Hi Everyone!
I hope your summer is off to a great start and you are soaking up the sun and the opportunity to get outside!
May was a challenging month for me. I had a wonderful lead in to Ironman Texas (The North American Championships on May 14th), but a week before the race I withdrew my name from the start list. Since April I had been managing a small niggle in my shin, but at the same time my blood tests came back showing my thyroid levels were significantly off - almost back to the levels seen when I broke my femur in 2014. One of the side effects of hypothyroidism is compromised bone density. 1 week was not enough time to get my thyroid in check, and we worried that if I raced, my "niggle" might turn into a stress fracture and put an end to my season. It was a easy decision, yet I was disappointed and the reality of pulling out of a championship race stung.
Since then we've made some definitive and non-negotiable changes to my diet (no gluten, no dairy, no soy) which has a large impact on the thyroid, I've upped my thyroid meds and my latest blood work confirmed I am back in a normal range! Awesome!
With that, my training load ramped back up and I am excited to announce that I will be racing Ironman 70.3 Racine on July 17 and then Ironman Vineman on July 30th.
In addition to racing, we have some exciting events coming up, including a women's panel at the Bay Club in San Francisco on July 11th and then a charity ride sponsored by Clif Bar, Beyond Aero, Cervelo and Freeplay Magazine in Sonoma followed by lunch and a wine tasting by winemaker Kurt Beitler from Boheme Winery. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to support itri girls, a organization that promotes self confidence and positive habits in at-risk girls.
After my Ironman in July it is all systems GO as I begin my prep for the Ironman World Championships in Kona.
We'll reach out in a few weeks with an update on my racing!
Thanks for the support!
Sarah-
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Wall Street Journal Article
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Sarah Piampiano left a demanding job on Wall Street for an equally demanding job training 40 hours a week as a top competitor on the triathlon circuit.
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Join us on July 24th in Sonoma for a fully SAG supported 40-50 mile ride followed by lunch at Hazel and a wine tasting with Boheme wine maker Kurt Beitler.
This ride will showcase the beautiful riding in Sonoma - we're looking forward to seeing many people there!
** Part of the proceeds from the wine purchases for the day will go towards the iTri girls, a wonderful organization that supports empowerment in at-risk girls through triathlon.
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A few weeks ago we re-launched The Habit Project website - a side project to my full-time job of triathlon training and racing. Our goal is to build an online community for people to seek support and find resources and ideas for how to make positive habit changes in their life across nutrition, life balance, fitness and triathlon (for those that are so inclined).
Last week we focused on fitness, and in particular the idea that lasting habit changes actually come in the shape of small steps.
I think in every aspect of our lives, whether trying to make some habit changes, setting professional goals or personal ones - we all have our “pie in the sky” thing we want to achieve. For me - mine is to win the Ironman World Championships. But just because that is my BIG goal, does not mean the journey to get there will be a linear one. There will be ups and down and big jumps and big setbacks. And the process of achieving that goal requires SMALL (VERY VERY small) steps that take place over a long period of time.
For many of us, we set big goals and when there is a blip in the process, we feel we are failing and give up. Your goal may be to lose 20,30,40 pounds, but that will not happen overnight. Start the process by making SMALL changes, like walking every day on your lunch hour. Or bringing your lunch to work vs eating out. Or riding your bike to work. I find, once I begin to succeed at the small things, it inspires and motivates me to keep working towards my goal. If you miss a day or slip up - don’t let it bug you. It doesn’t mean you are failing. Just accept that things happen, you can’t be 100% perfect all the time, and then get back on track.
The following quote is taped to my fridge “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out”. I read this every time I need motivation and remind myself that it is the SMALL efforts that lead to the big results.
Check out our new and improved website and read some of the wonderful blogs we have up on this subject! You won’t be disappointed!
Until next time.
Don’t Dream it. Be it!
Sarah-
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