Overall Rank 28 / 43 = 65%
Overall Rank: 16 / 43
= 37%
BIKE
Overall Rank: 19/43 =
44%
Overall Rank 37 / 43 = 86%
What an amazing day!
RACE
SPONSORS
I have to start this Race Report by tipping my hat (bike
helmet?) to the Decatur County YMCA and the Lake Santee residents. I think I have finally figured out these
people. They simply love making people
feel special. And . . . they are good at
it! These are the folks that arranged
for all the sirens and blaring horns to great me as the last-place person last
year. I wasn’t last this year, but he
82-year-old gentleman (with a pacemaker!) who finished last was greeted by a
similar chorus of fire, police, and ambulance sirens. I’m not sure if they do this every year, but
the first-place racer was escorted in by motorcycle. He was so excited. I overheard him telling someone else that in
all the first-place finishes he had experienced, he had never had a motorcycle
escort before. Totally cool. And the residents of Santee are amazing. What a happy group of race volunteers.
TAPER
This was my first B race.
I wondered how my coach would handle the taper prior to this race – and
was pleased to see that the volume did not decrease as we continue to prepare
for the future. We only lost one day of endurance
training which was yesterday. This (and
long hours at work) made it a tiring week.
My coach told me that he thought I might come into the race feeling
tired or at least not 100%. He warned
not to force the effort
early – and especially not on the bike.
FRIDAY
My husband and I left
for Greensburg (where we would be spending the night) in the mid-afternoon and
arrived at
packet pickup at 5:30 pm. We
spent several minutes talking with the race organizers, then drove the bike and
run courses. I remembered how much fun I
had on the hills last year, but didn’t realize how BIG they were! Using my Garmin Edge, we determined that all
of ga-zillion hills were 6-8 degrees. A
little intimidating! My coach texted to
say good luck (including the photo to the left – love his silly sense of humor). I wrote back, “I can’t believe I liked this
bike course. All the hills are
6-8%. One is 10!!!!!!!” He wrote back, “It’s because you’re an
animal!! You got this!” It helps so much to know that your coach
believes in you.
RACE
MORNING
Woke up at 4:45 am.
Ate a new breakfast: Oatmeal,
banana, peanut butter. The half bagel
that I had been eating (instead of the oatmeal) was leaving me feeling a little
heavy so I wanted to try oatmeal. I had
been practicing this breakfast to determine when I would have to . . . you
know, “go.” I thought I would be ok, but
I was wrong. 30 minutes before the race,
it hit me. Luckily, there were restrooms
so I didn’t have to sit on a porta-pot.
Phew! So, back to the half
bagel! Left at 6:10 and arrived at the
race at 6:30. (You know you’re a triathlete when . . . you write about “going” in
your race report! Ha)
Put my things in transition.
One hick-up was that the Shot Bloks that I “glued” with spit to my bike
frame attracked bees. There were bees
everywhere! I tore off part of a plastic
bag and put it over the Shot Bloks. I
also learned that the race would be wetsuit legal. Woohoo!
Almost everyone was bummed because they had not brought their
wet-suits. I’ve been listening to Triathlon Bible Coaching Podcasts. This week they talked about how one o f
the Tiathlon Bible coaches messed up because he assumed a big race would not be
wet-suit legal and didn’t bring his wetsuit - and then the race was wetsuit
legal. He advised the audience to always
bring their wetsuit. Great advice that
paid off this morning! Put on lots of
Body Glide and then my wetsuit (half way) and then walked to the briefing at
7:30. At the end of briefing, I yelled,
“Thanks to Amy and the volunteers” and every clapped.
After briefing, I
practiced the swim start. The first 25
meters were so shallow that we would have to run. My coach advised that I dolphin-dive through
the shallow water. I loved to dolphin
dive as a kid and would do so forever when I was about 10 years old. When I tried it though, I found that it shot
my heart rate through the roof. I wasn’t
sure if dolphin-diving would be a good idea.
I swam about 300 meters very slowly to get my heart rate back down and then
lined up for the start.
I wasn’t sure where to line up. On the registration, I put that I was an
above average swimmer. I didn’t want to
be in the back with the people swimming all over the place. However, that put me in front with a bunch of
stud-looking young men. I know I can
swim faster than a lot of stud-looking young men, but I know they probably take
one look at me and wonder what I’m doing there.
What young man wants to let a 60-year-old overweight woman start before
him? So, I let my perception of their
thoughts impact me, and move toward the back.
Should not have done that.
