Girls' Camp 2014: My first Girls' Camp Ever!

I got to attend Girls' Camp for the first time EVER!  The past couple of times that I was called into Young Women and had the opportunity to go, I moved.  And I never was in Young Women as I'm a convert to the church.  But this year, I finally got initiated and went up to Hinckley Scout Ranch with my girls!  We were scheduled to go from June 24th through the 28th.

We chose the theme: Super Heroes - The Power Within.  It was a lot of fun.  The girls made shirts with their chosen super hero and we prepped with hikes and such.  These girls truly are super heroes, as they face much adversity and have to stand up for what they believe in with courage and integrity.

They were able to take part in activities such as shooting, archery, bouldering, team building and problem solving, hiking, canoeing, and swimming.  They also put together a skit and performed in front of youth and leaders of other wards, and sang songs around the camp fire.  They performed service by creating a trail for others to appreciate along the nature hike, and they helped around their own camp site - cooking, gathering firewood, and picking up trash.

I'm so proud of these girls and am grateful for the opportunity I had to get them know them better and see them outside of a church setting.  There were a few kinks, as bigger groups tend to experience, but they were able to work it out and enjoy the remainder of their time there.

I got to take some of the classes they participated in as well.  Archery was one of my favorites... I did pretty good for my first time!

The skits were hilarious!  The girls had me rolling on the ground laughing as they have such character! 

I love these girls... and wouldn't trade them for the world!  I'm grateful for all the Young Women that I've gotten to work with over the past few years, and I know they have such bright futures ahead of them!  I can't wait to see what awesome leaders they turn out to be!

Until next year...

What I learned from Triathlons

(For my friend, Sara.  I told you I'd get this to you at some point... years later... lol

I drafted this in 2008, and got around to finishing it in 2013)

The time has come... race time.  Having to get up at the break of dawn to set up my transition area and prepare to enter the water are just the beginnings of it all.  My heart starts to race and the anxiety sets in.

The swim.  It was never my favorite part. 

"I'm a slow swimmer.  Why can't I be a faster swimmer?"  These thoughts consume my focus as I anticipate my wave going off.  The first time I ever swam in open water it was a cold, late April day in Cunningham State Park.  The water was freeeeeeeezing!  The lack of oxygen didn't help my fears of having my head fully submerged in the water and not being able to see anything but the fish poop and green tint from the plant life growing at the bottom of the lake.  How was I ever going to make it through a full triathlon if I couldn't even get to the other side of the lake at this open water training?

My first triathlon wasn't any better.  Not only was it cold, but I was getting kicked in the face and shoved by other triathletes, and the current in the Delaware River was so strong I swallowed water every time I went to breathe.  I felt so alone; so defeated.  But I didn't give up after that one defeat. It wasn't until I ran the Giant Acorn Triathlon (maybe my 7th tri?)  with my friend Sara that I finally found my comfort zone; having worked hard to strengthen my weaknesses.

As I began the swim part of my race, the usual anxiety came to greet me.  I stayed towards the back of my wave pool and let all the others go ahead of me so I could set my own pace.  I still was shoved around and kicked as the next wave caught up to me.  But the water was the perfect temperature, which helped me calm down, and I uttered the mantra "just keep swimming" as my best friend Lori would repeat from "Finding Nemo."  I was in a happy place.  I wasn't going to let anything deter me from finishing my race. 

As I swam I realized a few things about the sport of triathlon... this was a metaphor for life as well.  No matter how much you prepare, there will be times when fear tends to outweigh all that you know you can do.  You'll be trampled on, kicked, and pulled down by others because they don't see you or they don't care enough to move out of the way.  Sometimes the way isn't always clear and the path is not always visible.  The finish line seems unattainable.  The conditions will never be perfect.  There will be those who finish faster than you or are better than you at some things.  Occasionally, you'll have strangers stop and help or encourage you along the way.  But what really matters is that as long as you finish and have those who love and support you by your side, nothing else really matters 

The other two sports (bike and run) can be just as grueling as the swim, especially towards the end.  Nobody can describe those moments when your body starts to cramp and the heat is beating down on you; or when you're winded and just want to see the finish line, but something deep down inside of you keeps pushing you to keep going... just one step in front of the other.  And then the feeling you get when you finally cross that finish line when you've had your doubts.... the medal around your neck is just the icing on the cake.

