On to greener pastures

10 years ago I was having a really rough time in my athletic life – some influencing people were basically killing anything I enjoyed about running. I was finishing up my junior year, on a full scholarship, and pretty much wanted to quit and walk away from it. That’s how I ended up getting back into triathlons after having doing a bunch as a youth. My dad suggested participating in some of the central Florida sprints as a way to have fun again while competing.

I did have fun; a lot of fun. I met some new people, including a husband and wife that my dad had recently met. I was finishing up the run of the first sprint triathlon in Clermont when Wendy gave me a shout as she was starting her run. A local elite stud was cooling down chatting with her as they had gotten to know each other through some triathlon forums over the past year. She turned to him and asked if he was single – he was, and she told him that she knew a girl he should meet.

So yes, that was Marty, and we have Wendy to thank for setting us up. Her and her husband, Al, were so in love and such nice people – good people, genuine people.

I remember when I first met Wendy she said something that stuck with me. As I said before, I was going through a low point – as I was talking to her about what was going on she said, “don’t let someone so unworthy take up space in your head” I could really relate to that and tried my best to stop worrying about someone who was causing me so much anxiety.

Wendy lost her battle with melanoma last night. She was 50. She will be missed greatly by many, many people, including Marty and I.