Race Tips for Your Next Sprint or Olympic Distance Triathlon

July 17, 2018August 16, 2021 by fullcircle, posted in Bike, Blogs, Mindset, Nutrition, Race Specific, Run, Swim

Race Tips for Your Next Sprint or Olympic Distance Triathlon

By Erinne Guthrie, USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach

I recorded this webinar to make it easy for you to access any time you need to review the most important race tips to use at your next Sprint or Olympic distance triathlon race.

Should you have any questions please reach out to me, Coach Erinne (via text is fastest) 786-586-6057 or, schedule a call and we can discuss further. Use this link to schedule your call:
http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

I give this clinic live before most of the Multirace Triathlons in Miami, Florida. I hope you enjoy it and please let me know if it helped you in any way have a better race experience, thanks for your time!

Watch below!

Here’s the Youtube LINK:
https://youtu.be/LKS13Bti8JI

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997 and is currently taking a recovery year after two consecutive years racing at Long and Short Course World Championships. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.

Got questions regarding triathlon? Drop me an email to erinne@fullcirclecoaching.co or schedule a call at this link: http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

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Thanks, it’s True!

June 5, 2018 by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

I saw a super silly movie the other day that made me laugh a lot. The name of the movie is Half Magic, you can see the trailer on this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WVwoboiwK0

One thing from the movie that I loved was when someone gives you a compliment, say “Thanks, it’s true!!” I just love it because saying this is so opposite of what everyone always does. So, today I tested it out and I can tell you it feels absolutely amazing.

I got a compliment about the last Ultimate Tri Camp and it made me feel pretty good because I work pretty hard to make that an amazing experience for all who attend. Then I remembered the line from the movie and I said it out loud “Thanks! It’s True!” And wow, my smile got bigger. I just felt good about getting that feedback on all my hard work. So, I mentioned it to my boyfriend and he said to me “No, you can’t say that! People will think you are so full of yourself! That makes you seem so …… I don’t know!”

So I challenged that person and I asked them to try it! I gave them a true compliment and asked them to say “Thanks, it’s true” in response.They said “Wow I do feel good.” I explained that I was not giving them a compliment to make me feel better, but it was a true compliment and I wanted them to feel good.

So next time you get a compliment rather than deflect it, or immediately give a compliment back, say proudly “Thanks, It’s True” and feel your joy.

I challenge you just once to try it today or this week then let me know by sharing how you felt!

Coach Erinne
Full Circle Coaching
Where Performance Meets Balance
786-586-6057

Got questions regarding triathlon? Drop me an email to erinne@fullcirclecoaching.co or schedule a call at this link: http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

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An Important Concept to Create REAL Change

April 9, 2018February 14, 2024 by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

An Important Concept to Create Real Change

I’m always on a quest for self improvement and I wanted to share a key concept that will determine your ability to grow.

The concept of the Teachability Index is something I’ve been exploring, and I think it’s really relevant and fascinating for people looking to change their bodies and lifestyles.

So let me explain…

Two primary factors play a role in determining how teachable and susceptible to growth we are at any given time:

1. Our willingness to learn
2. Our willingness to accept change

Both the willingness to learn and acceptance to change things are massively important to understand and check in with if you really want to create long-term change.

In each area, rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 (1 being absolutely NOT and 10 being ALL IN!)

Willingness to learn – How much time, money, and serious effort do you put into reaching your health and fitness goals?

Are you trying to go it alone or do you have a coach? Are you trying to figure it out yourself or do you seek support in areas that will help you grow? Do you find yourself spending time and money in areas that aren’t essential or do you even know what areas are essential to focus on?

Where are you on a scale of 1-10 in your willingness to learn?

Willingness to accept change – You can learn and know things all day long, but until you commit to true change, it’s irrelevant. Maybe it’s spending that money you’ve told yourself you don’t have to get the coach you know you need. Maybe it’s changing your approach that just isn’t working. Maybe it’s tuning out the noise about what works and what doesn’t and not doing the diet/training program just because your friend is or some fit person posted it on Facebook.

In order to grow, we must be willing to accept change in every area of life. And given that our brains are designed to resist and protect us from change, these choices must be conscious! Pay attention to the reasons “why not” that your brain likes to trick you with and make those conscious decisions to choose to change and do things differently.

Where are you on a scale of 1-10 in your willingness to change?

To determine where you are on the scales, you can consider:

What are you willing to give up to get what you want?
What are you willing to spend to get to where you want to be?
Are you willing to let go of truths you might hold and see things from a different perspective?

