Wings to Fly

2017 left me with an odd taste in my mouth, not bitter, but like an ingredient was missing in a fresh batch of cookies. The cookie was still good, but lacking that savory wow factor that leaves you smiling while licking your lips. 2017 was a fantastic year from a race result standpoint. I won overall amateur at the XTERRA PanAm Championships for the 2nd year in a row, won overall amateur at USAT off-road nationals and XTERRA Oak Mountain, finished 2nd in my age group to my good friend Jennifer Razee and 5th overall at ITU Cross World Championships in Penticton, Canada, and finished up the year placing 4th overall amateur at the XTERRA World Championships. I even was named Ms. XTERRA and USA Triathlon's Amateur Off-Road Triathlete of the Year. The sugar coating on the cookie that was missing, however, was the fact that 4th overall at XTERRA Worlds was only good enough for a 3rd place in age group medal. I got into triathlon to use the sport to help raise money and awareness fo

As a little girl growing up in the small town of Peachtree City, Georgia, my family didn't have cable television (I'm not even sure it existed in the early 1980's), but we did have a little black and white tv with a rabbit ears antenna that picked up the local TBS station when placed on the back porch. Every night during the summer, I can remember my dad watching and "coaching" the Atlanta Braves along through the small screen. If only Dale Murphy, Bob Horner and Sid Bream followed his advice, they might have won a couple more games back in the day. I was not a great baseball/softball player. In fact, I only played one season when I was in 6th grade, spending most of my time in left center field picking dandelions inning after inning. I did get to pitch in one game, but succumbing to the nerves and not being able to see straight with my heart beating between my ears, I walked 4 batters in a row and was taken out of the game. When it was my turn to bat, I prayed

Hey cycling girlfriends! Let's chat. I have been told many times, "once you try bibs, you will never go back to spandex cycling shorts again." The idea is that bibs don't have an elastic waist that cuts in to your middle when you are riding your bike, which makes you feel more comfortable and free to move on and off the saddle. Based on the encouragement of other girls on bikes to try bibs, I bought a pair a few years ago... and while yes, they don't cut into the waist like traditional spandex shorts do, I was absolutely miserable wearing them and vowed never to wear them again. Why??? Because usually I have to "relieve myself" before, during and after a ride. I remember 10 minutes before the start of my first mountain bike race, I ran to the port-a-potty for one last pre-race nervous tinkle and about fell out of the outhouse attempting to take off my jersey which also housed my phone and race nutrition (thank goodness neither fell into the depths of

By now most of my Facebook and Instagram followers/friends know that a few weeks ago I took a tumble on my bike, or maybe I should call it a side swiping run-in with a tree stump that left me with a cracked rib. Not my best moment, but I had it coming. Had it coming, you may ask? In a way, yes. God is funny that way. After training so hard last year and having more success with racing than I would ever have imagined a few years ago, the voice between my ears got a bit overconfident... some may call the term cockiness. Outwordly, I hopefully kept this attitude in check for I knew that all I have been given -my life, my talents and abilities, home, family, and health could be taken away in an instant... but when on the bike or out for a run, the overconfidence in my strength and abilities was starting to creep out.  If I saw a girl get a QOM on Strava, I would think "Oh, I could crush that", maybe not on all technical downhill segments riding my little hard tail Scott Scale,