Summertime, Summertime!!!

So how has your summer been treating you?  Mine has involved all of the following in what has turned out to be one of the busiest, most productive and enlightening summers I have had in years.  Research, photos, updates, new website construction, volunteering, road trips to the mountains, race course planning, phone calls, meeting celebrities, forgetting my manners and concert/music with two amazing bands, hiking, healing, renewing and more.  This is what I have been up to for the past few months, so much that I have neglected this blog.  But it's not without a 'grand' purpose, just been really busy this summer.  And I am loving every second of it. 

Grand Lake

Of course, I have also been swimming, biking and running all over the place.  Up high in Boulder, where my friend took me on a ride that was supposed to be a 'gradual' climb that we never got on because we missed our turn off and ended up on this crazy steep climb.  Made me long for more gears on my bike.  Especially when people were rolling on by like they were at sea level. Hmmpphh!  It was an awesome workout with killer views, so all is good!  And I wasn't even sore after either!  Bonus...

So where to really start...after taking on the new position with Ageless Athlete, I have been really in creative mode, which is the most welcome thing I can think of happening in a long time.  I have created a Brand and designed the product label.  It is in it's fine tuning stages now, and it has been so much fun.  I have to say, at the risk of tooting my own horn, this is gonna be the coolest, sexiest nutritional product label on the market by far.  And what's better is that the contents of those bottles, are going to make you feel super human, literally!  Ageless Athlete is a game changer!  I honestly have to say I have been taking nutritional supplements since I started triathlon in 93 because you burn so much of your body out while training, eating doesn't replenish all that you spend.  I have always looked for really pure products and if you've read any of my previous blogs you'll know that I 'cured' myself of Graves' Disease using holistic supplements and remedies, so I  know they work when you find the good ones.  Ageless Athlete is one of those good ones.  The man that created these products also cured himself, along with many natural healers he met on his travels to cure himself of an incurable diagnosis of spinal cancer, given less than 6 months to live.  That was 27 years ago.  So I know when I take Ageless Athlete supplements, I am literally, getting the best of the best and it is actually healing my body, whether I have a disease or not.  Healing is a daily occurrence, just as my workout are daily 'breakdown' of muscle and bone.  So I replace and replenish every day!  You're going to want to as well.

Training for triathlon has become so much more enjoyable without the long recovery time, that yes, the over 40 crowd has to contend with due to the fact that, well, we're just older and our bodies don't recover like they did when we were 20.  Not complaining, that's life.  But now, the recovery is so fast, no sore muscles after brick workouts, 2000 meter swims with 8 mile runs after.  I don't feel to shabby.  So that's what you are going to get inside this sexy little package...website due to launch in the next two months or so.  Content written, photos to be taken, product packaging to commence and then we'll have official lift off.  Wicked Cool stuff!

Next is a definite combination of serious juggling.  My new website, Triathleta, in production, along with moving about 100 products to new site, getting three new lines of products to add as well, and doing this in the evenings after my workouts, while trying to catch a few moments of rest and relaxation before some shut eye.  I have to say, I really like the new look, it's also much easier to navigate, larger product images, integrated blog, so you'll eventually go there to keep up with Karolina and Kona.  Seems my training and goal to make it to Kona will take longer than I had hoped, but with so much going on, I'm not really concerned.  The race is not going anywhere and when I have the time to train, I will.  At the moment, I am in building mode for many things, and this is where my attention is needed, so the training takes a back seat for now, but I'm still in it.

Now, while this is going on, I am also planning the race course for the two new triathlon races we are having next summer.  Trips to Grand Lake to run and ride the course, check out the terrain, make sure it's safe, in line with city/state requirements and most important, lots of fun and challenging.  It's at altitude!  8369' above sea level.  I've yet to get in the lake, I need to find someone to kayak beside me so I don't get hit by a boat!  On the 'to-do' list.  Many phone calls to contacts on getting new relationships started with sponsors, maybe some pro triathletes to come and play with the age groupers and getting all the people involved with what getting a race to production entails.  Lots of leg work, but lots of fun too.  Presentation to the town on 8/12 so it's moving along...

