Wedding Bells

My friends Mary and Ryan had asked my daughter Jordan to be a flower girl in their wedding along with Melissa (a friend of mine’s) daughter Francesca, and I was honored to do a reading from the book of Ecclesiastes.

Jordan’s goal was to walk down the aisle without the canes which normally assist her in walking. She looked absolutely beautiful – my baby girl is getting SO BIG !! Wow, do I sound like my mom.. (ha ha)Anyway, she was shaking because she was so nervous to walk that far. I imagine the butterflies she was feeling was similar to that which I experience before a race. Wanting to do a great job, to win and to perform well. Jordan wanted to do well, she didn’t want to fall. We talked about how well she did at Sammy’s Run only a few hours earlier and about doing her best (great lesson for me as my nerves are ramping up as IM Brazil is in 1 week).

Well Jordan performed like a star and everything went according to plan. We had a great time at the wedding and were so happy to see so many friends and to share this very special day with Ryan and Mary. I have known Ryan for a while now, he is a terrific guy – just joining the Navy and his new wife Mary is an absolute sweetheart. I wish them both all the best !!

Anyway enjoy some photos although this represents just half the fun. Previous to today’s wedding we had a girls date with Melissa and Fran to shop for dresses, shoes and socks as well as the spa day to have the hair and eye brows done. This day has been a whirlwind, it began with family participation in Sammy’s Run, then squeezing in a quick movie …. The kids all wanted to see the new Night at the Museum, (yes LOVE Taper Time) – see my previous post on that topic

Sammy's Run

What a fun morning, I got to do something I love doing with my family. My youngest son Zachary ran the 1 mile fun run and Jordan did the kids dash and I ran the 5k. A few days ago when we were talking about the race Zach started talking a little smack about competing in the 1 mile run. He said to Todd and I, “mom, it’s not that far and you both know that I am pretty fast” Todd and I gave each other a we’ll see type look, it’s true that he is one of the fastest kids on his baseball team but that’s running 90 feet from base to base. We didn’t even know if he’d be able to run a mile and thought he would likely go out way too fast and have to stop but…. The little baseball speedster ran a 5:56 mile, granted the course may have been a little short but that was awesome !! It was such a joy seeing him run, enjoy it and run fast ! We have not pushed our kids anywhere near the sport of triathlon so it was special to me, especially because running is my passion.

“Jordan’s Dash” Our daughter Jordan was entered into a dash for kids with disabilities. The Goal of Sammy’s Run is to raise money for Oak Park School, a terrific school for kids with all ranges of disabilities and to ultimately make a difference in the life of a child. Members of the Oak Park School community, together with 22q13 Deletion Foundation and the Manasota Track Club, host Sammy's Run, named after a local boy Sammy Lomas. It is an event filled with races, music and snacks with all proceeds going to Oak Park School and 22q13 Deletion Foundation. I am so glad we went down to support Sammy’s Run. Jordan was looking forward to being part of the dash and she eagerly took off to the start line. When they gave the word “GO” she went flying down the road using her canes, man can she move with those things. Her face always beams with pride after taking part in an event like this. She is so proud of how far she has come and we are so proud of her !!! WAY TO GO JORDAN – YOU ROCK !!

Taper Time :)

You would think that with the reduced training volume I would have lots of time to blog, but Nope - not this mom....
We have tons of end of the year school activities, my daughetr Jordan is the flower girl in a wedding (look for photos soon) and our Rev3 Triathlon in Middlebury CT is right around the corner. I know I have felt extremely busy with our Race coming up but cant compare with my husband the Race Director, he has been crazy busy.

Anyway, back to the Taper
I LOVE THE TAPER
I HATE THE TAPER
Yes, its a love - hate relationship

I LOVE THE...
Extra Time
Extra Sleep
Extra moments at home
Lack (ok less) stress
Extra Energy :)

I HATE THE....
Feeling of not doing enough
Not being able to eat as much

OK - I Guess The Love Wins !!!

