Truckin' Like the Do-Dah Man

I got to the race early.  I was nervous about the location (outside of town at a lake that I have only been to a few times).  I was worried about parking.  I was worried about getting my bike set up.  I got all of that taken care of and then I was standing around wondering where Shirley was.  Shirley is the one who got me hooked on swimming again and talked me into an individual triathalon in July.  Her proposal this time was that we do an Olympic distance team triathalon - she would swim, I would bike, and Laurel would run.  I worried (and articulated) that I was going to hold them back - Shirley and Laurel are nothing short of amazing at their sports.  They were competitive in college (which wasn't that many years ago for them!).

So one minute before the pre-race meeting Shirley strode up in sweats and stripped to her suit and pulled her wetsuit on.  It was cold.  It was windy.  Some pranksters stole the buoys that marked the swim route in the lake.  Shirley smiled and laughed.  She plunged into the lake with a smile, swam her mile, and came out with a smile.  I took her lead.

Technically I took her hand off.  She came out of the lake and we high fived for an exchange in the transition area and then I was off on the bike.  It was cold.  It was windy.  And there were lots of hills.  I had a well marked course though and I had two really good laps around the lake (26.5 miles at 15 mph on hills!  I am happy!).  I came into the transition after my second lap and tagged Laurel, who took off for her 10k.  She came in at just under 40 minutes.  (I told you she was fast!)

And?  We won the women's team division for the Olympic Distance Triathalon.  Our boss (who sponsored us) will be really happy.

I love triathalons.  I love the friendly competitors.  I love the different events.  I love the challenge of transitioning to different events.  I love that I have gotten to know these two women and I have learned a lot from them.  I want to be positive and relaxed and heck yeah, let's go swim in a lake, ride a bike around it and run.  There is nothing cooler than that.  I need to relax and smile.