Apr 3, 2019 | Community
There is a saying in the sports world that says, “play for the name on the front of your jersey”! When I look at this picture, I think about the name on my Tri Jersey, “Without Limits” what does that mean when you suddenly find yourself with some real “physical limits”?
For those who don’t know, I suffered a snapped femur in the 2016 Boston Marathon after a container rolled under my foot from behind which resulted in my leg jamming hard into the pavement. The break was comminuted (meaning it broke in more than 2 pieces – some fragments broke off). This required immediate surgery to insert a rod and screws down the entire length of the femur shaft. After 8 months, the bone hadn’t healed, so I had to have another surgery to remove that rod and screws and replace them with a new rod and screws. Then a year later, they discovered the front side of the bone still had a major gap, so I had to have a 3rd surgery in Jan 2018 to do bone grafting to take bone marrow from my hip to combine with cadaver bone to insert into a sponge to fill in the gap between the bone halves after sanding off the part of the bone ends that had healed to force trauma and new bone growth (all barbaric to say the least)! Swim, Bike, Run? Heck, I had to learn how to WALK again three times in my mid-50s! Talk about “limitations” to running or triathlon! So, I had to really massage the notion of what it means to be “Without Limits”.
My conclusion after the break, 3 surgeries, and almost 3 years of rehab and rebuilding is that it is “an intentional MINDSET with a determination to not let anything limit your desires or your goals”. Let’s face it, the easier path would have been to throw in the towel since trying to get back to running and triathlon was going to require a lot of PAIN, time, and effort with no real guarantee that it would be possible to participate. That’s the moment when you have to dig deep and referee between your heart (desire) and your head (harsh reality, doubt, fear, frustration). I have to admit that the battle is mostly between the ears in overcoming the negative thoughts that invade your mind (i.e. what if I physically can’t do it, what if I fall, what if I wreck my bike, etc.).
So, the question I had to answer for myself was, “Would I allow my injury, doubts, and fears to LIMIT what I desired to do within my current capabilities?” And for me, I had to make the “decision” to NOT let it LIMIT what I desired to do! I came across a saying years ago that I think is kind of funny that says, “if you can’t be a good example, be a horrible warning!” Lol! Whether any of us realizes it, others observe not only our actions but our “reactions to adversity”. My WOL team would be observing whether I had it in me to bounce back or would I throw in the towel! I didn’t want to be the “horrible warning”! I wanted to be the “example” of what it means to be “WITHOUT LIMITS”!
I made the decision to take it a workout at a time, and do as much as my coaches thought I could handle. I started with alter-G sessions to begin running at 50% body weight for short intervals for a few months, then I moved to Walk2Run, then Level 1, then Level 2. Keep in mind I used to run with Level 3. I’m still not exactly where I want to be, but it’s a journey! It is exhilarating to have podium placed after being away for so long. But it is also challenging me to continue to regain speed and endurance. I’m not satisfied with where I am, so that fuels me to push harder! As I said in the opening regarding the “name on your jersey”, we all have our challenges with injuries and set backs, but God will never allow you to go through more than you can handle!
As Sherman Lee Criner once told me when he saw me on crutches in Golds Gym, “I’m not impressed with what people have accomplished, I’m impressed with what they’ve overcome!” Whenever you’re faced with adversity, make the mental decision to NOT let it LIMIT you! BE WITHOUT LIMITS!
Jan 4, 2015 | Community
It’s been an amazing year! I’m not sure if there was anything useful to be said that I didn’t say in person to everyone, but here’s some pretty cool info that puts everything we do into perspective.
Understand that as an athlete, I don’t have a power meter. I rarely wear my Garmin and I’m usually with friends in the pool. Most of my training is done by time and without pace or power and just by feel, so when Vince of the StarNews asked me to keep a log for his stories, I was intrigued for many reasons. One, to see if I could watch the numbers and two, to see if what I thought about my time management really was true. See, this life and game of triathlon is all about balance and making friends with certain times of the day that can be “grumpy” friends. But, if you want it you can make it happen!
I love my athletes. I love watching others achieve their goals. I love the sport of triathlon, and I love racing, too!
Life is about adventures and living it, and 2014 had some great moments. Everyone can make it happen. So, here is 2014 “by the numbers” with some other interesting tidbits thrown in the mix. Hope your 2014 was a successful, bright and sparkly one filled with adventures, laughs and great friends and families!
Work total (not including driving time or phone time) | 2,751.5 hrs/year or 57.5 hrs/week
Veterinary Work | 1564 hrs/year or 130/month or 32/week
Coaching Without Limits | 1187.5 hrs/year or 98 hrs/month or 25.5 hrs/week
Volunteer Work* | 448 hrs/year or 9 hrs/week
*This includes Pink Ladies, B2B Committee, Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon, Susan G. Komen, Holiday Flotilla and Women of Hope Benefit. This doesn’t doesn’t include school visits, high school senior project mentor and others!
Training | 521.85 hrs or 10.8 hrs/week
168.4 miles of swimming with average of 3.5 miles/week
4888 miles of biking with average of 101 miles/week
933.43 miles of running with average of 19 miles/week
27 Half Ironman and Iron Distance Finishers in 2014
23 Races that Sue Bark did this year, and 14 Trips to the podium
19 Athletes that crossed the Ironman finish line
11 Century Rides
10 Triathlons completed…It’s all about that finish line
9 Disney Races that Pam Keenan participated in 2014
5 furry friends that always made sure I got up in the am!
