Hungry Like A She Wolf

It's winter break and I've spent lots of time running and skiing by myself, so I've had lots of time to reflect on the year. After a sub par 70.3 Worlds and an ok Philly Marathon I ended 2012 hungry and with one goal in mind-Ironman Hawaii. It had been 11 years and a lifetime since I'd trained for and raced an Ironman and I didn't know how my body and family would respond, but I knew I had to go back and redeem myself.  I've had so much support from my coach-Julio German, my friends, my family, my go to girls at Faust, and The Fallen Arch in Lake Placid that I'm even more hungry and excited to see what 2014 has to hold.

Over drinks with friends the other day I realized that even after 25 years of being an athlete I am still growing and learning. One of the friends was a triathlete buddy from my first traithlon lifetime and recapping Kona made me realize what a different animal I've become. In the old days it was all about me and the only thing I needed to get back to during a big training day was my big yellow dog. Nowadays every minute I take away from regular life is valuable and must be full of purpose. In the old days I would get into the water full of fear and negative "what ifs." As I was explaining the calm and excitement I was feeling as I entered the water in Kona I realized how much more I'm able to enjoy life as a triathlete in my mid-30s vs my early 20s.


The work I have done with Coachulio has been a major contributor to this enjoyment. He understands what makes me tick and constructed a program that kept me engaged and hungry.  Julio has put together an incredible group of women who are sooo fast and sooooo fun and I can't wait to have training camp at Faust so we can train and laugh together with my sweat sisters. I am forever grateful for all the help from Coachulio and High Performance Training! Check them out at- www.hpt-ny.com.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank The Fallen Arch in Lake Placid for making training and racing easier by supporting my running shoe addiction. Gail and Bob have been such a huge help over the past couple of seasons and I am pleased to be part of The Fallen Arch Racing Team! They have amazing selection and a wealth of real running knowledge- www.thefallenarch.com

The Amy before this phase in my life might've been ready for an easier year or a year of running with my pack of wild dogs, but this older, wiser, well cared for Amy is hungry and full of ideas to continue to get faster and have more fun. Part of that fun and speed will come from joining the Coeur Sports Elite team. Coeur is a new women's triathlon apparel company-a company founded for women by Kebby Holden, a fellow Ironwoman. The cute kits are awesome, but my favorite thing about Coeur is that it's French for heart and the root word for courage-heart and courage-two necessities for all triathletes! From what I've read these women are going to be a blast and I'm so excited to don a new superhero/Ruby's mom suit that maybe I'll upgrade from puffy paint! Look at all the stylish speed- http://www.coeursports.com



Cheers to staying hungry for the good life in 2014!

30 things I am thankful for...

30. Timex Marathon GPS and Polar HR monitors-the most technology I can stand but definitely helped this year
29. Bagels, Peanut Butter, and Bananas
28. My trusty $187 spin bike-the hours and gallons of sweat that sucker has endured
27. Pizza
26. Coffee
25. The Nice n Easy in Star Lake,  NY
24. Bandit LaDue-the grandma of the Faust Pack
23. Roxy Rocks Roxanne Farrell-sweetest little trail dog you'll ever meet
22. Chance Farrell LaDue-most devoted running dog and son
21. Freckles Frigging Farrell LaDue-the dog who won't run slow and heater on a cold night
20. NYSEF for fostering my daughter's passion for going big and fast
19. My new Toyota dog kennel
18. My old Ruby red Subaru
17. My Tupper Lake Middle/High School Fan Club
16. Bob Tebo and family-Irongrandpa's work ethic inspires daily
15. The Tupper Lake Nice Girls Club-these women are the greatest cheerleaders and always get me
14. Jenny and Al-have been there for all my ups and downs and kept me up and laughing
13. Old and new friends from afar who can pick up right where we left off
12,11,10. My Westchester peeps Ed, Coachulio, and Noga-the last couple of years would not have been nearly as awesome without these people planning, working, supporting and making me laugh so hard I pee my pants.
9. Faust Motel-makes it possible for above people to come together and laugh so hard we pee our pants
8. The Fallen Arch-amazing selection and intuition about making my feet happy
7. The guy at Cabin 1 Bikes-keeps  Rainbow happy and running like a dream and has brought us some of the nicest people Tupper Lake has to offer. Tolerance for 4am spins, 8 hour workouts, and a lot of pizza has been a plus
6. Rainbow Ghostbike-I cannot rave enough about what this perfect fitting bike has done for me!
5. My siblings-so much support from my siblings! A couple of them even left their lives behind in October to help me chase down my dreams in Hawaii
4. My aging body and mind for making it possible to be faster even though I'm closer to 50 than 20!
3. Ruby for tolerating 4am spins, runs, a dirty house, a lot of pizza, races instead of vacations, a nervous and often crabby mother-all of it
2. The McCullouch Family-this was a hard year for this family but in the spirit of Stewart
McCullouch they have soldiered on and inspired me in countless ways.
1. My parents-even when my dreams are scary they have always supported me and made me want to make them proud :)