A Tri Weekend! Youth, Adult & Ironman Wisconsin!

We had a great, fun, full, triathlon weekend! Our oldest did his third triathlon, his first one in our village. It starts with a 100-m pool swim, 1-mile bike and 400-m run around the track. Truitt took second in his agegroup (8:44) and tied for second overall of all the boys. He wants to race again next year. :-)

Most of my family competed in the local adult triathlon the next morning. It was cooler and wet, but we all crossed the finish line. I had my fastest pool swim (cut 1:43 off my swim) saving eight minutes from the previous year's time 1:32:36 (slightly different course this year).

It was my sister Sue's first race since being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. She finished cutting over 10 minutes off her last sprint distance tri time. And our friend Ally and her friend Ozzie became triathletes -- great first race experiences. My husband, brother-in-law and younger sister ran a relay, team Viper Dogs, taking second in relays. With so many of us out on the course, we have few pictures, but, I believe we're all in for next year's race.

left - me swimming (green goggles). center - me almost done, reaching. right - I led a 30-minute bootcamp session as part of a fundraiser about 25 minutes after finishing my race.

The following night Ken, my sister and I drove downtown for the final finishers of this year's Ironman Wisconsin race. In 2003 my husband finished his first IM there, and his brother finished in 2004. The finish experience is SO much fun. If you have the chance, definitely go.

left - this is looking up the race chute, the finish is directly to my right in the opposite direction.

center- Mike Reilly keeps the crowds entertained and makes the finish line magic with his famous line, "YOU are an IronMan."

right - Ken and I

On Topic:

- Check out Focal Flame Photography's pictures from the near-perfect day of IM racing. http://www.focalflame.com/content/under-clear-blue-sky-2010-ironman-wisconsin

- Ironman.com's coverage of IMWI: Gambles and Crawford set records at Wisconsin.

- Last week my sister, Ally, Ozzie and I went for a pre-race ride. We talked about nerves and issues like chafing, etc. And now they are triathletes! :-) Congratulations!

Questions for You:

- Have you done a relay?
- Have you attended or raced in an Ironman-brand event?

photos by me and my family

Say My Name! @ Ford Ironman World Championships with Jessi Stensland (#3 in Series)

Thanks Jessi Stensland for your updates from the Ford Ironman World Championships! Stensland is a professional endurance athlete, movement specialist and active.com expert. In anticipation of the Dec. 19th airing of the NBC Ford Ironman World Championships broadcast, I'll feature several of Stensland's active.com features with bonus info from Stensland. This is #3 in a series.

The Voice of Ironman Mike Reilly

As a Cinderella Ironman Finisher I (Sara) heard The Voice of Ironman Mike Reilly call out my name welcoming me to "the club." Two years earlier my hubby Ken didn't hear The Voice when Ken crossed at Ironman Wisconsin. Reilly was there, and speaking, but my husband Ken was so focused that he tuned out his surroundings.

Ken's not alone. For many Ironman triathletes Reilly's famous words "YOU are an Ironman," obsessively call out to them during their long months of training. The words echo in and out during race day, waiting. So what happens when Reilly doesn't say "it"?

Find out by watching Active.com reporter Jessi Stensland's detailed interview with Mike Reilly from this year's Ford Ironman World Championships. You'll also learn:

- Something about race day Reilly will never grow tired of.

- Where's the hot corner for Ironspectators?

- What it's like up in the tower in Race Central.

- What's Reilly's biggest fear?

Stensland says Reilly's never called her name and she doesn't hear that happening in the future. "I've never had the desire to do an Ironman," says Stensland. "I like to train and race short, hard, often and now ... off-road."

I admire Stensland's confidence. She knows as an athlete what she's passionate about. Without passion, training and racing at any distance comes up empty. For me the most-moving post-finishline moments have more to do with what I gave to get there than simply the distance covered.
Link here

On Topic:

Find out how Reilly coined his famous phrase in this excellent profile of Reilly from ironman.com.

In this series:
Getting the Story @ Ford Ironman World Championships
On Site @ Ford Ironman World Championships with Jessi Stensland
Rudy! @ Ford Ironman World Championships with Jessi Stensland

Questions for You:
- What distance/sport are you passionate about?
- What makes the finish line magic?

photo credit by me: I saw many sea turtles when I was on the Big Island. But I met this turtle in the Grand Cayman Islands.