SWIM
PLAN: Strong and smooth
ACTUAL: Pace: 1:51 / 100 m (Garmin 656 meters) Official
Pace: 2:26 / 100 m (500 meters
Cadence: 31
As soon as I started
running in the water, I knew that was not going to work. So I did my first dolphin dive. I pushed off the bottom with my hands and
then tried to plant my feet but I was too shallow. Luckily, I somehow got my feet planted under
me and pushed off again. I think I did
about five dolphin-dives. Instead of
exploding off the bottom, I toned it down a bit so my heart rate wouldn’t go
up. I probably should not have done the
last one. The water was fairly deep at
that point and I could not get into the air enough so I ended up dragging my
thighs through the water. At that point
I started swimming. But, I think it must
have worked because my speed didn’t come down to swim pace until about 75
meters into the swim.
I was pleased that people were fairly spread out. Per my coach’s instructions, I swam a steady
pace but didn’t force the effort early.
I was pleased that my line to the first buoy was straight and I swam
within inches of the buoy. There was a
rope coming out of the top of the buoy to who-knows-what and I hooked my left
arm on it. Strange. I lost a stroke but still managed to pass a
couple of people at the buoy.
I think my swim to the second buoy was straight also. Somehow, I got mixed up and thought the
second buoy was the third buoy. I’m not
sure how I could have made that mental error.
I came around the second buoy expecting to see the shoreline. Instead, I saw another orange buoy 300 meters
away.
As we swam to the third buoy, everyone was totally spread
out. There were people swimming 30 feet
to my right and 30 feet to my left. I
was really having trouble siting. Every
time I sited, I had turned slight to my right.
So, I started siting every sixth stroke instead of every eighth and
tried to mentally picture the buoy as I swam.
That helped.
I tried to work on rhythm and kind of found it about halfway
to the third buoy. I was concerned that
my breathing was a little heavy. I just tried
to swim a steady pace. At one point a man passed me. I started drafting and was amazed, once
again, by the calm water. But he was
going too fast for me to maintain the draft without forcing the effort so I let
him pass. I passed about eight people.
At the third (and final) buoy, I swam over a man. I’ve only swum over women in the past so that
was a little weird. I think this was an
older man – and wondered if he realized a 60-year-old woman was pushing him aside. A little later, someone (the same guy?)
pushed my legs straight down. I had to
do a quick flutter kick to get back to the surface. Whoever it was did not pass me. The exit was not marked and I had a hard time
seeing the chain link fence where we were supposed to leave the water. I swam until my fingers hit the bottom and
then stood up.
TRANSITION
1
The run to
transition was very short (25 meters). I
had a little panic again that I couldn’t find the zipper cord, but found
it. Then I could not get my left arm out
as I ran. One of the volunteers from
Lake Santee (in yellow) that I met earlier was on the sideline cheering me on. I heard her say, “I wish I could help you!” So sweet. The volunteer's encouragement meant so much!
The entire transition area was only about 80 feet long with
only one isle. Very small. My bike was racked on the isle which was
nice. When I got to my spot in
transition, my heart was pounding. I got
my wetsuit off except for my left foot which was stuck. I remember saying out loud to that foot, “Oh
come on!” I finally just jerked it
out. My feet were covered with
sand. I thought that might happen so I
had a water bottle ready and poured water over them. I put on my glasses, helmet, socks and shoes
and took off. I remember thinking that
my core must be a lot stronger because I was able to balance long enough to
just pick up my foot and slip my sock on.
Cool! When I took the plastic bag
off of the Shot Bloks, there were a million bees that had worked their way
under the plastic. Even though I am
rather not fond of bugs that stink or bite, it didn’t faze me. I do, however, remember hoping that they
wouldn’t follow me down the course! They
didn’t.
BIKE
PLAN: First quarter mile – getting bearings /
build HR to 140
HR
- z4 (141-150) / Cadence 90
/ Race the peaks and the down
hills
Nutrition
– Shot blok every 10 min (or so)
Hydration
– sip continuously
ACTUAL: HR Ave = 146 / Cadence Ave = 82 / Ave
Speed = 17.58
4
Shot Bloks + Water around 8x
I loved running with
my bike. There is just something about
running with my bike that makes me feel so proud. A guy next to me mounted his bike about 50
feet before the mount line. I think he
was a beginner. I hope they just had him
go back. A lot of people were stopped at
the mount line clipping in. I ran past
them and had no problems mounting without stop my forward motion (on flat
pedals) – gear and pedal position were just right.
