I read a great article today about the Boston Bruins and all they do for our city. If you would like to read it, here is the link: http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/6/25/4461932/boston-bruins-stanley-cup-finals-year-didnt-suck-entirely-2013
I just wanted to add a few things. Everybody knows that Boston is a big sports city. We love our sports teams and our sports teams love us. We're pretty loyal; I mean, no offense to Cubs fans, but we've endured some pretty long droughts. After April 15, a lot of people knew life would never be the same again in the city. We didn't really know what to do or where to turn. And then, the Bruins started playing again. And, the city rallied around them. And we knew, that as long as the Bruins kept playing, we'd get that sense of normalcy back again. So sure, say that the Bruins exploited the event. But, the city knows they didn't. The city knows that they brought us back to a "normal" day when it seemed like there wouldn't be one. And the city knows that those men played their hearts out for us and truly showed everybody just how strong Boston is. So, thank you Bruins. Thanks for making it as far as you did. Thanks for shutting up the unruly and ungraceful fans in Toronto. Thanks for showing Lundqvist what a world class goalie looks like (Tuukka Time!!). Thanks for showing the penguins that defense is as important as offense. And thanks for showing Chicago what the heart of a hockey player looks like. We'll get 'em next season boys. For now, be proud of how you brought the city together and played your hearts out for those in need of a break.
On a side note, while swimming in the pool today, the guy in the next lane over goes, "Saw you doing one-arm swim drills. You training for something?" I think he regrets asking now because he heard all about my upcoming races. Whoops? He started it!
Fight on!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Training Update 6/25/2013
Training has been going decently. I'm back to running as much as before my injury in early May, which is fantastic news. This means I'll really be able to work on my half marathon time without being too worried about my body giving out on me. Biking is going quite well too. Haven't been focusing on swimming too much but I'm still at the same level I was in April.
Still training for the same goals. Ironman 70.3 Timberman is August. I'm racing for Make-A-Wish and that is my next big race. Signed up to relay the Boston Triathlon with my mom (how awesome is that. Her first triathlon is in July) on August 4th.
Life is about to get crazy though! I only have another week on my journey down south in Alabama. After that, I leave for Russia for two weeks. So excited about that. Then it's home to Massachusetts! My sister's wedding is late August so we have all those events coming up. The bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, and such. Should be pretty awesome. And in between all that, I'm dashing to LA and Seattle to visit friends before school starts up again. I'm slightly concerned about keeping up with my training with everything that will be happening, but I'm determined to make it work! I'll be sure to keep you updated on all my travels and training.
Fight on my friends!
If you wish to support my Timberman race for Make-A-Wish, you can find my donation page at the following link: ironman.kintera.org/makeawish2013/sarahcusson1991
Still training for the same goals. Ironman 70.3 Timberman is August. I'm racing for Make-A-Wish and that is my next big race. Signed up to relay the Boston Triathlon with my mom (how awesome is that. Her first triathlon is in July) on August 4th.
Life is about to get crazy though! I only have another week on my journey down south in Alabama. After that, I leave for Russia for two weeks. So excited about that. Then it's home to Massachusetts! My sister's wedding is late August so we have all those events coming up. The bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, and such. Should be pretty awesome. And in between all that, I'm dashing to LA and Seattle to visit friends before school starts up again. I'm slightly concerned about keeping up with my training with everything that will be happening, but I'm determined to make it work! I'll be sure to keep you updated on all my travels and training.
Fight on my friends!
If you wish to support my Timberman race for Make-A-Wish, you can find my donation page at the following link: ironman.kintera.org/makeawish2013/sarahcusson1991
Monday, June 17, 2013
It's a Three-fer! (3 weekends and 126.5 miles later)
Ironman 70.3 New Orleans - April 21
Let's start at the beginning. Woke up at 4 am and had breakfast. Then left for transition and arrived at 5 am. I was happy to arrive early because about 15 minutes later the body marking line was 100 people deep. My mom snapped this picture and found it absolutely hilarious.
Let's start at the beginning. Woke up at 4 am and had breakfast. Then left for transition and arrived at 5 am. I was happy to arrive early because about 15 minutes later the body marking line was 100 people deep. My mom snapped this picture and found it absolutely hilarious.