The above combined with our willingness to accept change and our willingness to learn make up the Teachability Index.

Here’s the thing…

It’s OK if you’re not 10/10 on both scales! We aren’t going to be there 100% of the time. It’s a place to strive to be because that’s where new levels of success are reached. Bringing consciousness to where you are now will allow you to determine the actions you need to take and the ways in which you need to adjust your thoughts to move higher on the Teachability Index, the place that we have tremendous growth.

I’d love to know if you have questions about this or how it resonates. And if you’re ready to scale up your Teachability Index, I am here to help. Simply click here to let me know, and I’ll be back in touch ASAP.

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997 and is currently taking a recovery year after two consecutive years racing at Long and Short Course World Championships. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim COach, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.

Wishing you well,

Coach Erinne
Full Circle Coaching 786-586-6057
Where Performance Meets Balance

Why do I Still Race?

November 16, 2017 by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Erinne, Mindset

Why do I still race? I could be the coach that used to race. The one who remembers the glory days and now I just sit on the couch eating bon-bon’s, remembering how I used to be healthy and in great shape.

But, that’s not me!

I believe it’s important to practice what you preach and I aim to do just that, PRACTICE!
Because at times it’s difficult to get it all right, Wait!!! Do we EVER get it ALL right???
Sometimes it feels like I do. When I am in that flow state, but mostly I am just behind that, always striving to get back there. And that is what keeps me motivated to keep training after all these years (21 to be exact).

Racing is a privilege and as long as I get to keep racing, I will! There have been too many times over the years that I was injured or sick when racing wasn’t an option so I cherish racing.
I love it! It takes me out of my day to day, shakes things up and pushes me out of my comfort zone. Our minds and bodies need stress to improve, get stronger and faster. There is no better feeling than crossing that finish line, arms overhead, smiling ear to ear with that awesome sense of accomplishment.

Having a goal to get across the line with a new personal record or just get out there and give it my all helps me get my training in on a daily basis. Without that race date on the calendar it can be hard to stay focused on training or stay motivated, especially after doing this for 20 years. However, with a race day set on the calendar I’m much more likely to be consistent. Then there are the races where I participate just to get a workout in with no real goals but to cross the line.

I’m not the fastest triathlete by far, but I’m always just searching for ways to improve and get better just like all the athletes that come to me for coaching. I never in a million years imagined I’d get to a World Championships, but I set this as a goal 3 years ago and this year for the second time I competed in a World Champs. My first time was last September 2016, at Cozumel, Mexico. I competed in the Inaugural Age Group Draft Legal Sprint World Championships and this year in 2017 I raced in Penticton, Canada for the Long Course Aqua Bike World Championships.

Traveling to cool destinations is also a bonus of racing!

The most important reason I race is because I KNOW it makes me a better coach. When I’m racing I am constantly thinking how I can remind my athletes of all these things I am experiencing. The chafe on my neck because I forgot to add coconut oil so my wet suit doesn’t rub. The benefits of chamois cream for a long course race. The best gearing for climbing, the healthiest nutrition that aids in performance; and a million other things that include the good the bad and the challenging. I hope to inspire my athletes to set big goals and work smart and hard to achieve them. Everything I learn I love to share and pass along to them. Racing takes skill, practice and repetition to get better. I have raced in well over 100 races and I have learned a lot but there is so much more to learn and share. Just as much as I love to achieve my goals in racing, nothing makes me happier than to see my athlete’s successes! It’s truly Awesome!

I don’t think my coaching would be as effective if I wasn’t still out there participating and getting the real time information.

I have a rule that I follow about who I learn from. This includes doctors, coaches, therapists. I always look at them and ask myself “Do they exemplify what I want to be like? Look like? Are they fit and healthy? Have they mastered what it is I am seeking advice from them for? Or have they helped others get to where I want to go?”

If the answer is “No,” I’m not likely to follow what they recommend as much as someone who does!

Thanks for reading. Hope to see you at the races!!

Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne
USAT Level 2, 1999
CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, 2007

Get faster at your next Triathlon with NO training – Watch the video now!

July 25, 2017February 14, 2024 by fullcircle, posted in Bike, Blogs, Mindset, Race Specific, Run, Swim

What’s up Triathletes?

Getting faster for your next race has never been easier – Are you ready to get faster at your next Sprint or Olympic distance Triathlon race with NO additional training?