Triathlon is not a sport for the weak-willed.  It's a sport for those crazy enough to push themselves to the limit.  It's a sport that challenges and demands not only physical and mental strength and endurance, but faith in yourself.  There are areas that you may struggle in, but if you're willing and put in the work, those weaknesses turn into strengths. 

That's what I learned from triathlons.

Lake Montclair Triathlon 2007

Giant Acorn Triathlon 2008 with Simeon & Sara

If it's not one thing, it's another...

I feel like I'm posting one thing after another about this past weekend.  Because seriously... if it really isn't one thing, it's another.  So after getting chased around by that sicko on Saturday night, Ezra and I went back down to Moab to tow our car back to Salt Lake.  We slept in Sunday morning, but we ended up spending the rest of the morning at UHaul getting our tow dolly, and then headed down to pick up our car.  On the way down, we heard a clicking in our 4Runner, which really freaked us out.  I found it was a flap under the fender that was loose and needed tacking down.  Whew!  We were both really worried about this car too.

Ezra and I both had Monday off, so we ended up sleeping and resting most of the day away.  It was much needed rest! 

We took Emerline into the auto shop on 17th South on Wednesday afternoon, after I got off work.  Because the "Check Engine" light was flashing, the mechanics recommended we not drive the car at all.  Emmy got a code 301.  We left our car there.

Ezra then got a call from the auto shop today and said that the mechanics found a few things wrong with the car and asked if he wanted them to do an expensive test to make sure it wasn't something else.  They didn't want to fix anything up until they got the deeper source of the problem.  I'm hoping it's not something so severe that it would cost an arm and a leg to repair.  I guess the other option would be to look into a newer vehicle.  I'd hate to lose Emmy though.  She's come to be my go to car.  I love her so much!  I almost hated the idea of having a Civic at the time I bought her, but she's gone through so much with me.  She's been there through all the craziness of my senior year... through first triathlon, and has even helped us survive out here in Utah!

The repair shop called back today and told us Emmy needed a valve adjustment.  With repairs and diagnostics, it would cost us $875.  But they somehow knocked it down to $750!  :\  I guess it's more affordable than a new car - that's for sure!

So now that we've gotten the Civic fixed, I think She-Ra (our 4Runner) is having starter issues!  I think it's time we start learning how to fix this stuff ourselves!  It may take a lot more time and frustration, but it would be quite cheaper!  I'm really hoping my co-worker Mike can teach me!  I want to learn!

Hot, homesick, and hunted

After our duathlon in Green River on June 14th, my friend, FeliAnne, and I decided to head to Dead Horse Point for a quick scenic tour before heading back to Salt Lake.  We were doing just fine, until we hit the entrance to the park... and then the "Check Engine" light goes off.  Great.  Just great!  We decide to snap a few pictures there and head over to the nearby gas station across the street.  I call my brother-in-law who says it might be the spark plugs or out of whack wire, and advises me to take it to the nearest repair shop.  So I go into the gas station and ask for the nearest repair shop.  Nine miles away in Arches, the cashier says.  I ask for a phone number, which she gives me.  I call... no answer.  I call again... no answer.  So we decide to take the chance and drive into town.

Not knowing exactly where this place is, we stop at another gas station and ask where this repair shop is.  The cashier gives me some pretty vague directions, and then proceeds to tell me that it's closed.  Apparently all the repair shops are closed today, and the one next door closed at noon.  It's now about 12:30.  *sigh* :(  She then tells me there's a rental car company down the street.  So I call my friend back in Salt Lake and ask her if we can park my car over at her sister's place until we can tow it back to Salt Lake (after we get the rental car of course).  She makes a call and gives us the OK from her sis.  So off we go, looking for the rental car company... we get there ... and of course it's closed.  Saturday and Sunday.  Fail. 