3 swim events completed. Ha, who knew! (US OW Championships, Pinehurst Relay,B2B relay)
3 Setup Events series Top 5 athletes
3 Ironman events completed this year
1 TICKET TO THE IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN KONA, courtesy of IMFL 2014
PRICELESS = The number of hugs and laughs shared with all of my athletes. That is something that cannot be quantified and I am thankful for all of the talks, discussions on training, coffees, and gels along the way.
You are my inspiration and my rock!
Dec 31, 2014 | Community, Training Advice
I have been a Triathlon and Running Coach since 2009. I love helping people reach their goals. I know what it is like to start at the bottom of the pile (when it come to physical fitness). As a matter of fact, I was 70 pounds overweight, a smoker and living a very sedentary lifestyle back in 2005. During this time frame I attended a wedding of a friend who sent me a picture, and that was the moment that everything changed. I realized how much I had let myself go, and from that moment on I began making changes that would put me on the right track.
I started walking, however I couldn’t even walk a half mile without the sensation of feeling like I was going to pass out. I kept at it with my workout routines and refused to look back. I absolutely LOVE the results I have gotten from the lifestyle I now live. It has changed me from a mental and physical standpoint. I want to share the experience with everyone I come in contact with to help them reach their fullest potential.
Not only am I an endurance coach, I’m also a triathlete and endurance athlete myself. The whole journey began several years ago when I decided to take a risk. I owned a bagel shop in Clemmons, North Carolina at the time and had regularly sponsored a local race. As a thank you for the sponsorship I always got a free race entry, but year after year I turned it down. In 2005, I decided to give it a shot. I literally had not done ANYTHING active in years, so I had a lot of work ahead of me. I started training and had no idea what I was doing—I felt lost, frustrated and confused. I knew that I’d feel much better about myself if I could just ask someone for a bit of guidance, but I didn’t know who to ask. I continued to go at it alone and ended up doing decently at the race. What surprised me most, though, was how much I fell in love with the sport. I started training for my next event almost as soon as I crossed that finish line. Looking back, I made a lot of mistakes that could have been avoided if I just asked for some help.
Since that first race I’ve let my passion lead me to learn more about the sport and to understand how important personal coaching can be. So far I have completed 4 Ironman’s, 9 Half Iron-mans 7 Marathons, 10 Half-Marathons, countless Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, and 5Ks and 10Ks. Each race has taught me something different about myself, and I’ve enjoyed each one. And I enjoyed what I have found in the sport of triathlon so much that I decided to become a coach myself.
I think that a lot of the time we measure our success by a time or by reaching the podium. This is great, but I think what gets lost in that type of measurement is the journey along the way. I sometimes forget that I couldn’t jog a mile just a few short years ago, and I become too hard on myself when I feel I don’t measure up to my own definition of what success is. The longer I coach and participate in endurance sports, the more I realize that success is measured by the journey to race day. I have found a love for endurance sports and want to share it with everyone.
I’ll leave you with this: it is important to realize that hard work toward your goals in life is the answer. Wishing you had the things in life that you want or reaching the goals you want out of life is great, but hard work is what gets you there. The follow-through is important, and I know you have it in you.
Many Without Limits athletes see me as the “quiet” coach, and that is true!! Inside that quiet coach is an enormous passion for coaching and endurance sports. I love sharing that passion with others and quietly watching athletes discover their true potiential.
Credentials
- USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach (2009)
- USA Track and Field Level 1 Coach (2010)
- USA Cycling Level 3 Coach (2012)
- Certified Personal Trainer (2008)
Oct 1, 2014 | Uncategorized
Endurance Team Results
Another great day on an epic weekend of racing. We had several athletes down in Augusta, Georgia competing in the 70.3 distance and Coach Sami and athlete Taryn Fimiani headed to Chattanooga for the full Ironman. These are all races part of the lifelong journey.
Congrats to Coach Sami completing her 11th Ironman at IM Chattanooga! This was her best time yet 36min PR, with the distance being 144.8 (instead of 140.6). Distance was added because of a course deviation. Sami only has one more 140.6 to finish before getting her 12 Ironman qualification for Kona! Florida is next.
Congrats to Taryn Fimiani for finishing in 12:21:53 – HUGE PR. This was a great race for Taryn who recently moved to DC! We are proud of you Taryn!
Other Wilmingtonians Erin Green Dale Lamb and Misty Brown also with successful races at IMCHOO
AUGUSTA 70.3
In her first 70.3 Jenny Perrottet got 2nd in her Age Group and 15th female overall with a 4:50:45 WOW! She qualified for World 70.3 championships in 2015 Austria
DOUG WHEELER PRed with a 5:04:26 – this was over a 40:00 personal best!
JOSE GONZALEZ PRed with a 5:08:02 – big PR for Jose
JOHN COCKRUM PRed with a 5:09:18 – awesome John battling dehydration during the race
PHILLIP DAVIS – 1st 70.3 and Nailed it! 5:31:45 with great execution all the way around
SHAWN WELLERSDICK – PRed 5:39:11 20 minutes better than Raleigh – still working on nutrition and hydration but great step
SUSAN CALDWELL – 5:43:08 great solid race!
ERIK HOFFACKER – PRed 5:57:04 – WAY TO REACH YOUR GOAL AND BREAK 6
OKTOBERFEST 15K in Brunswick Forest
Donnie Norris 1:03:54 PR
Steph DeLuca – 1:09:03 PR
Mike Duncan 1:09:03 pacing Steph!
Mary Margaret McEacheren 1:15:12
Erin Jackson 1:16:13
Shawn Tunis – 1:21:31
Lisa Kerr 1:22:09
Lynda Smith – 1:24:04
Kelly Vanscoy – 1:24:05
Charles Buckland 1:24:52
Camille and Dani McKeon – 1:43:45
Lauren Stephenson 1:53:28
Carry Cheatem – 2:00:00