Here is a webinar recording I did last week for the Multirace Triathlon Trilogy race but the information can be applied to any Sprint, International or Olympic distance triathlon. It is just under 1 hour of awesome information you can apply to your next race. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments.
Click on this LINK to access the recording.

Feel free to ask me any questions 786-586-6057, or leave a comment.

Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne
Full Circle Coaching
Where Performance Meets Balance

Post Race; What Should I Do the Day After a Race?

April 4, 2017November 4, 2019 by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset, Race Specific

Post Race; What Should I do the Day After a Race?

What’s up Triathletes?
What you do the day after a race can be a little confusing. It depends if the race you just completed was a long, hard effort, an “A” race or just a training race – meaning you are still training for a faster or longer race in a few weeks or months. Most races will take more out of you than a normal training day due to getting up early and all the mental and physical fatigue regardless of how hard you raced. It’s a call you must make based on how you’re feeling when you wake up, how long your race was, and what you’re training for.

Sleep – Please take the day after the race to sleep in or at least take a nap the same day of the race. There is no better recovery tool than sleep.

Complete DAY OFF – If this race was your “A” race and you’re ready to take a break, take a complete day off. Take the time to analyze the race results while they are fresh in your mind by writing a post- race report. Go through all the details of the race exactly how you remember them and write down what you struggled with and what worked well, along with all the race data. You can use the information for strategy and planning for future training and your next race. If you have a coach you would want to review the notes with your coach sometime during that week again while it’s fresh in your memory if you wait too long you won’t remember these things.

Active Recovery – Another option is to do a little active recovery. That means training for 1 hour or less at a very aerobic pace, with low heart rate. Some examples:

– a 45- minute easy spin at 90 rpms with HR under 120.

– A yoga class or some mediation and breath work

– 45- minute swim with fins

– 30-45 min low heart rate run and 15 min stretch and foam roll session

Massage – Heat and Ice bath- getting a post- race massage can really help speed the time of recovery along with sauna/ hot plunge and cold plunges. All this just helps to improve circulation and move the lactic acid out of the muscles so you can get back to regular training without feeling the fatigue in your body from the race.

The mistake I see a lot of athletes make is going right into a hard training session the day after a race and by the end of that same week they are exhausted or sick because race day can be very taxing on the body if you don’t allow one or two days of easy training to ease back into your routine you can end up getting sick or really tired by the end of the week. So even though you may have tapered or gone easy the entire week before the race I still recommend taking one or two days very easy after the race and by the end of the week get back into your training program.

Nutrition – The last thing to consider post race is a good nutrition plan. Hopefully, you rewarded yourself somewhat after the race with a treat that you would not normally eat – like ice cream or pizza. If you are working on your power to weight ratio sticking to your nutrition plan post race can really help you get a big jump on your calorie deficit because you burn so many calories on race day. If you continue to eat healthy that day you will feel so much better the next day. I also really believe in a special reward for race performance, so if you’re craving that pizza or beer or some kind of celebratory food, that’s the day to do it. It’s always your choice.

Then, the next day after the race get back on your nutrition plan of clean eating and drinking tons of water to recover and it will help make you feel so much better going back into your training program.

I hope this article helps you in some way!

Feel free to ask me any questions or leave a comment.

Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne
Full Circle Coaching
Where Performance Meets Balance

Life Savers- 6 Steps to Total Transformation

October 18, 2016 by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

How do we stay on course with training, family and work when so much of life gets in the way. If you really want to make triathlon training a part of your daily routine I have found an awesome resource from the book, The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. It was a total game changer for me especially when I started getting busier and busier with my daughter, work and a few health setbacks. It’s an incredibly easy read and I listened to it in the car in a week on Audible.com I immediately started implementing the 6 Life S.A.V.E.R.S. Hal describes in the book. I have never accomplished so much in such a short time. Below is a recap of the book, but reading it will clarify a lot of details. Hal also has a ton of resources on his website for free that you can download.

#1 Silence – Practice Silence Daily. The benefits of meditation are undeniable and scientifically proven. It really is simple and the benefits are tremendous. Improve concentration, immune function, reduce and manage stress. In as little as 2 min/ day but ideally 10-20 minutes you can have all of these benefits. I wake up and include it every morning and it completely sets up my day in the best way. Some Apps to try are Address Stress; Deepak Chopra 21 day meditation (Perfect Health is a favorite); Insight Timer, are just a few. The Release Technique by Brendon Burchard is a very simple way to start. I also incorporate my breathing exercises while meditating, so I am actually improving lung capacity and CO2 tolerance at the same time. Try Box Breathing – inhale for 4-6 seconds, hold your breath 4-6 seconds, exhale 4-6 seconds and hold your breath out 4-6 seconds- keep repeating for as long as you have time.

