Ramblin' Rose

What it is: The Ramblin' Rose Tour is a series of events, primarily triathalons created by North Carolina's own Endurance Magazine.  They are raced all throughout North Carolina and have recently expanded into South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida.  These races are just for women and are designed to give us the opportunity to accomplish races we might not have felt we could.

I raced in my first Ramblin' Rose event after it was recommended to me by one of the other Stir Crazy Moms.  When she suggested that I do a triathalon, I laughed at her.  I am a fairly poor swimmer, I hadn't been on a bike since grade school, and I had two very young small children at home, but she said that these were different.  After just having my second son, I was looking for something to motivate me to get back in shape.  Not only that, I also enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from trying something I've never done before, so I decided to give it a try.  The thing that makes the Ramblin' Rose races manageable is the distance.  The swims are only 10 lengths of a pool, the bike is only 9 miles, and the run is only 2.

The event was fabulous!  I was nervous, but so were the other 1000 or so women who ran, biked, and swam it with me.  That day, I was there all by myself in the beginning, but I wasn't alone because everywhere I looked there were women supporting women.  Each leg, while it wore me out, gave me such a feeling of accomplishment, and the best part, my boys arrived to watch me at each point, supporting me and learning something new about what they're mom is capable of.  It was a great experience and I highly recommend it for any mom who's a little tempted.  If you're not up for the swim and bike portions, there is even a new half marathon event coming up in Durham!

What I liked:  I loved the supportive atmosphere of this race, not ultracompetitive, filled with lots of women like me.  I also liked how the distances were short enough that I could do it, but still long enough to be an accomplishment.  They even offer training plans for a small fee to help you accomplish your goal.  Most of all, I like that I can say I actually am a triathalete!

What I would change:  Training for a triathalon is quite a bit of work, as one could imagine.  As a mom of little ones it is extra hard to find the time to get away for training on the bike and in the pool, but I felt it was worth it for my own sanity.

Website and other important information:

Website: http://www.ramblinroseevents.com/ 

Upcoming Events: Rock Hill Triathalon-July 10, Durham Women's Half-Marathon-October 16, more events are listed on the website

Photos: 

(The run-Yes, that's me in the pink crossing the finish line!)

(The bike)

(The swim)