Big Pool Triumph for Carol, the Iron Mom

Iron Mom

Sometimes you witness such a feat of courage and demonstration of determination it brings you to tears. I was blubbering like a fool at the Big Pool Triathlon as I watched my friend and neighbor, Carol S., conquer her fears and limitations and finish the race with a fist pump and a gracious smile.

After my problems with the race organizers last year (Read the end of last year's post) I did not sign up for this race but wanted to go and cheer my friends along. I remember how important those shouts of encouragement were to me and wanted to pass that along to others. Then I found out my neighbor Carol was going to participate and I knew I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Let me tell you a little about Carol. When I moved into this neighborhood she was one of the first people that I saw running up and down my street. After stopping her and introducing myself I found out that she was training for a 5K. She's a little older then me and not the typical image of a runner. Carol looks like anyone else our age: a little rounder then we would like, not as graceful as some, and not a natural athletic frame. But don't let any of that fool you. Inside she has a heart of gold, a will of steel, and more determination and grit then most "athletes" will ever posses.

When Carol messaged me and asked for advice for the upcoming race I was so excited for her. Talk about stepping out of her comfort zone! She signed up for Tri Training classes and LEARNED TO SWIM! Can you imagine signing up for a tri and not knowing how to swim? But that didn't stop Carol.

Determination and Guts. Go Carol Go!

For the 4th year in a row the weather was absolutely perfect for the race. Carol was pumped but nervous. I had never been a spectator before and I can't tell you how excited I was for all my friends doing the race. It was so special to be able to give them each a word of encouragement and a thumbs up and not have those butterflies in my stomach to contend with. Carol's husband and son were there as her support crew. Let the race begin!

Just before the start Carol confided her fastest swim time to me. It was going to be slow but she was determined. If she could get through the swim the rest was going to be OK. As she started down her lane I felt like I was pulling with her on every stroke. She knew she could flip to her back and rest when she needed to but when she was on her back she didn't move forward very much. Her freestyle was good, but she just didn't have enough time to build up good technique or endurance. She was struggling. This swim is a 400 meter swim in a 50 meter pool so each length was grueling for her. Swimmer after swimmer left the pool until there was only Carol.

Keep rolling!

She was exhausted and only half way through the swim. She took long rest breaks at the ends and struggled through the laps. But you should have heard the cheers from the pool deck as she made it to the end of each length. I went to the end and even though Carol had her earplugs in and couldn't hear a thing she saw the thumbs up and gave me a nod. She took a deep breath and headed down the lane again. And again. And again. I was so proud of her for not giving up. For not giving into the exhaustion. For not abandoning the goal. I was in tears when I went back to her family and I think I startled her son who I had just met when I gave him a big hug. After watching her struggle through this long ordeal of a swim there wasn't a dry eye in the place. The cheer that went up when she climbed up that ladder was as huge as I can remember for any participant at this event. Her husband held her steady and helped her take off her goggles, cap, and earplugs, then gave her a huge hug. What a support crew! I couldn't help it, I had to give her a hug too. When she looked at her watch she was so happy. She had cut 7 minutes off her previous time!

After composing herself she was off on her bike ride. By then the fast riders were already on the
return leg of the ride and headed back to town. When Carol rolled back into transition she had chain grease on her legs and was worried about her bike. Seems she had a little mishap at the turn around and put her foot through her derailleur. But she calmly put on her running shoes and took off for the 2

Proud and Strong. 

laps around the zoo. By then many had already finished. They can all take pride in their accomplishments and deserve respect for their efforts. But we all knew Carol was still out on the course. Another friend went back to find her and run with her to keep her company. I ran/walked with them a short way as they started the second lap around the zoo. She was as determined then as she was before the race. She would finish this. Turtle Power!!

