words — hi, my name is erin

the power of ironman & idaho's true colors

Idaho is one of the leading states to enact anti-trans (women) legislation. Banning female trans kids from competing in women’s sports, denying trans people access to trans healthcare like hormone replacement therapy and surgeries, just to list a few.

Now that I’ve raced both an Ironman and a locally organized triathlon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, I can see how the spectacle Ironman has over the host cities and not necessarily in a positive way. Ironman draws people from all over the world, bringing different cultures, ideals, etc… to the host locations that quickly overshadows and hides the true colors of this host cities/states culture, ideals, and political stance. I experienced it firsthand.

ironman, personal, trans pride, sportsErinAugust 25, 2022

still visible @ ironman cda

I learned that you don’t necessarily need the spectacle to get your message across; the subtle can be just as impactful, like simply wearing a Protect Trans Kids t-shirt around town.

ironman, trans pride, motivationErinJuly 8, 2022

next?

Post Ironman depression is very real I'm learning. Nine months of non-stop training, it was pretty much a part-time job for me, to suddenly having a blank calendar and a lot of time on my hands. It's a tough adjustment, and you start slipping pretty quickly. It really doesn't help hearing my coach, and tri friends telling me to not do anything for a couple of weeks to recover.

I'm still trying to fight out of this little funk. I'll also admit, it's not just post-Ironman stuff that is knocking me down. Events in my life haven't helped the situation either.

So what do I do?

running, ironmanErinSeptember 14, 2017

i am an iron(wo)man

I did it!

Nine long months of blood, sweat, and tears to finally make it to this moment... Ironman Coeur d'Alene. All I was waiting for, and thinking about was hearing the announcer tell me...

race report, ironmanErinAugust 31, 2017

story

This Sunday marks the end of a nine month journey to becoming an Ironman finisher. So much work, blood, sweat, and tears to finally reach this point, and it's amazing how far I've come. It's best to talk about what pushed me to make Ironman Coeur d'Alene my goal.

Back in 2015, while riding my bike home, I was hit head on by a SUV. For someone reason, the woman who was driving this SUV decided on that day, and that time to cut a corner, and plow right into me. I've been told that I was thrown off my bike a good 30 to 40 feet ... every part of my head took the blunt of that distance covered. If it wasn't for my helmet, I would have been dead on the scene.

ironman, personalErinAugust 24, 2017

six

Six weeks until Ironman Coeur d'Alene 😳😨!

The last month or so things have been really challenging. My body is tired, my mind is tired ... I've reached that point where August 27th just needs to get here faster so I can return to a "normal" life, haha! Training is getting hard, and getting that motivation going to get out there is pretty much depleted. I reached out to my coach, needing something to help. She gave me a pretty good idea. She told me to put something positive, some kind of message, or a few words on my bikes top tube, so every time I look down I see those words, or message and remind myself what I'm doing this for.

ironmanErinJuly 12, 2017

milestones

Back on April 27th, accomplished a milestone that I've been waiting for ever since I started my Ironman journey. Running a half marathon, and it finally arrived on my training schedule! I was extremely pleased with my first crack at 13.1 miles ...

ironmanErinMay 23, 2017running, swimming

camp

This weekend was a hard three days of training for my upcoming Ironman Coeur d'Alene race. Spending as much time as I can learning the bike and run courses ... bummed that Lake Coeur d'Alene was way too cold to test out the waters. The bike and run courses are going to be tough. You don't really know by just looking at the route map and queue sheet on the Ironman website.

It's going to be a good challenge.

ironmanErinMay 9, 2017swimming, biking, running

peace

I don't know what it is ... there's nothing more peaceful then a pool all to yourself. Just you and the water, nobody to ruin your flow or technique with waves and splashes.

It's great.

Just felt like sharing that.

ironmanErinFebruary 24, 2017swimming

milestone

Not sure if it's a significant milestone, but a milestone I'm pretty happy/impressed with.

11 weeks ago, I pretty much never swam in my life ... at least nothing more then your traditional doggy paddle :) Today I swam 3,500 yards ... 2 miles! It's pretty amazing, and incredibly proud of myself. I'm also very proud that this is an accomplishment that I achieved on my own. Just one consultation with a swim coach, and that's it. Besides that one consultation, I needed to figure things out on my own - trial and error most of the time.

When I started this journey to compete in my first Ironman, I honestly didn't think I would be able to do it ... mainly because of the swim. Now, after each workout, my confidence grows more and more with swimming. I now don't look at the swim as my barrier, but just simply a challenge to concur!

2 miles down, .4 to go!

ironmanErinFebruary 13, 2017swimming

words.