Green Lakes Triathlon-crossing the FINISH line!
Yesterday I competed in my first sprint triathlon of the season, no small task considering we’re just coming off one long hard-ass winter here in Upstate NY! See, we have this phenomenon here called “Lake Effect Snow” and it can make a winter like none other-record amounts of snow, wind, and cold. Google it…you’ll probably be glad you live elsewhere. I’m actually getting off task here…so
Anyways-back to the Bucket List, which is pretty much what this whole Triathlon thing started out as last year anyways. And you can’t really appreciate this story unless you know me. So here goes…
I was the girl, you know, the one in high school who constantly skipped gym class, and then tried to basically lie about it in an attempt avoid the Principals Office, or worse…detention Clever excuses would roll off my tongue, like…I forgot my gym shorts, I have to make up a test, or if I were truly desperate…”cramps.” Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a slug, no not at all. I loved gymnastics, ice skating, downhill skiing and the general running around required to play “freeze-tag”…I just despised gym class; found it terribly uncomfortable. I was not a fast runner, I struck out every time I came up to bat for softball, had a ridiculous overhand lob, and cringed when they announced we’d be ‘choosing teams’ today. Ugh. Because ‘choosing teams’ always went like this…”we’ll take popular girl; athletic girl; other popular girl; smart girl; cute boy’s sister; etc., etc., Hmmmm, yeah, ok…now you; and then the really unpopular smelly kid, followed by the weird kid, and the scary kid. Yup. Classic line-up. It’s just that I never possessed any gym class prowness needed to shine during those 27 minutes of State required Physical Education.
And now, some 30-ish years later, via the wonders of Social Networking, I now share tales about my 5k successes, my crazy training schedule, cycling adventures, and the many tales of my newest endevour…Sprint Triathlons! Yes, I am now a Certified Triathlete. (We should also note that these so called endevours included signing up for swimming lessons at the age of 48; thereby proving….you really CAN teach an old dog new tricks!!)
I am suddenly being hailed as an ”Inspiration” by those who used to wear the titles of “popular girl, athletic girl, other popular girl, smart girl…etc., etc.” The irony does not escape me, and I find it both amusing and flattering…
Next on my Bucket List? Becoming a Level 1 Triathlon Coach…so I can train all those fellow ‘skippers’ who aspire to achieve great things…and cross stuff off their Bucket List.
All this from the “Inspirational Skipper!”