This bike was a blast.
Per plan, I spent the first part (probably about a quarter mile) getting
my bearings. Three minutes in, my heart
rate was 144 and my cadence was 90.
Perfect. My heart rate stayed in
zone 4 for the entire race except for some 8-10 degree climbs. My cadence was another story with the hills –
but I was pleased that I averaged 82.
The thing that was different about this race was that
all the constant hills made it necessary to shift gears literally all the
time. At first, I kept shifting between
my two crankshafts, but that was cumbersome.
So I ended up staying in the larger crankshaft except for the very
steepest hills. I passed a bunch of
people. I think only two people passed
me. I was so busy switching gears (and
planning my strategy for the next hill) that I didn’t have time to even look at
my speed, heart rate or cadence. It was
all by feel. A couple of the hills were 10% grades.
On the down hills prior to these steep climbs, while maintaining speed,
I tried to relax every muscle, take several deep breathes, and prepare mentally
for the climb. Then, I’d hit the hill with
every bit of confidence that I could muster.
Once again, I played leap frog with a man on this
course. Except this time, I was passing
him on the uphills. (In fact, I passed
almost everyone that I passed on an uphill).
I noticed when he switched gears at the bottom of the hill, his feet
would spin like crazy – and then I would catch him. We must have passed each other a dozen
times.
I did have one scary moment – except it happened so
fast that I didn’t have time to be scared.
In retrospect, I probably did a stupid thing. Toward the end of the course, there was a 10%
downhill with a blind curve and then a long 10% uphill. I had planned to race down the hill as fast
as I could to get momentum for the uphill.
As we started the downhill, there were two slower bikers in front, then
a car, then the guy I was playing leap-frog with, then me. The car was afraid to pass the two bikers on
the blind curve so it slowed down. That
forced the leap-frog guy to slow down.
Well . . . I did not want to slow down. So . . . I passed the leap-frog guy and
started to pass the car. I know, bad
idea. I was wondering if the driver had
the window open so I could yell “on your left.”
I really just wasn’t thinking. I
just knew I did not want to slow down.
Well, I think everything would have been ok, but all of
a sudden there was a car coming toward us around the blind curve. Oh no.
I yelled, “Coming in!” and pulled in front of Leap-frog Man. I heard his breaks squeal as I pulled in
front of him. The car coming toward us passed by. The car that was now in front of me passed the two bikers
in front of it. Everyone was ok. But
I felt terrible. I knew that was a dumb
move and I had forced Leap-frog Man to slow down before the 10% climb because
of my stupidity. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. At
the top of the 10% hill, Leap-frog Man passed me and I apologized and thanked
him for letting me in. I let him stay in
front of me for a while to make up for my stupid move. But I had the speed to pass him so after
about a half mile, I passed him and never saw him again. He probably was afraid of me.
Note to self: Do
not try to pass cars during a race. When
I think back on this, I am dumbfounded.
I still don’t ride on the road during training because I am afraid of
cars. But something just takes over
during races. I am a beast – and in this
case, a stupid beast!
The end of the bike was kind of exciting. A man in front of me was tiring. He would go strong and then coast repeatedly. I was catching him but couldn’t get close
enough to pass prior to the finish. However, I was close as we approached the finish. He slowed down and I did too. I did the things I planned to do prior to dismount - ate a Shot Blok, drank water, and stretched. But, I made sure I stayed at the legal distance right behind him. At the dismount line, he stopped to dismount. I pulled up right next to him but did not stop. I swung my right leg over the saddle while moving, stepped off the bike and hit the ground
running. I ran right past him into
transition. That was fun.
TRANSITION
2
All I could think of as I entered Transition 2 was,
“This will be fast.” Unlike other
racers who use clipless pedals (a fear that I have not yet conquered), I did not have to take off bike shoes and put on running shoes. I racked my bike, took off my glasses and
helmet, and ran. As I approached the run
exit, I realized that I had forgotten to click my Garmin watch at the end of
the bike and so I did. Then one of the kind Lake Santee volunteers at the
exit yelled, “You forgot your bib!” I was immediately SO grateful to him. Thank you, thank you, thank you! SHOOT! How could I forget my
bib?!! A silly mental mistake. I have practiced transition a million times - but did not envision it as I normally do as I entered the bike. I always count: Two things off (helmet +
glasses) / One thing on (race belt). This time, I
just didn’t think. So I had to run back
and get my race belt and bib. As I left transition, I thanked
the volunteer profusely with my words and my eyes. I was SO, SO, SO appreciative. Since I had just clicked my watch prior to
having to turn around, I know that mistake cost me exactly 16 seconds.
