I raced Ironman on October 11, 2008
Oct 17th, 2008 • Category: BlogWe just returned from Kona late last night after a few days of rest with the kids. I have so much I want to say I don’t even know where to start; so bare with me as I just free flow the thoughts I have been thinking about.
I specifically put in the title of my blog “raced” to let people know for the first time in my triathlon career I was in Kona to win. Even though I did not get the place that I wanted, I raced that race all day long and had I not, I don’t know if I would have finished in the top 20! I am proud of myself for doing so and what helped me stay in the game all day was the thought of my two kids. I was looking forward all day to see my 3 year old because she was so excited to say “GO MOMMY! I assumed my 8 month old would most likely be asleep when I would come by but it didn’t matter because all I could think about was that not more than 16 weeks earlier I was breastfeeding that little guy! I was loving just knowing he was on the island waiting for me to come home so he could give me a big smile! My endorphins were up and down all day and on the bike to Hawi they were flying high at one point when a camera crew came up on me. I held my fingers up and showed them the number 2 and told them the 2 was for 2 kids and that I was doing this for all the moms out there and for the women out there who think they can not stop being an athlete to have kids. I was on a mission to show everyone you can come back better than before. My mind was in a great place and I smiled all day long because of it.
To give you a little history:
In 2006 I was 4th overall in this race after 2.5 years off due to injuries and having my first baby. I was very fired up in 2007 to make the jump to first place and when I became pregnant in May of 07 I am not going to lie, I was bummed. THAT WAS NOT IN MY PLAN. But as I am continuing to learn, plans are meant to be changed and going with the flow (like water) is what is meant to happen. I made my moto “let it go” after my 06 race because that is what I did a lot of that year and after I became pregnant I felt I was being given a test to see if I really believed it. It took the entire 9 months to relearn my “let it go” philosophy and when mister Blaisen was born I was in full swing of letting go and not focusing on how I was going to get fit to race again or anything for that matter. I took it day by day and by April first I still had not ridden my bike (the race was in 6 months and I had stopped riding since July 07). I kept telling myself it will all come together when it needs to and I believed it; I mean, I really believed it, I felt it in my gut. I balanced my training the best I could and when things got in the way I let it go. Now, don’t get me wrong, I had many times where I thought I was crazy for doing what I was doing but I focused on getting those thoughts out of my head as fast as I could. Each month I focused more and more on my thought process and as the race approached I honed in more and more on how I was thinking. I knew I would be going into this race with less than optimal training but I knew my mind could take me where I wanted to go; so that is what I did, trained my mind. My kids are a big part of keeping me in the moment and everytime I worked out I thought of them. Ironman was just a big workout day with great aid and I did what I do in training. I let my body do what it could and I stayed positive all day and I thought of being a mom and competing with the best in the world. Again, 9th place is not where I wanted to be but in the end I was engaged all day, I felt I exceeded my fitness level and I have 2 great kids and an awesome husband to go home to; so in the end I would say I am a winner.
Let it go,
Gina
P.S. I will have a full race report in a few days 
Hi Gina!
It’s Lisa – the duathlete from Canada. I have emailed you before. I was waiting for your race report and eagerly watched your results on ironman live. Congrats on a top 10result. That is super. I know you have placed much higher but this year certainly wasn’t a NORMAL build-up. You had a lot of complications – injuries, bike crashes and oh ya a new baby!! You should be thrilled with your result given your up and down year plus the field was ultra-competitive. Be grateful for the result. You know you didn’t have 100% consistent year-round training plan going into the race.
Enjoy the off-season!
Lisa
Gina,
Great job!!! We left the webcast up during the day. You put on a great show! It’s inspiring to see you persevere despite changes in plans and bumps in the road along the way. Truly impressive.
Andy & Jen
GIna,
Sean Sweaney sent this to me and I just wanted to take the time to tell you how amazed I am. Not with the fact that you did so well in Kona but how you have stayed true to your fitness dreams. Congrats!!!!! You were always the best when you put your body and mind into your goals. It makes me happy to see all your dreams come true. Keep the dream alive and keep working hard. Best of luck!
Chad Logsdon
Gina,
I’m watching and cheering for you from afar. Great job and impressive finish for anyone much less a woman who has job, two kids and one still a little baby! Congrats on another great Ironman!!
Kara
So proud of how true you have been to your athletic goals while balancing work, marriage and motherhood all with great success. You motivate me every day.
Thrilled to be a part of Team Gina,
t
xoxoxoox
Gina,
What up? This is S2 (steven speights…..one of the Mississippi guys who rode with you (a stretch) in September 2006). I see that our picture is still on M2’s website. I talk to him often and we remain friends. Was just goggling around and got to your website. So glad to see that you did Kona in 2008. Of course, 2007 was awesome but then Larkin, one of the Mississippi guys in the photo that day, told me you were pregnant. Bummer, but blessed, and I know you know what I mean. I know that 2008 might have been a WIN for you with continuous training. Oh well, children are such a blessing and what else do we really have to do besides raise kids and perhaps change this world. I am sitting here in bed, typing this blog at 41 with my 4th on the way. I will be 42 when she is born. Finally a girl, due August 17, 2009. Got off my bike there in September 2006 as a reasonably competitive age grouper to save my marriage and have not done much since. Soft (physically) now, but happy. I truly wish you the best and hope to return one day for a weekend of riding. I hope you are able to train and I truly wish you the best in 2009. I will sign up for the lottery again which is my ONLY chance to get to Kona. Please let me know if I can help you in any way.
steven speights (s2)
Hi Steven
WOW! So great to hear from you! I have a smile ear to ear as I read your e-mail. Thank you so much for your support and “understanding” in so many ways. 2006 was such an amazing year in many ways I knew 2007 was going to be even better. I am not going to lie, getting pregnant in 07 was not in the “plan” and I definitely went south with my mental processing; being very selfish in my thinking. But once I took my own advice and “let go” and just rolled with it, everything was great and I embraced my “earlier than planned” pregnancy and couldn’t be happier to be a mom of two. Blaisen is the sweetest little dude, and I just LOVE having a boy and and a girl for a big sister. I have been blessed and I hope to raise two wonderful people in this world who can grow up and add a positive to our society. 2008 was a struggle, the balance, but Michael was great and I just did what I could with the training. It was challenging in more ways than one, I worked a lot on my “head” and just went all in. I had higher expectations for Kona but in the end it was all I could do. I hope to be able to help other moms out there try and get the balance-family, self, work. I feel all 3 segments work together to create what I like to call “flow”. You know, that humming feeling when all cylinders are working together. I embrace you and your family with another one on the way, you truly put yourself in another league; four children; I am in awe. When I was pregnant they kept putting me in this category of AMA (advanced maternal age). I use to hate it but now as an AAA (advanced athlete age) I love it. I can train less and be faster. I love being a “seasoned” athlete so that 42 age is nothing. I can tell you from experience you can get it all back when you want to and baby girl will give you all that extra inspiration. I bet you and I will see each other again-maybe it will be on the Kona start line
but I would love another ride down the coast 
Best to you and your family.
Gina