Chicago Triathlon-Goals and Grace

Ooooooooohhhhh Chicago, Chicago....

I signed up for the Chicago Triathlon on a whim so I could hang out with friends and get at least one OWS tri completed before the end tri season. Well, the triathlon did not happen. The Chicago Triathlon became a Duathlon. I had to laugh at myself. I actually completed two duathlons earlier this year. But here I am on number 3. They say, three times is a charm right? Perhaps, the "Tri spirits" were cutting me some slack. I chuckled to myself when the swim was cancelled. I was both relieved and bummed. I seriously wanted to swim in Lake Michigan since I did NOT complete the swim portion of the 2017 Chicago Tri. (You can read about that triathlon from my 2017 post.) But I am grateful. My team mates who live in Chicago were wonderful hosts. I was surrounded by new and old friends, athletes and volunteers. I count that a win for sure.

In triathlon, one must hold on to the hope of meeting their goal while gracefully surrendering control of the outcome of any race. The best one can do is show up and race the course that is given. Lake Michigan was quite turbulent the day before the race. I did a quick OWS practice with 4 foot swells and silently prayed that race morning the lake would be calmer. It was not so the the swim was cancelled. Understandably disappointed like many of athletes, we humbly put our wetsuits away and prepared for the race before us, a run/bike/run. Our minds shifted slowly yet gracefully from Triathletes to Duathletes and off we went to start the run then bike then run journey.

Each athlete was amazing. Some participated in the para-athlete division while others were in the first timer division. There were older athletes, younger athletes, international athletes, etc. On August, 25, 2019, we were all duathletes celebrating our accomplishment. Congratulations to every participant. You stayed the course. As athletes, we know must adapt and adjust. Perhaps this race was simply as set up for our next race. As any triathlete, we were probably planning our next race before we finished the Chicago tri. That is what we do. We sign up and we keep going. Until the next race....

Remember never forget to enjoy the journey.

Coach Stacy

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