RUN
PLAN:
Cadence 90+
Mile 0-0.25 Settle
down /
focus on form
Mile 0.5 – 2.2 z4
(149-155)
Mile 2.2 – 2.5 Climb
& relax
Mile 2.5 z5 (156-160) – Push to end
ACTUAL:
Cadence
97
Mile 0 – 0.25 HR
144 Pace 13:21
Mile 0.25 – 1.5 HR 147 Pace 12.47
Mile 1.5 – 2.2 HR 150 Pace 12.04
Mile 2.2 – 2.4 HR
153 Pace 13.33
10% climb & relax
Mile 2.4 – 3.1 HR
154 Pace
11:37 Push
Ave HR 150 Pace 12:26 12:09 official pace Stride:
0.67
Max HR 162 Pace 8:57
Note: The chart below (from 2013) is the correct
elevation. The diagram below (2014) does
not have correct elevation, but everything else is correct. This was an out and back. Note the valley that we ran through twice
(out and back). The climb out of the
valley on both sides of the valley is a
10% grade.
2013
2014
Shortly after leaving transition, the man who I passed as we
entered transition passed me. That did not surprise me. Everyone passes me on the run. I am SO slow.
Last year in this race, I was dead last and about ten minutes behind the
second-to-last finisher. So even if I
had improved, there was a reasonable chance that everyone would pass me on the
run and I would be dead last again.
This run was an out-and-back with a steep valley in the
middle. Each side of the valley had a
10% grade. So on the way out and the way
back, we would run down a 10% grade for about a quarter mile and then run up a
10% grade for a quarter mile.
The start of the run was just mechanical. I did not have any pain (I sometimes do from the bike). But I certainly did not have an easy running stride. I think my feet were just barely clearing the
pavement. I was pleased, however, that my cadence was above 90. In brick workouts (bike + run), my cadence is almost
always above 90 immediately. I was pleased that I did not feel especially tired or creaky as I have in races earlier in the
summer. I think this was the part of the run where my coach tells me to get my bearings.
Per my coach’s instructions, I didn’t push in the beginning
which was a slight decline. I just
focused on maintaining the 90 cadence and making sure my heart rate was not
crazy. It was around 144 (top of zone
3). Good. I ran for a while and then
checked my watch. I was surprised to see
that I had already gone a half mile. I
was dismayed that my pace was in the 13:00’s.
I wanted to be in the mid 12’00’s in the beginning so that was a little
disappointing. I was so scared that I
was tired and not at 100% from all the training I had done in the previous week and I wasn’t going to be able to maintain the
run.
According to my cadence and heart
rate, I thought I should be going faster mathematically.
I wondered if my Garmin Forerunner was malfunctioning again. At this point, I was on a slight
uphill so I decided to just maintain what I was doing and hope my watch was
wrong. I also got a message that my
watch battery was low which made no sense because I had charged it all night
and had checked to make sure the charge indicator was on.
At about a mile, I started running downhill as I approached
the valley. I decided to run a
little faster on the downhill. I increased my cadence but and then thought it was probably better to keep my cadence were it was (96) and instead, increase my lean. I checked my Garmin and found that my pace
was in the 11:00’s. Good. But . . . my pace would jump between 13:00 and
11:00 for no apparent reason.
The uphill out of the valley was not as bad as I thought it
would be. I was able to maintain a 90+
cadence and if my watch was accurate, I was doing a pace in the 12:00’s. Good. The
runner in first place passed me going the other way. I was
pleased because the first place racer is usually off the run course before I
start my bike. I must have been feeling
good because I spoke to each of the lead runners as they passed (e.g. I was not
so breathless that I could not talk). I
tried to think of what a 60-year-old, overweight woman could say that might be
might be rewarding or encouraging to these elite athletes. I finally settled on “Looking fresh!” Not sure my words made a difference to
anyone, but I tried!
The distance between the top of the "valley climb" and the turn around was
about a half mile of gentle climb. I
checked my watch several times and noted paces in the mid 12:00’s. Heart rate was around 145. Good. I crossed paths with several people who were on their way back as I approached the turnaround. I remember thinking how cool that was because last year I was so far behind that I couldn't see anyone for almost the entire course. Only a couple
of people passed me from behind. It was great to be among runners for the entire race.
