Sue at 5k YMCA Turkey Trot in Towson
If you know Dave Weaver you also know he is very energetic and enthusiastic as well as a very talented athlete and Thanksgiving morning he was more pumped up then ever! Sue, his wife was the reason for Dave’s contagious excitement….
I didn’t see Sue until the start the hilly 5k Turkey Trot in Towson that chilly morning. I also saw Christy, who was featured in my blog from Osprey sprint triathlon. Christy was ready to go and Sue and I had a brief catch up conversation before the horn sounded for the start of the race. HHHHOOOONNNNKKKK! A large crowd of people including my buddy David Slomkowski with a group of children from ASA and some other friends took off.
I saw Mike M. and a small child up ahead and decided I should try to catch up to them. Mike explained that the child was very fast and did these races frequently. The race was fun and a bit painful. Some of the things I focused on was my technique, not going out too hard and reminding myself that the pain would be temporary:)
After some cruel climbs and pace battles, with fellow racers, the finish line was in sight. Someone yelled out you are the 9th female so I passed one more girl and the race was over. I crossed the line and joined Mike McConnel to chat about triathlons and upcoming Iron man races. I spotted Sue and Dave and we talked about Sue’s training progress since she attended the She Does Tri Camp last April. I was impressed at Sue’s level of commitment and her improvements in her fitness. Sue started off run/walking and has now graduated to running in races. She was obviously very motivated by being at the race early Thanksgiving morning.
Dave & Sue gave me an overview of workouts Sue has been doing since camp which takes about 7hrs a wk:
- 14 mile Time trials weekly on the steepest hills in Baltimore County. From April – Sept. Sue rode at or above her anaerobic threshold to keep up with Becky, a competitive cyclist, Sue was always close to Becky even only riding once a week. Becky motivated Sue to push herself and get out of her comfort zone which has made her faster on the bike.
- Swimming classes twice a week with one of those days adding a spin workout. Sue says swimming is her weakness but she has doubled her yards this winter and is working on technique
- She trains with a run/walk and mixes her workouts up with intensity, duration and frequency
- She also does cardio kick boxing, weights, strength training and plyometrics
Sue at She Does Tri camp track workout
I was so happy to know how much Sue has improved since She Does Tri camp and in her words:
“I thought the camp was great! Everything was so organized and well planned. The enthusiasm you and David had for triathlon was very encouraging…especially to someone just starting out. The camp was both beneficial and challenging which made it a great weekend. I forward to participating in future camps.”
Sue, Dave and I walked over to the awards ceremony and got some hot soothing coffee and awaited results. Sue explained that her nutrition was full of whole grains, healthy lean proteins and many fruits and veggies. According to Dave she keeps track of her foods and controls her portions. She avoids sugary and starchy carbs and uses some of the products he suggested to give her extra amino acids, fuel and hydration to support her physical activity.
When the announcer called Sue for her award I noticed the Dave’s eyes widened and he got that high pitched sound in his voice when he is really excited about something. “She did it, she got an award!” In conjunction with Dave’s expressions and words a feeling of being proud came over me. I know Dave shared that feeling as I watched his proud expressions as Sue accepted her frozen turkey.
Sue had shaved off 11 minutes from the prior year and was ready to enjoy her Thanksgiving Day. I was awarded a 13lb frozen Turkey just like Sue and we walked away that day with a great feeling of accomplishment and expressed our excitement for each other.
Dave says Sue is both mentally and physically strong and I agree. In his words she is driven and a naturally gifted athlete since she has never had much experience in athletics. Sue has great potential and when she comes to get some VO2 testing and heart rate measures she will likely see even more huge gains in fitness.