I think I have said this before, which is that my goal is to make this more than just a triathlon, but a true weekend event.  Health and Fitness Expo the day before, along with a silent auction to benefit the Vail Veterans Program, (maybe live auction, details TBD), pre-race dinner from a Celebrity Chef in Vail, a motivational speaker, someone you will not want to miss, not giving any details on 'them', but just have to say it will be multi-generation and a 'family affair'.  Ahh, love giving teasers!  I will give more clues as the events draw near, but a must see, no doubt.  And after all that, hopefully a great night sleep in the serene surroundings of Grand Lake and the following day, the races!  Olympic and the 70.3 and then, with more luck and good mojo from the stars, the Goo Goo Dolls will play for everyone.

I did get to see them play here in Denver early this summer and was even luckier to win a Meet & Greet with them.  You would think that two days would be enough time for me to prepare what I would say to these guys I have been listening to for almost 20 years, and I did, to an extent.  Although nerves got the better of me at the last second and I didn't even introduce myself.  Ugh, such bad manners! 
I did however, give them a well written 'proposal' wrapped in a 'letter' that I really hope they read, as I have heard them say they do.  Gave them a few little gifts, hoping they would remember me.  It was a bit surreal.  Not a 'star-struck' kind of person, so I thought, but apparently meeting people who you've only seen on TV/or YouTube turns my brain to mush.  Who knew  '-)  It was an amazing show, along with Matchbox20 who I also love, and I was joined by my new business partner who has been fostering my ideas and insuring me they are not completely out of this world.  Two women and one really big idea!  Watch out!

So, in a nut shell, that's what I have been doing.  The new website is set to launch this week!  Bugs to work out and test things and then its SEO time and thankfully I have help with that this time.  I didn't like algorithms in high school and I like them just as little now, so I'll let the professionals do that.

I hope this summer has been great for all you out there and your building your dream in some way, shape or form.  I have to say, when you really focus on what you love, it never seems like work.  Most of what I am doing this summer, I'm not being paid for.  It's all sweat equity, but when you believe it will happen, it gives you more energy than anything else I can imagine.  So here's to the Dreamers!  Never Give Up!!

Caroline / Triathleta

Ageless Athlete...futures infinite possibility, Triathleta Race Series and more!

View from Grand Lake Mountain Lodge 

Ok, so it's been a bit too long since I was here writing, but I do have some good reasons.  Lots going on with the planning of the new Triathleta Race Series among a few other things.  I went to Grand Lake the weekend of Memorial Day, had a little R&R and met with the Town Manager and the Director of Tourism of Grand Lake and got the 'grand' tour, pun intended.  It's a quaint little town, so it wasn't a super long tour, but I got the lay of the land enough to take on the day and go into 'plan' mode.  I spent the afternoon driving around, thinking of different ways the Run leg of the triathlons could go, so by now I think I know the town pretty well.  There is lots more to do still, but I've made a fair amount of progress.  Now it's presentations in front of the City Council, Bike course fine tuning, Permits through the Sheriff's dept., Registration site added to my website, Corporate Sponsorships, Race Expo invitations and on and on and on...it's very exciting to see it come to fruition, even in the smallest way by going to the town, deciding where everything will be.  I almost can say 'I can't wait til next August', but I can, don't want it to get here too fast.  I have one final request to submit to the musicians and that is just about one month from now, 7/15, and I really hope they say Yes!  I have the perfect spot to set up the stage and even the locals I talked to were excited by the idea, so here's hoping!  Goo Goo Dolls!

View For The Band, (but a bit closer to the ground)

So if that isn't enough to keep me busy, my website is moving, finally, to a new platform.  I have help this time so the 'tricked out' much improved, functioning SEO stuff will be most welcome and the look of the site will be more interesting for all of you and this blog will be linked to the site too.  The look behind that will change to, sort of bummed about that actually, as I think Blogger has nice look'n blogs, but Design 101, Form Follows Function, so it has to work first, look pretty second, so it's coming soon!  Finally!

The latest and greatest addition happened, literally, in a matter of hours (even writing that seems crazy, but it's true) and it's where a new chapter has been added to my book of daily activities.    I have taken on an additional role in becoming the Managing Director for a nutritional supplement company that is re-branding a portion of a very successful existing line and focusing on athletes, of all ages.  And it's appropriately called 'Ageless Athlete' You kids, listen up!  This stuff is for you too!  No more couch surfing playing video games, you're going to feel amazing and want to get outside, make some mud pies and whip'm at your friends after school.  The good 'clean' fun like I used to have with my childhood friend, Dolly, when I was a kid.  Mud Pies...a very effective way to tease boys...  '-)  Anyway, I am working on branding/logo/new website etc... so it's all keeping me quite busy and I love it!

