This is a two part post, so bear with me. I would first like to thank Trisports.com and especially Jaclyn Applegate for an absolutely amazing weekend in Tucson, Arizona. Without Jaclyn, working hard as always, this weekend and all of the fun filled festivities wouldn’t have happened. I’m extremely grateful that I was able to attend the team training camp this past weekend and to be sponsored by such an amazing organization. I was able to meet all but four of my teammates. It is without a doubt that my teammates are extremely talented and are going to do some amazing things this season. I was a bit intimidated, as was a majority of the team, when we all lined up together for the first time.
Let’s start from the begging of my weekend, which started Wednesday by the way. I was able to contact a fellow Trisports.com teammate, Mike Montoya, and stay at his house and drive together to Tucson the next morning. Did I mention he has been one of the top triathletes in New Mexico for almost twenty years, competed in 200 triathlons (thanks to our secret team workout Saturday, which turned out to be a triathlon), and one of my biggest inspirations and favorite athletes. I felt like a teenage girl the entire drive to his house. I kept thinking, “Hopefully he thinks I’m cool, I don’t want to say anything stupid, am I dressed okay??”
I would also like to mention the first time I met Mike and give a little back story. It happened to be my first triathlon and I was wearing a fluorescent blue speedo. We lined up on the start line together and he asked if it was my first triathlon. He gave me a few words of advice and then we were off. I ended up doing the opposite of what he said, not intentionally, and finished way behind him in 33rd place. Mike won. Something that I would learn happens a lot when he shows up to a race. The second I got home I pulled up the results to see his times and remember telling myself, “I want to be as fast as him someday.” I wouldn’t race Mike again until a few years later due to conflicting race schedules. It was in his home town of Socorro, NM. He beat me by 8 seconds. Long story short: Mike won.
Once I arrived at the Montoya’s it was pretty close to what I imagined. Bike filled garage, with a shelf full of running shoes, and old race photos on the wall. The night continued how I hoped it would; staying up late talking about races, training, etc. The next day we hit Tucson.
Tomorrow’s Part 2!
('10) Still have the tan lines and speedo and Mike is still beating me
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