Queen of the Hill, The Sequel

After I learned what my course of treatment would be for breast cancer and got my timeline nailed down, the first thing I did was sign up for a triathlon. Okay, two. Two weeks ago, I raced the Brian Ballard with three of my girls and though I had a tough time with the bike and run (and came in fourth to last), it was a great way to celebrate my health with my family. 

That race was about telling cancer "F* you. I'm back in action."

The very next weekend, I was scheduled to do our town's amazing, newbie friendly, all female sprint triathlon. This one wasn't about me. It was about community and friendship. One friendship in particular. 

My neighbor and great friend was doing her first triathlon. We had planned to do it together when I got my stupid diagnosis but I continued to train with her and support her the best I could. It wasn't what either of us envisioned, but it was the best I could do with the circumstances. 

This friend had been an incredible support to me from the moment I got my diagnosis through the entire process. I can't even explain how important her friendship was in my life over that time period. When my husband asked me "Are you going to stay with her during the triathlon or try to beat last year's time?" I didn't even have to think about it. "Oh, I'm totally finding her after the swim and staying with her." This race wasn't about personal best or beating last year's time. It was about thanking someone who had stayed with me through my rough time and at least be there for a race that would test her limits. I knew she could do it, but she didn't know it yet. Hell if I was going to leave her out there on her own. Plus, it's not nearly as fun!

We were starting in different waves, I was in the age group behind her. Because I am old. So, I was hoping I'd catch her on the bike. But I had a tough time on the swim, having to flip over on my back a few times. I didn't swim during radiation (pool water not good for the radiated skin) so I was very undertrained in a sport I with which I have no history. 

As an aside, swimming the lake was the part where I vowed to never again swim in open waters again. "Never again, never again" I said with every stroke as I came down the home stretch. It's a Duathlon for me next year. 

I can't. I just can't. 

But, I survived. Barely.

Thankfully, my friend was still up in the bike transition area, to my shock, but I was happy I didn't have to chase her down. We biked and ran together which made it so much more fun than last year when I was just running alone. 

Last year it was about how well I could do. This year it was about how I could support someone who had been so supportive of me. Could she have done it without me? Absolutely. But, I hope in some small way, I helped boost her up when she was doubting herself. 

Over 300 women raced in Queen of the Hill this year. These are some of them!

So, that was my triathlon season. Two events in two weeks. Easy, local, friendly, inexpensive, hassle-free, and fun. That's exactly how I like it. I can't deal with freakin' hassle. 

These challenging races proved to me that I'm healthy and strong and back in the game. 

Cancer free.

And THAT, folks, is the real win.

TRI-ing Together

This past weekend, the girls and I did a multi-sport race called the Brian Ballard Memorial Triathlon which is held locally at our very own swim club. The race is held on Father's Day, which means Dr. Fabulous is a trooper once again this year! Last year, we just came for Tink to participate, but THIS year, we were up at 5:45 because Mama was doing that Tri and all three girls were participating too.

 Nothing says Father's Day like standing in the rain at 7:00 am while your wife and kids get body marked and ready for an hour and a half race (or longer... I am slow). But as you can see, he is totally into it.

Unlike Rella who is making some crazy faces in these photos. I swear we didn't force this child into the race - she's been asking to do it since last year! Why does she look like such a psycho?!?!

Pink was the one of whom I was most proud and most worried about. She is not a swimmer. While the two other girls have been swimming year round and are now swimming six days a week with swim team, Pink has neither had this kind of conditioning nor has she learned stroke mechanics. So, she just does laps by doing her own version of breast stroke and underwater mermaid swim. She was out of her comfort zone, for sure. I kept reminding her that so was I. That I was no swimmer either and that between the surgery and the radiation (not allowed to swim during radiation treatment) I was grossly undertrained in that area. In all three areas, quite honestly. I told her we were just aiming to finish... who cares if we are last! Let's just show up, get 'er done, and FINISH... because THAT in and of itself is a huge accomplishment.

