Fit-Pic: One Chilly TriRock Morning

Funny how Midwest weather works. The last time I was in Lake Geneva for a triathlon we were having one of the warmest days of the year. The temperature soared into the 90s--oddly enough warm turned out to be a theme for most of the triathlons I did this season. That was June 23.

Not even three months later, the weather did a complete 180. Forget trying to figure out how you were going to stay cool on the bike and the run, at TriRock Lake Geneva, we were bundled in winter clothes (hats and gloves included) and wondering how cold we might get on the bike.

When I parked my car in Williams Bay, the car thermometer read 36 degrees--and that was five degrees warmer than it had been when I woke up. I had nearly convinced myself to bag the race and return to my warm hotel room while I prepped my bike. A 6:30 a.m. start--and I was in the third wave, not third to last, which was the case at two other races--would be COLD...and dark. The redeeming factor was the announcement I heard as I walked to transition: Start time was postponed until 7:15 a.m. That was partially because it was cold, especially out on the bike course away from the lake, but mostly because Geneva Lake was covered in fog. You couldn't see the swim course and race officials were waiting for the fog to lift before they allowed a bunch of triathletes to navigate the water.

As for the race itself, I'll save that for another day. Time for bed...there's another race in the morning.