WHO IS THE MUSEUM GEEK TRIATHLETE?
The Story
Growing up, I had one huge dream, and one "wouldn't that be cool" dream.
The huge dream was to work in museums for a living. I'm a huge history nut, and a long time ago, I was fortunate to visit the Field Museum in Chicago. I think I was 7 or 8.
A few years later, I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark.
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I was hooked.
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I was fortunate enough to have a family that didn't think a museum degree was stupid. Unfortunately, it took me too long to realize my dream (and two Master's Degrees). But I wouldn't exchange the journey for anything.
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I was lucky enough to work in several awesome museums--The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Mark Twain House, the Prudence Crandall Museum. And I even was lucky enough to consult at many small local museums and historical societies. Dream #1, check.
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But as all good things do, they come to an end, and my road forked in a new direction: mom! It looked like I was to be a stay at home mom, which I didn't think was a bad gig, but yet again doors your didn't even realize were there, open up to you.
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My new life as mom offered me the possibility of getting back into shape. I had always been very active--playing sports all through high school and college, and even playing some "beer league" softball after school. This is where the "wouldn't it be cool" dream comes in.
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About the same time as I was drooling over Indiana Jones and his adventures, I also watched the Ironman World Championship triathlon on TV. How exciting was that--3 sports in one day! Crazy! But, wouldn't that be cool to do one of those one day. Enter dream #2.
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A day looking at bicycles became a month of looking at bicycles. I did buy one, and asked many many more questions than I think they were used to.
During a bike fit, I was offered a job!
The bicycle was needed because I was planning for something "big". I had signed up for a "couch to 5K" running program. If I could run a 5k (3.1 miles), then I would then sign up for a "couch to sprint triathlon" program. I finished the 5k without dying. I signed up for the tri program the next day.
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Three months later, I completed my first triathlon. Dream #2, check!
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After swearing for several years there was no way I'd ever try one of those crazy Ironmans...well let's just say, when your 50th birthday starts staring at you, what are you going to do? Go big or go home...and I went big!
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COVID got in the way of the crazy idea of an Ironman, and after two years of cancellations, I decided that the triathlon Gods have spoken. An Ironman was just not meant to be. But that doesn't mean that there aren't other crazy things to try.
And I'm back working in museums. And until I figure out how to grow old gracefully, my triathlon career may be done as well.
It's time to figure out how to make it all work,
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It's going to get interesting...stay tuned.
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