So what does it mean to really be ageless?  The consummate 'Fountain Of Youth' right?  Well, yes, actually, that is possible when you put your health and body first.  When you do that, anything is possible.  Your future really does have infinite possibilities.  It's a lesson I learned as a kid, from my Mother, who said that your health is the most important thing.  Pay attention to that and the rest will take care of itself.  Some advice I am grateful for and I still live by it today.  Unfortunately, not everyone follows this mantra.  A friend of mine read me a statistic the other day, it said that 70% of Americans are on some sort of medication.  A very alarming number, in my opinion.  I wonder how many of those people, if they just changed their diet, got off dairy, gluten, meat and added more fruit and vegetables, and started to exercise, could eliminate those medications all together.  It is a goal, my big picture, if you will, that I want to and plan on contributing to as this Ageless Athlete line launches and gets out to people.

People think that diet, proper food and exercise won't change a thing, partially because that is what many doctors out there tell people.  I have had it relayed to me in these exact words...'Nothing you eat or do is going to change you, you'll need to be on this medication for the rest of your life'.  Word for word!  And then 6 months later, I had reversed my diagnosis completely, with lots of greens, homeopathic tinctures and a product called Ambrotose.  So you were wrong Doc!  I am completely healthy, no medications, just pure energy from products found in nature!

What happened to people believing in the phrase 'Caveat Emptor' - Let the buyer beware.  You're not buying a car, mind you, but you are buying drugs to put in your body, so you think you would research everything you could about what those drugs are, how they really affect you, whether they are really good or even more, healthy for you to put in your mouth.  It's more important than a car, over the course of your lifetime, you may spend more on your health than a car, so shouldn't you do the research, look for alternatives before you spend that kind of money?    It's baffling to me really because I hate medications.  I honestly and truly believe that your body does not recognize them and they only do harm.  I would much rather eat a ton of good foods that are healthy, clean your system out, get some good Vitamin D and rebuild my body the way nature intended, with natural products in nature, not pharmaceuticals.

This is what I will try to accomplish with Ageless Athlete.  Yes the products are geared towards athletic performance, enhancing that performance, providing faster recovery, all in a natural product line that gives you what your body needs, and can utilize best because it comes from vitamins, minerals and herbs and is formulated by a man who was originally, 25+ years ago, given less than 6 months to live, because of a systemic cancer diagnosis.  He believed what I believe and thankfully is still with us and continues to pass along his knowledge, and passion for amazing, pure health.  I am very happy to know him and be part of his mission to heal others and get people moving.

So, I will try to get on here and write more about what is happening.  Race series, website, product launch.  We do have new Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages, so you can check out things I post in that regard and see what's coming along.

Until next time...  Keep moving forward!

Caroline / Triathleta

Work Is Play, And Play Is Serious Business

Well it's been a few weeks since I wrote on my blog.  Guess I can chalk it up to writers block or maybe just juggling a bunch of different things and too much on my mind to sit long enough to write.  But today was a play day for some and a work day for others, not to different from any other Saturday I guess.  But, for some, the play was all business and for a few others, the work, was play time.  I am talking of course, about a triathlon.

Today, very early this morning, I volunteered for a triathlon that was one of the kick off races for the season here in Colorado.  We have to wait a bit longer for the weather, and the water, to warm up so it's a bit later than other states around the country who have already had a few races.  Normally, I would rather play, and race.  But I am doing a bit of research for my own race to come next summer and I know that it's nice to give back to other races and athletes and help out with the production side of things.  So today I was the 'body marker' and the 'back up run timer'.  Fun, fun.  I realized marking on muscular arms is more difficult than the less muscular arms, but I'm not complaining!   '-)

There was a last minute change to the race as well.  The barricade company who was supplying the necessities for the bike course,  closed its doors, for good, the night before the race.  Not so good news.  So the race directors were sent scampering all over the city for other companies.  It proved to be a futile and difficult task as the remaining companies had already rented there barricades to another race, The Colfax Marathon,  tomorrow!  So the triathlon was out of luck, and the only alternative was to 86 the bike portion of the triathlon.  So the triathlon became an 'aquathon' if you will, Swim then Run and your done.  But regardless of the removal of the bike portion, athletes were still ready to race.  Some still came with their bikes, as emails are not always reviewed on a Friday night!  A few triathletes decided to do a group ride after the race to get in a bike anyway.  So all was not lost.

