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Eileen Swanson's Tales
>>August 30th, 2008
My new bike, as of a month ago, I love it and it looks and feels faster than my old ride 
Thanks PT and Terry!!
It’s here, finally, IM LOU! I can’t wait to get going. I am all ready to go. Just need to drop my bike off and some bags and I am set and ready for show time I am racer number 27!
I am racer number 27!It’s been a super great experience already. I have been so lucky to have so many AMAZING blogger friends become my 2nd family while I am here. Kate Weaver-J and her family have been the most amazing people ever. Kate picked me up from the airport, drove me on the bike course, had meals together and has been just the best!! I can’t believe how sweet her whole family is. Thanks Katie for being such a great friends!!
Reid finally arrived this morning, so now I am defintely ready to go! It’s so great having family here for sure, although I was starting to feel like Kate’s family was also mine Oh and I met Mel and her family and they are incredible too. Mira and Robin, other blogger buds are here too as well as Kate’s coach, John, who is also super nice!! And I can’t forget to mention how great it is to be here with absolutely no pressure. I am just going to see what I’ve got and enjoy the experience, every moment of it!!
Oh and I met Mel and her family and they are incredible too. Mira and Robin, other blogger buds are here too as well as Kate’s coach, John, who is also super nice!! And I can’t forget to mention how great it is to be here with absolutely no pressure. I am just going to see what I’ve got and enjoy the experience, every moment of it!!
A good friend and training partner, Steve Cramer, sent me this quote and this is what I will live by tomorrow during my 2nd IM:
“Why is it so important to keep pushing, to finish strong? Because I’m here. Because I’m alive. Because I can. Every time I think it’s getting too tough, that if I take one more step or push any harder it’ll kill me, I’ll remember that this is proof of life. I’ll think about everybody I know that would trade everything they have for the chance to experience a single moment of this day. Each stroke, each crank, each step is a privilege, and the pain is only a reminder that I am put on this earth to LIVE.”
Thanks everyone for all of the well wishes, I will do my BEST, Dream Big, Race Big
E
>>August 27th, 2008
My good friends at Splish and Trakkers were once again so amazing in helping create the 2 most awesome suits for IM LOU! Which one should I wear? Hmmm. I love them both! Thanks again Dawn and Ira at Splish and Jay and Charlie at Trakkers!! You guys are such awesome supporters!
>>August 27th, 2008
As I get ready for Ironman Louisville, I have been thinking more and more about my new career change to coaching full time. It is just so awesome to do what you love to do and feel great about it. I am loving every second of coaching, training, and being a pro
I am in the process of trying to grow my coaching business as now I know this is what I really want to do. It is just so amazing to help people excel at something they love to do. This year I was able to see one of my athletes, who I taught to ride a bike 2 years ago, complete her first IM in a time she still can’t believe she did!! It was the BEST feeling ever to hear her voice post IM all excited and in disbelief! I was also able to witness another amazing feat at Wildflower this year. One of my athletes lost 25 lbs and took 45 mins off of his time in just 5 months of training. As a coach, it really is so rewarding and fulfilling to see your athletes so happy with their huge accomplishments.
So, if anyone out there needs a multisport coach, I would love to help you out! I am definitely accepting new athletes right now and would love to see more dreams come true! Remember to always DREAM BIG!!
E
>>August 22nd, 2008
Me in Kona watching IM a couple of years ago!
Last night was the final Splash n Dash of the summer series at Lake Del Valle. I did the first one in June and absolutely loved it. So, Coach P thought it would be a great way to get in some more speed work before Kentucky. I love this type of event, swim 1 mile, run a hilly 5K on trails!! Totally my style
I had a really good swim for me last night. I stayed in the first pack of 4 men and felt comfortable. These are the same guys that I was not able to stay with back in June. They were a good minute and a half to 2 mins ahead of me then. Not this time I stayed with them all the way to the swim exit. I even thought about going around them a couple of times, but then I thought it would probably be best to stay in the draft since 2 of the guys were wearing wetsuits. I was so stoked that I have improved a bit on my swim. Thanks Coach P for all the crazy pool workouts Oh and there was one girl way ahead of us (about 30 seconds) but she was 16th at Olympic Trials back in June and her brother was also ahead, another stud swimmer! Wow, they are awesome!
I stayed with them all the way to the swim exit. I even thought about going around them a couple of times, but then I thought it would probably be best to stay in the draft since 2 of the guys were wearing wetsuits. I was so stoked that I have improved a bit on my swim. Thanks Coach P for all the crazy pool workouts Oh and there was one girl way ahead of us (about 30 seconds) but she was 16th at Olympic Trials back in June and her brother was also ahead, another stud swimmer! Wow, they are awesome!
I was first (out of my pack) onto the run and I felt pretty bad! I even thought about calling it a day. It was that bad! I felt like my quads had the most lactic acid they had ever had and I was hardly moving fast. I calmed down, let the 4 guys go by me, took some serious deep breathes and before I knew it, I had caught the Olympic trials swimmer on one of the steep uphills and was making some ground on one of the men in front. By mile 2 I was feeling pretty good and able to let loose I ran the last mile hard and even felt good on the last climb. It was super fun to feel great again!!