Transition closed at 6:30 and we all headed down to the swim start. They did a special prayer and moment of silence for Boston which I think we all truly appreciated. And then the waiting began. And we kept waiting. The initial start was delayed while they waited for clearance from the water officials. Pros went off at about 7:15 am. Then they started the age-groupers in time trial fashion. Originally, they send they were going to send off 2 people every 3 seconds, but they were only sending off one. They said we would all be in water by 8 am. Said being the key word. We all got restless very quickly. The pros were out of the water already. We just wanted to start. As the finish line was 10 miles away, spectators had to start leaving to be able to get out of the lots. And we still weren't in the water. We all had to pee really bad, but wanted to wait. Unfortunately, I was in the last age group to go off. And we didn't get in the water until 9:30 am. This was an annoyance for many of us but we weren't too upset. The water was 64 degrees. Not super cold but enough to shock you a bit when you first jump in. I was able to settle into the swim within 100 m and didn't feel cold for the rest of it. The swim course was an M shape. After the first turn, midway to the second turn, I felt a kayak paddle hit me gently. One of the kayakers had taped me to tell me I had gone off course. I starting laughing at this because before the race I was speaking about how I always go off course and the last thing my mom had said to me was to stay on course. After the detour, the rest of the swim was uneventful and went as well as could be hoped for. Out of the water and into transition. And then off onto the bike course. Bike course itself was pretty nice. It was definitely very flat. The only "hills" were the overpasses we had to deal with! Accidentally road over a rumble strip for a few seconds. It was a nice butt message! Lol. Besides that, wind was rather brutal on the way out. Definitely had a big negative split (does it count if it's because of the wind?). I hadn't a clue about the semi-drama unfolding behind me. The first inkling I had of this was when I got to T2. I was in there with a respectable time. I was hovering just around the 4:15 mark (a little slower than planned, but I think the wind had to do with that). Most of the bikes from my rack were still out which I was decently happy with. I was in good position when suddenly I heard the announcer say "And transition will be closing in 20 minutes officially ending the bike portion." I suddenly thought, "WHAT?!?". I thought this was impossible because the time cutoff was supposed to be 6 hours after the last person was in the water. Seeing as I was one of the last in the water, there had to be at least another hour and half before we hit that mark. How was this possible? Regardless, it didn't make a difference to me as I was in. So I put my sneaker on and headed out of transition. Right outside of transition, I grabbed some sunscreen in attempt to save myself (boy, did I fail). My ankle and knee were holding up decently well considering. After mile 1, I started to deteriorate fast. Now, I had the run training put in, but there's only so much you can do when you're sidelined for the last 4 weeks with injuries. By mile 3, I was about ready to call it day and take the dreaded DNF. My parents were waiting for me around mile 6, so I figured I'd walk there and then get in the car. But then I thought about Boston. I thought, "What about all those people who weren't allowed to finish?" I thought about Jeff Bauman. A man that many of my friends are close with. A man that has become a hero to the world. I thought, "I need to finish this for him. I need to finish for all those who can't and never will be able to again." So I started running again. Yes, it was painful. Yes, it was not pretty. And yes, I had the sunburn of the century. But at the end of the day, none of that mattered.
What mattered was I finished.
For Boston.
Rock 'n Roll Nashville Half Marathon - April 27
What a race. Honestly, don't really have much to say about this race. Really was just out there to have fun and explore a city by running through it. It was my first trip to Nashville and I wanted to see the sights. What a better way than to run through streets closed off to cars!
Funny side note: At the start line, I was standing next to two guys, probably in their mid-twenties, who said to me, "We were out at the bars until about 3 AM. We may still be drunk." What an opener. I laughed and the conversation took many interesting turns from there.
The gist of the race was as follows: It rained. We ran. It rained harder. We ran harder. It kept raining. But we kept running. The course was rolling hills but nothing too bad. I was pleased with my performance. Didn't really feel anything start to nag until mile 10. I thought that was miraculous considering I was coming off a half-ironman 6 days prior. Made it to the finish line without incident. The second I crossed the skies really opened and the thunderstorms started rolling in. Boy, was I glad for that space blanket. Walked back to my hotel about a mile away, warmed up, and headed on home.
A genuinely fun race with a surprising amount of spectators braving the rain!
Rocketman International+ Triathlon - May 5
1500 m swim, 36 mile bike, 10 k swim
I really enjoy how in the above description, I managed to use three different distance units. Either I'm a terrible engineer or race directors need to get their measuring abilities sorted out. Let's go with the latter to save my career.
This was a fun and SALTY race. Started in the Indian River (salt water). Swim went rather routinely. Only issue was that the buoys for our distance were white! Who's idea was that? Just kind of had to follow the crowd and hope for the best, because I could not see those buoys for the life of me.
Then off onto the glorious bike course. Thank gosh for Florida, because the biggest hill (and singular) hill was the bridge to get over the river. Wind was "fun," but when isn't it! The course itself was pretty awesome. Got to ride around a shuttle pad and the VAB. Once in a lifetime kind of thing which is awesome. After the race, heard complaints about road conditions. Granted the roads weren't the best, but they were closed and in Kennedy Space Center. It's almost like they have to withstand thousands upon thousands of pounds of rockets or something!!! Personally, I had a pretty good bike split (best in my age group), so my day was made. The run course was flat, just like the rest of Florida. No real incidents. Everybody had major salt marks down them though! It was crazy. Combining the salt water swim, the Florida sun, and running leads to lots of sweat and lots of salt. One of the coolest aspects of this race was that it was three different distances. They set off the half-irons and international distance athlete 15 minutes apart and then the sprinters followed about half hour after this. Considering this, the international distance people were among the first to finish. Crossing the finish line, I got to sit back, relax, and cheer for all the other competitors crossing the line. Also soaked in a little sun while I was there.