At this point, I'm all out of ideas.  Kind of.  And then I think... who can I call?  Who would know someone out here?  Maybe my visiting teacher!  So I called Carrie, in hopes she'd know someone around this area.  She asks how my triathlon went when I call her, and I tell her it went well... but that there's a problem.  She tells me she doesn't know anyone out here, but she tells me that she can come pick us up when she gets out of her class around 3pm!  What a life saver!  And such an awesome friend!  (Mind you, she just got called as my visiting teacher... what a blessing!)

To kill some time, we went out for lunch.  And then went around to the various gift shops around the strip to cool off and help the time pass quicker.  There's this fun shop in Moab called Tumbleweed, which carries hand made and recycled crafts and gifts.  I saw this fun magnet...

I debated on whether or not to get it, but FeliAnne convinced me to, so I did.  I now need a name for him, so if any of you have ideas, I'd love to hear them!  

We spent the rest of the time hanging out at the information center, and trying to take a nap at the gas station we stopped at earlier.  There was a nice tree that provided shade, and a breeze that graced us.  We tried to nap, but a man with a metal detector inhibited the rest we so desperately needed.  So we sat around talking as we waited for Carrie.

She got to us around 7:30pm.  The Rodes Inn so graciously and generously allowed us to park my car in their lot until we could get to it in a day or so.  I'm so grateful for that!  We packed Carrie's car with our two bikes, and gear, and headed back to Salt Lake.  Just past Green River, we saw a car on the side of the road with its hazards on.  I noticed it was just a woman with her 3 children.  Carrie didn't want to stop, but she felt strongly to do so.  Since it was just a woman, she felt better about it than stopping for a random man.  The lady was so grateful.  She was almost out of gas and wasn't sure she could make it to the gas station.  Carrie agreed to follow the lady to the nearest gas station, and to take her there should she run out of gas before then.  We all took a break and filled up on gas while there.  We found out the the lady's husband had left her and her kids on their own, so they were homeless and planning their next move.  They even had a cat with them!  :(  She thanked us for our help and we went about our journey back to Salt Lake.

I was so exhausted from the day's events that I couldn't stay awake for most of the trip home.  I was able to stay awake once we got to Spanish Fork and got out to use the bathroom before the home stretch.

Past American Fork, we almost got side swiped by this red truck with a trailer.  As I was frightened by how close the guy was, Carrie moved to the next lane over.  The guy later moved to the lane closest to us, so Carrie sped up and overtook him.

As we dropped FeliAnne off, Carrie noticed there was a car parked further back with its lights on.  She thought the person was waiting to turn into the driveway or something.  We waited until FeliAnne got to her boyfriend's apartment and headed off.  As we turned, a vehicle seemed to be making the same coincidental turns.  We took some random turns to see if they'd turn somewhere else, but they seemed to be following us.  Carrie then noticed the trailer... it was the same guy that almost side swiped us back in American Fork!  

I called Ezra, waking him up, and asked him to meet me at the door.  I told him that I needed him to escort me inside because someone was following us.  Carrie sped up in hopes to lose the guy, but he just kept following.  We took some random streets, and he just kept pursuing us.  We finally were able to beat a light on 1300 S and headed towards Walmart.  Ezra said to get to a public place.  We wanted to head to the police station, but even that felt too far away.  I then asked Ezra to pick me up at Walgreens at Sugarhouse since it's open 24hours.  I was afraid the guy would have made the connection and followed Ezra there too.  When he got there, I was relieved to find just him.  He told us that when we didn't show up outside, he went back to the house and looked out the window and saw the truck following us around.  There was nothing in his trailer.

We followed Carrie home to make sure she got in safe.  Then Ezra circled the neighbor to see if the guy was still circling.  He was hoping to find him, get his license plate number, and call the cops.  We didn't find him.  But he called and made the report anyway, just to alert the authorities.  