So, the work for the race directors and the volunteers was still work, but it was also play.  Volunteers are often triathletes training for another race and just want to help out their fellow triathletes.  But for those that came to play, even without the bike, it's still serious.  Transitions were fast, wetsuits were pulled off with expert speed and the run was attacked with the usual fervor of a race with the bike still in play.  The hot sun was masked only by a few large clouds that saved the triathletes from a 'hot' morning and the clouds parted just moments after the last finisher crossed the finish line.  A perfect race day, warm enough but not too warm. What  more could you ask for. 

So, now that race season is officially under way, it should be a great summer.  I have 7 more races I am volunteering for, one is a kids triathlon, and I can't wait for that one, should be really fun to watch.  Of course, I am back training as well, but with all the work on the website and pre race production work and trying to find another job in design to keep me going financially, I have little time to really concentrate on racing.  So I'm just working out, building my base I call it.  My day in Kona will come, I'm not worried about it.  I've got other important things to do that involve other people than just myself.  When I get that done, I will have more time to focus on my racing.  Until then, I know I will enjoy body marking the descendants of muscular Greek gods that show up on race morning and cheer on all the new friends I am making while on this journey.

So if you haven't had the opportunity to volunteer for a triathlon or any other type of race, I highly suggest to do so.  Yes, it's an early morning, but the t-shirts are great little bonuses and for the most part, your fellow athletes will appreciate you, even if they forget to say it.

Until next time...

Caroline / Triathleta

A Week Of Waiting And Wondering Why?

It's one week today since the world stood still, mouths open, in horror at seeing the impact of two bombs, senselessly being detonated in the middle of one of the best events Boston has to offer and on one of the most relaxing days Boston celebrates throughout the entire year.  The Boston Marathon.
I am from Massachusetts.  I grew up about an hour or so West of Boston, Mom went to Boston College,  a typical family of fans of all the sports teams, some a stronger allegiance to than others, but they are all in there.  I could even be so bold and say they sing about me at every Red Sox game, ( but I'm just one 'Sweet Caroline').  It's a great, old, pedestrian city with grit and good ole American swagger.  I know it was rocked to the core one week ago today, but I know in my heart, that it will heal and be back stronger than ever, because that's what happens when things get broken.  When they heal, the specific location that broke, becomes stronger than it was before!

Last week was exhausting in many ways, so many bad things happened.  Explosions in Texas, toxic chemicals being sent to the President and other political figures.  Why??  It's a question I wonder and wonder about til I can't sleep.  But I realize, even if I hear why, it will never make sense to me.  And I am grateful for that.  I don't ever want to think that it's OK to kill or harm another human being or creature, for that matter, just because he believes in something different from me.  It is the complete opposite, in my opinion, of what the true, original America was created for.  People left one country on ships, risking their lives, to leave a place where they were forced to believe something or be killed otherwise.  They left to create a new country, one where they were free to believe in what they deemed important, and as long as they weren't killing others, they could believe it.  Now we have people believing that it's right to kill others who don't share their same beliefs.  It's the complete opposite of what the United States of America stands for and why people love to live here. 

Our intolerance of one another is literally killing us.  People died.  A child died cheering on his Dad.  I can't wrap my head around the kind of pain that family is going through and the families of those who were permanently maimed just watching the elated runners go by, cheering them on saying 'Way To Go', Good Job, Keep Going, Don't Stop, You're Almost There', I can hear them now, just like they were screaming to me at my marathons.  Now some of them will have to learn to walk with new legs or get dressed with one arm.   Three other innocent people died along with the little boy that day.  All because someone hates the idea so much that Americans don't believe in what these radical extremist, murderers believe in.  It's insane and a waste of the human brain!

