Over the weekend, Bev and I competed in a sprint triathlon for the first time since the pandemic began!
We had an amazing day – the location was spectacular (the shoreline of Madison, CT), the weather was perfect (beautiful blue sky and temps in the 60s), and the race course was great! But what made our day so special was that we were at the race with a close group of friends. We’ve been training together as a group for a long time, so on race day we were competing against each other, while simultaneously supporting each other. We know one another’s strengths and weaknesses, so we were able to see successes where others may not have.
Although triathlon is not for everyone, there are some really great benefits! Since the training focuses on different events, participants aren’t as likely to get repetitive injuries as they might from doing only one sport. And in our races there are also relay teams, which is a perfect option for participants who may not feel as strong in all three events. These competitions are also inclusive in other ways: sometimes there are participants with disabilities or special needs. At our race the first wave (heat) was for para athletes, which was so inspiring for everyone to see!
Our training group consists of men and women of all ages, and we’ve been able to continue to train together through Covid (including virtual spins and spin classes with masks, socially distanced runs and some limited swim times), natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, power outages, etc) and personal hardships. But we are always there for each other, both in training and in life. Bev and I hope that you can have this same type of support and friendship while you’re doing your favorite activity – maybe your tennis group, the friends you walk with regularly, or fellow exercise classmates. Everything is always better with friends! And you know that they care about you and know how hard you’ve worked to accomplish your goals. There’s nothing more motivating than hearing your friends’ cheering you on as you push yourself across the finish line!