I ran the last mile hard and even felt good on the last climb. It was super fun to feel great again!!
I won for the women and was 5th including the men. It was such a great night. Reid and Belle were cheering me on and Belle ran with me the last 100 meters to the finish
Off to the pool……
E
>>August 20th, 2008
Wow, the Olympics have been AMAZING!! Super AMAZING!! I am loving every moment I can stay up to watch live or Tivo I am especially lovin’ watching my former coach commentate on some of the women’s gymnastics. He is SO into it, as he always was. He is the same, except I would say he and Martha are quite a bit softer now than in my day That’s a good thing I guess.
I am especially lovin’ watching my former coach commentate on some of the women’s gymnastics. He is SO into it, as he always was. He is the same, except I would say he and Martha are quite a bit softer now than in my day That’s a good thing I guess. As a 5 year old, my parents enrolled me in gymnastics after ballet and tap were too boring for me. HA! By the age of 8 I was in awe of my new idol winning the first ever all around gold medal in gymnastics in the 1984 Olympics. Mary Lou Retton was my idol. Ironically enough, 3 weeks after her amazing winning moment, she would tour local gyms in the Bay Area and one of them was my gym. My coach at the time prepared an exhibition floor tumbling and dance routine for all 20 of her competitive gymnasts. I was lucky enough to be a part of the routine and I will NEVER forget it. When Mary Lou and Bela Karolyi stepped foot in our gym, almost all of us were in shock, so amazed. I will never forget how hard and how high I tried to tumble to impress Bela and Mary Lou. I squeezed my legs so hard together to show good form and I pushed off that floor so hard that I would feel the new heights that I would fly to. It was super fun. At 8 years old, I was living a dream.
The moment that will be in my mind forever was soon to come during this exhibition routine in 1984. Bela saw how hard this little 8 year old was trying. I somehow caught his eye. He came over to me and said perfect and did his signature hand gesture. I get the chills now just thinking about this. It was definitely one of the BEST moments of my life. Wow, from that day on, I worked so hard in the gym and out of the gym, even doing exercises on my own at home. I was determined to be one of his gymnasts someday. Fast forward 7 years later and I was at Karolyi’s gymnastics trying out and winning a spot to train as an Elite there. I DREAMED of this my whole young life, my family sacrificed so much, I let some coaches words of negativity that I would never make it fuel my fire, and I made it!! I did not make it as far as my teammates made it, eventual 1996 Olympic gold medal champions, but I gave it my all and I couldn’t have asked for a better journey. A scholarship to many NCAA Div 1 universities was great, not my Olympic dream, but still a success.
So if we never Dream Big, we will never know what we can accomplish! We must hold onto our dreams and work very hard to see if we can get there, so that we will never have any regrets!!
Keep Dreamin’
E
>>August 15th, 2008
Belle sleeping after a rough day
Wow, this is TOUGH! My first week as a “free” pro has had so many highs, but a few lows as well. I know it is not going to be easy and I am so willing to endure whatever it takes. AND today was especially a really tough day!
Coach has been wanting me to do alot of my workouts in the HEAT this last week before IM Kentucky. Being a working woman in the past, I was not able to train in the heat during the week. So this is the perfect time to do it. This week it has been in the 90s and unusually humid. I had some rough runs in the heat over the last 2 days, but nothing like I encountered today. It was 97 degrees out with 67% humidity. I didn’t know that at the time I started my LONG run, I just thought it was a GREAT idea to start my run in the HEAT of the day! OUCH!
I started out feeling ok, but 30 mins into my run, I thought I was going to pass out. I was getting the chills and seeing stars. But I thought, just push through it as Coach would say and stay in my Zones. Well, it wasn’t before long that my body said enough and I was forced to slow way down. I was drinking Cytomax and water and I stopped to refill my bottles unusually early in my run. But nothing seemed to work, it was just HOT and my body was telling me that it wasn’t going to go any faster. So, I made what I could out of this workout and suffered through it. It wasn’t pretty, but I survived! It was not in the right Zones, but pretty close! It was all I could do today in this crazy HOT weather and I am going to take it and know it made me stronger for Kentucky!!
By the way, Belle had another great day with 2 long walks and a trip to the dog park. I swear she is like a kid. I spend every minute with her when I am not training. Now I know why we paid so much for doggie daycare when we were both working I wouldn’t trade her for the world
I wouldn’t trade her for the world
Have an awesome Friday!
E
>>August 12th, 2008
Wow, I have my first day off of work on Friday and Coach P gives me what the ‘real pro’ girls do, not just on Friday but all weekend long! It is official, I am starting to train and recover like a pro I am lovin’ it!
I am lovin’ it!
Friday, I started the day off with a nice 3 mile hike with Belle. It was so sunny and beautiful out! Ah, this totally beats being in an office Then I had my longest run ever, 2 and 1/2 hours followed by a 90 minute swim. It was really tough but all I could think about was what an AWESOME way to celebrate my first day off of leaving my job!! SWEET! I loved it and enjoyed every moment.
