I do what I love, I love what I do!

I feel really blessed to be able to confidently say that! I've been racing triathlons and multisport events for 25 years. Now, I want to give back so I have put on my tri coach hat and am coaching 6 athletes from super beginners to just shy of intermediate experience for various distances. I announced an openwater tri clinic at Elephant Butte Lake this past weekend and had 13 people ready to roll. We had 8 show up for the 5:30am leave El Paso time to caravan up. Laura Bernal, Art Sanchez, Rob Lovett, Bates Gaddy, Michael Casteneda, Catalina D., Rosalba Bazar and her friend Rocio. I prepared a couple of handouts; one on swimming technique for OW and then other on the pyschology of training and racing. If the drive up was any sign of what was to come, well then bring it! Large meteors lit up the sky over the I-10, then the full yellow cheese moon set over the western mesas giving the Rio Grande river valley the most unusual light. As the sun peaked up over the Mtn's, it made it's way through heavy clouds to give the Hatch valley that awesome southwestern August lighting. The day started at a cool *68 with overcast skies. Most people are uneasy when swimming in OW and sometimes the wetsuit can work against you as Laura found out. She's been struggling with panic attacks and not being able to breath. Art is a fish so he led out the more confident swimmers, Rob was practicing his 2nd OW swim and learning to sight properly and not swim all over the lake, Bates was good to go, Michael also practicing his new OW technique with wetsuit, Caty was amazing as a beginner to the sport she is a confident swimmer, Rosalba WOW! she was timid at first-very timid but relaxed and took her time and amazingly by the end of the swim portion she was cruising it! her buddy Rocio really surprised me too- she swam with Art's group who rounded the 'no wake' buoys several times for almost a mile of total swimming-YEA GROUP!!! we all wore brightly colored swim caps to show up for the boat traffic. On to the transition area and on our bikes we began the course ride; you feel like you are riding over hill and dale along the lake but it is beauty the whole way, especially after a desert rain. Poor Rocio got a big slice in her back tire but we were asked 3 x if we needed help by locals and finally she hitched a ride back to camp from a nice local family. I journeyed on, catching the rest of the group just after the 2 big hills-I was pleased to see Catalina still hanging with these guys! we zipped over the rest of the course and came back to camp-quick transition and off on the technical first portion of the run-by race time it will be loose sand again from the vehicle traffic but after a rain it had hardened up pretty good-that didn't change the incline of the hill that leads out of the lake basin though! man, that thing is straight UP! we got back in the lake afterwards to cool off, clean up and into town for lunch at Bella Luka-yum! what a great group of people! we had easy conversation and everyone was easy and very open about their racing, training and life. I can't wait to do this again :) because when I give, I get so much more in return!