I was not remotely worried about Tink and Rella. Between their level of conditioning right now and their confidence, I knew they'd have a great time. I was sad to not be able to see their race as I'd be already on my bike ride when they started their swim. But, I knew Dr. Fab would be there taking pictures and cheering like a mad man, for both of us.

So, anyone 13 and up can do the Sprint Triathlon which consists of a 9 lap pool swim, a very hilly 11 mile bike followed by a 5K run. For the kids, there is a Splash and Dash consisting of a five lap swim followed by a 1 mile run. 

I hope I don't upset anyone by posting this picture, since I don't know all of the ladies in this photo. I am just so proud to be part of this amazing all female triathlon club! Here is the Mullica Hill Women's Tri Club representation at the race. This is a very small sample of the entire club, which at the end of last tri season was over 900 women strong! Because almost all of us wear the club's tri suit, we are easy to spot on the race course. It's so awesome to be riding your bike and running and just seeing so much "pink" out there. Even though we don't all know each other, we see that pink and black tri suit and all start shouting words of encouragement and cheering each other on. 

The adults do the swim first, in a staggered start, sharing lanes. After we all emerge from the pool and get on our bike route, the kids Splash and Dash starts. All I wanted to do was go fast enough on my bike to get back to see them going out on the run!


Thanks to Dr. Fabulous, I was able to see the photos (he took a ton). Tink is a veteran now, so she had a total game plan.

Rella has no plan. She just unlocks some inner competitive spirit and runs with it.

And Pink, like me, was just hoping to get through. She looks so cute and nervous here it makes my heart burst!

Pink's 'post swim face' is similar to my own. It's  this "Thank Goodness THAT is over!!" sort of look mixed with a proud, "I DID it!" smile.

My favorite part of the race was that as I was coming back in on my bike (a hellacious 11 miles of unrelenting hills), I saw first Tink and then Rella heading out on the run. I was going crazy cheering for them, screaming "I love you!!" I'm sure I totally embarrassed them, but I had to have my mom moment.

Then, after I racked my bike and started hobbling out on my run, I got to catch those same two as they looped back in for the home stretch! I gave Tink a high five and she was all smiles. Rella was so focused - no smile, no wave, hardly acknowledging me. I couldn't tell if she was miserable and angry or just being super competitive and focused. Probably both. One mile of running is a LOT for a 7 year old when you think about it!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Pink. I considered waiting at the top of the hill for her, but then figured I was probably almost dead last in this stupid race and if I went any slower, they might be picking up the cones behind me as I came in.

So this is me after I returned from the non-stop hilly bike and started the run. Don't let that smile fool you because I was dying on the inside. DYING. I think as Dr. Fab was snapping this picture I was telling him "I don't think I'm going to make it!" My calf was in a colossal charlie horse muscle spasm and I was seriously thinking that I might not make this stupid 3 mile run. And I LOVE the run. It's my favorite part! I wasn't running that first mile - I was shuffling.

But, even though I was dying it was still oddly 'fun.' If your idea of fun is being sweaty, hungry, sore, tired and in pain. I guess it's more the idea of getting through that and doing it anyway. The 'fun' is coming out on the other side and feeling like "Holy sh*t, I just DID that!"

My run was horrible. My swim is always slow and I'm kinda sucky on the bike too, but my run is always pretty good. However, that day I ran my slowest 5K time ever which would have disappointed me if I were someone who cared about crap like that, but honestly ... after the year I've had and all my body's been through? Just finishing was my goal. And I did... fifth to last, but I finished and I was proud of that. I was OUT there, trying my best under my own set of circumstances and that is really all that matters.

Most of all, I was proud of my girls. Pink made it through the swim and had a great run. Like me, she's stronger on dry land. 

Tink was all business. That kid is a focused little noodle.

Dr. Fabulous had some technical difficulties when Rella crossed the finish line, so we don't have a single photograph, but I will give you a mental picture. The kid was wearing her freakin' swim cap the entire race. After the race, I said "Rella, did you know you were wearing your swim cap?" She says "Yeah, I know." I asked her why and she says "I just felt like keeping it on." What a goof.

And here comes the old Mom bringing it in. At this point the charley horse was gone but the knee was not happy.

