Laura, triathlete, from Yukon, Oklahoma. I am a member of Landrunners (Oklahoma City Running Club), Oklahoma Bicycle Society, OCCC Tri Club, Triathlon Club of OKC and USAT. I work part time for a greeting card company. The rest of my time is spent with my three beautiful daughters who are 4, 3, and 2. I am beginning to homeschool which is more challenging than training for an ironman (yes, I can say that because I am training for an ironman.... half). I have a wonderfully supportive husband who does occasionally get to go fishing when I am not training (aka those rest days I force upon myself).
This blog's purpose is not just to provide race reviews for the Oklahoma City area, but to try and inspire anyone and everyone to get on the move. If I can do this stuff there is not a doubt in my mind anyone can. My first mile took me 40 minutes, no joke. What inspired me to even try? Run Fatboy Run. We rented this movie one night and I never would have thought it would change my life. I always thought running was the dumbest thing you could do. Even as a child, me and the largest boy in my grade would walk that mile they made us run every year, always coming in last. About a year before I started running, I remember passing (in the car of course) a woman still running the big local marathon while they were packing up the course markers. I told my husband "Why? Why doesn't she stop? It's over. Why bother if you can't win?" This is a philosophy I held until I watched Run Fatboy Run. It never occurred to me it wasn't about beating other people, after all that is the culture I grew up in, find something you can win, be the best at it, whatever it is. I mentioned this anecdote to a local running shop employee when I bought my first pair of running shoes (after all he asked why I was starting to run). I didn't realize he was an olympian and he quite obviously thought I was daft and another crappy addition to his sport. I don't care though, not now.
You'll find in my posts I am a big advocate of catering to the slow athlete. I don't believe races do this enough. Ninety percent of the people at majority of races are just average people doing what they enjoy. They are also where ninety percent of the money for these events come from, they deserve special treatment.
If you are thinking of getting active please check out the getting started page for tips on where to begin!
If you happen to notice me at a club meeting, running or riding around the state, I may not look like a triathlete, but I am. You can resent the fact I call myself one. You can resent the fact I may be able to swim, bike or run as fast as you or maybe (just maybe on a really good day) faster while I have fat on my body. I may not look like the most physically fit or well trimmed person, but I don't have to be. So go ahead, hate me because I'm invading your elite field or because I'm the weird girl in strange shoes or better yet no shoes, but I'm still going to call myself a triathlete.
