"You become what you think about" has always been my attitude even as a young competitor- I go into every competition thinking I'm going to win, no matter what event, who is there, or race conditions.  My competitive Rhino attitude is to aim to be the best and if the result isn't exactly what I was aiming for then it gives me a better understanding of what I need to work on to be the best next race.  Even when I do win a race, I evaluate it to see what parts I could have pushed harder or needed to improve to do even better the next time. 

Even though this is my first full season of racing I made a 16 week training and racing plan for the season leading up to the US championships July 26th.  My plan included some smaller goal races that would test my fitness and racing skills, but I knew if I could follow my plan, I would be strong enough to be top 10 at the US championships by July (number of athletes that qualify for worlds). The World championships were 7 weeks after the US championships. When I was planning my season I thought to myself, "great even more time to get stronger after I qualify!"  Then the season started off with a few bike mechanical mishaps, but kept thinking that it was ok. At least I'm getting race experience and a better understanding of the sport.  I always thought of each experience, whether it went the way I planned or not, as a learning experience and a stepping stone towards my ultimate goal.  I kept telling myself I had the ability to be at the top no matter what happened in one particular race.  After winning a few races I felt completely confident in my plan and my abilities.  I kept charging day in and day out, thinking of my ultimate goal- Australia- World Champs- this was my driving force each day! 

 

Even though I am an "underdog" in the triathlon world, it never changed the way I thought about myself- in fact it drove me more!  I remember one race in particular I asked the race director if I could be in the "Elite" wave and he gave me a strange look and said "you know there are some really fast pro triathletes racing today" my response was "I'm not afraid of them, I don't even know who they are- I plan on winning." So he allowed me in the "elite" wave- and I never thought for a moment I wasn't going to win or that the others were better than me- charge, go, win- I told my self the entire race. Even though I didn't know the other racers, I told myself I could run faster than anyone in the race, as long as I could see them I would catch them on the run--And I did!

 

The World championships were the ultimate racing experience. What a fun day! So many great athletes representing countries from all over the world.  I was so excited that the day had come...I kept thinking such positive thoughts despite the level of competition- they're only human too, I told myself.  I remembered my training plan and goals I had set and felt confident I was ready.  All positive, good energy. Not once did I look at another competitor and wonder if they were better than me. I just stuck to my plan and kept charging. 

 

Coming out of the swim I knew I wasn't far back. I came out of the water with other US athletes and we cheered each other on.  We got on our bikes and continued to encourage each other to catch the Aussie's.  We split up a little, but held our own on the bike leg. I was a little startled when I got back to the bike rack and a bike was in my spot. I remained calm and had to move several bikes to rerack mine but was happy it was time to run.  As I started to run- I said, "ok, be a runner now- I'm fit and fast." As I started passing more and more people it drove me to go faster and faster. I was feeling great and happy as I came down near the finish line area.

The US team coach threw a US flag at me to carry it through the finish- at this point I realized wow I'm the first american finsher.  It was nerve-racking for a while because they were posted results until the afternoon, but knew I had stuck to my plan.  So it wasn't until several hours later I found out I was 9th.  It truly was a great feeling to see a thought and a plan from 23 weeks earlier turn into my Rhino Reality!  Bottom line Rhinos, live your dreams and make them your reality--you become what you think about!

 

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