Even after getting back home safe in the apartment, I was still paranoid that the guy was around.  I have never had that happen to me.  Carrie was wondering what we had done to him to make him follow us all the way from American Fork to Salt Lake, and all around our neighborhood.  Ezra was convinced it was just some sicko.  I hope that never happens again!  But that just lit a fire under my butt to get a concealed weapons permit!  I want to be prepared and protected if something like that ever happens to me again!

River Rampage Triathlon 06.14.14

River Rampage Triathlon took place on Saturday, June 14, 2014 in Green River, UT.

My friend, and fellow Desert Shark teammate, FeliAnne, and I headed down to Green River, from Salt Lake City, Friday afternoon.  It was about a 3 hour drive with some pretty amazing scenery.  We were already a little bummed that the swim portion of our triathlon (tri) got cancelled due to fast moving currents.  In previous years, the water was shallow enough to stand in, and some have even said that they kicked up silt/river bottom during the swim. This year was not the case.  The current

Previous River Rampage Swim Start

Green River, June 13, 2014

Green River, June 13, 2014

increased to 19,000 - 21,000 cubic square feet per second!  And there had been recent deaths of people drowning on that river.  So The State of Utah, Grand County Search & Rescue and the Sheriff's department advised TriUtah to cancel the swim portion of the triathlon.  When we got down and checked in for our race, we were able to see what they were talking about.  The water was higher than that seen from the previous year, and quite a bit higher as well.  After finding out all this information, I felt a bit relieved that they decided to make it a Duathlon rather than a triathlon.  Hey... I'm all about safety!  I'd rather not die... at least not yet!    

After checking in for the race, we headed back to our hotel to get settled and then headed out for dinner.  We decided to try the restaurant right next to our hotel to fore-go having to drive more than our share for the day.  Besides, it was getting late and we needed to get in bed for our early morning start.  I must say that our hotel was a bit sketchy, the receptionist was a bit clueless, and I was unaware that our hotel room was a "Smoking Room" which didn't bode well with my asthma.  The restaurant wasn't that great either, but we were more concerned with just getting food and getting to bed!

I had a hard time getting to sleep that night due to the smoke aggravating my asthma, which then had me coughing for at least 20 minutes before I could fall asleep.  

Race Day, June 14, 2014

We got up around 5am and got ready.  Thank goodness Green River State Park was literally right across the street, so no crazy 3am wake up calls.

FeliAnne and I at transition.

Transition area.

We got to the race site and set up our transition areas.

I met another one of our teammates (not pictured) from Desert Sharks, Brandy!  I had only talked to her via FaceBook before then, and she just so happened to set up right beside me!  How fun!  I also met some other triathletes sporting the Team In Training (TNT) threads!  GO TEAM!  I wished them luck!  One of the ladies was only signed up for the sprint.  Her husband, Jeff, was running the Olympic, and was his first race!  Due to the cancelled swim, there were fewer participants than originally expected (the race was pretty much sold out before the swim got cancelled)!  Just about everyone else signed up for the sprint, so the Olympic distance consisted of just about all males and a handful of females (including myself).  Sad.  Instead of starting in waves, we started in Time Trial (TT) fashion, which I had never done before (I guess there were a lot of firsts for me this race... first Duathlon; first TT start).  I told the guy Jeff, with the TNT gear, that he had nothing to worry about (he was worried about losing people on the bike and not knowing where to go) and that he'd probably pass me.  He did.

Scenery on the bike course, Green River, UT

The wind was pretty intense on the bike, which caused my lungs to burn while I was trying to keep up my speed.  There were no major hills on the bike course, which made it easier for me to just cruise along at a nice pace.  I actually don't mind hills, especially after having ridden Emigration and even East Canyons, but the biggest hill on this course today made me feel a bit woozy.  I think it was a combination of all the asthma triggers last night and all the wind I had to battle.  I figured, since I wasn't going to be PR'ing on this bike portion, I'd work on my form.  I think I finally got this down!  And the scenery was absolutely beautiful!  (pic was from the TriUtah site, I didn't take my phone with me... too dangerous to take pics during the course).  I was one of the last females in on the bike, but I wasn't too down about that... I knew this was more of another training race for me.