Then I had my longest run ever, 2 and 1/2 hours followed by a 90 minute swim. It was really tough but all I could think about was what an AWESOME way to celebrate my first day off of leaving my job!! SWEET! I loved it and enjoyed every moment.
Saturday was another great one, but more of an easy day. Reid and I met up with our good friend Chris McCrary (agent to several high profile pro triathletes), Leanda Cave, her boyfriend Torsten Abel, and another good friend Jason Cruser. We had a great fun ride, and I listened to Coach P and turned around early, even though I wanted to keep going with this super great group of people. Then off to another great long walk with Belle And of course some awesome family time at night! Oh and watching the Olympics is amazing! We love it, it is so inspiring!!
And of course some awesome family time at night! Oh and watching the Olympics is amazing! We love it, it is so inspiring!!
Sunday was EPIC! I have never done anything like this ever…… I started off with a 3700 yard swim, with some great speed work in there, then a 6 hour hilly ride, followed by a 5 mile hilly run. I was lucky to have Reid as company. He rode his single speed so that we would be out there together, but be going at different speeds when we needed to. I never once drafted off him, we stayed close to each other but we never let either one of us dictate the pace for the other. I was so Happy to stay in my Zones, exactly how Coach P prescibed this workout. I worked hard the whole way and when Reid felt great and went ahead, I let him go and focused on my self and my plan. It was such a great, spectacular, but HOT day! The temps got into the 90s, perfect for Kentucky training. I did have 2 low points on the ride, where I was starting to feel like I was so done for the day, but I didn’t give up and pushed through it and my body responded and came back stronger. Wow, the power of the mind!
My run off the bike was another story. It took me awhile to get going, but once I did I felt pretty good. Of course I was super tired and hurting, but it was still a good run, once again in the Zones Coach P said to be in. Overall it was an AWESOME day! My LONGEST, HARDEST, HOTTEST training day ever. I am stoked!!
Off to walk Belle
E
>>August 8th, 2008
Live it up…….Soar high
Today was officially my final day as a Senior Commodity Manager at Oracle. It was a bittersweet day! Although I am VERY EXCITED to begin my new journey, I am also a bit sad to leave some of the awesome people that I had the privilege to work with. I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to take on a great position within a very successful company. I did not take it for granted. I can positively say that I took advantage of the opportunities that were given to me, as I learned so much in my 13 months there and will always have that with me.
One big Whoops for my Final Day at Oracle! As many of you know, I almost always trained during my lunch hour at the famous O gym on campus. Well today was no exception and I met Reid at the O pool for a quick 55 min swim. What I didn’t know was that my boss, VP, and co-workers were back at the office planning a surprise lunch party for me. Oops! When I was done swimming, changed and headed back to the office, I checked my phone and noticed that I had 3 missed calls and a voicemail. It was my boss and co-workers trying to get a hold of me. Yikes! I felt sooooo bad. But I didn’t know, nor was I supposed to. It was such a sweet thought!! Luckily they were all cool with everything and no hard feelings. They knew I was probably at the pool, so we made up for it with some sweets
I am so happy and proud that I made it through 10 years of full time work in the corporate world holding several different positions and learning so much all while coaching, training, and racing. I am happy to see what I can do now with dedicating all of my time to my passion!! Dream BIG! Live life to its fullest, no regrets!!
E
>>August 6th, 2008
Yup, my teammates will be proud, especially Wee, Caroline and Sammy. I did it, I rode and ran solo I love to have company on my rides and runs and I was recently told that I should do more of my training solo. I tend to go with the pace that my training partners push or not and I end up almost always going too hard or too easy. So, after our Victoria training camp, my teammates ‘dared’ me to go for a long ride on my own. I did it, well almost all of it!!
I love to have company on my rides and runs and I was recently told that I should do more of my training solo. I tend to go with the pace that my training partners push or not and I end up almost always going too hard or too easy. So, after our Victoria training camp, my teammates ‘dared’ me to go for a long ride on my own. I did it, well almost all of it!!
I actually rode the last half of my LONG ride on my own and it felt awesome! I stayed in my Zones that Coach had requested, I pushed every hill hard (seated of course , and I felt amazing. I felt free!! It was such a great feeling. I worked hard, but not too hard, and when I had to ease off, I did and there was no feeling pressure of having to keep up or not drop anyone! NICE! I had a good run off the bike as well and again, I felt free and it was all about my Zones, pace, and how I felt. Sweet feeling!
, and I felt amazing. I felt free!! It was such a great feeling. I worked hard, but not too hard, and when I had to ease off, I did and there was no feeling pressure of having to keep up or not drop anyone! NICE! I had a good run off the bike as well and again, I felt free and it was all about my Zones, pace, and how I felt. Sweet feeling!Thanks girls for ‘daring’ me to give this a shot! I will do more of this again this weekend!
Have a great one……Oh and just one more day in the corporate world for me!! YAY!
E
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