Verona Triterium: Rain, Mud, and Hills

Coming out of the swim

A few weeks ago, I competed in my first olympic distance triathalon.  The Verona Triterium is a .93 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 6.1 mile run known for it's three loops around around the quarry, steep hills on the bike, and shirt grinds on the run. 

This was the first race that Craig and I were both competing in, so I was very excited since this was his first tri since Ironman Louisville 2012.  As we both loaded our gear in to the car that morning, the clouds started rolling in, and I knew we were in for a rainy day.  Luckily, when we arrived at transition, the rained stopped, and we were able to get set up. 

After saying "good luck" to all my friends, and giving Craig a good luck kiss, my wave was off!  We headed out on a 3 loops swim through the quarry.  The only part that threw me off was that between loops we had to exit the water, run around a tree, and re-enter the water for the next loop!  Once I got into a groove and settled my heart rate, I was just fine, besides the rain.  It was great practice to be swimming with a large group of people in preparation for Door County. 

I finished the swim in 38 minutes and was off to the bike.  By this time the ground was pretty wet, and I was running through mud on the way to T1.  Because the sky was so dark, I didn't wear any sunglasses, which resulted in lots of rain drops in my eyes!  As the rain slowed down, the hills picked up.  The bike was very tough, but I made it back into T2 to see lots of friends cheering me on through the slip n' slide of transition. 


Finishing up the Run!

As I started the run I knew there would be a few grinds, but I was okay with it because I was just happy to be off of the bike.  The first loop (2 miles) went just fine, and as I started the second loop, I saw that Craig had just finished.  Craig saw me and decided to run a loop with me.  We had a chance to talk about how his race went, and take my mind off the running.  Then, I went out for my last loop.  By this point I was feeling pretty fatigued, and ready to be done. 

I finished the final loop with an overall time of 3:49:01.

Next up, Door County Half Ironman.  I'm ready!

Cheers,

Samantha

The Land of Beer and Cheese!

Since Craig and I moved to Wisconsin, we have enjoyed craft beers and cheese curds a time or two, but never ventured to a Wisconsin Brewery. 

 When Groupon threw out an opportunity to go to Minhas Brewery, we were all over it! 

Craig and I decided that it would be fun to bike to Monroe, WI, since it was about 40 miles away.  We would leave on Saturday and come home on Sunday.  As we headed out of town on Saturday morning, the sky was looking a bit gloomy, and we hoped the rain would hold out.  After about 45 minutes on the bike, it began to downpour.  We found ourselves soaking wet, surrounded by steep hills and corn fields. 

 Needless to say, we were beyond ready to make it to Monroe!  As we got closer to the town, they sky started to clear.  We made it to our hotel with enough time to eat lunch before our brewery tour. 

 After seeing Baumgartner’s on the Food Network, we knew we needed to go to try their cheese! We went and had a cheese plate that was surprisingly mediocre compared to other Wisconsin cheese.  One cool thing we did get to experience there was the community table.  This was a long table where everyone sat together.  We chatted with locals, people from Iowa, and others from around the states who were visiting this small town. 

 Soon after, we headed over to Minhas Brewery for our tour.  As we walked inside it was PACKED!  The 1pm tour was just ending, and guests wanted to get the most of their “unlimited beer pours” before they were asked to leave.  As people cleared out, Craig and I sampled a Chocolate Bunny Stout and a Double IPA. 

 We watched a video about the “Oldest Brewery in the Midwest” and learned about their packaging and distributing.  We viewed all the bells and whistles of the brewery and headed back for more samples.  We left Minhas each with a 8 beers and 4 root beers!



Sunday's Ride Home!

 After an exhausting day of biking, walking, eating, and drinking, we finished the evening at Pancho and Lefty’s, a small local restaurant known to be the best in town. 

The quaint atmosphere of the town was great, we got up the next morning, and headed back to Madison…this time in the sunshine! 

 I can’t wait to explore more of Wisconsin’s hidden gems.  Next stop, New Glarus Brewery!

 Cheers,

 Samantha