At the turn around I grabbed a cup of water and poured it
into my apple juice bottle. That’s right
– apple juice bottle. I forgot to bring
my hand-held water bottle. Luckily, I
had a small apple juice with me that was just the right size for holding so it
became my water bottle for the run.
After the turn around, I started crossing paths with runners who were behind me. That was also cool. I knew they were probably faster than me and were likely to catch me. I calculated that if I were still passing people running toward me at the 2 mile marker, they would be unlikely to catch me even if they were great runners because I would be one mile ahead of them.
The run back to the valley was a slight downhill. My coach had told me to wait to kick it until
after the valley, but I suspected I was behind the average pace I wanted to run
(sub 12:30). I was feeling good and only
had 1.5 miles to go, so I decided to speed up on that half-mile downhill. I focused on elbows back, lean, and no heal
while maintaining my 96-ish cadence. My
watch checks showed paces in the mid 11:00’s with a HR in the high 140’s / low
150’s. So far, so good.
I passed a runner coming toward me right before the mile 2 marker. Hooray! I might not be last!
When I reached the downhill into the valley (at mile 2.0), I
tried to relax on the decent and mentally prepare for the climb. As I started the climb, I saw a young woman
that I met prior to the race. She had
approached me while we were waiting for the swim. She said, “You inspired me to do this race!”
and gave me a BIG hug. I guess she was
at the race last year and when she saw me finish, she figured she could do a
triathlon too. I was so touched and am
even choking up a bit now as I write this.
She said she was crazy nervous.
It felt great to be able to talk her down. I told her that in addition to triathlons
being great because training for them keeps you physically fit, they are also tests
of courage. I explained that when she
crossed that finish line she would feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment
not only because she met a physical challenge but also because she had the
courage to meet her fears head on. I
explained that in this first triathlon, the focus was on learning what it was
like to go the distance. Later, if she
wanted, she could focus on racing. Today
was only about learning what it was like to go the distance. I tried to think about what my coach says
when I am freaking out. “I have no doubt
that you will finish,” I told her.
When
I saw her approaching me on the run, she was walking at the top of the valley,
then she started to run down the hill.
When she saw me, I pointed at her and yelled, “You are going to make
it!” I got a huge smile in return. Very cool. I think the energy she gave me was with me through the climb.
That climb was grueling. The night before when driving
the course (and having my own little freak out moment) I had texted my coach to
ask him how to handle the push at the end given a 10% climb at mile 2.5. He said to get to the top, relax for a little
bit, and then push. When I read that, I thought,
what does that look like? Does “relax”
mean wait until your heart rate comes down?
How long is a “little bit?” I
texted him back, “I’m just catching my breath and relaxing for 30 seconds or
so. I am not looking for a specific
HR. Right?” He told me, “You will know what to do. Just listen to your body.” I told him ok, but I was secretly wondering
what I would do if my body said, “Lay down on the grass and take a nap!” I had no confidence that I could interpret
what my body was trying to tell me. But,
I’ve learned that I should always listen to my coach. If he said that my body would tell me what to
do, then I would need to start listening to my body and learning how to
understand its messages.
Per my coach’s instructions I took little steps on the climb. I was not conscious of slowing down my
cadence, but I think it dropped to 90.
My pace dropped to around 13:30. I
was surprised that before I knew it, I was at the top of the 10% grade and
starting the 2% grade that would last for another quarter mile. I started listening to my body and it said,
“I’m feeling pretty good. No need to
relax.” So I focused on form and sped up
to a steady pace in the 11:00’s.
To my surprise, I passed more people who were running toward me. Woohoo! I would not be last! One tired man asked me as he passed,
“How far to the turnaround?” Of course, I was not going to tell him the turnaround was a mile away and that he had 2.5 miles left to go. I just said, "Down the hill; up the hill; a little bit to the turnaround. You can do it."
When I was about 400
yards from the finish line, I let it rip.
Head high, chest up, arms back, flat foot, high cadence. As soon as I started, I thought "Oh no! I'm sprinting too soon. I am not going to be able to maintain this effort to the finish line." But once again, the positive and energizing people of Lake Santee carried me on. They were cheering for me by name. Go Sue! My husband was
cheering. I crossed the finish
line. The race director’s daughter put a
medal over my head.
Immediately, a runner came up to me. He said, “Did you do this last year?” I responded, “Yes, I came in dead last.” He said, "That's what I thought." Then, he told me how impressed he was with my
strength today and offered me congratulations. Wow. People can be so kind.
