Who I am

I have always been a fighter. Ever since I was little, I have fought for the things I want. My parents remind me all the time how challenging I was as a kid; strong-willed, stubborn, and relentless. From what I remember, I just wouldn't quit when I set my mind to something.

These may have been qualities that created a great deal of stress and hair-pulling for my parents (my Dad has been bald for years), but I am proud of who I am, and wouldn't want to be anyone else.

When I was no longer fast enough for the "A Relay," on my USS swim team, I worked harder and fought for my place. I was surrounded by athletes with talent flowing through their veins, and then there was me; all hard work, sweat and guts. I made certain that the only way I would be left off the team would be because I just wasn't good enough, not because I didn't work hard enough. I quickly learned that there were no shortcuts to the things you really want in life, and although I never made it back on the team relay, I worked my ass off, gave my absolute best effort, and had no regrets. I was 11-years -old at the time.

That trend has carried me through to where I am now, 13 years later, pursuing triathlon full-time and striving to be world class, with the same "give it all you've got and fight for what you want," attitude. It has been an amazing journey so far, and I am incredibly thankful for the support system I have behind me, riding the roller coaster of highs and lows.

This year has been a major step forward for me in a lot of ways. I joined Darren Smith in January, and in a rather short amount of time, transformed into an athlete I didn't think I could be. Again, it was a lot of hard work, sweat, guts, some tears, but a massive commitment to getting better every day that really paid off. The consistent training, world class coaching, and the relentless fighter in me was the recipe to creating some magic. My first ITU podium at the World Cup level was an incredible feeling, and backing up my race in Chengdu with another podium at our Continental Championships in Dallas was a personal confirmation that I was moving in the right direction, racing consistently, able to execute under pressure on the days that it matters. On to France I went with much excitement to continue working hard toward my goals.

Things got a bit off track after a few weeks in Europe, and despite some obvious signs that my body needed to slow down a bit, I kept fighting. No surprise here. "Don't give up," I told myself, "This will pass." It didn't really pass, but I still kept fighting. I had gotten through some tough times before, and I felt like I could get through them again. But progressively, despite a positive attitude, I didn't have much fight left.

Fast forward three months to avoid some of the uglier bits, and I am here in Hong Kong, where I am supposed to be racing tomorrow. After a period of rest at home with my family from early August to late September, I traveled out to Boulder to join Darren and some of the Dsquaders to train and prep for some end of season races, with the hopes that my overtrained body had moved on to happier days. There were some signs of good things, and glimpses of my early-season fit self, so I made plans to race the Tongyeong World Cup (an ugly bit) and Hong Kong Asian Cup (I am no longer racing) to finish out 2014. Turns out it has been a bit too much too soon.

Sometimes, even if you are inherently a fighter, you have to step away from the fight. Even if you really want something, and even if your goals and dreams consume your thoughts from sunrise to sunset, sometimes the best thing you can do is just relax, rejuvenate, and refocus for something better down the road.