{"id":461,"date":"2013-10-04T17:22:33","date_gmt":"2013-10-04T22:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/19designstudio.com\/preview\/BestofSWLA\/?p=461"},"modified":"2013-10-11T17:21:55","modified_gmt":"2013-10-11T22:21:55","slug":"jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"JENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Softball Olympic Medalist Jennie Finch Trained With Local Ironman Dave Park To Prepare for The Aquafor Triathlon in NYC, Then Bested Her Goal Time By 15 Minutes\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

By Karla Wall\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Tammy<\/a><\/p>\n

Tammy Hassenpflug, Dave Park, Finch, Lori Pritchett after T-Gator Race.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What does a two-time Olympian do to get back in shape after having her third child? Train for a triathlon, naturally.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When I met with former Olympic softball medalist Jennie Finch (she won the gold medal as pitcher of the US Women\u2019s Softball Team in 2004, and the silver in 2008) and Ironman triathlete Dave Park at Finch\u2019s home in Sulphur, they had just come off a long bike training ride and were busy disassembling and packing Finch\u2019s custom bike for a trip to New York City, where Finch would compete as spokesperson for the Aquafor Triathlon July 14, a mere four and a half months after the birth of her daughter, Paisley.<\/p>\n

For Finch, triathlons are simply another way to stay in shape, stay in the game, and challenge herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a challenge \u2014 something new,\u201d she says. \u201cIt allows me to be a\u00a0 full-time mom, but still compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A New Direction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finch\u2019s road to triathlete status probably began, she says, when she ran the NYC Marathon in 2011 as a representative of Timex.<\/p>\n

\"Finch<\/a><\/p>\n

Finch and 9-year-old Maddie (granddaughter of Dave Park) after the finish of the T-Gator Triathlon July 7. It was Maddie\u2019s first triathlon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Finch started the race in dead last position, and Timex donated $1 for every runner she passed. She passed more than 30,000 runners en route to a 4:05:26 finish.<\/p>\n

Finch returned home from that race and began seriously training for marathons with local runner Lori Pritchett, whom she met at a fundraiser swim meet at the Sulphur Parks and Recreation pools. The two would become fast friends and training partners, and, eventually, the two of them started talking about training for triathlons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d never thought about doing a full triathlon,\u201d Finch says. \u201cbut now that I had a training partner, I began to really consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Finch agreed to run the Aquafor triathlon, she and Pritchett began training in earnest. For help with the bike portion of the training, they turned to Capital Cyclery in Lake Charles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me, \u2018you know, you ought to talk to Dave Park,\u2019\u201d Finch says.<\/p>\n

Park would be the perfect guy to talk to, indeed. A local triathlete, Park\u2019s resume includes finishing none other than the 2011 Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, as well as the International Triathlon Union\u2019s World Championship Race in Beijing, and the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in San Francisco. He\u2019s competed in over a hundred other local races including the T-Gator mini-triathlon at Sam Houston Jones State Park, and races in Kemah, Texas, and in Houston. That\u2019s all the more incredible when you consider he\u2019s over age 60, a point of life at which most are becoming well acquainted with the armchair or sofa.<\/p>\n

Finch had found the perfect local coach. And Park, who has begun volunteer coaching numerous triathletes in the area, welcomed the opportunity to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to work with her,\u201d he says. \u201cShe\u2019s got such natural athletic ability. And she picks everything up so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Park says he enjoys working with those new to the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love watching them finish their first triathlons,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot to this sport, and I enjoy helping people get into it. It keeps me young and motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"On<\/a><\/p>\n

On July 14, Finch finished the Aquafor Triathlon in New York in two hours, 51 minutes, well ahead of her goal of 3 hours, 6 minutes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be lost without Dave,\u201d says Finch. \u201cEvery day I learn something new from him.\u201d Park has been, in coordination with Finch\u2019s official coach, Olympic triathlon coach Gale Bernhardt, working with Finch on such areas as swim stroke technique; the \u2018rules of the road\u2019 for the biking portion of the race; how to transition from one part of the race to another (not an easy feat, that \u2014 going from the swimming portion to the biking portion, for instance, involves an intricate choreography of changing equipment and clothing); how to break down, pack, and put back together the bike.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s taught me so much about what gear to buy and how best to use it,\u201d Finch says.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also given her great advice on \u201cfueling\u201d during the race \u2014 what energy boosters to use and when to take them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot to this sport,\u201d Park says.<\/p>\n

While Park says he\u2019s \u201cmore peer support than coach,\u201d Finch begs to differ.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s definitely a coach. It just never comes across that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Finch<\/a><\/p>\n

Finch and family after the race.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Finch and Park swim 2,000-2,500 yards on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, mostly at the SPAR pool, but they also do open-water swims in Lake Charles and in a local pond. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, they bike 20-30 miles and follow that up with a run of 1-2 miles. This combination, Park says, is called a \u201cbrick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what your legs feel like when you get off the bike and begin running,\u201d Park grins. \u201cThey feel like bricks.\u201d<\/p>\n

