Trinona

I'm going to start this post off by giving a HUGE congrats to the folks from Owatonna for their showing at Trinona.   From the time trial to the age groups and even a pseudo lifetime award, O-town folks represented.  It's pretty awesome to know and train with such talented individuals.

As is probably pretty evident from my last post, Trinona didn't exactly go the way I had hoped.   With a sprained and fractured ankle, there was no way that I was going to be able to compete.  When I realized I had sprained it, I initially had hoped that is was a minor enough sprain that I would be able to go.  Once I got stuck in the boot, though, I knew I was done.   While that sucked, I figured I was over it.  Que sera, sera and all that.    I even signed up to volunteer so I had a reason to tag along and hang with my peeps.  

Volunteering was fun, though I had NO idea what I was doing.   I was assigned an intersection to man along with someone else, but I was the only one to show up.   After being asked by the race marshals to make big gestures to steer racers around the corner, I settled into a routine of gesticulating wildly while using my body to block drivers from turning onto the road while bikers were coming around.  

My corner

Despite the very real threat of rain, the course stayed dry until the very last riders came through.  Since it was a corner, everyone had to slow down enough that I could see their faces, so I got to say hi to the people I knew.   And there were a lot of those.  Holy smokes, Owatonna rocked this place.   

After I was released from my post, I got back to the finish line in time to see Ann come in.   After that, I hung onto people's bikes as they claimed prizes and went back and forth for food and whatnot.   Then everyone headed out and I walked back to my car alone.

I was seriously considering ending this post here, but I guess the point of this blog is to recount the ups AND downs of this triathlon journey of mine, so be warned, I get sorta morose for a moment here.

Once home, I saw a pic on Facebook of my friends celebrating with food and liquor, as is their habit.   Suddenly, I was all choked up and feeling about two inches tall.  Being me, I started trying to rationalize this strange emotive outburst.  Was I upset about missing the race I'd been training for?  Well, yes, but that wasn't it, really.  Was I being hopelessly adolescent, and feeling left out?  That was closer, but not quite it.   

Finally I realized that I was feeling not left out, but left behind.   I hang out with people light years better than me at what we are doing, and while I try to be okay with that, in honestly it bugs me.  In some way, I guess I felt this would be my opportunity to join that cool kids club and feel like I had something in common with these incredible people.   Instead, I once again ended up watching from the sidelines like that obnoxious younger sibling who doesn't know enough to just go home.   I know that is my own insecurity speaking, and not any reflection of them, but there it is nonetheless.   

Well, wallowing wasn't getting me anywhere, so I took my fitness bike and went for a ride (yay flat pedals...but don't tell my doctor).   The sun was out, the path was dry and I was booking it for someone with a gigantic boot on her foot.  There are a lot of things that flying along on two wheels won't fix, but a pissy mood is not one of them.