Thank you Team Mermaid.

I am going to try to keep this one short...and (bitter)sweet.

A big chunk of this blog focuses on this amazing team I am going on my 5th(!) year of being a member: Team Mermaid. And I found it by accident! I had signed up for a 1/2 ironman triathloan and googled "triathlon training san jose Barb's race" and found out about an info night for some group called Team Mermaid. I went to that first meeting just wanting to help me with training for ONE race. And here I am, 4 years later, still inspired by these amazing women who work hard, play hard, and laugh HARDER. Every single woman on this team has drive, spirit, and a good heart. And we all are rallied on by our leader the amazing coach Heidi.

Today a bunch of us from the team met in Capitola for an open water swim...wait, what? A swim? In January? What the heck? But this wasn't any ordinary ocean swim...

Two weeks ago we lost a dear friend and mermaid teammate, Melissa, to ovarian cancer. I am still in shock. She was one of the first on the team, an amazing, funny, smart person and a totally awesome swimmer. We decided as a team to do a memorial swim for her today. We met at some benches at Capitola beach, pulled on our wetsuits, and headed out to the water. It was cold. It was choppy. But we were determined. This was something bigger than us. We didn't go out very far, and we all stopped and Coach Heidi (who was on a surfboard ) said some amazing things about Melissa and passed out carnations for us. A couple other people told some stories and on the count of three we shouted out "Mermaid Melissa!" and threw our carnations out to sea.

And then we were silent.

We stared out at the carnations lapping in the water. Some coming back to us. Some going far out. It was an overcast day with some drizzling rain, the sun barely poking out. I watched the carnations drifting and was taken by the contrast surrounding me: the water may be cold and choppy, but gazing at the neverending sea is so soothing. The softness of the carnations brushing up against seaweed. The heavy silence in the air of our reflections and mourning, mixed with the tranquil sound of waves.

I miss you Melissa. WE miss you Melissa. I am thankful for all the memories I have because we shared some laughs! Seriously, if you can't find laughter while cranking your way through 60 miles on a bike ride, you are doing it wrong. :)

I am thankful to be part of this amazing team, where we take risks continously and encourage one another on. Where we barely bat an eye jumping in the ocean in winter (OK, so we may have shrieked a little, but we still were pretty hardcore!).

Thank you Team Mermaid. You have helped me become the person I am today, and inspire me to grow into the person I will be tomorrow.