It's taken me a week to write about all of this because I was honestly so angry I couldn't focus my thoughts on writing anything that made sense.  It would have all just been one big rant, which, who knows, maybe it would have helped me sleep.  But how do you make sense of the completely senseless act that happened that day?  It's not rationally possible!  But I don't want to let that be what I take away from this. I need to allow myself to move forward with positive thoughts of the future, not anger or hatred, because that is letting them win in some way. 

I started last Monday morning with a post on my Triathleta.com Facebook page, wishing all a great day of racing, having fun, enjoy the day you've worked so hard to get to, take it all in and Congrats!  Only hours later did I see other posts commenting on what was happening and then I turned on the TV to see what happened.  It didn't register at first.  How could this be?  How could someone do such a horrific, senseless act? 

I will never forget and will keep praying for all those affected by this.  I have to believe that the power of the human spirit is stronger than the hate those two people had for us.  The spirit that got you up at 5 AM to do a long run and still have time to make your kids soccer game or dance recital.  You wanted to do something you've wanted to do all your life!  You wanted to do something you never thought you would ever do, but you did it!  Either scenario, you worked to get there and it was a labor of love.  That is what I will remember!  The love of sport, the heart and soul that makes you want to be better tomorrow than you were today.  The part of your soul that you hear when you want to quit running because your legs feel like bricks, Never Ever Give Up!  You repeat to yourself, (like I do) when you're tired, 'A Body In Motion, Stays In Motion) over and over again.  Somehow I think it works.  You do what you trained months for, run and cross that finish line. 

Some didn't get that far last Monday, but there will be other races.  Races with a new feeling when you start.  You'll keep those in Boston in your heart wherever you are running.  A marathon may never be the same, especially in Boston, but the joy and jubilation you should feel at the end of a marathon will be yours eventually, you just have to believe that.  I know, even today, when I was running I was thinking about those who lost their legs.  I'm tired, but they'll never run the way I'm running, so don't complain that it's cold and snowing in April.  Suck it up, do it for Boston!  You are stronger than you think and you'll celebrate like they do at Red Sox games or Bruins games or the Patriots games and things will feel good again.  We can't let the negative, intolerant behavior of a few determine the remainder of our days.  We are better than that, as a human race, not even just a country or a city.  Keep moving...Forward!  Always!

From one Caroline to Boston, you're in my thoughts and prayers.  You'll be back to run again, just believe it!

Love and Prayers to all of you! 

p.s.
if you click on any picture, it will take you to 'The One Fund' organized by the Mayor of Boston and you can donate to all the victims.

Caroline / Triathleta

Pay It Forward! So Much More Than Just A Slogan To Me!

Well now that the 'cat is out of the bag' and I have officially announced my race series, at least here on my blog, I have another endeavor to add to that.  I am sure you have either heard of or maybe seen the movie, 'Pay It Forward'.  Its a few plus years old now, but the message of that movie, to me anyway, is timeless and with all the difficult times our country has been going through for the past few years, it seems like a good time to do just that, Pay It Forward.  So that is exactly what I am going to do.  And so are you!

When I did my first triathlon, it was 1993 and I think, if I remember correctly, I paid $25 for the race.  Granted, it was a sprint distance so not too far and probably not too much planning, size-wise for the race director.  But if you have been following triathlon and actually training and racing, you will have noticed, $25, these days, is going to get you a t-shirt and that's about it.  Times have changed and races are quite a bit more expensive today.  To that end, they're more involved, sometimes have more happening, pre-race expo, or pre-race dinner, guest speaker, you get the idea.  All of this costs money and getting the stuff you need to put on the race costs money, and definitely more than it used to.  So what to do if your bank account has been challenged over the past few years?  How do you keep racing?

Well according to USAT, as well as many journalist who deem our sport of triathlon to be note worthy, the average salary of the triathlete in the USA is $126K.  They refer to these lucky folks as, the C-Listers.  Not exactly sure how they decided that people making that amount of money per year fit into the C list category, but we'll leave that for another story I guess.  Considering I never reached that in the 20 years of my design/architecture career, which sort of seems pathetic now that I am writing this, but I thought I made a decent living.  Guess I would be on the D-List if there was one.  Not to worry, I just think D means, dynamic, dedicated, daring, and delicious.  Just as good as the C's in my opinion.  But regardless of what list your on or not on, for that matter, if you are not making what you may have made in the past few years, with job lay offs and all, how is it that you can afford to race these days?

