Trinona- Part 1

If I had to sum up Trinona in one word it would be  . . . . Rollercoaster.  Trinona was a rollercoaster both literally and figuratively.  I’ve said this before but want to reiterate it.  Every time I’m willing to take on a new challenge, to push my body, to go outside my comfort zone, I learn something and grow. 

It started Thursday afternoon with a nice relaxing day, I got a mani/pedi and decided my toes needed to match my Tri suit.  Friday afternoon Paul, Hannah and I all piled into the car for our drive.  It was so much fun having this as a family event.  The drive to Winona was beautiful, it’s amazing to find remarkable views so close to home.  I tried to work on homework, but was too distracted and nervous to think about it. 

Once we got to Michelle’s place, we chatted for a little bit and went out to drive the bike course and go for an open water swim.  That’s when the rollercoaster started.  I’m going to be honest because while not everyone experiences the same emotions, but just so people that do share similar emotions, they know it’s normal and they aren’t alone.  I started getting nervous and nauseous.  We started driving the bike path and I was freaking out in my mind, I knew there would be some inclines, maybe some hills, but not the hills I saw.  Each hill we drove up, knots in my stomach got tighter and tighter and I felt myself clam up more.  I started feeling bad for encouraging my husband to participate and worse off, I started feeling like the course wasn’t doable for me.  While yes, there were some steep hills, they felt like mountains to me.  The gals named one of the hills “Bible Verse Hill”, it’s the hill they say a bible verse to help them get up in.  I wondered if it was acceptable to swear at that hill or if that might damn me, I figured maybe throwing in a few “oh my God, what am I doing” would be acceptable.  That’s like praying right?  The bike path felt more like 50 miles instead of 11 miles. 

We headed to the lake and I was trying to keep my nerves in check.  I knew Pauly was really nervous for the swim and I didn’t want to add anything to his worries.  Michelle is our safety guru and stayed out just in case someone had issues during the swim (safety first).  We got in the water and it was COLD, not horrible cold, but reality check cold.  Then we continued to swim, I was mentally preparing for it, I was trying to stay calm, the weeds came.  Physically they got caught up in my arms and legs, mentally I felt them pull me down.  I then started to panic and worry about Paul and how he was doing.  I knew the swim was hard for him, but with these added challenges, I worried it would be even harder.  I am so thankful we had the opportunity to check the lake out before the Tri Sunday.  It was really helpful to know what to expect and have some time to digest what it would be like.  We all made it out of the lake in one piece, some more mentally prepared than others.

Fast forward to Saturday, Trinona has a GREAT kids Triathlon.  Here are these little kids, doing a triathlon.  It was crazy cool seeing the little ones run to their bikes after their swim.  I still get tears in my eyes as I think about it.  There stood Pauly, Hannah and I, hooting and hollering for children we didn’t know but were so proud and excited for.  These little kids all different ages were rocking Triathlons.  We did have the privilege of knowing two of the participates, Riley and David.   It was so so so much fun cheering them and they both did great.

Saturday after the Kids Tri, I everything started to hit me and I starting having major anxiety.  Not just a little bit, but melt down can’t stop crying, what the hell am I doing anxiety.  The weeds holding me back, those hills, who am I fooling, 5K, I can’t run. This wasn’t a little melt down or minor nerves, this was a full fledge, I think I’m going to sneak out in the middle of the night and go home melt down.   This is why it’s so important to have those amazing unconditional support people in your life.  Heather, Michelle, Paul and my Mom helped get me back from the edge.  Each in their own words and experiences gave me encouraging words to remind me that I could do this.  I could walk my bike up the hills, I can walk during the 5K, I can stroke whatever stoke I need to.  It’s all about being willing to challenge myself and cross that finish line.  It was at that point, I decided not to care about time, but my goal was to ENJOY myself and to ENJOY the challenge.     

Yes, I’m going to leave you at the low point of the roller coaster, I promise tmrw you will see the high part.  I’ll leave you with this, I am signing up for Trinona next year because I loved it that much, I know you don’t see it yet, but you will J

Unstoppable “rollercoaster riding” Mariah