But, somehow I'm still smiling! It's a sickness. 

What's up with this "pointing" business? I'm so Hollywood. 

Both Rella and Tink shocked themselves by coming in first place for girls in their respective age groups. It was nice, because they both received a Target gift card. Rella's name was called first for the 8 and Under Girls award, and since it was unexpected, I didn't have my camera ready! But let me give you a mental picture, again: Rella was behind the announcer, stuffing her face with the free post-race food. So she comes up to accept her gift card with 10 giant pretzel rods in one hand, a fistful of potato chips in the other hand, a mouthful of food like a chipmunk, and the swim cap STILL on her head.

That's my girl. To a tee.

Then you have Tink, dressed, coiffed and civilized.

I was super proud of all three of them, but honestly I was most proud of Pink who really pushed and challenged herself. She had mixed emotions at the end, as most 10 year olds would when their 7 and 9 year old little sisters "beat" them, but I'm hoping that in the end Pink understands that it's not about competing with other people, it's about competing with ourselves. 

If you never try to challenge yourself, you never truly grow. 

We all grew a little last Sunday. Mostly, we grew closer because we all did it together.

This Saturday is the Queen of the Hill Triathlon, the last one I'm doing for this season (and perhaps EVER). It will feature my nemesis - swimming in open waters. COLD open waters. Lord, give me strength. 

Putting a HEX on My Laundry

*** Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post . I was compensated for this post by HEX Performance. All opinions are still my own. 

AT THE END OF THIS POST THERE IS A GIVEAWAY FOR FREE PRODUCTS 

FROM HEX!

We're a pretty active family. All three kids are playing travel soccer pretty much year round, one plays tennis, two swim, and they all run distance. Dr. Fabulous works out regularly and is an avid runner and I mostly run, but also bike and swim a little and do one or two triathlons a year. In the summer we hike a lot and bike and walk and even try things like kayaking or surfing.

 So we have a lot of performance apparell in all sizes around here. The girls have sweaty uniforms and chlorine-drenched bathing suits, I have my running apparel and my tri suit which I often wear for biking (mostly the bottoms as bike shorts) and the open water swims at the lake. Dr. Fabulous has his work-out gear which stinks to high heaven when he comes back from his runs (nothing says I love you more than washing your husband's smelly gym shorts without gagging).

Our athletic and performance apparel is very different from our other clothes. Plus, we sweat like pigs in them. The problem is that this performance apparrel needs to be cleaned VERY often ... but the more it's cleaned with harsh detergents, the more the fabric runs the risk of losing its shape and special wicking. These things aren't cheap, and the quality of the material is much different than your regualr "street clothes." Therefore, you really need a detergent that's powerful enough to kill the bacteria and odor, but gentle enough on these specialized fabrics.Yet, the laundry detergent industry hasn't really met this need.... until HEX Performance products! 

The good people at HEX Performance Products sent me some of their new, awesome laundry detergent to try. But this is not just ANY laundry detergent, people. As you can see just from the packaging (which is very cool, by the way, and super eco friendly which I love) this is for your smelly, stinky work-out gear. Sure, that might be your big cotton t-shirt and shorts if that's what you work-out in. But, HEX Performance Power + Laundry Detergent is really specifically designed for your performance apparel with all that fancy wicking, dri fit, compression, lycra, and everything else that makes you look like you're a serious athlete when you're jogging around the block. It's for your kids overpriced sports uniforms, and your stinky running clothes and your bike shorts and your kids's soccer socks which crackle with crispiness after a game. And let me tell you something... good athletic socks are shockingly expensive and I want to take care of those things because they take a good beating!

Did I mention I love their packaging?

HEX was designed by an athlete (major league lacrosse player, Drew Westervelt) to specifically clean performance apparel. Clearly, he saw a need in the industry and he has met this need! HEX broke down the science behind sweat (ewww) and created the first high performance laundry detergent with a long-lasting odor eliminating technology. They went beyond 'clean' and got to the root of the issue.