I often wonder how many other people out there are like me.  I was making good money before I got laid off, but for the last 4 years or so, honestly, my income has been close to, if not below, the poverty level.  But I've made it work, on my own, no help from Uncle Sam.  I have had a few odd jobs at the same time, I am lucky to have already paid off my school loans, got rid of most, if not all, of my debt before I lost my job.  I live very simply and only buy what I absolutely need, which, when you are really tested, you realize is actually alot less than what you think.  It's not really living, it's more existing.  I miss out on some of the 'fun' things I used to do, but it brought me to where I am today, however winding of a road that may have been, I am grateful to now have something bigger and more fulfilling to do.  I have been working on this website and now the race series, to build a future that I have a bit more control over and in the long run, will probably touch more peoples lives than I ever could designing interiors for architecture firms and their clients.  That makes me feel good and like the person I see when I look in the mirror.  If I can make an honest living and touch someone while doing it, then that's all I really 'need'.  Everything else is just frosting...

But I know I am not alone.  How many other triathletes can't afford to race?  How many can't afford the $130 for new sneakers you need just to run in, let alone the extra food you need to ingest to keep you in proper health and give you the energy you need to run and ride and swim every day?  When you are on a really tight budget it's hard to splurge and buy the extra protein you need.  I can't tell you how many times I finish a 6 or 8 mile run and come home and wonder what I am going to eat to replenish.  I am usually really hungry by then, but it's tough at times. 

How many thousands of triathletes are there basically, on hold, indefinitely, until they get the new job that allows them to spend $450 do a race, say a 70.3 or 140.6.  Or, how many triathletes took a new job in the last year or so but they are making half, or less than half of what they made before, so they don't have that extra disposable income that they may have had before.  I sometimes think that phrase 'disposable income' is an oxymoron.  Really, who has income that they don't Need to use for real Needs, not just wants?  Although, I do know a few people who used to feel the Need to go shopping for more clothes and stuff that wasn't a 'need' at all, so I guess the word is really subjective, depending on who you talk to.   But really, most people these days, need every penny they get just to get by.  So how are you going to train for triathlons, buy all the gear and food, massages, chiropractic visits, maybe some coaching/nutrition tips from someone, all on a ridiculously tight budget, either being single, married, kids/ dog etc...  I often wonder about this.  I really do, probably now more than ever.

So, I don't have a solution for the jobs issue in this country, and I will not even attempt to give my two cents worth on the subject, but I do have an idea that may help a few triathletes.  I hope it really works and catches on and actually helps those triathletes out there who may still have the funds to train, but who may be struggling with the extra funds to race.  I've got the idea, but I need your help to execute! 

My idea is a 'scholarship' fund.  At first I thought, in most big cities, I know in LA and here in Denver there are apartment buildings that are somehow allocated to be for people who only make 'X' amount of money.  Of course, you have to prove it, bring in your W-2's etc... so the more I thought about it, the more I thought, 'Well, that's gonna be hard to do for triathletes, and I don't want to ask people for that'.  So how else to prove that you only make a modest living and can't afford to race. 

Well, this is where you come in, along with the tried and true, 'honor system' as well as just pure honesty and integrity.  If you're making 60K - 80K - 100+K, then you are not in the category of 'needing' help to pay your race fees, in my opinion anyway.  If you're making 25K - 35K - 45K and trying to pay your bills, trying to afford the gear you need to race, pay for the race, then you are going to be stretching those $5 bills the way I've been stretching them over the past few years.  Covering the cost of a 70.3 race is going to be huge for you.   Most of the racing, if any, I would assume, is going to just be sprint and Olympic distance races, which isn't anything to sniffle at, those are great races to do to be a part of the triathlon community.  But according to the USAT, the biggest percentage of people racing these days are racing the 70.3, or half Ironman.  (This is also the distance of the race I am planning to build for you guys). They also sell out like hot cakes, and if you're not online at 12:01 AM to get your spot, then in a few minutes, the races are full and you are SOL. (shit outa luck)  Wait for next year, find another race, maybe that other race is farther away, which now means 'travel' expenses will be incurred.  These are all in addition to the race fees you already were going to have a hard time covering.  The reasons go on and on, and so do the challenges, and I know I am not the only one who has thought about this.

