Concluding Summer

Today is move-in day at Williams-Mystic - where I'll be studying for a semester instead of attending Fall Term at Dartmouth - and that means summer break is over. The last few months seem to have gone by so quickly, and this summer as a whole felt really busy, even though I don't think I accomplished very much.
Highlights:

• Mooseman: my first Olympic-distance triathlon, at beautiful Newfound Lake in NH in early June. Was a bit nervous about the biking section, but it went very well and I had a blast. 
• "UofIN," or "University of Insulindependence": leadership training for Insulindependence captains at the organization's headquarters in San Diego, CA during the last week of June. Included three days of backpacking in Yosemite National Park. 
• Mother-daughter road trip: Mom and I drove up and down the California coast for a couple days after UofIN. We stayed at the amazing Treebones Resort in Big Sur and went sea kayaking.
• CWD: I volunteered with Insulindependence at the Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference in Orlando, FL during the second week of July. It was my third time attending this major annual gathering for families and health care professionals dealing with Type 1 diabetes. 
• A Night of INspiration: I hosted a fundraising dinner for Insulindependence in Bethesda, MD in late July. The event was a success in my eyes - we had a great turnout, a fun time, good food,  and a very positive response to the Insulindependence mission and vision, especially with the accompanying screening of the Triabetes documentary. 
• New Hampshire: first to Hanover to get a taste of Sophomore Summer, then to the coast for beach time, family time, and (best of all) whale watching!

And now I'm settling in to my new home for the rest of 2011 - Mystic, CT. It is a cute town that is rich in maritime history and tradition, not to mention great ice cream shops. More about Mystic in future posts...

Mooseman

I don't really have the time or the energy to write up a race report right now, but it's been over a week since the Mooseman International Triathlon  and if I don't post something tonight, I'm afraid I'll never get around to it! 

The past week and a half has been pretty busy. After taking my last final exam and moving out of my dorm in Hanover, NH on Friday, June 3rd, then doing the triathlon in Bristol, NH on Saturday, June 4th, and then spending two days driving from NH to MD, I was exhausted when I got home on the evening of June 6th. Still haven't quite finished unpacking.

Anyway, the triathlon was SO MUCH FUN. I went into it being just barely prepared - I had trained to complete the distance, not race it - so my main goals were to enjoy myself, stay relaxed, and manage my blood sugars. Check, check, and check!

Here's a quick recap and some photos....

Me and my friend Laurie in the transition area about 20 minutes before the start. Laurie's a fellow student who I cajoled into racing with me!

Before the swim in Newfound Lake.

The swim was long, but exciting - I had never swum in a wetsuit before race day (dumb move, I know), Newfound Lake was pristine and not nearly as cold as I thought it would be, and I was able to draft off of other swimmers successfully. After exiting the lake, my wetsuit came off in a flash (with help from volunteer "wetsuit strippers," the idea of which kind of freaked Laurie out), and I felt very cool and collected as I moved through the first transition. I held a JJ Twister Sports Bar in my mouth as I mounted the bike, and munched and pedaled my way through the first couple miles of the bike course; those first few miles were the only flat ones. I had been told about something called "Devil Hill" at mile 5, and had expected to have to walk myself and my bike up it, but was pleasantly surprised when this hill turned out to be no worse than one I regularly train on in Hanover, so I stayed in the saddle and got to feel tough as most of the athletes around me had dismounted their bikes. There ended up being lots of hills on this course, making it challenging but also fun, because most of the tough climbs were followed by speedy breezy downhill descents.

Cycling is my weakest discipline, so by the time I started the run I was really in the back of the pack. This turned out to be a huge confidence booster, though, because not a single person passed me on the run, and I was able to chase down quite a few athletes who had been way ahead of me on the bike.

I finished the race feeling pretty good. Was I totally spent? No. That's fine by me, though. I really took my time soaking up the whole experience and enjoying the beautiful scenery on the course, especially during the cycling portion. That leg of the race was definitely where I could have pushed harder - I'll do that next time.