Capitol View Triathlon

It's generally good to have goals. As you know, last Sunday, I participated in the Olympic distance Capital View Triathlon. My goal was to beat my time from last year's Pleasant Prairie race.

For a moment it looked like the tri itself wouldn't get its feet wet. The DNR was reporting high levels of e.coli in the water making it too dangerous to swim. But luckily the state gave the green light and before I knew it, I was face first in the seaweed, paddling toward the first bouy. I'm not the most efficient swimmer, I'm pretty dizzy by the end. But as I emerged from the water, I was happy to note that I was right on track.

The CVT prides itself on being a tough course. The bike has alot of hills - big ones. And the downhills end in curves so you really can't enjoy them without braking. Unfortunately I still didn't have my bike shoes ready and so had to go it alone without them. I thought I was doing Ok but really petered out after the 10 mile marker. After I realized that my goal to beat last year's time was slowly running out, I just wanted to put my head down and make it to the run.

The run is my strength. Always has been. Just like the bike, the run is rife with hills and it's all on grass which was something I wasn't used to. I maintained my habit of walking through the water stations but had to walk up some of the hills. Overall, I blasted it out at 9 minute miles.

I didn't beat my time from last year. I came in at 3:11, about 20 minutes past my old time. It's easy to say that the two races were different. I would say vastly different. It's tough to compare one apple to a different orange. But in the end, it doesn't really matter. The thing about goals in races and in life is that they provide us with vision. They allow us to create a picture of ourselves that we want to be. And should we fall short of our goals, that picture still remains for the next time as we are ever changing, ever evolving, ever striving for something better for ourselves.

My next time will be the Half Ironman in Door County next month. I'll train harder and get those shoes fixed. And it will make the difference. If you want to make a difference in the lives of kids who are at risk for being bullied, donate to GLSEN by clicking on the button in the sidebar or go to https://my.glsen.org/leschke