Feelings First

"I can feel the pace, at every mile mark the time is the same. It's at times like this, that I feel free, focused and able to finish strong." says the voice of Reneau Kennedy, a high powered lady, a forensic psychologist dealing with the deepest issues that affect a person's psyche and emotional well-being. Reneau has learned to put her "feelings first" and focus on giving her best effort in workouts and races.

Reneau is a life-time athlete. She grew up in the mountains, riding horses and dancing ballet. The combination of these diverse activities produced the strength and grace needed to swim, bicycle and run in competition.

Reneau is immersed in her life, she can be very present and get up for a challenge. The same competitive drive that fueled the rise to the top of her profession enables her to handle the demands of training for triathlons and marathons.

Reneau has passion for her work, her physical training and her personal growth. In the 49th year of her life, she plans to celebrate her next birthday by running four major races in three countries in ten weeks. And celebrate she will! She will put her feelings first; she will be grateful for the experience, excited to compete and committed to doing her best each moment.

Grateful: Prior to every work out and race, she will let go of the 'mental chatter' related to her intense life and think in a feeling sense: she will breathe, relax, and think and feel about the proper mechanics of her form and pace. In the case of triathlons, she will include thinking about and feeling the transitions from the swim to the bike to the run.

Mental toughness is an important aspect of gratefulness-- to be committed to relaxation; to complete your day rather than put it on hold; to let go of any upsets; to be present and give your best effort. To be grateful and really distill the value and appreciate life takes mental focus and a real commitment.

Excited: During every workout and race, she is excited. She "gets up and stays up" for each and every challenge; she is present; she embraces the challenges; and she maintains contact with the other runners and feels the pace.

Excitement takes focus; to express your passion for your sport, and generate and maintain the appropriate thoughts and feelings from start to finish.

Committed: Throughout her experience she stays on track. She maintains her training regimen. She does her strength work; she eats right, maintains her hydration, gets the right amount of rest and takes power naps. She does the inner work, breathes, reflects, debriefs, accepts the results of her efforts and savors every moment.

Commitment requires devotion: to be eager to make growth choices each moment, to stay above the line and resist the temptation to judge, label or be critical of your performance in any way.

Summary: Reneau is clear that she has created a chance of a lifetime for herself and she plans to experience it fully. She is also aware that she is both extremely sensitive to her surroundings and competitive. She also recognizes those moments when the "athlete" in her wants to push the limits. She plans to celebrate her 50th birthday healthy, happy and injury free. Good luck Reneau!