One day a week, Park says, is dedicated to a run of 6-8 miles.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finding Time \u2014 And The\u00a0Fear Of Monsters<\/strong><\/p>\n

That kind of schedule is difficult for anyone, much less someone with Finch\u2019s obligations \u2014 she\u2019s a rep for several products and corporations; she\u2019s got a young family. On the morning I visited, she\u2019d gotten in after midnight from a business trip, gotten a couple of hours of sleep, and done the training ride. As she talks with me, she alternates between holding Paige, cuddling with her middle son, Diesel, and even scrambling an egg for a late breakfast.<\/p>\n

\u201cJennie definitely needs flexibility in her training schedule,\u201d Park says. And, indeed, finding time to train is one of the biggest difficulties she has with being a triathlete.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also had to learn how to build endurance, something softball didn\u2019t call for quite on the level of a triathlon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still building up endurance,\u201d she says. \u201c(Park) and I will be riding, and I\u2019ll be thinking \u2018this is killing me,\u2019 and (Park) will not even be huffing and puffing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the issue of open-water swimming \u2014 a very different experience than swimming laps.<\/p>\n

\"Finch's<\/a><\/p>\n

Finch’s splits from her first triathlon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI have a definite fear of open-water swimming,\u201d Finch says. \u201cIt\u2019s very intimidating. You have to overcome that fear of \u2018creatures.\u2019 There are snakes, alligators, sea life.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, she says, she\u2019s been able to do a half-mile swim in open water, so she was confident she could conquer that fear for the Aquafor triathlon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Payoff<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finch and Park\u2019s hard work has so far paid off well. Finch placed second overall in the Women\u2019s division at the T-Gator triathlon on July 7. And, on July 14, she finished the Aquafor Triathlon in New York in two hours, 51 minutes, well ahead of her goal of 3 hours, 6 minutes. And the swimming went off without a hitch, thanks to a friendly current \u2014 and a lack of monster encounters.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had been hoping to swim 1,500 meters in 30-33 minutes,\u201d Park says. \u201cShe swam it in 19.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for Finch?<\/p>\n

Park says he\u2019s trying to talk her into entering a half-triathlon in Galveston later this year, and she\u2019s talked about possibly training for an Ironman qualifier event, or a half-Ironman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to sacrifice too much family time,\u201d Finch says. \u201cWe\u2019ll just have to play it by ear.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This story originally appeared in the July 18, 2013 edition of Lagniappe Magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former Softball Olympic Medalist Jennie Finch Trained With Local Ironman Dave Park To Prepare for The Aquafor Triathlon in NYC, Then Bested Her Goal Time By 15 Minutes\u00a0 By Karla Wall\u00a0 \u00a0   What does a two-time Olympian do to get back in shape after having her third child? Train for a triathlon, naturally.   [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nJENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"JENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former Softball Olympic Medalist Jennie Finch Trained With Local Ironman Dave Park To Prepare for The Aquafor Triathlon in NYC, Then Bested Her Goal Time By 15 Minutes\u00a0 By Karla Wall\u00a0 \u00a0   What does a two-time Olympian do to get back in shape after having her third child? Train for a triathlon, naturally.   [&hellip\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bestofswla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-10-04T22:22:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-10-11T22:21:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/TONYC1111.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"610\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Karla Wall\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Karla Wall\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/\",\"name\":\"JENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE - BestOfSwla\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-10-04T22:22:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-10-11T22:21:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6f5b839c8b659821bef0a9c640a6df81\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"JENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/\",\"name\":\"BestOfSwla\",\"description\":\"Powered by Lagniappe Magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6f5b839c8b659821bef0a9c640a6df81\",\"name\":\"Karla Wall\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4680a0dd2d8d6b4be00739f47f3b9479?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4680a0dd2d8d6b4be00739f47f3b9479?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Karla Wall\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/author\/karlawall\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"JENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE - BestOfSwla","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"JENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE - BestOfSwla","og_description":"Former Softball Olympic Medalist Jennie Finch Trained With Local Ironman Dave Park To Prepare for The Aquafor Triathlon in NYC, Then Bested Her Goal Time By 15 Minutes\u00a0 By Karla Wall\u00a0 \u00a0   What does a two-time Olympian do to get back in shape after having her third child? Train for a triathlon, naturally.   [&hellip","og_url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/","og_site_name":"BestOfSwla","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bestofswla","article_published_time":"2013-10-04T22:22:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-10-11T22:21:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":610,"height":250,"url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/TONYC1111.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Karla Wall","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Karla Wall","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/","url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/","name":"JENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE - BestOfSwla","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-10-04T22:22:33+00:00","dateModified":"2013-10-11T22:21:55+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6f5b839c8b659821bef0a9c640a6df81"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/04\/jennie-finch-ready-new-challenge\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"JENNIE FINCH: READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/","name":"BestOfSwla","description":"Powered by Lagniappe Magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6f5b839c8b659821bef0a9c640a6df81","name":"Karla Wall","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4680a0dd2d8d6b4be00739f47f3b9479?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4680a0dd2d8d6b4be00739f47f3b9479?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Karla Wall"},"url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/author\/karlawall\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}