The Grind

The past few months have truly been a whirlwind. Believe me, when I did my first triathlon back in 2013 I never would have thought in a million years that it would lead me here and that I'd meet so many amazing people! In the past two months I've had the opportunity to....

Film with IRONMAN

Photo courtesy of Princes Photo Studio

Shoot with HOKA

Write for Zoot Sports

https://zootsports.com/pages/women-and-triathlon

Get interviewed by USA Triathlon...

Link to interview

...and WTKR Channel 3 News

Snag a magazine cover (coming this spring)

With my sponsor In & Out Express Care. Trying different poses.

Get a mention in Bicycling Magazine (are you kidding me)

Link to article

And manage to keep my day job ;-)

Me in my cube at work

With all that being said...it's easy to write about the glitz and glamour and post the fun stuff on social media. But the reality is that with all those highs there are an equal amount of lows!! While I publicly state my goals, I secretly question my fitness and if I'm even cut out for this sport. I literally have to talk myself into doing more than half of my workouts because "I want to sleep in" or "I'd rather go to happy hour with my coworkers" or "I just don't feel like doing this sh*t another day". But I'm very stubborn and I consider myself extremely disciplined so.. I just.. do it. But believe me, there's this constant underlying fear that it won't be enough. That all this time and energy that I've been devoting to my goal won't lead to the results I seek.

And then there are other things that I still haven't gotten used to like spending most of my time working on my weakness versus strengths. For me that means very little running, and lots and lots of biking. Which leads to mind games.... like today! Purposely going into a big local road race on extremely tired legs.

Training log from the past two weeks

In the past, there's no way I would have gone into a race like this without some kind of taper. And there's really no way in hell I would have done a 2+ hour bike workout the day before the race. But I trust my coach and I trust the process. Still, it's scary!! Despite knowing the reality of the situation - that I'm running tired, that it's not a goal race, that it's supposed to prep me for Ironman 70.3 Texas, Eagleman, and Augusta, I still can't help feeling disappointed and comparing my times to previous years.

2019 Maritime 8K (at the One City Marathon)

One of my slowest 8Ks ever. Started strong then the fatigue set in and it was all about getting to the finish line.

Crossing the finish line

But you know what? One of the great things about blogging or writing in a journal is that it's like a time capsule. I have proof that I was going through something similar last year - unsure about my fitness, concerned about my run, and feeling like I was biking tons and wondering if it would pay off. Then I went on and dropped massive time on the bike and ran a sub 1:30 half marathon at the end of Ironman 70.3 Atlantic City. It's comforting knowing that I was worried and had doubts, but everything turned out A ok. So I'll continue following my coach's plan and try my best to have faith in the process. I guess that's all I can really do...or quit.. which is not an option!

I'll keep on doing this...

and this...

and this...

CONGRATS to everyone who PR'd, Boston Qualified, or completed their first Half or Full Marathon this weekend! AND congratulations to everyone who rode the struggle bus and didn't hit their goals but still managed to finish. It takes a lot of courage to keep pushing when you're far off goal pace and every part of you wants to stop. It's this awful, vulnerable feeling. However, that one race where everything goes right and you shock yourself... I promise, it's worth it!

Up next: IRONMAN 70.3 Texas. I'll be sure to post an update. Until then, feel free to follow me on Instagram:

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A post shared by Sika Henry (@sikahenry) on Feb 18, 2019 at 5:21am PST

FTP Test, Being ‘Outspoken’, and Advice from Pro Triathletes

I started writing this post on my flight home from Tempe, AZ, where I attended (and spoke at) the Outspoken: Women in Triathlon Summit last month. But then I got sidetracked aka I flew to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico with my family for an early Christmas / Birthday celebration. By the time I got back .. well... I just didn't feel like writing....

...because my mind was stuck here!!

And I kept reliving moments with my brother...

Missing my Mom and the night we celebrated my birthday....

...and thinking about conversations I had with my Dad.

But then I received a message via Messenger from someone I'd never met. She just happened to find my blog through a google search - "Black Women Triathletes" - and found inspiration in my journey. She is now registered for her first triathlon. The ironic thing is that her story inspires me! Married, 3 kids, full time labor & delivery nurse ... the people I've been able to connect with through my writing and blogging is priceless. So here I am. Back to blogging. 2019 New Year's Resolution: blog more!!

I wasn't sure where to start first... the Summit, training, sponsorship.... So I'll begin with what I like talking about least: THE BIKE

FTP Test (Functional Threshold Power)

In layman terms: the highest average power you can sustain riding for an hour (in watts). Would you believe my coach had me do this the day before I flew to Mexico? Even had the nerve to label the workout "So you deserve your vacation"! Well I was nervous. I treated it like a race. I carbo loaded and everything haha. The last time I did an FTP test was in early 2017 and my results were horrendous - 137 watts. I figured anything would be better than that. 

An INTERVIEW I did with Slowtwitch.com regarding my progress using TrainerRoad.

Result: 185 watts. It's embarrassing to admit that I was actually ecstatic with this result. An FTP of 185 is NOT good. And I'm sure if there are any strong cyclists out there reading this, they are thinking "she doesn't stand a chance in hell at qualifying for her pro card." But hear me out. My previous test result was 137. If you compare my watts in 2017 (bottom light blue line) to 2018 (top dark blue line) I have improved markedly. 

