CKTriathlon

Another weekend, another set of shiny PRs ✨🔥

Huge congratulations to Jay and Bylinda for absolutely crushing the Race to Save the Laurel Dace 10K!

🏆 Jay placed 1st in his age group
🏆 Bylinda placed 2nd in her age group
⚡ BOTH athletes ran 10K PRs!

And one of my favorite parts? Bylinda got to race alongside her husband and son ❤️ I absolutely LOVE seeing families out there doing hard things together, cheering each other on, and creating memories.

These performances didn’t happen by accident. Consistent work. Trusting the process. Showing up week after week. And now we’re seeing fitness build at exactly the right time as Jay and Bylinda continue progressing toward their A-races. Let's GO! 👊

Some finish lines mean more. ❤️

Last Saturday, Raven completed her very first triathlon at 75 years young.

This dream sat in her heart for TEN YEARS… and this weekend, she crossed that finish line with the biggest smile on her face and all of us cheering her on with joyful tears in our eyes.

And the beautiful thing? Raven did not just finish a triathlon. She reminded every single person around her that it is NEVER too late to chase your dreams. Never too late to start. Never too late to become stronger. Never too late to surprise yourself.

I honestly don’t even have words for how proud I am of this incredible woman.

Raven is one of those rare humans who makes the world brighter everywhere she goes. Somehow she becomes friends with everyone she meets. Her energy, positivity, kindness, curiosity, and joy for life are contagious. Being around her and her husband feels like taking a deep breath and remembering what really matters.

I soak in every moment I spend with them - learning about nature, healing herbs, slowing down, appreciating simple moments, laughing more, living more fully. They are truly some of the happiest people I have ever met in my life.

And yesterday, watching her push through nerves, trust herself, and accomplish something she dreamed about for a decade was one of the most special moments I’ve ever experienced as a coach.

There were hugs. Tears. Smiles. So much joy. And a finish line I will never forget.

Raven, thank you for inspiring all of us. You are proof that the human spirit is limitless. ❤️

Season opener SUCCESS 🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️

What an incredibly fun day at the inaugural Fall Creek Falls Sprint Triathlon! The park was absolutely beautiful, the hills were no joke, and my heart is so full after getting to race alongside my athletes and friends. ❤️

Jacque, Lisa, Raven and I all kicked off our tri season together, while Austin added another strong race to his season. Everybody raced so well and left with confidence heading into some BIG goals later this year.

Highlights of the day:
✨ Raven completed her FIRST TRIATHLON EVER at 75 YEARS YOUNG
✨ Lisa and Jacque had fantastic races and strong finishes grabbing 1st in AG
✨ Austin grabbed 2nd in his AG
✨ I was lucky enough to take Overall Female

But honestly, the best part wasn’t the results. It was watching my athletes push through nerves, climb tough hills, trust their training, cross the finish line smiling, and then celebrate together with hugs, high fives, laughter, and stories afterward. THIS is why I love coaching.

Triathlon is hard. It is challenging. It pushes you outside your comfort zone. But it is also empowering, joyful, and full of the most amazing people. ❤️

We are just getting started this season 🔥

I was honored to be selected as a highlighted coach this month by USA Triathlon.

What means the most to me isn’t the recognition itself, but what it represents. Coaching, for me, has always been about helping athletes discover what they are capable of, building confidence through the process, and creating an environment where people feel supported, seen, and challenged in the right ways.

This feature also included something I care deeply about - education. My work around women-specific training is now part of a CEU offering for other coaches, focused on helping them better support female athletes with more individualized approaches.

I’m a big believer that coaching should never stand still. I’ll always keep learning, evolving, and sharing what I can with both my athletes and the coaching community.

To my athletes - thank you for trusting me, for showing up, and for putting in the work. Your growth, your breakthroughs, and your resilience are what make this work so meaningful.💙

Huge congrats to Bylinda on a shiny new 10K PR at the Dolly Dash 10K! 🎉

This one didn’t happen by accident - it took trust, patience, and willingness to make adjustments along the way. And it paid off. Perfect benchmark as we head into a big build ahead. And here’s the part that surprises a lot of people… her volume actually went down, not up and yet the speed showed up.

A great reminder: more is not always better, especially for women. “Exercise more, eat less” is not the formula for performance.

So proud of you, Bylinda. Confidence boost unlocked. Let’s go! 🏃‍♀️

The kind of positivity that lifts everyone around her - that’s Roxxy ❤️

After a 26.2 twenty years ago that didn’t go as planned, it took real courage to step back up to the distance… and she chose Hawaii as the destination.

I’ll admit - I had flashbacks of my own time in the medical tent there 😅 but we were ready for the challenge.

