The Stroke & Stride is a local race series for those needing a mid-week reservoir swim (half mile or mile) and 5k run. There are 9 races throughout the summer and most folks use them as time trials or practice for their upcoming triathlons (swim, bike, run). I started doing these races back in 2019, during my first summer in Boulder. This upcoming week will be my 9th race, perhaps I will be able to beat that 22 minute barrier.
Summer evenings in Boulder can be quite hot, 90-95F. The temps make the swim extremely pleasant while the run can be challenging. By the time I hit the turn around point, I've mentally gathered all of the athlete goddesses I've known over my many years of training and racing. They run beside me and in front of me. I tie my imaginary knot onto them, let my love for my ladies fill my soul, and as a team, we push hard to the finish. No one ever mentioned that one of the best parts of growing up is observing the development of your friends' professional careers. Team leaders become nurses and teachers, pain-cave survivors become naturopaths and forest service rangers, dance instructors, musicians, and a lawyer. For 10 minutes each week, when I am exhausted and begging for water, these people come back to me. Suffering together, or is it pleasure? I'm still not sure. At the finish, I reach for my watermelon slices, my ghost friends are gone - back to their lives, spread out all across the U.S. and beyond. I have a half ironman (1.3 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run) on September 11th! Woot woot.
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AuthorSierra is a graduate student in the Barger Lab at CU Boulder studying microbial ecology for dryland restoration. Archives
August 2023
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