TriVeggies

Well, hello, friends! I’m Hope, and I’m a triathlete.

That sounds a bit like a confession, which I suppose it is – we triathletes are a weird bunch, I must admit. But I can’t help it; I am who I am, and triathlon is a major part of my life. So is running. So are cycling and swimming on their own as well. I love each discipline in its own way.

I’ve been competing in races since 2007, which floors me when I really think about it, as often I feel like I’ve just gotten started! There’s just so much to learn about every aspect of triathlon … I think I could spend the rest of my life trying to get it all perfected and still have things to work on.

One thing I’ll never be is especially fast. I started as a back-of-packer and over the years have moved up slightly to a mid-to-back-of-packer, and I’m just fine with that. It’s rare for me to be on a podium – in fact, it’s happened only once (and NO, I wasn’t the only person in my age group!). But that’s not why I do what I do, anyway. That’s not the point of it for me. When it comes to “journey versus destination,” I definitely feel like both have their place (and especially in longer races, I am VERY ready to see the destination come into view!), but for me the adventures in the journey just can’t be topped. I wonder if you feel the same.

So that covers the Tri part of TriVeggies – but what about the Veggies portion? Well, yes, you guessed it – I’m a vegetarian triathlete. I’ve been veg for more than 20 years now, and over the years I’ve gotten “better” at it in terms of using my nutrition to improve my training performance. Plus, not for nothing, it’s a wonderful time to be vegetarian and/or plant-based. There are just so many options – 2001-era Hope would be shocked at how far we’ve come!

Anyway, before I started pouring my heart out (and sometimes gushing) about all manner of triathlon- and vegetarian-related topics, I thought it might be polite to say hello. Thanks for stopping by! I hope we’ll be friends in short order.