Rev3 Triathlon Interview

The following is an Interview I did with Jordan Rapp and is posted on Slowtwitch.com, regarding our upcoming Rev3 Triathlon in Middlebury, CT. It's not too late to join us for the Great EVENT


Talking 'Bout A Revolution(3) new
Written by: Jordan RappDate: Fri May 15 2009

Pro triathlete Heather Gollnick sits down with Slowtwitch to talk about what lead her to step out of her racing flats and into the shoes of a race organizer as part of the brand new Rev3 triathlon.

Slowtwitch: We all know you as, “Heather Gollnick, professional triathlete.” What made you decide to go from participating in races to organizing one?

Heather: Well, the good news is you can still know me as Heather Gollnick Pro triathlete as I am still racing (just not Rev3) where I will be busy commentating as well as handling the Sponsorship and Marketing duties for this race and our upcoming series.

ST: Can you tell us about the process of creating the race? When did the idea of Rev3 come about? How did you pick the venue?

Heather: The idea for Rev3 came about in a Hotel Room in Boulder, CO. The first ideas were sketched out on a napkin (we're keeping it for posterity sake). I’ve had the good fortune of racing for a number of years now and have always believed that more could be done for the families and spectators. It’s our belief that the overall race experience could in fact be enhanced for everyone involved. A good friend of mine Joanne Frantzis and her husband George own Quassy Amusement Park. Joanne and I were on the Timex Triathlon Team together several years back so we have known each other for a long time. She had long talked about bringing a high quality event to Connecticut. My husband Todd, our race director, met with Joanne, toured the park and area (which is gorgeous), and we had our venue. Middlebury and Quassy provide us with both a scenic and challenging course, coupled with a venue that will meet the needs of spectators and family alike.

ST: Tell us a little about the swim/bike/run courses.

Heather: The course is scenic and challenging. Lake Quassapaug is a fabulous lake, extremely clean water with a very private feel to it. The bike course will cross through multiple counties each more scenic than the next with a very typical New England hometown flavor. The run course resides within Middlebury and will undoubtedly be well supported by local residents. I would describe the course over all as challenging, but fair. It will be a good test for many of our athletes, personally I loved it!!

ST: You’ve chosen to focus a lot on the pros for this race. You’ve put up the biggest half-ironman prize purse outside of Clearwater. What makes the pros a focal point?

Heather: We wanted to recognize our pros by providing a prize purse worthy of the profession. I know the long hours that myself and fellow pro’s put in every day and I also know it’s a major challenge for many in our sport to make a living doing something they are passionate about. This race along with our upcoming 2010 series will offer the opportunity for healthy paydays. Our races however won't just throw out aggressive prize purses, we truly want to provide a “first class” experience from beginning to end. We will also provide our pros airport pickups, homestays, a private pro dinner, free massage, designated pro transition and finish line VIP area. I would like to stress however that our races are not just about pro athletes – our age-group athletes will enjoy the same first class customer service as well. We are incorporating a number of special touches that I know our athletes will appreciate; it’s something you will need to experience to appreciate fully.

ST: You chose to create an independent race, rather than making Ironman 70.3 Connecticut. There are obvious pluses and minuses either way. Can you tell us about your decision to create a standalone race? (Or is the Rev3 in CT the first of a planned Rev3 series?)

Heather: Ironman does a great job with their series and I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for their organizing crew but we feel strongly about our vision for Rev3 and intend to bring to market another very “high quality” race opportunity for athletes nationwide. We have an exciting series that will be announced shortly for 2010. STAY TUNED – some very cool venues are on the horizon for Rev3, catch our updates at www.rev3tri.com

ST: Tell us a little about the unique technology that is featured on the Rev3 website.

