Those Who Tri

I was in the first group of little punks to go all the way through Hart Middle School in Rochester after it was first built (grades 6-8).

Up until a few weeks ago, I had almost completely forgotten that little useless fact, and then I met someone who reminded me of it.

Early on a Saturday morning, the St. Anthony's TNT Michigan team gathered in Birmingham for a bike+run brick. It turned out to be way too cold to run outside that day so it was decided that we would workout for an extra few minutes on the bike instead, then listen to a guest that our swim coach had brought with her who was visiting from Atlanta.

The team packed up our bikes, did some stretching, and gathered in a corner of the gym to hear what this amazing athlete had to say.

Our swim coach introduced her as Laura Sophiea, a three time Kona Ironman winner, and 16 time competitor.

She began to share her wisdom with us about what to expect on race-day, how to eat the night before and that morning, how to handle transitions, and all of the other incredible knowledge that she has accumulated through years of professional competition. We listened intently as she talked about her training schedule and how she prepares for a race, and exchanged the kinds of glances with each other that anyone could easily interpret as, "man this is gonna be tough ..."

As she spoke, I started to come to a shocking realization, "I know this woman from somewhere."

When she was finished speaking and gracefully answering all of the questions that we could manage to fire at her, the crowd dissipated and I finally had a chance to speak with her.

This was, indeed, my middle school librarian!

It was fantastic to have an opportunity to catch up with her and dig a little deeper into the life of a professional triathlete.

In addition to competing professionally, Laura has developed a triathlon coaching program which she offers through her company, Tri Masters Coach. If you're a triathlete and you're looking for some inspiration, visit their site and read through their race-day stories!