So when I finish upgrading my website, which will literally start tomorrow, I am also going to be adding pages specifically for the race and information about this 'scholarship' program. 
There will be links from my website to the race registration pages where you will get more info on how to sign up if you are in need of help covering your race costs, etc... but most importantly, there is going to a 'scholarship' button for you to click on and read, a profile of someone, maybe it's my story for all I know, cuz I have a good one.  But someone who may be in need of a little help.  My friend and race committee member, was actually the one that came up with the term, so I thank her for that.  But she actually said, when she signs up for a race and sees something like this, she actually buys another race entry for someone else.  I thought that was awesome and I am not, in any way, shape or form, expecting anyone to pay for an entire race entry for someone, but if you do have the means to do so, and really do, then God Bless you, thank you for being so generous and I appreciate it on behalf of the scholarship fund.  But if you give, anything, $5, $15, $50, whatever you think you can, it will be appreciated and it will go to other athletes who I am sure will also be quite grateful.  We will keep adding it up.  For the first race, if we get enough, we will give those who need some help, an opportunity to race.  If we don't have enough for full race entries, we will divide it up and help out as many as we can.  This is a new program and I have a new race committee with smart people so between all of us, I know we are going to come up with the best scenario for the best outcome.  That is a promise!

I will also have a place on my Triathleta.com website, before the race website gets completely up and running, for all of you triathletes to come and actually sign up, in privacy, to be a beneficiary of this scholarship.  Like I said before, this is where the honesty and the honor system come in.  Sign up for the scholarship, or sign up someone you know, who may never sign up themselves because they may be to proud to ask for help, and have an opportunity to get a discounted race entry or full entry.  This is a new program and it may take some time to get people to sign up for it and for funds to go into it.  But I think it's needed, and I think triathletes are, for the most part, very welcoming to the 'newbies',  to those who need a few tips or just a helping hand.  They are the first to go up to a nervous girl or guy who is freaking out about how to do all these new things and say, 'Hey, look, do it like this', or 'you're gonna be fine just stay on the wings in the water, stay out of the washing machine', etc...You know what I mean if you ever needed help or gave help.  I know I got it, and I know I have given it and both times, it was welcomed. 

So I think this idea could really work and be really great.  I don't have a crystal ball and I don't know when many of the jobs will come back around.  I know mine wasn't coming back, which is why I created this new business - triathlon website/race thing.  It's always been a passion and it started the same time I began my original career.   Now I just really want to build my own dreams and future, not someone else's, and if I can figure out a way to 'Pay It Forward' while I am in the process of accomplishing my dream, well then it's full circle, the way it should be.  Give and Receive.

And there's more...I have been building a connection with a guy in Africa, about bringing triathlon to kids and future triathletes in the making.  The whole idea of the website was never just about me and sustaining myself.  Yes I have bills to pay and I can't pay them with fairy dust just because I do nice things for people.  I have to be able to sustain myself.  I have no husband, no sugar-daddy, no rich parents or siblings etc...so it's just me.  But when I help myself and create something with the intention of sharing, either something I know or something I have that others would benefit from, then its bigger than me. 

And this is much bigger than me.  What you buy from me helps me, yes, but it also helps my suppliers, who have mouths to feed too.  What you buy from me, may be your first wetsuit or your first pair of sneakers or first tri-bike.  It may change your life, bring you to a place where you fall in love with exercise and your past life of 'couch surfing' becomes a story overshadowed by much bigger more fun, exciting stories to be told in the near future.   What I do as an e-commerce business woman is important to me, creating the race is important to me, but it means nothing if I can't make an impact on you and somehow, in some small, microscopic way, make a difference in your life.  This is my 'pay it forward', scholarship program.  I want to infect the world with the same passion I have for triathlon.  You may not get infected with the same intensity that I have for the sport and want to do the same things I want to do, but if you make your life better, and your kids see this and it changes what they do, what they eat, how they see themselves.  Then it's all worth it.