When she neared the finish line the spectators were cheering and crying and celebrating the biggest victory of all. Carol is now a triathlete. "Iron Mom" is the title she prefers. No matter what you call her you better believe she is a hero. Taking on a triathlon is daunting for most athletes and taking on that challenge in your later years is hard. But how much more so when you don't know how to swim. I have nothing but admiration for Carol. Her husband was practically bursting his buttons with pride. I'll never forget her determination to finish that swim and prove to herself and everyone else that she can do anything. Absolutely ANYTHING!!! Congratulation Carol. You are Iron Mom.

Summer Update (It's All Amber's Fault!)

Friends make the miles fly by.

I was planning to ride half of one day of Biking Across Kansas. I figured I couldn't pass it by since the route this year went right through my home town. Even right past some of our farm ground! It was a no-brainer. But the full day was scheduled to be an 80 mile ride with much of the later miles over a busy highway with no shoulders and lots of hills. This chick doesn't do hills.

My nephew Eric M. from across the state has started riding and decided to do this ride as a bucket list challenge. He played football in college as an offensive linemen so he's a boy with some size. He is also very strong so I knew he would leave me in the dust. It's a good thing my friend Amber M. was willing to ride along with me to keep me company. The plan was to meet early Sunday morning at the start and ride the 28 miles to my town and then call it a day. But it was a beautiful day with a slight tailwind and Amber kept saying, "let's keep going!" So we did.

Amber has been a wonderful friend from almost the first race I ever ran. Somehow we connected and kept seeing each other at the races. Then I found out that she works for an educational cooperative that services the school I work in. Who knew? I'll never forget the day I first saw her in my building. The halls were filled with students and when Amber saw me she said "Hey, you sure look different with your clothes on." We had a good laugh about that and we all look different with our civilian clothes on.

Had to stop for a hug from Claudia.

We took off at first light and soon Eric was a speck in the distance ahead of us. I kept reminding Amber that we were on a tour, not a race. So we took our time and talked and talked and peddled away the miles. We went past our farm and we shared notes about farm life (Amber's husband is a farmer too). As we passed near our good friend Dan K.s house he came out to meet us. He was watching all the bikes go down Main Street and wishing he could join us. Maybe someday Dan!

A few more miles took us by Claudia B.s house and she and her husband were sitting on lawn chairs on the side of the road watching for us. Can you believe it! All my activities have brought so many people into my life that I can't imagine not knowing. The circle of friends just keep getting bigger and bigger and everyone of them is a positive influence on my life.

We pulled into my home town and it was still pretty early in the day so Amber said, "Let's keep going." I called my hubby to make sure he could pick us up along the road if we went farther then planned. I could almost see him shaking his head at our crazy ideas and agreed to pick us up when we got tired.

Eric and his favorite Aunt!

Heading out of town was like heading into uncharted territory. I've driven this road a thousand times but never ridden it on my bike. But the tailwind kept pushing us and we kept talking and laughing, and the miles just flew by. Eventually we got to a rest stop and checked our mileage. Amber's previous long distance ride was 35 miles. We were way beyond that and she was smiling from ear to ear. "Let's keep going!" OK Amber, whatever you say. I did decide to put a halt to our ride at the next little town because it was starting to get warm and, honestly, I was only planning a 28 - 30 mile ride. My saddle was not happy and I'm a wimp. But when we finally stopped at the next SAG stop we had 56.8 miles on our bikes. A record for Amber and a pretty wonderful day out on the road.

Hubby picked us up and we talked and laughed all the way back to the starting point and dropped
Amber back at her pickup. And somewhere during that day I agreed to do the Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon in Las Vegas in November. I'm still not sure how that happened, but when Amber says "Let's keep going" apparently we keep going!

My nephew Eric managed the 80 miles and then some to make it an official century ride for him. Amber set a new distance record on her bike. And I found a new goal to work toward and have another adventure on the horizon. What can I say. It's all Amber's fault!

Amber and I sweeping the medals in the "Masters" division at a race in 2010.