Hi! I’m Mariel
I’m a newbie triathlete learning to swim, bike, and run in the beautiful city of Los Angeles. After growing up in Texas, I went to Princeton and then moved to Los Angeles. With every new adventure comes a new story, and I’ve created this site to track the journey from the familiar to the unfamiliar.
Why Triathlons?
When I was 7, my dad first told me that he was planning to race a triathlon. It sounded fun. I had always loved swimming (well, splashing), I had just officially learned how to ride a bike after several weeks of hard work, and my long hours at soccer practice had gotten me used to running. I told him that I wanted to race too. He told me that I wasn’t quite ready.
Over the years, my dad has completed several triathlons, a marathon and made repeat appearances at the annual MS 150 charity ride between Houston and Austin, Texas. In the meantime, I forgot about triathlons altogether, convincing myself that I didn’t really like swimming too much (chlorine burns!), road bikes aren’t as much fun as mountain bikes, and running laps is something you do for punishment, not fun. So instead, I opted instead for football, volleyball, lacrosse, field hockey and even rowing and martial arts, but not so much triathlons.
But years later, I decided that I was ready to give triathlons a shot of my own. The story above makes it apparent that I don’t have extensive experience in any of the three main triathlon sports, but what I do have is equally important: the competitive drive and enduring spirit necessary to succeed as an athlete of any sport. The skills will come through training, but discipline and determination are harder to achieve and sustain.
Enjoy the process!
Since starting my training I’ve had the chance to discover and explore beautiful parts of my city, seek out and find unique communities, and learn more about myself than I ever expected.
This is my journey.