A Post Holiday Party Dip on Treaure Island

We coudn't have asked for a more beautiful day . . . the Sun was shining bright at 6:45am as I was sitting in front of the Fairmont waiting for the valet to bring the car around after my holiday Christmas party. Despite the lingering effects of champagne and dancing in high heels, I was excited to enjoy the sunshine and get the first practice tri of the season under my belt. Upon the recommendation of a nutritionist in our group, I gave up coffee (cold turkey) over Thanksgiving so that when I drink caffeine on race day, it will have the desired effect of increased energy and performance. While I definitely struggled with detox headaches and lethargy for a week or so, it was well worth the deprivation for the delight of the race-day coffee!
We jumped in the water sometime after 8 am. Bone-chilling as it was, the two loops of the course went by quickly. The worst part was getting out of the water and putting on my shoes to run back up the stairs to the transition area. Upon exiting the water, the blood rushes from your head and arms into your legs, which makes it very difficult to stay upright, let alone run to your bike. I sat down for a minute and waited for the world to stop spinning, then started running on my numb, stumpy feeling feet and finally made it to the bike. I sat down on my towel, put on my socks and biking shoes, then realized that I still had my wetsuit on. So, off with the shoes, off with the socks, off with the wetsuit, then I started the process over again, this time with my biking pants on first. Wow. The cold really gets to your head.

After a quick bike ride and 3 mi. jog, we celebrated the first "race" of the season by cheering in our teammates and taking photos with our honorees. We have a new honoree on our team . . . Larissa Campana (bottom right). She is a 10 year old survivor of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. I asked her if she might ever do a triathlon. . . her response was: "I have to learn how to ride a two-wheeler first". She is a stunning example of strength and optimism, reminding us that we need only take one step at a time.