#2 Affirmations – Say them OUT LOUD! When you say affirmations out loud you are literally reprogramming your brain’s subconscious or operating system. Use them for every area of your life. And say them every morning out load after your Silence.

Use this template: I am committed to (insert behavior or activity) so that I can (goal you wish to achieve) by (deadline you wish to achieve by). So, for example- I am committed to running 4 days/week, every week by the 30th of November using a speed work training program so that I can run a 23 minute 5k by August 1st, 2017. Or, I am committed to doing 5 minutes of yoga and box breathing every morning for 5 minutes by the end of the week. You get the idea. I include an affirmation for every aspect of my life: Spiritual, Relationships, Family, Business, Fitness, etc.

#3 Visualization – See your end result exactly how you want it to be. Tap into emotions, smells, physical feelings and visual displays of your exact outcome- this works for everything, not just sports! Make a vision board.

#4 Exercise – I would bet almost everyone reading this already exercises and knows the benefits. Something to consider is if you have a balance between working out and working in. Or applying an intention and or purpose for every training session. I find the more intentional I am in my training and recovery the better my results.

#5 Read – There are definitely times when I find it harder to read since I became a mom and entrepreneur, but with Audible.com this becomes SO much easier. Every car drive I am listening to a book. I also listen to podcasts and videos as well. All count towards reading and learning and bettering yourself. If you commit to 5 pages every day, that adds up to 1,825 pages or over 9 books a year!

#6 Scribing or Journaling but the S is better on the end of the acronym SAVERS. It’s great to just record your thoughts every day. Some days I write longer than others. I can self -reflect and get thoughts out of my head. I usually write down all the things I am grateful for everyday. Even the struggles because this can allow you to accept things as they are and move through them. “I am so thankful and grateful for my foot injury because it has allowed me to slow down and appreciate when I am pain free, what could have caused the injury and how to get better”

Get the book today and start your transformation. It is absolutely amazing how well this works and you won’t be disappointed. Try the 30 day challenge at TMMBOOK.com.

Wishing You Well,

Coach Erinne

Remember to reply and comment below and share with anyone you think would like to read. Also feel free to email me at Info@fullcirclecoaching.co to ask me to write about anything triathlon or health and wellness related.

Thanks for reading!

Annual Training Plan – What is it and why is it important?

February 19, 2016August 14, 2024 by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

An annual training plan is a tool we use with all our athletes to provide a road map for the individual athlete’s training season. It doesn’t have to start in January and it can be 3, 6, 8, 12 or 24 months long depending on your short term and long term goals.

It is a visible overview of your year or 2 years and it is not set in stone. It is meant to be flexible as unexpected events occur like family or work trips, illness etc.

The ATP is the next step after we have created our DUMB goals – (read about that HERE!)

Having the goal is one thing but creating the methods and routines to be able to achieve that goal is imperative. You can’t just write out the goal and hope it happens! Especially in a physical sport like triathlon. We must take action.

SO to set up your ATP we pick A, B and C races to fill in with dates on the calendar.

A race = the BIG KAHUNA! the race you want to be in your best shape ever, the dream race where everything comes together and you have a PR- Personal Record. You can pick 1-3 A races but I don’t recommend more than that because its hard to peak more than 3 times in a year. Experienced athletes can peak more often. Sometimes athletes race just to cross the finish line and others have a goal time or to get on the podium, qualify for a national or world championships.

Depending on the length of the race and your current fitness level you need a certain amount of time to achieve the physical fitness to achieve the goal of an A race.

Sprint and 5k, 10k races obviously require less time to get fit, and Ironman more time.

B races = 3-8 races you still want to do well in. These are races you can test your progress and see what you need to work on.

C races = unlimited- but be careful, you can over do it. These are training races or single sport events like super sprint triathlons, Swim Miami, 40K time trials, 5k’s and 10k’s running races. Entering 5k ,10k and 13.1mi running races is a great way to test your fitness and perform fresh (without running off the bike) leading up to your goal triathlon. Similarly, swim events and bike time trials or century rides can all improve fitness while still getting you used to the feeling of race day competition without the pressure to have your BEST performance. So peppering several B and C training events is really important. It helps you pinpoint where you need to work based on the performance during the B or C race. Sometimes I will have athletes even do a race with no tapering or recovery leading up to the race just to over reach and see how the body responds. Other times it will be a true test race doing everything we will do on the A race day and see where the fitness level is and if the athlete is ready or needs more skill, strength, experience etc for the BIG A RACE.

DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE…….

Be sure to also include regular testing in Swim, Bike and Run to see where you are starting from and then every 6-8 weeks to see if the training you are doing is working well and you are in fact improving. Learn about the tests I use in the webinar link at the bottom. To measure is to know, if you are not assessing you are guessing!- video and performance tests, lab work or field testing all need to be included in the ATP.

Include strength training – prevent injury build strength, move in different directions other than just forward.

Next:

Periodize the ATP – as you get closer to the race the more similar your training will be to race day, but this is where the art and science of coaching come in. There are lots of different ways to do this. These are terms that I use, but others do exist.Base

Build
Speed
Peak

Taper/ Rejuvinate
Race

The coach you work with will create a system they believe works best, but a general rule is to have some sort of base before you go out and do speed work so you don’t get injured, but after that there has been tons of research that a linear or stair step progression is not the only way to achieve success. I don’t subscribe to volume in the speed phase and base and build phases will include speed and anaerobic capacity. I also wait to build volume until much later in the season to keep athletes strong, fast and injury free as opposed to burnt out from too much volume, overuse and over training.

Daily, weekly, monthly volume needs to be added into the plan based on available training hours, age and experience and how fast you recover; everyone is different and you need to discover for yourself what works best. Most of my athletes have families and jobs that are a priority.

Alternating stress and recovery to avoid over training, the higher your goals the more this is important. The more experienced you are, the more you can train at race specific intensity, the less experienced, the more we focus on skill and strength.

We also want to include real life commitments and by having them on the ATP ahead of time we can maintain fitness despite travel and family events. By planning easy recovery days around these everyone stays happy.

Along the same line, scheduling regular rest days or weeks, months and even years- can help prevent injury and sickness rather than just training and training until the body forces you to rest by getting sick.

Here are 3 great resources to learn more about creating an ATP. I use www.TrainingPeaks.com with all my athletes and here is a video on how to create one: HERE

And this is Joe Friel himself talking about the ways he creates and ATP: HERE.

And lastly, this link ATP Webinar is my Full Circle Coaching Webinar on how to create an ATP. Enjoy!

Wishing you well!

Coach Erinne

Go Be D.U.M.B Today!

December 29, 2015August 14, 2024 by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

What an amazing year 2015 was. I like to take this time during the holidays when I actually have some down time and sleep in, spend quality time with my family and also make some alone time to really think about all that happened this year. The good the bad and the ugly.

I, like many others had struggles. Some couldn’t train or race due to injury, some had great comeback years after being injured or sick, some had other priorities that led them away from themselves. Others had great successes and personal records in sport as well as business or family. I hope each one of you takes the time over the next few days to do a recap and review of the last year.

Did you achieve the goals you set out to accomplish? Did you miss on a few? Maybe look at the hardships you had to face to see if there was some lesson to be learned on how you handled it or what was brought to light because of that struggle. Or, really acknowledge all the hard work that went into your big successes and how you can repeat them this coming year and make even bigger and better wins for next year.

I have a constant quest for learning new things to see where I can improve my relationships, health, life, coaching, and business so I am always listening and reading up about new ways to improve and pass on good stuff I learn to my athletes. During this time of year everyone is talking about resolutions and setting goals for the New Year. I have written about and used S.M.A.R.T. goals in the past and I’m sure most of you are familiar with them:

I know many of you have heard of SMART Goals:
SPECIFIC
MEASURABLE
ATTAINABLE
RELEVANT
TIME-BOUND

This year, I would love to you to set some D.U.M.B goals! I love these as a precursor to the S.M.A.R.T. goals and I learned about them from Brendan Bruchard check out his video about them at this LINK.

D.U.M.B Goals
D – Dream/Destiny Driven goals – I love this because it is asking you to think way outside the box and truly get excited about something BIG for yourself. Something that may not seem attainable at first thought but that you really want to achieve but are maybe too scared to even fathom. Brendan talks about the vision of landing on the moon or curing a disease. How did those people ever achieve those amazing things without dreaming about them 1st!

My business coach Sean Greely always says if your dream doesn’t scare you, it isn’t big enough. And my mentor Paul CHEK says your dream has to be bigger than your distraction. So, start with the dream and the how will come later! Think about something that would make your life magical and make you feel alive. Have fun with it.

