I Love to Tri

In November my cousin Dixie made a blog post welcoming all who might like to train, sculpt, and motivate themselves under her guidance to participate in a Triathlon Sprint to be held May 9th, 2009. My how the time has flown by. Five women answered her siren's call, through attrition we lost one. The remaining group consisted of 4 sisters, that are my cousins and me.

We have followed our recommended training schedules, we have been on group training missions. I have suffered one ugly ankle sprain and scraped the same knee twice, but the months flew by and training continued. As race day approached everything was in order.
My stamina increased quickly and I could swim a half mile. Strength and endurance multiplied and full 16-20 mile bike rides were achieved. I learned at my dad's heel as we rocketed from Alma School down 8th street to the great beyond of Greenfield and back again. He provided the cycles and the secrets of the trade. The first ride was nauseating, but safely completed. Soon I found it easier to ride at faster speeds for longer distances.

Running was mentally and physically taxing. Mental barriers were broken to increase speed and running longevity. One run at a time, I beat down the demons in my head tempting me to break my pace and walk. Though not always victorious in this war, there have been advancements on the battlefield.
We tested our fortitude. We swam in those sultry green waters of Tempe Town Lake. Cycled the bridges of Priest and Mill Avenue. Ran on the shores surrounding the Lake. The race culminated in a downhill run on Mill Avenue bridge. Though the view of the lake was beautiful, the image of the finish line was even more breathtaking!

Our families cheered us on. At pivotal moment's a jubilant cheer would burst from the crowd "Go Wendy!" As I would look a loving cousin, sibling, parent, friend or spouse would be seen smiling from ear to ear! People were placed all along the race shouting, "Good work. Keep it up. You go girl!" Ever so motivating. Always inspiring. Definitely appreciated.

My loving supporters at the finish line were the greatest reward at the end of this race.

As I began the run I was feeling the exhaustion. I had hardly drunk any water and blistering temperatures exceeded 100 degrees. A cute 25 year old girl hit the running path the same time as I did. "You can do it. Just keep running" she said. I heeded her call and kept trotting along. My beverage was a steaming bottle of blue Gatorade. Not the cool refreshing water I craved. She sprayed her cold water in my eyes to eliminate the burning and doused my top with water, effectively aiding my transition to the run.

As the first mile passed my body was rejuvenated, I felt at ease with steady continual pace. She had less training and running the rest was not within her ability. I encouraged and plead with her, "We're so close, keep going. You've got this." She said, "Keep running if you can, don't wait for me." I longed to stay and walk alongside her, but knew I had to keep running. I had come to far on this race and inside I knew I HAD to keep moving. She said her goal was to just finish. Mine was to do my best. As this realization became clear in my mind, onward I pressed.

So many parallels can be drawn between this experience and the life experience. As we are seeking to advance, there are people swimming along side us trying to grab our legs and push us down. They may even scratch us or try to go right over us. As we race down our roads of life, people may try to block us from our destination. They may hog the road and seem to prevent us from advancing on our desired path.

Yet there are so many more who are there to help, encourage, motivate, and guide us. They are the willing hands who lift us up when we are exhausted and dehydrated. They help us to refuel and continue on. There are people handing out the essential hydrating refreshment, the living waters. We are lifted by others, and have many opportunities to lift.

This will be a cherished life experience. I haven't challenged myself and set goals like this in years. What a sense of accomplishment to complete such a journey. The true benefit of this race is knowing that this is just one leg of my life race, and I now have even more tools to aide me in my quest.