Heather: We are so excited about this aspect of our race. It is something that once people experience it they will be excited about being part of its future maturation. We intend to bring the race experience to life for spectators both at the venue and through the web. Six on-course cameras will capture the action on race day. Spectators viewing through the web or at our race day computer kiosk will have the option to follow any of the live feeds. Text updates will flow along with a live chat room and multiple still photographs from the course as well as real time competitor updates throughout the day. Athletes will also have the option to use a Trakkers GPS unit that they will wear on their wrist while racing. An interactive on-line map will follow athletes offering a GPS fix every second and refreshed updates every minute. For those using Trakkers, Family and Friends will know where their loved ones are every step of the way. Overall it will be the most unique race day experience for spectators offered anywhere. Viewing a triathlon is about to take a major step forward !! For more information on this event and the Rev3 2010 Race Series log on to Rev3tri.com.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all Moms !!

The following article was written by Kevin Mackinnon of Ironman and is found on the Ironman site (http://www.ironman.com/)

Ironmanlife: How About Those Moms?

Kevin Mackinnon offers up a special Happy Mother's Day Column

Published Friday, May 8, 2009

So how do they do it? How can they manage to make lunches, get kids to school, keep the house in order and still compete at the highest level of the sport? "Our Mom Rocks!" is the answer that Joshua, Jordan and Zachary Gollnick will provide when it comes to describing one of the sport's super-moms.

They wore the shirts proclaiming that very statement in style before Ford Ironman Arizona two years ago … and got to display them with pride as they just about ran mom over when she crossed the finish line claiming yet another Ironnman title.

It's not too often you come across a five-time Ironman champion who will tell you that the reason she's racing so well is because all three kids are in school all day, which gives her a 9 to 3 window to get some training in … but that's the truth for Gollnick. Her incredible year of three Ironnman wins in 2007 came the year her youngest hit Grade 1 – giving her that extra few hours to get a bit more training done. Think she's getting a couple of hours of sleep in between workouts like so many other pros? Hah!

I can't even imagine what a typical day in the Gollnick household is like, especially since Todd (her husband) has become the race director of the Revolution 3 triathlon that's coming up in June and - since training, coaching, running her own business and carting three kids to baseball, soccer and every other game they can sign up for wasn't enough to keep her busy - Gollnick took on the position as marketing director for the race.

Suffice it to say that Gollnick easily qualifies as triathlon's super-mom and it's all-too-appropriate that we acknowledge that fact a couple of days before mom's day! I spoke to her a couple of days ago and despite the fact that the kids are heavily into baseball playoffs right now, she's gearing up for Ironman Brazil at the end of the month. Go Heather, go!

Muffins for Moms :)

My baby (pictured below) was so excited as today was "Muffins for Moms" Day at School.
I was doing some computer work early this morning when Zach woke up all excited (almost like Christmas). "Come on Mom - Get Ready" he called out. He wanted to get to school early telling me we will need to drive here, then we have to park over there, then to the Office for check in..... he couldn't stop.

I looked him in the eye and said, but Zach I am ready ! No come on mom - jumping up and down. What I said, I cant wear this? Mom he responded (hands on hips) your in your PJs !! He took my hand and led me into my bedroom closet and picked out what I should wear (oh, he will make a good husband someday). He wanted me to wear my skull hat - kids think skulls are cool, either that or he wanted his mom to be a bad a_ _ !! He proceeded to tell me that I looked really nice (a really good husband he will be) - and we were off......

At school he served me fruit and a chocolate muffin - he knows me so well !! He made me a cute flower pot with a long list of nice things written about mom. At first I thought all the kids must have copied them off the board as the list read - (#1) I love you Mom, (#2) Your the Best,
(#3) You are a great cook, (ok now I know he was just copying them off the board) ... but as the list developed I knew they were in fact just for me as his list continued with:

I love you because....

You are FAST (I laughed inside but I did love it)
Because you take care of me
You say prayers with me
You are fun to play with
You are STRONG !!