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Cherry Garcia & Carol Baskin Killed Her Husband...

Tuesday, 21 April 2020 23:10

ED. Another instalment of "Minnesota Triathletes Coping With Quarantine."

By Mitchell Clayton

Wow, how life has changed. Not just for me, and not just over the past month, but for everyone, and for the foreseeable future. Staying sane while being cooped up is the new challenge, and creative solutions are needed…

Snacks: Ben & Jerry’s has a new #1 customer, but I should probably keep his name a secret… Word on the street is he lives in Rochester, MN and devours Cherry Garcia but will settle for Gimme S’more. Also, a cheap substitute for the healthier days is 3-ingredient cookies. 2 bananas, 1.5 cups of oats, 1/3 cup chocolate chips, mix and mush it all up, bake for 12-15 min at 350.

Entertainment: Carole Baskin killed her husband and fed him to the Tigers. If you aren’t getting the reference, drop what you’re doing and start streaming “Tiger King” on Netflix. YouTube has also been a savior. Vessa, my girlfriend and roommate and aspiring triathlete that I’m coaching, and I have been OBSESSED with Eric Lagerstom and Paula Findlay’s channel. They showcase their life as professional triathletes, put out high quality videos, and have fun doing it. Also on the topic of YouTube, anyone else think Lionel Sanders needs to focus on swimming a bit more than the insane bike workouts and races he posts about??...

Training: I took last year off from racing triathlons. I was busy wrapping up my Neuroscience degree during the lead-up to the season, and the week after graduation I moved down to Rochester and started my first “real” job at Mayo Clinic. I began training for this season back in February and I still continue to while staying 6 feet from anyone I cross paths with. In the last few weeks I dropped both my volume and intensity a bit so that I can focus on peaking in July and August without getting too worn out now. Oh, and no swimming, for obvious reasons. I will take an at-home swim spa thingy donation in case anyone is feeling generous, though.

Lessons learned: Everyone needs a bit of perspective during challenging times like these, myself included. Sure, it’s a bummer that races are being canceled, but life could be a lot worse. I still have my job, I’m healthy and don’t know anyone who has been infected, and even though my morning mental health break (read as “swimming”) has been canceled since March, I can still bike and run.

Let’s all do our part, listen to medical professionals rather than politicians, and take this time to reflect on the important things in life.

Triathlon is the greatest hobby in the world, but its still a hobby.