Joyce & Sparkle.  Pic from my teammate John K.

                                             
There were two other ladies in front of me as we biked in for T1.  They were a couple minutes ahead of me.  Getting off my bike and switching into my run gear was a bit painful.  My transition was a rather quick one.  I hobbled for the first bit out of transition.  The girls did too.

Run course.  Green River State Park. Pic from teammate John K.

The run portion of the tri was on the golf course of the Green River State Park.  Running on grass is NOT my favorite terrain to run on.  I think I need to start training more on grass and trails, in addition to running on road/pavement from now on.  I ran/walked most of the first loop of the run (total run for Olympic distance is 6.2), but the second half was a lot harder for me.  I was tired, I was starting to cramp in my thighs... so I walked most of the second loop to assure I'd make it to the end.  I ended up meeting the two girls who were ahead of me on the bike.  Their names were Elizabeth and Kristen.  They had caught up to me at that point, and allowed me to join them walk/running.  They were just as tired from the winds on the bike.  Their goal at this point was to finish.  So we stuck together for most of the second loop.  But after about mile 4.5, the hunger pains started to set in.  So I pulled ahead a bit, because my motivation was FOOD!!!!!

So I turned the fire on the last bit as I knew the finish line was in sight!  All I wanted at this point was something to eat.  Whenever this happens, I always think of my friend Meghan, from my college lacrosse team.  She'd say "All I want is a hamburger!" towards the end of practice, when we were all starving.  So, I sprinted down to the finish line...

Joyce sprinting to finish line. Pic by John K.

Do you see the look of determination on my face?  Yup... I just wanted food, and my medal!  Nothing else mattered at this point!  hahaha

The girls behind me are Elizabeth and Kristen, respectively.  I'm so grateful they kept me motivated to keep going!  They were a pertinent part of me finishing this race!  I'm grateful to have met them!

Elizabeth, Joyce, & Kristen. 

And they're from the Salt Lake Valley as well!  So I now have some new training buddies!  They're a great inspiration too... being moms of small kids and all.  :)

As we biked and ran, there was this brother-sister team along the course as well.  The young man, Andrew, was such an inspiration!  He is a little bit handicapped, but he ran the sprint course and completed the tri!  His sister ran the whole way with him!  As they made it down the final stretch, we all lined up and cheered for them as they brought it home!

Andrew and his sister, at the finish!

It brought tears to my eyes to see Andrew cross that finish line!  He worked so hard and accomplished this difficult feat!

I love stories like those!  They always inspire and motivate me to push harder, and know that I can accomplish anything, if I just believe and work hard enough!

Overall, I was pretty happy with my first Duathlon!  Now I'm looking forward to running East Canyon in August.  But first... Deseret Classic Half on Pioneer Day! 


If you're out there... be sure to look for me! 

Desert Sharks @ River Rampage.

FeliAnne & I after the race.

Joycelyn TROSS

4th Annual River Rampage Triathlon

06/14/14

Racer Number:	112
Gender:	F
Age:	32
Representing:	SALT LAKE CITY UT

Chip Time Information
Actual Start Time:	07:15:25.558
Stop Time:	10:05:46.025
Chip Time:	02:50:20.4

Gun Time Information
Assigned Start Time:	07:04:49.000
Stop Time:	10:05:46.025
Gun Time:	03:00:57.0

Final Time: 02:50:20.4

Race Distance: Olympic

Overall Placing
Place:	45
Time Back:	01:18:34.400

Gender Placing
Place:	14
Time Back:	01:11:21.000

Division Placing
Olympic F 30-34 Place:	4
Time Back:	00:36:51.400

No	Name	Interval Time	Total Time	Pace	Overall Place	Overall Back	Gender Place	Gender Back	Divsion Place	Division Back
1	Bike	01:34:10.693	01:34:10.693	8.0	47	+36:54.4	16	+36:54.4	5	+15:41.5
2	T1	00:01:38.266	01:35:48.959		38	+1:11.0	12	+1:11.0	4	+0:49.3