MF'n Triathlon Coaching

Coming off a week of recovery, I’m having trouble getting the motor running again. The 5:30am rides and runs that once came easy taste bitter now. Something must be said for motivation and what it can do for the athlete’s palate. My Lake Stevens 70.3 experience seemed so sweet when I crossed the finish line (don’t ask me how I felt halfway through the run). My post-race aches and pains have subsided, but laziness of “recovery” still lingers. I started working for the Smiths at Smith’s Hilltop Orchard the day after returning from the west side. Selling cherries was easier than walking out to pick them, as I ambled along, unable to completely extend my knees. To say my quads were sore would be an understatement, and two days of inactivity felt like a blessing. Wednesday arrived, and I felt like I needed to start getting the body moving again. My bike ride didn’t last much longer than 45 minutes, and my speed hardly topped 15mph. That’s ok, I thought. You’re still recoveri

They say a perfect race is hard to come by. The longer the race, the greater the probability something is bound to go wrong. I’d be lying if I said this was my perfect race, yet it’s hard to feel anything but excitement when you’ve just completed something you’ve never done before. I just finished my first legitimate 70.3, and I got a whole heck of a lot more than what I asked for—both good and bad (but not so bad). The only weather-related issue threatening to delay our swim start was fog. Yet, upon arriving, I knew that wouldn’t be an issue. A smooth Lake Stevens greeted us, and dark clouds had parked right on the horizon. I had a feeling this was going to be Roger Thompson’s kind of race: a rainy one. Quite frankly, I’ve come home soaking wet after so many of my rides, runs, and races this spring, that—like Roger—I couldn’t help but feel a little excited about it. I would take advantage of everyone else’s disappointment, and use it to propel me through the course. Kathi Best

I woke up this morning to the wind blowing my curtains through the window. The only thought that crossed my mind centered on the bike ride and track workout I had scheduled to complete today. If the wind already blew this hard, it would only get worse as the day progressed. Yet the day progressed, and my motivation to start had slowly ebbed to the wayside. Then, a text message from Kathi Best moved me into action. For those who know Kathi, you know she never stops moving. Her training mirrors her life: no shit, no giggles, just badass and a lot of miles. Her message lined out her schedule for the week ahead, she asked if I could join for any of it, and it concluded with, “see you at noon for an hour and thirty minute bike ride followed by a track workout!” The rain poured outside my window at 11:30, right as I hopped in the car for Besti’s workout regime. Yet when I arrived, the sun broke through. So it’s going to be one of THOSE days, huh? I had no idea what to wear. In fa