Stink comes from bacteria, and once bacteria gets into your fabrics, throwing some water and heavily perfumed laundry detergent on there isn't really going to address the problem. HEX developed a system of protection that creates a unique bonded barrier protecting your apparel with odor-fighting technology. This protects your clothing from odors associated with bacteria. So, your gear is not just getting a surface clean, it's almost getting "sterilized."

At the same time, they understand that these fabrics have unique characteristics, and so HEX Power + Laundry Detergent is very gentle on these high performance fabrics. Its patent-pending formula is anti-static (no need for dryer sheets!) plus it actually restores fabric wickability (yes, wickability IS a word!). It's good to know that I won't ruin the kids's pricey uniforms and bathing suits or my tri suit trying to get them clean with harsh detergents.

I love that HEX Power + Laundry is free of dyes and perfumes and optical brighteners — all of which are unnecessary chemicals to have on our skin and in our water and soil. But, hey, don't you want to smell clean like a field of daisies? Well, HEX thought of that too. HEX Enhance + Performance Booster is the perfect compliment to HEX Power + Laundry Detergent. It gives your performance apparel a nice clean fragrance... but, remember that HEX Enhance + Performance is NOT a laundry detergent. It cannot be used alone, but rather in conjunction with HEX Power + Laundry just to add that clean smell. Don't get confused, ya'll.

Why I love HEX

HEX Power + Laundry Detergent

* is tough on stains

* eliminates odors from sweat, bacteria, mold and mildew

* is specially designed for all performance fabrics

* keeps fabrics protected and performing at their highest quality 24/7

I know what you're thinking... Where can I find this cool, new stuff? 

HEX Performance Power + Laundry Detergent can be found at everyone's favorite store - WEGMANS!! Everything awesome is at Wegmans.

Though it is available at all Wegman's stores in the U.S., not everyone has a Wegmans close by. But fear not. You can purchase it online as well. Simply click HERE. 

HEX Performance product line has  a lot of cool stuff including Gear Wash for all your smelly gear and an On Demand Spray to eliminate odor and bacteria in footwear and gear. 

Their prices are really reasonable, too. I mean, a box of my typical laundry detergent costs just as much and doesn't do what HEX Performance + Laundry does! But, if you are unsure they have a $2.00 off coupon which can be printed out by clicking HERE.

Want to try it out for FREE? Enter this great giveaway, sponsored by HEX Performance. 

You can be one of 10 winners!

Simply leave a comment here for a chance to win. We will be awarding a coupon for a FREE HEX Product to 10 lucky winners! 

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The Big Tri

Four years ago a friend of mine announced she was training to do a triathlon. Weeks later, she banned together with three other women and they started an all-female tri club that quickly grew from about 90 women to over 800.  This simple Tri Club turned into phenomenon... a new religion... a revolution clad in pink Underarmor. 

Four years ago that friend tried to gently recruit me to join the ever growing ranks of the tri club. But I was out of shape, exhausted, stressed and emotionally drained. 

My exact words, I believe, were "I will never do a triathlon." 

And to those words I stayed true, for several years.  Then I started running and joined the tri club for social reasons. I still stayed firm - "I will NEVER do a triathlon." I could see myself running and biking, but swimming? Never, ever EVER swimming.  No swimming. 

Obviously, I ate those words.  

Stranger things DID happened, pigs HAVE flown, and some little corner of Hell hath frozen over. Sure, it took years for me to change my mind but my mind did change and my body did train. I humbled myself, pushed myself outside of my comfort zone, faced a few deep-rooted fears, and I finally lived the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, the words I love so much but seldom follow: 

"You must do the things you think you cannot." 

If you are a newbie to the world of triathlon, this is the race you want to do - The Queen of the Hill.  All female, all support, all together.  It's a love fest, I tell you.  Very newbie friendly, very supportive, very fun.  A massage tent and a hair braiding station, "Swim Angels" along the swim course to help anyone who is panicking, a Queen's brunch with mimosas at the finish, luxury pink port-a-potties stocked with toilet paper, finisher medals and cool tech t-shirts for everyone and tiaras for the winners in all age groups. Speaking of age groups, the youngest competitor was 14 and the oldest was 75.  Most women were between the ages of 35 and 50.  These ladies rock. So inspiring!