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I really appreciate being able to be apart of this race. The space aspect really made it cool for me, considering my profession. But other than that, with all the trouble the race directors had getting permits, it is likely this race may not happen again, which makes it all the more special.
Crossing the finish line, I couldn't help but think over what I had accomplished over the past three weeks. I got to travel to three amazing cities and participate in three unique races. I couldn't help but feel blessed that these opportunities had presented themselves and I was able to make them all happen. For all those who have supported me throughout the years, I thank you. While I do race to make myself happy, it would never be possible without you. Almost exactly two year prior, I was on crutches directly following a complete ankle reconstruction. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to accomplish what I had just done. I can't help but say that I was so proud of myself!
Fight On!
What mattered was I finished.
For Boston.
What a sunburn.
Is that a smile or a grimace?
Rock 'n Roll Nashville Half Marathon - April 27
What a race. Honestly, don't really have much to say about this race. Really was just out there to have fun and explore a city by running through it. It was my first trip to Nashville and I wanted to see the sights. What a better way than to run through streets closed off to cars!
Funny side note: At the start line, I was standing next to two guys, probably in their mid-twenties, who said to me, "We were out at the bars until about 3 AM. We may still be drunk." What an opener. I laughed and the conversation took many interesting turns from there.
The gist of the race was as follows: It rained. We ran. It rained harder. We ran harder. It kept raining. But we kept running. The course was rolling hills but nothing too bad. I was pleased with my performance. Didn't really feel anything start to nag until mile 10. I thought that was miraculous considering I was coming off a half-ironman 6 days prior. Made it to the finish line without incident. The second I crossed the skies really opened and the thunderstorms started rolling in. Boy, was I glad for that space blanket. Walked back to my hotel about a mile away, warmed up, and headed on home.
A genuinely fun race with a surprising amount of spectators braving the rain!
Rocketman International+ Triathlon - May 5
1500 m swim, 36 mile bike, 10 k swim
I really enjoy how in the above description, I managed to use three different distance units. Either I'm a terrible engineer or race directors need to get their measuring abilities sorted out. Let's go with the latter to save my career.
This was a fun and SALTY race. Started in the Indian River (salt water). Swim went rather routinely. Only issue was that the buoys for our distance were white! Who's idea was that? Just kind of had to follow the crowd and hope for the best, because I could not see those buoys for the life of me.
Then off onto the glorious bike course. Thank gosh for Florida, because the biggest hill (and singular) hill was the bridge to get over the river. Wind was "fun," but when isn't it! The course itself was pretty awesome. Got to ride around a shuttle pad and the VAB. Once in a lifetime kind of thing which is awesome. After the race, heard complaints about road conditions. Granted the roads weren't the best, but they were closed and in Kennedy Space Center. It's almost like they have to withstand thousands upon thousands of pounds of rockets or something!!! Personally, I had a pretty good bike split (best in my age group), so my day was made. The run course was flat, just like the rest of Florida. No real incidents. Everybody had major salt marks down them though! It was crazy. Combining the salt water swim, the Florida sun, and running leads to lots of sweat and lots of salt. One of the coolest aspects of this race was that it was three different distances. They set off the half-irons and international distance athlete 15 minutes apart and then the sprinters followed about half hour after this. Considering this, the international distance people were among the first to finish. Crossing the finish line, I got to sit back, relax, and cheer for all the other competitors crossing the line. Also soaked in a little sun while I was there.
Vehicle Assembly Building - where Shuttle came
together and where SLS will someday see
it's finishing touches
Shuttle Launch Pad
Finish Line - Mom's comment: "Looking fresh as ever."
I really appreciate being able to be apart of this race. The space aspect really made it cool for me, considering my profession. But other than that, with all the trouble the race directors had getting permits, it is likely this race may not happen again, which makes it all the more special.
Crossing the finish line, I couldn't help but think over what I had accomplished over the past three weeks. I got to travel to three amazing cities and participate in three unique races. I couldn't help but feel blessed that these opportunities had presented themselves and I was able to make them all happen. For all those who have supported me throughout the years, I thank you. While I do race to make myself happy, it would never be possible without you. Almost exactly two year prior, I was on crutches directly following a complete ankle reconstruction. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to accomplish what I had just done. I can't help but say that I was so proud of myself!
Fight On!
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