Indoor triathlon celebration

Happy anniversary to me.

Super Bowl Sunday is a special day on my personal calendar. For the past 10 years the Carlson MetroCenter YMCA in downtown Rochester, N.Y. has hosted an indoor triathlon. In 2008, it became the first athletic competition I ever entered. It was an ugly 45-minute workout, but I endured and gained a world of confidence in my ability to enter the triathlon world.

Today was the third anniversary of my first competition, and I made the trip to the Y-Tri with three friends. We were all in the same wave, all in it for the fun and the workout. This event is well organized, well-run and the volunteers are so supportive and encouraging (even if they did run out of food by the time we finished our wave.) Granted, we ran into one woman who, while an amazing athlete took the whole thing with a bit too much intensity. But the wonderful thing about this event is that it welcomes all people of all levels — from those who stand up in the middle of the swim to those who take their pace very seriously.

It’s a reminder to me of where I started, how far I’ve come and that there’s a place at the athletic table for all of us.

And it was just a good time with good friends.

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