This time, we did it differently.

✔️ Confidence built mesocycle after mesocycle.
✔️ Benchmark testing showing real, undeniable progress.
✔️ Fueling finally dialed in after years of GI struggles - tested, adjusted, and mastered until race day felt controlled.

Race day came. No guesswork. Just ex*****on.

✔️ Smart pacing
✔️ Consistent fueling
✔️ Ready for the brutal Hawaii heat

And that finish line smile? That’s everything!

This wasn’t just about finishing a marathon. This was growth, patience, resilience, and trusting the process all the way through.

So proud to be part of this journey - a huge, hard-earned accomplishment! Congratulations, Roxxy!!!

Onward and upward 🚀

#26.2

Austin coming in HOT to start the season 🔥🥈

2nd place in the sprint triathlon to open the year.

What I respect most about this journey is how it started and how it kept going. Inspired by his wife, he jumped in headfirst, went from sprint to 70.3, and now he’s chasing bigger goals with intent.

It hasn’t been smooth. Bike crashes, swim struggles… plenty of reasons to get frustrated or back off. He did the opposite. Showed up, asked questions, made the drive to work with me in person, and committed to getting better. Not flashy work - the consistent, “boring” reps that actually move the needle.

This race showed it all coming together. Strong, confident bike 🚴‍♂️ and a seriously impressive run 🏃‍♂️ to seal it - a new PR and a well-earned podium.
That confidence you felt? You earned every bit of it.

More to come 👊

Huge congratulations to Jacque on an incredible race and a new PR in a 5K - 1st in her age group out of 177 women 🥇 and top 10 overall out of 779 athletes 🏆 What a way to kick off the 2026 season 🔥

Watching this transformation has been something special. From setting a goal of completing a sprint to stepping up to the 70.3 distance (and beyond 👀) and now winning road races in highly competitive field. That kind of progression doesn’t happen overnight and it does not happen just physically.

It started with curiosity… How do I get faster? What do I need to do? And then the willingness to listen, do the work and test those limits. Jacque has learned when to back off and shake off a tough session, and when to lean in, push hard, and chase those numbers.

This is what happens when consistency meets courage. Can't wait to see what we can accomplish this season! ✨

This past weekend I was in Washington, DC for the RRCA Convention - an opportunity to dive deeper into the craft, learn from other coaches, and continue leveling up how I support my athletes. As a coach, I believe growth isn’t optional, it’s a responsibility.

One of the perks of attending was a guaranteed entry into the Cherry Blossom Races, which have been on my bucket list for a while. I couldn’t pass up the chance and signed up for the Double Blossom challenge. Why race one race when you can do two?

🥇 1st in my age group (Double Blossom Challenge)
🥇 1st in my age group (5K)
🔥 12th in my age group in the 10 mile… in a seriously stacked field

For context - the winner in my age group averaged 5:37 pace for 10 miles. Let that sink in 🤯

This is what I believe in as a coach:
Coaching isn’t theory - it’s lived experience. It’s showing up, testing limits, adjusting, learning, and doing it all over again.

I bring that same energy, curiosity, and standards to every athlete I work with -and my athletes inspire me every day to keep raising the bar.

Congrats to Jay on his 2nd place finish in the 5K this Sunday 🥈 This photo makes me want to lace up and join in - nothing better than racing with friends and having fun doing it.

5Ks are no joke. Every second matters. One small mistake - lining up too far back, getting stuck weaving through traffic, burning matches too early, or surging at the wrong time and it’s hard to claw it back. At that distance, ex*****on is everything.

What makes this even more impressive is the bigger picture: 5K, half marathon, and coming off a serious accident, he’s already doing something remarkable. But he’s not satisfied. He’s hungry for more, asking “what’s next?”

That mindset is exactly why I’m so excited for what’s ahead as we shift from running into triathlon training together.

WTG, Jay - this is just the beginning 💥

Hannah showed up and executed a smart, strong, and steady 50K.

From the start, the focus wasn’t just “finish” - it was control, resilience, and staying injury-free while balancing a demanding season of life outside of training. That matters just as much as race day performance.

Loved hearing her post-race feedback:

Muscularly felt strong 💪
Heart rate stayed steady and controlled ❤️
No cramping anywhere 🚫

That’s exactly what we train for - not just fitness, but durability, decision-making, and the ability to stay calm when things get hard.

“I can do hard things” ~Amy is the mantra printed on our CK Tri kits, and I love that Hannah leaned on it when the race got tough. Because in a race… it always does.

So proud of how she balanced everything this cycle and delivered a strong performance like this. 🏃‍♀️✨