Balance - Jeannie Samson's Triathlon Blog

Training for the Most Important Race

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Last night, when I was talking with my husband, it occurred to me that the biggest dream I have had as long as I can remember was to have an amazing family. My parents were excellent role models, and I always wished I could have a solid, loving relationship like they had. I am so blessed to have a husband that supports me in my triathlon racing and training, and who wants me to be happy - that dream has come true beyond my greatest expectations. What I sometimes lose sight of is that a being married and being a Mom takes "TRAINING." What I mean is that it takes work to nurture and cultivate relationships - in this case with my family. In order to have relationships that work, I have to spend time talking with and finding out what the other person needs and wants. With my kids it simply means spending one-on-one time with them, listening to how their day went, or helping them with homework. With my husband it means not only listening to him after a hard day, but also putting in the extra effort to make sure our house is neat (mostly), and planning fun nights out together. A lot of times I am thinking "I am tired - I don't feel like doing this now!" But just like preparing for a triathlon, training yourself in these areas is the ONLY way to have the race you were hoping for! Having a passionate marriage and a healthy relationship with your kids is not a speed race, but a race in the sense that you want to be the BEST you can be and have everyone around you be excited about life. That way every person as a part of the whole family can use the home as a launching pad for doing great things! I always knew this to be true, but sometimes I get caught up in my own little world and don't really take the time to find out how it's going for the rest of the family. Luckily as human beings we can learn from our mistakes and start new each day - thank God for that!

Taking a Break...

Fri, 8 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

This week after the big race in Switzerland I have taken time off from hard training. I have been doing shorter runs, took a yoga class, and took my kids on a short bike ride. My daughter Asha was hooked on the back of my old mountain bike on her trail-a-bike yesterday. The kids had so much fun! These are the things the children don't get to do with me when I am training hard during the main triathlon season. I am so thankful that I get to guide my children to a lifetime love of fitness and health.

My Race - 2006 ITU World Championships

Sat, 2 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Well, I am here in Switzerland and the race was today! I felt really good today before the race - strong and fairly calm. My age group went LAST for this race, so my start time was 4:15pm. So...as they corralled us in front of the swim dock before the swim I just could feel it was going to be a good day.

When the bell went off and we started swimming I had some really stiff competition in the swim, but the water was cool and I felt great! I was 3rd out of the water and ran almost 1\2 mile to get to my bike (yes, it was an insanely long transition), then another 1/3 mile running with my bike before I could get on. Then I felt strong and pedalled hard - there were some steep hills, but I still felt good. Then...STEEP downhills followed by really sharp turns - AAAHHHH! All I could think is I cannot wait to get off this course. This is SCARY! Almost every time I went down a hill I got passed. Then on the flats and hills I would retake some of them, but this was just not my day on the bike! My legs and mind were hurting. But I went as fast as I could and WORKED hard! Then to the run - it was 4 laps of turns, but I felt pretty solid. At the end, I was so tired I had to hang on the fence. A good race. I ended up 7th in my age group and 39th overall among the women (523 women finishers, 9th American). Not the results I had hoped for, but my best effort and I know what I have to work on.

This whole week has been a fantistic experience! I got to talk to people from all over the world, see people from countries I have never heard of, and meet some amazing U.S. athletes from all over the country. I will never forget how great it was to be here in this beautiful place.