While I was squinting nearsightedly to spot the yellow buoy amidst the bobbing yellow swim caps, using my sagging, dragging man-sized medium shorty wetsuit as a flotation device, and looking into ever-present brown-tinted nothingness with my face below the surface and ever-present buoy-like yellow swim caps with my face above the surface--all in 70 degree Fahrenheit lake water in Culpeper, Virginia-- I wasn't thinking about blogging, VT KnowledgeWorks, or entrepreneurs.
I was thinking if I didn't stop trying to figure out what the rules were, where exactly I was going, and whether or not I would run into my competion--or be run into by it--I was going to lose heart and quit.
I was thinking like an entrepreneur.
Following the lead of a former boss who ran a marathon at age 50 and a woman friend who biked the entire Blue Ridge Parkway at age 50, to commemorate my own almost 50 years on the planet, I completed the Little Pepper Sprint Triathlon in Culpeper, Virginia on Sunday, May 18, 2008, at age 49 years, 4 months, and 2 weeks.
To finish a 750 meter lake swim, a 15 mile bike ride, and a 5K run took me 2 hours and 33 minutes. I placed 145 out of 157 women and 9 out of 10 in my age group. Out of 394 participants, I finished around 390.
Lindsey Eversole, Member Services Manager of VT KnowledgeWorks, helped inspire me to move the "product launch" for this milestone triathlon from the future to May 18.
Lindsey has been interested in, and supportive of, the training I started in December. We drove to and from Tech Nite 9.0 together on Thursday, May 16, and she expressed again her appreciation for what I was attempting. I spoke over and over again in future tense: "I will be doing this. I will be doing that."
If you know Lindsey, you know why I started to feel as if I were talking to an angel investor.
Like an angel investor who believes in an entrepreneur's idea and effort, Lindsey was waiting for my big plans and big dreams to come true. She was listening to me talk.
Enough talk.
Enough learning the rules and techniques, enough long hours and detailed planning, enough assessing the competition.
Enough tasting that snake oil unease of wondering if what I was promising was really too good to be true.
Enough asking myself, "Do I even believe what I'm saying? Do I have enough heart to do what I say I will?"
Enough talking the walk.
I walked.
And I swam and I biked and I ran.
Product launched. Just as I promised Lindsey.
Congrats on completing the Triathlon!! I read the results in your blog this morning and I think that is so great you finished in about 2 and a half hours!! You did it :)
Posted by: Lindsey Eversole | May 21, 2008 at 08:13 AM
I love knowing you and working with you, Lindsey. You help me be my best self both inside and outside of work. Thank you!
Posted by: Anne Clelland | May 21, 2008 at 08:27 AM