I was pleased with my husband’s photo of me at the
finish. My head is up, I seem to be
leaning forward and it looks like my heal is not going to hit first. There is hope that I may become a runner
(maybe).
AWARDS CEREMONY
The first thing I always do after a race is text my
coach. I’m just so excited by
what we have done as a team (his plan / my execution), that I can’t wait to
tell him how we did. I think he was
pleased. Since this was a B race, I
don’t think either of us expected personal records. But I think both of us were pleased that I
wasn’t too tired to compete and ended up with a fairly solid race.
Brian and I went to wait for the awards ceremony. I drank a chocolate milk and ate half an
apple. A gentleman came up to
tell me that I had inspired him to enter the race. He was a volunteer last year, and he said
that watching me race made him realize that triathlons weren’t about racing,
they were about enduring. He told me,
“You are the most courageous person that I have ever met.” That blew me away. We chatted for quite a while and said, "See you next year!" as we parted. Nice guy.
Brian and I wandered back to the finish line to watch the
final runner arrive. He was an
82-year-old man with a pacemaker.
Talk about inspiring! Part of succeeding is having a vision of what is possible. As I looked at him, I could see myself doing triathlons at age 82. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving me a new vision of what is possible!
I was nervous at the
awards ceremony. If I placed first at this event, I would qualify for USAT Nationals in 2015. I looked around to see if there were any
other “old women” in the group and saw one or two that looked young, but could possibly have been in my
age group. When they got to my age
group, I was ecstatic when I heard my name.
I pumped my fists in the air and yelled “Woohoo!” Everyone laughed and clapped. What amazes me about this is that I am
actually pretty shy. There’s just
something about Lake Santee and triathlon . . .
I ran into the girl with whom I had spoken before the
race. She immediately gave me another
HUGE hug. She was so happy and so
proud. I was soooo happy for her. She conquered the distance AND her fears. What a wonderful day.
I checked all the race results and learned that I was 28 out
of 43 people. Not bad for someone who
came in dead last the year before. I was
16 in swim, 19 in bike and 37 in run. I took almost 20 minutes off last year’s time. Solid.
As we were packing the car, a man pulled up and rolled down
his window. He asked how I had lost so
much weight. Like me, he had lost a LOT
of weight. He said he had an ah-ha moment when he understood that heavy people can
exercise and do sports too. He said that
he was inspired by me to do the triathlon next year. Cool. His
story really touched me. He
talked about the emotional side of losing so much weight – how you wake up one
morning and realize you are no longer you. Before I knew it I was getting misty-eyed. He knew my journey. He had been there. He understood. I was not the only one whose weight loss was an emotional as well as physical journey. As we said good-bye, I said something about competing with him next year and he affirmed that he would be there. Another journey begins!
I also spoke with one of the YMCA Board of
Directors. He told me the race director read my blog about last year’s race to the YMCA Board earlier that week and that
there were many wet eyes in the group as they listened. He said that he explained to the board, “That’s
why we sponsor the triathlon. It makes a
difference in people’s lives.”
COMMUNITY IMPACT
I'm learning that while a triathlon greatly benefits those who compete (and sometimes changes lives), its actual reach is much greater than just the athletes.
While in Greensburg for this race, my family ate lunch in the public restaurant at Lake Santee following the race. We also ate dinner in Greensburg the night before the race and stayed at Hampton Inn.
Hampton Inn was so nice, that I decided to bring seven events sponsored by our non-profit to the Hampton Inn in 2014 and 2015. We had been looking for a venue in the southeastern part of the state so I was really pleased to find such a nice location. I will make sure they know that the business resulted from the Lake Santee Triathlon.
And best of all, the YMCA Board member that I met is also the president of the Greensburg City Council. We talked about our non-profit's work with the Decatur County College Success Coalition (as an intermediary for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education). The coalition in Decatur County currently has thirty member organizations including the City of Greensburg. And because of this group's work, the State of Indiana has proclaimed that Decatur County is an "Indiana College Success County." That's a BIG plus when trying to secure new business and industry - and high skill / high wage jobs. I'll follow up with him to talk about how to get involved with the coalition in Decatur County and how the coalition can be used to 1) attract business / industry with high skill / high wage jobs, and 2) enable the county's students to qualify for the state's Twenty-first Century Scholars Scholarship.
Lots of connections resulting from the Lake Santee Triathlon!
WHAT'S NEXT?
So, I’m now looking forward to what comes next. My coach says, “Now we don’t have to worry
about qualifying for Nationals. We can
just prepare to dominate.” Ha.
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