Bike PRs last year versus this year. Courtesy of TrainerRoad.

I'm not naive. I will never be an exceptional cyclist, but as long as I'm making progress I'm a happy camper! Plus, I'm not too shabby on the run ;-)

Outspoken: Women in Triathlon Summit

Sometimes this journey feels surreal. Not in a million years did I think doing a sprint triathlon for fun a few years ago would lead me here. That, not only would I meet Julie Moss (one of the most inspiring and influential people in the sport of triathlon) but that I'd actually be speaking at the same conference as her!

Getting a signed copy of her book Crawl of Fame.
I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far.

Or that I'd be speaking on the same panel as Rachel Joyce. I mean .. Rachel freakin Joyce. She's been on the podium 3 times at the IRONMAN World Championships. Heck, the woman won 2 Ironmans less than a year after giving birth to her son.

"Where We Are Now" Panel with Rachel Joyce, Diana Bertsch, and moderated by Triathlete Magazine's Erin Beresini

I've been asked at least one hundred times "How was the Summit?" Overall I would say it was a success! It brought together women from all over the country who share a similar passion (triathlon) and want to make a difference in the sport – whether that’s bringing more women into the sport, having more women in leadership positions, starting businesses, becoming race directors, seeing more diversity and inclusion, etc. The audience ranged from pro triathletes (Meredith Kessler, Rachel McBride, Hillary Biscay, Rachel Joyce, Haley Chura, Kelly O'Mara) to representatives from organizations within the sport (USAT, IRONMAN, Women For Tri), age groupers, coaches, owners (Anne Hed), a doctor that specialized in female anatomy and nutrition, and of course pioneers in the sport like Julie Moss and Sally Edwards - did you know that Sally started Fleet Feet? A female pro triathlete started Fleet Feet.. who knew?

I feel like they did an excellent job of exploring almost every subject you could think of with the panels they organized. There were also great networking opportunities in the evening and EVERYONE was super approachable.

Then there’s the other side of the conference – from my view as an African American female in the sport – that I would like to see change moving forward....

My girls!! Jamila and Shaunna <3

... DIVERSITY!! I’d love to see a more diverse representation of women in the audience. Jamila Gale-Agans (Ironman finisher and owner/head coach of Sherpa Fitness & Endurance), Dr. Shaunna Payne Gold (IRONMAN 70.3 triathlete, swim coach / instructor and Founder of SHEro Athletics), and myself were the only African American women there. But we are not the only ones in the sport! I know quite a few fast, talented, smart, athletic women that I think could bring a wealth of knowledge to this Summit. (I plan to hound them next year!)

I thought the weekend as a whole was excellent. Thank you Dr. Sara Gross and Dr. Lisa Ingarfield for making your vision a reality...and for including me. Here are a few of my personal highlights:

See these HED wheels I race on?

I met Anne Hed!! #boss

Spending the weekend with truly exceptional women

I don't have a pic with her unfortunately, but I got to meet one of my favorite writers, Kelly O'Mara. She writes for Triathlete Magazine and I'm hooked on her weekly newsletter If We Were Riding. This woman keeps it real. She's unapologetic, blunt, honest ... there were a few times over the weekend when she spoke and I thought to myself "Oh my lawd I can't believe she just said that out loud." She's not afraid to talk about the things that most people shy away from like getting so nervous before a race that she gets sick (she's a pro triathlete by the way) or how she feels about women that qualify for their pro card over and over again but continue to race as amateurs (link).

Advice from Pro Triathletes

From a selfish standpoint, I would say that the advice I received from pros made the whole conference worth it! Something I REALLY struggled with over the past year was fatigue... to the point where I honestly thought something was wrong with me. (Side note: I got my blood checked. Results were good.) Turns out, it's just hard swimming/biking/running all the time, while working a full time job, and having extra hobbies on the side. Rachel Joyce told me that when she was working full time as a lawyer and training for Ironmans that she could literally sleep half the day away on Sundays. THIS made me feel more human.

Things I learned...
 - Listen to your body. If you need sleep, SLEEP! I don't know why, but I always feel guilty about sleeping in the middle of the day. I feel like the weekends are meant for getting things done, not 'wasting the day away' in bed. But sleep/rest = recovery.
- Pros get nervous too! "I start having breakdowns two weeks before a big race. I cry and everything. Totally normal." ~Kelly O'Mara.... I'm not alone :-) I think this is a good thing??
- It's ok to say "no" to some things. I had incredible opportunities this year, from speaking at the  ERSL Conference at Florida International University and at the official announcement for Hampton University / USAT partnership, to being on the Conversation P.A.C.E. show in NYC. Without a doubt I'd do all of these things again in a heartbeat. It's opened the door for a lot of things in 2019 that I unfortunately had to say no to. Each time I felt this overwhelming sense of guilt. But my goals this year are very much performance based so that is my focus!

Trying not to be awkward!

What's next
I'm doing a 5K next weekend. Help!!! I haven't done anything that short in literally a year. Then I'll do a few more road races and a half marathon in March. And then it's on to the big stuff: IRONMAN 70.3 Texas, IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman, and IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta. I'll sprinkle in a few sprint and olympic distance triathlons, but for the most part Eagleman and Augusta are my "A" races.

Oh and I'll be racing in a new custom kit this year. Can't wait! A huge THANK YOU to Zoot Sports for partnering with me in 2019.

Happy New Year <3