On my 40th birthday,

I did my first triathlon.
I swam 1/2 mile, biked 20 miles, and ran 4 miles in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 16 seconds.

Here are pictures to prove it:

On the weekend of my 50th birthday,

I did my tenth triathlon. However, this time, I was much smarter.

Instead of waking up at an ungodly hour, hurrying through breathless transitions, and suffering extreme fatigue, I began at the leisurely hour of 1pm.

I swam 1/2 mile on Saturday.

I biked 24 miles on Sunday, with a beer in the middle of the ride.

I then ran 4 miles on Monday.

For good measure, I wore the same top I wore 10 years before.

It was the Inaugural Angela Angelovic Birthday Invitational Tri-day Triathlon, and it was fantastic, and fun!

To top it all off, not only did I place first in my age group, I placed first overall!

What have I learned in the last 10 years?

It’s okay to pace myself.
Stop and smell the beer.
I don’t have to be the best. Just be the best me.