Balance - Jeannie Samson's Triathlon Blog

Another Samson on the Web...

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:30 GMT

My 9 year old daughter, Asha, has had a passion for art for a few years now. In the last year she has especially been drawn to jewelry making. Her favorite is making earrings with all sorts of beads. A few months ago she had so many earrings that we decided that she would start selling them. So far she has sold about 7-8 pairs. An EXCITING new way for her to show potential customers about her work is her new website! My husband Jude's company Levelfield.com, who created this cool website as well, has created a website for displaying her work. It's www.jewelrybyasha.com !! We will provide capability to purchase the earrings soon, but for now you can see photos and descriptions of them. Shanti, David, and Aliya have also been involved in marketing, and will eventually have some responsibilities in running the business. We are thrilled about our new family run business venture!!

10k this weekend...

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:31:18 GMT

The last two months I have done some triathlon training, but have been focusing on strength workouts and yoga. Sunday I did a 10k running race for fun, and to set a starting point to work on my run speed. My time was 47:00 - not near my best, but a good start. The day was fabulous!! Low humidity, cool temps, and a flat to rolling hill course. I was able to really work hard without dealing with the heat. It was also so good to see some of my triathlon friends out there. My back is feeling good most of the time, so hopefully I can start building toward training again soon.

An Amazing Surprise...

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:37:40 GMT

Lordy, Lordy, Jeannie is 40!! Saturday I entered my 4th decade in HIGH STYLE and surprising fun!! Our good friend Channing, my wonderful husband Jude, and various other co-conspirators got together to throw me party at the Moonshine Bar & Grill in downtown Austin. What I knew is that we were meeting our friends Patrick and Channing for a double date to celebrrate life and my birthday. What I did not know is that my kids, about 25 friends, and MY PARENTS FROM VIRGINIA were there to yell SURPRISE!! WOW! What a lucky girl I am. We had a fantastic time and I felt loved an honored in such a big way, it's hard to describe in words. THANKS Everyone!!

Wool Capital Triathon - Successful Day!!

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:10:56 GMT

Saturday I headed for San Angelo, TX with my very good friend Karen for a fun weekend of racing. We met up with her friend Laura McCreary from Dallas at the La Quinta Hotel in San Angelo. We did a lot of laughing, talking about our kids (there are 10 between the three of us), and race prep! Karen's friend Kevin Saunders of KGS Bikes joined us for a drive on the race course and for dinner. He helped us prepare our bikes and gave us some valuable bike handling tips. Thanks to Kevin for that, and for some great race day pictures! We enjoyed the lower humidity in San Angelo, so race day was not as brutal as expected. It was in the 80's by the time we got to the run - not too bad compared to the "wet sauna" training we have been doing here in Austin this summer.

My swimming group started at 7:30am SHARP! I felt great in the water today - the water was warm, but not "soupy" as reported; I was the first one out of the water in my heat (although one guy was close on my heels). It felt great to be by myself in front before the first man went swooshing by!! I was extremely surprised not to be passed on the bike by any ladies, and even more surprised I was not passed until just after the 5th mile by Master's Champion Sharon Sander. My run was not strong, but steady and I stayed positive the whole way. I finished 3rd over all the women (congrats to overall winner Natasha Van der Merwe, 28), and 1st in my age group. A great start!

Date on Lady Bird Lake...

Sun, 2 Aug 2009 19:15:48 GMT

Since summer began Jude has not had Sunday soccer games, so he and I have had a weekly running date at Town Lake (now called Lady Bird lake). Jude and I both love going to Town Lake - it's an Austin landmark, and a great place to be around lots of other runners. We have so much fun, and go out to eat at a cool little restaurant on West Lynn Dr. called Galaxy Cafe! We had a great time this morning - I did an easy 7 miler then quickly downed a huge breakfast taco at Galaxy.

Looking ahead to more racing...

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:37:31 GMT

I have had pretty good training the last couple of weeks. I am have decided to register for the Wool Capital Triathlon in San Angelo, TX. I am very excited to be able to do an Olympic distance! Racing always shows me the areas I need to work on, and to celebrate the hard work I have done so far. I am going with my friend Karen and one of her friends from Dallas. A fun, "wild" girls weekend of swimming, biking, and running!!

Team "HOT MOMMAS" Take the Win!

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:14:35 GMT

This past Sunday my good friend Karen Burks and I competed as a team in the Couples Triathlon in Austin. It was my first race in close to two years. I was very nervous in the days leading up to the race, and even had a day where my back hurt a lot! I hadn't had a back episode in months - NOT great timing! Luckily it began to feel better a few days before the race, so all was ok. The course I have done many times, as it's a venue used for several other triathlons, including the Danskin Tri. It was a FANTASTIC time for me and Karen. Having Fun and Going Hard were the goals of the day! We accomplished BOTH, and placed 1st in the Female Friends division, coming in 1 and 2 amongst the ladies we started with in our swim wave. I was very happy to be out there again, and will work hard to get back in to racing shape! Two of my daughters, Shanti and Asha, were there with Jude yelling and clanging the cowbell we got from Don at Austin Tri Cyclist!