created in my mind, body and spirit way before I ever arrived! Your ‘competitive drive’ doesn’t help you in triathlon if you didn’t train properly (unlike tennis) and your mental toughness can’t make you run much faster than you’ve prepared your body to run. In triathlon, you get what you train for, plain and simple.

Here’s proof…
My times in all events were exactly what I trained at - no matter what the circumstances on competition day!

The swim:

In training I was strong in the swim. So, being cocky in this area, I started at the front of the pack. I noticed my heart rate was very high with nerves, but I blew that off since as a public speaker, I feel like that all the time before I speak and I ‘knew’ from experience it would dissipate as soon as I ‘got on the stage’. No sooner did I jump in the water than my goggles were kicked off and when I reached back to get them, I got punched in the face by an oncoming swim stroke. I was then hyperventilating and thought I was going to drown. I had visions of having to tell my sister (the ex-pro surfer) that I couldn’t even pull of the swim! So, I ended up back-stroking the entire swim just to get enough oxygen not to drown. Even with all that drama, I still finished in 18 minutes; around the exact time it took me in training!

The Bike:
All I ever do is uphill rides and interval training at the Aspen Club (amazing) so I was thrilled to find the ride unbelievably easy and I finished in the top 400 out of over 3000 people. I was passing people left and right. I attribute this to the interval training class at the Aspen Club, NO doubt in my mind!! Thank you Mark Alderdice.

The Run:
What can I say, the pain of running is overwhelming for me. This is where I need the most work and the biggest attitude adjustment. Help Dirk Shultz, my wellness coach! My plan is to dramatically improve on the run for the high country tri in Aspen in 2 weeks!

Late August until September 22 will be about the remainder of my weight loss; just in case you think I forgot about that part of my goal. I haven’t and won’t feel complete until both goals are accomplished.

Stay tuned….