U. Uplifting – Choose something that you want to GAIN not lose. Instead of I want to lose weight, how about I want to be a sexy beast and have an amazingly successful body that is strong and capable to carry me across the finish line of a triathlon, Ironman, 5k, ultra- endurance, feel alive, you fill in the blank __________________.

M –Method friendly – A goal that you can create a practice around. A map that makes it happen more easily. If the goal is to feel vibrant and passionate about your life, to get there you need a practice, map or method that will lead you to your success. For example, 3x a week you are going to fuel your body with healthy breakfast and then go to the gym or walk/run/swim/cycle for 20 minutes. Use a set of practices that you repeat on how you wake up, cook your food, meet with an accountability partner or whatever you choose. This is where I highly recommend that Miracle Morning book again, it has a blueprint for the method of your morning practice. The repetition of the practice makes it easier every time you do it. I also incorporate this in creating more successful athletes by implementing the dynamic warm up before every workout to help prevent injury, or having the athletes perform the skill driven drills for swim, bike and run to improve their performances at any level.

B- Behavior driven with triggers set up to help you be successful – Every time I do this than that. For example, every time my alarm goes off in the morning I say my mantra and start my morning routine, which includes all the SAVERS (silence, affirmations, visualizations, exercise, reading and scribing) from the Miracle Morning Book. And sets me up for success. Using these behavioral driven triggers helps motivate you to stay the course and go for the big DREAM!

The Scariest Thing That’s Ever Happened to Me

November 30, 2015August 14, 2024 by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Erinne, Mindset

By Coach Erinne Guthrie

I have had my share of life’s ups and downs Divorced parents Failed marriage Successful birth of my daughter Death of a soul mate My fathers suicide But none of those scared me the way waking up one morning seeing only black in my left eye did.

I don’t have good eye sight to begin with (-8.50!) but wearing contacts has always allowed me to see 20/20 and do everything I ever wanted to do.
But waking up seeing black was so scary for me because it really threatened the active lifestyle I live and love.

Interestingly enough the week before this happened I had been introduced to a book called Miracle Morning and had started adding helpful elements recommended in the book to my normal 20 min meditation at 4:20 am every morning. The 6 elements of the Miracle Morning are silence, affirmation, visualization exercise, reading and scribing or journaling.

Although I was already implementing 3 out of 6, it is amazing how implementing all 6 helped me get through this challenging period in my life. Even though I did allow for exactly 2, 24 hour pity parties,
that was really all I needed.

I got through retinal re-attachment surgery with a scleral buckle around my left eye with the best doc in the world Dr. Smiddy. Luckily, I have an awesome team and coaches and no sessions were canceled. My team of coaches stepped up I kept training as soon as doc gave me the green light. And although my vision is not back to 100%, I raced in my 1st ever draft legal sprint triathlon to try and qualify for world championships.

I was very tempted to skip the race for fear the warped vision in my left eye would cause issues in my performance. Would I get hit in the eye during the swim? Would I be able to draft safely? Did I Lose too much fitness in the weeks I had to take off leading up to the race? I didn’t want to talk about it to too many people for disgrace of total failure, so with the encouragement of my FC TEAM and a few athletes and friends as well as the implementation of the 6 elements of the miracle morning book I decided to race. So even if I came in last I knew for me it was about being there and participating and how I decided to respond to my situation instead of react to it!

Guess what?
I qualified! This has always been a dream of mine and now I am headed to CanCun, Mexico with 2 other Full Circle athletes to race against the world! Wow, who would have thought this was possible given my situation. Although I did not have a great race by any definition, with 5 girls pacing me on the run, I did get 9^t^h place and the top 10 in each age group qualified. It was a tough but really fun race and the draft legal element of the bike made it completely different. I highly recommend a draft legal race if you can enter one. Here are the race results and more info on the USAT Website.

So if you are still reading because this is a kind of long post The big things I wanted to share is that It’s not what happens to you in your life it’s how you respond. I can easily decide that after this happened I needed to quit triathlon and racing because it’s just too risky but what I realize is that is just not an option for me. I love swim bike run too much to say goodbye!

Also having a daily practice like the Miracle morning was definitely introduced to me just in time to help me keep my eye ( no pun intended) on the big picture of my life which is:

To motivate triathletes to break through the obstacles holding them back from their ultimate triathlon performance. On that note, please watch out how you can be involved in having your Ultimate Triathlon performance after attending our 6th Annual Ultimate Triathlon Camp in Clermont FLorida. Registration is opening up this week! And

Look for upcoming details in the next week!

Thanks for reading!
Namaste

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