Queen of the Hill

This weekend the Mullica Hill Women's Triathlon Club hosted their 3rd annual Queen of the Hill Sprint Triathlon at Lake Gillman in Monroeville, NJ. This female-only race featured a 1/4 mile swim in a beautiful private lake, followed by a scenic 10-mile bike ride through Mullica Hill, and then finished with a 5k run. This year the triathlon sold out in a week.

Saturday morning about 350 MHWTC members swam, biked, and ran their hearts out! My favorite part of the race was standing at the finish line and watching everyone come in. It was hard not to get chills watching that many women complete a goal they have set for themselves. There were lots of tears, doubts and butterflies at the start of the race. However, at the end of the race there were lots SMILES, hugs and laughs. I am so proud to be a part of this club that inspires and motivates women to do things they never thought would be possible, including me!

The morning before the race I checked out my times from last year on each individual event. My goals for the race were to improve my bike and run times. I had times and averages in mind based on my training. When it comes to setting fitness goals, I think it is so important that they are centered around improving personally. It is extremely motivating to achieve a personal record on a swim, bike or run that you thought was not possible a few months ago. This is what will keep you going! Try not to compare yourself to others, that is a waste of negative energy. With that said, most importantly..... I dropped 2:30 minutes off my time from last year! That is a decent amount of time in a sprint triathlon. Also, on this amazing day the stars were in alignment for me and my #1 fan was with me the entire way because I WON the race! I am the 2013 MHWTC Queen of the Hill. I finished one second ahead of the second place finisher Katie. When she sped past me on the bike I cheered her on, and when I passed her on the run she cheered me on. We sprinted the last 100 meters together, and on this particular day, I was able to have that one second advantage. We collapsed on the ground and hugged, and in the spirit of this club, I met a new friend! Because that's what it is all about encouraging and motivating each other to be the best we can be.

It is a day I will never forget!

Thank you to Michelle who works hard to carry out the best triathlon of the year! As always thanks to Colleen, Lydia and Maureen who devote so many hours to this club. Thanks to Ron and Jason Griscom, my super supportive semi-unoffocial CrossFit/Triathlon coaches, who helped me so much (check back soon for the huge role CrossFit played in achieving all these goals)! A final thank-you to all the volunteers who spent their Saturday morning helping out!

This is what one second looks like.

Big smiles!

Grils compete with each other, women empower one another.

MHWTC 2013