2020 was the year we collectively watched life unfold like a lucid dream.

2021 was the year we collectively lived what we dreamed.

Dare I Tri –

Five years ago, at 51, I completed a Half Ironman race.  A 70.3-mile race consisting of a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run.  It took me 6 hours and 57 minutes to cover the distance.  It left me hungry for more.

Where’s the un pause button – 

Right about the time I completed said 70.3, menopause hit, and boy did it hit hard – hot flashes are très misérable.  

As I moved through my early 50’s swimming became difficult as my monthly periods became VERY heavy – making swimming challenging. I still swam, but consistency became an issue – sometimes I’d be out of the water for 10 days at a time!  

Every year I hoped the monthly challenge would cease to exist, but it only worsened.  I swore off ALL medications and ALL procedures and just went with the flow (literally and figuratively).  I focused on what I could do rather than what I could not do.  I had no issues when it came to running and biking –   so I rode and ran and ran and rode.

FINALLY, one day in early 2020 my dreaded monthly period ended.  IT suddenly and unceremoniously stopped!  I actually wanted to celebrate this new chapter – I rewarded myself with a new bike!

I started to swim again.  I was a happy girl and I registered for the 2020 Chattanooga Ironman 70.3! And then…Covid struck — the whole entire world!  Over the next year, along with just about everything else, most Ironman races were cancelled – to include my 2020 70.3 Ironman come back event.

In addition, I was having a few personal issues and thought it best to schedule an annual exam — a blood test confirmed menopause AND a physical exam, and more tests confirmed a worsened issue I could no longer ignore!  I was forced (once Covid allowed) to have a complete hysterectomy.  It’s funny how often the decisions you can’t make – are simply made for you.  

Rediscovering the Tri! Post Surgery –

I finally felt better!  Better than I’d felt in years. I felt so good I registered for the 2021 Chattanooga 70.3 – my 2020 registration having been deferred.

Following surgery, I prepared mentally and physically to re-conquer the 70.3-mile distance.  Plans were made and schedules set.

Just shy of 56 and less than a year from the anniversary of my hysterectomy, I proudly completed the 2021 Chattanooga 70.3.  

The task took just over seven hours this time.  As I fell to the ground exhausted, I gave thanks to God!  After crossing the finish line, I was unable to stand for almost an hour.  My heart rate eventually returned to normal, and we slowly walked back to the hotel where I soaked in a warm tub and ate a whole pizza!  It hadn’t been pretty, but it was done, and I’d survived.  

The endorphins…sweet, sweet endorphins!  Riding the wave of endorphins, I registered for next year’s race.  Because that’s what we do!  

Rediscovering the triathlon helped me move through a very difficult year. The training took my mind off the anxieties associated with this phase of life.  Looking back, I know what I need to do in order to improve.

Can I improve and do better?   I’ll TRI!  

Goals! 

2020 was the year we collectively watched life unfold like a lucid dream.  

2021 was the year we collectively lived what we dreamed.