So, the night before my race I think I slept a total of 3 broken hours.  I couldn't sleep from nerves, I suppose.  I arrived with a friend at the lake at 6:45 am. The final buoy on the turn-a-round looked so far away... further than in the practice swim.  

The swim still made me nervous - I'm not gonna lie.  I'm not a swimmer.  I just taught myself freestyle about 10 weeks ago and I was still very uncomfortable in open waters.  

But I filled my head with only good things and told myself I'd be okay.  

I was also a little stressed about being in the last "wave." You are assigned a colored swim cap based on your age group and go out in groups into the water.  My group, the white caps, were the 45-49 year olds and somehow we got to be the very last wave.  Now, from a "timing" perspective, none of that matters. You wear a devise around your ankle and it tracks your individual time so it doesn't matter when you start. But, from my perspective, I just didn't want to be going out last and then coming across the finish line so late in the race. Maybe everyone would have gone home by the time I finished!! 

But I had bigger fish to fry that morning.  The fear of the swim sat in my throat like a knot. But, when us white caps were called down to the shore and lined up single file to jump off the dock, I didn't have time to think or hesitate.  I walked to the end of the pier, and when it was my turn, I just jumped in and swam.  I kept my head focused on swimming and sighting the course and allowed myself to think of nothing else - not how cold I was, not how many people were in front of me or behind me, not how dark the water was, not how much my arms were starting to burn.  

Steady, slow, calm... steady, slow, calm.   

I'm "The Little Mommy Who Could."

Yup, there I am steady slow and calm.  Or, as my husband likes to joke - looking like a 90 year old woman.  I told him he's welcome to jump HIS ass in there and start swimming 1/4 mile with me and we'll see who comes out alive.  

That would be me, by the way.  He can't swim.

I freestyled it the whole way, which was my goal. I never panicked, never had to rest on my back, never let myself get mentally derailed. For those three things, I felt like I just became my own hero.

Getting out of that lake was the proudest moment for me.  I knew I'd be fine on the bike and I was actually looking forward to the run. The swim... oh, the swim... that was my Achilles heel.  

Wow, the problem with these photos is that unflattering white swim cap.  Good Lord!

The bike was cool.  Twelve miles, but it was pretty darn hilly. Plus, I was on a hybrid bike not a road bike so I knew my bike time would suck... and it did. It was actually my worse event of the three, but who cares?  Just tryin' to finish with a smile on my face.

By the time I got to the run I was all like "I GOT this!"  Going from a bike to running is a really difficult transition. Your legs feel like lead and it takes a little while to adjust.  Plus your muscles are all burnt out from everything and you're beginning to feel tired.  Despite all that, I ran my best 5K time ever which was surprising because I felt like I was going really slow.  

Remember my goal of just wanting to finish with a smile on my face?  

Yeah, I nailed that.

I was smiling the whole final quarter mile. The street was lined with people cheering and it brought tears of joy to my eyes. 

You know, doing a triathlon was never on my bucket list.  But, I'll jot it on there and put a big, fat check next to it.  I didn't want to do it because I didn't think I could.  The funny thing is that whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.  

The after-party brunch was cool... awards, mimosas, food, music.  Photos taken on the pier.  

These are most of the newbies...

And these are most of the 302 competitors. 

And here is happy, proud, post-race ME.  

I had to boogie out of there to get to Tink and Rella's swim meet, most of which I missed. I smelled bad, I was clad in unflattering spandex and embarrassingly still "body marked" from the race with my age in black sharpee marker still boldly written on my calf.  But a shower would have made me miss their relay, so there you go. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon at a birthday party, had four beers, ate 20 pounds of food and fell asleep by 8:30 pm.  I was EXHAUSTED. 

Exhausted but prouder of myself than I've ever been.  

It was a good day.

Want to Tri something new?  Visit the Mullica Hill Women's Tri Club webpage or  Like them on Facebook. You can get info on training plans, link up with other female triathletes and get inspired.  It doesn't matter if you live local or not - We have members from all over!