My Mom is a nurse, long retired now, but when I was 12, there was a big change in my life.  My Dad got laid off his job and things were going to be different, and they were.  What happened to my Dad had more of an impact on my life than I knew, at the time.  It changed me in many ways, all of which, honestly, were not all so good, but I have found a way to make what I learned and experienced, make me a better human being, and for that, it became a good lesson learned. 
But I remember one day my Mom telling me something that, I literally can remember almost word for word.  She said that no matter what, having good health was THE most important thing you can ever have.  It doesn't matter if you become rich and have a ton of money.  If you are sick and walk into a doctors office, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at him and tell him to 'make you better'.  He can't!  No amount of money you ever make, will make you well again, nor will it ever BUY your health.  It has to come from what you do, what you eat, how you take care of yourself every day, for the rest of your life.  It is a conscious decision, that you respect your body, your soul and who and what you want to become.  It's not a given that you will be healthy, while disrespecting your body.  You  have to work at it and be aware of it.  That conversation was the most significant I probably had as a child with my Mom and one that shaped the way I have lived my life.  If I can share that knowledge with others through my business and with the scholarship program, then I will have honored those words given to me years ago and not a second of any amount of time I have put into my running or biking or swimming will have ever been wasted because it allowed me to be here, paying it forward to someone else.

I have heard a scary statistic recently, this year, 2013, there will be MORE people that die of obesity than die of starvation.  This is very sad and unfortunate to me.  It is also something that can change.  At no other time have I thought that the term 'survival of the fittest' is really in play.  I think there are a number of factors that cause this issue.  I'm not a doctor, I just have my observations, but if people put there minds to it, become educated about what food is and what it's not, people can become healthy again and we can alleviate many other issues we have in this country.  Health care issues, the costs associated with them could be reduced, if not eliminated, and the list goes on and on.  I don't want this to become another post entirely about this issue, but if some of these people who are trying to lose weight, really get healthy again, then it could change many things in this country.  If some of these people decided they wanted to try out triathlon as their 'sport of poison' to get themselves back into shape, then all the better.  Some of these people may be in the income bracket that would allow them to race, but some of them, maybe not.  If the scholarship program worked for the existing triathletes who just need a bit of help to get back to racing, then what could we do to help others who are trying to make a profound change in their life and get back to a healthy lifestyle.   The scholarship program could work for them too, then its truly a pay it forward moment for more than just existing athletes, its for new athletes as well.  They not only get into triathlons, but they get healthy again.  I know this is a big challenge, but it all starts with one person.

I think most of us under estimate what we can do to make a difference. 

I'd like to think that if some of the people who over eat, gave some of their food to the families and kids who are living without food,  or not know where and when their next meal is going to come from, the change would be huge.  I unfortunately was one of these people not too long ago.  I lost 15 lbs in one year and I didn't need to lose it.  I just didn't have the funds for food.  I actually remember awakening at night because of hunger pains.  It's a horrible feeling, physically and mentally.  With all the food in this country that gets thrown away, wasted at restaurants or to much is consumed by one person, you would think we could help the people who have no food.  And in doing so, we educate both of those groups about how to eat properly, how to live a healthy lifestyle, and how to exercise and enjoy being active, not live on the couch.  The possibilities are endless...

So that's it.  I'm finished with my pitch, that's my idea!  Lots of stuff being divulged here.  These ideas have been sitting in my head for more than 6 months so I hope to sleep easier now that some of them are out there.  I don't have to keep them inside anymore because honestly, they keep me awake at night!  I think this blog has become my journal, lol.  I hope some of what I have said here resonates with someone and you choose to get involved in some way.  Race, give back, pay it forward and change the small world we live in.

I would love to know what you think, provide me some feedback or other ideas, if you feel up to it.  You can email me directly if you have something specific to suggest or give to the effort.  support@triathleta.com is where you can write me at.  Other than that, you guys just need to stay tuned.  I am still waiting for the snow to melt so I can go and get my location for the race secured.  After that, it's a go.  We are supposed to get close to a foot of snow on Tuesday, April 9th, so just hope it melts fast.  I have the charity, my race committee is growing and I will have a full team in a matter of weeks.  So stay tuned...  and thank you!  I hope you guys are on board with this idea.  I really do think it can work and help out those who just need a hand.  We all have hard times where we need it.  This is just one small part we can play in that, so I hope you think about it.  Thank you! God Bless...

Caroline / Triathleta