I finally did my triathlon in Chicago. There was a total of 7,700 of us! Crazy!!!! It was a very well organize and one of best races I have done. Soooooo…honestly….It was just okay—and I mean that in the best possible way. For weeks, I’d been training, doing my own little triathlon routines every other week—run, swim, bike, repeat—because I had that lovely luxury of a local lake. So when race day came, I thought, “This should be a piece of cake.”
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t. Not because it was impossibly tough, but because all those tiny race-day details I never practiced—like transitions or hydration or nutrition timing—IT ALL came back to bite me. Twice I had to stop for bathroom breaks, I forgot my bib at one point, and I wrestled with my shorts long enough to lose a good 10 minutes. I am sure the dude next to me was looking at me and saying “what the hell is that lady doing it her feet up in the air” not one of my finer moments in life. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.
And yet, it was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had. In the past, when I was younger, I’d be all about the time and the finish, obsessing over every minute. This time, it was different. My mindset had shifted from “I must hit this goal” to “I’m just here to have a good time.” And that shift was everything.
The biggest takeaway from my Chicago triathlon wasn’t about performance—it was about embracing the journey and the people who support you. I had my awesome neighbor who trained with me, my friends, and my husband there cheering me on. And at the end of the day, it wasn’t the finish time that mattered; it was the fact that I did it and had a blast despite all the little hiccups.
So here’s my advice, whether you’re taking on a race, starting a new diet, or picking up a new training program: embrace the setbacks and the little things that go wrong. It’s all about the mindset. The real victory is in enjoying the process and knowing that each little stumble is just part of the long game. After all, we’re aiming to stay fit and have fun not just today, but when we’re 65, 70, or beyond. Keep your eyes on the end game, and let the little detours be just that—detours, not roadblocks.