Adventure ahead for 17 miles; Ware bike commute doubles as training.Byline: J.P. Ellery SPENCER - Biking 17 miles from Spencer to Ware is a great way to save on gas, but that is not the motivation for Shari Frigon of Spencer. Ms. Frigon is a full-time registered nurse at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, but her other passions are the triathlon triathlon, athletic event made up of three contests. Since the 1970s the term has come to mean especially a race combining swimming, bicycling, and running. A notable example is Hawaii's Ironman Triathlon, held since 1978, which features a 2. and the Boston Marathon Boston marathon famous 26-mile race held annually for long-distance runners. [Am. Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : Endurance , so biking fills the bill. "I started running when I was 35 years old, to lose weight," she said, "but running short triathlons helped me prepare for my next goal, the Boston Marathon." She ran that 26-mile, 385-yard endurance test endurance test n → prueba de resistencia endurance test n → test m d'endurance endurance test endurance n from Hopkinton to Boston for her 40th birthday and immediately became so addicted to running that she now runs a half-ironman at least once each year. The triathlon is a multisport mul·ti·sport also mul·ti·sports adj. 1. Composed of, involving, or accommodating several sports: a multisport competition; a multisport stadium. 2. endurance event that includes swimming, cycling and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time. The ironman triathlon ironman triathlon event combines swimming, bicycling, marathon run. [Pop. Cult.: Misc.] See : Endurance is a grueling long-distance race that includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a 26-mile marathon. There are no breaks separating the three-faceted event. Ms. Frigon's busy agenda as a nurse and mother of two children presented a problem in finding time to train for such competitions, so riding a bike to the Ware hospital became the perfect solution. She does it as often as possible except when weather gets in her way. Often her husband comes to the rescue when bad weather sets in after she has started the trip to Ware. "With any exercise routine," she said, "the hardest thing is starting and not making excuses. Find something you like to do and stick to it." She said riding a bike is a real challenge, too. Every ride is an adventure, but the similarity to nursing is amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. . Caring for patients also is an adventure that she said fills her with strength. "As a nurse, I'm able to make many a patient's day a little brighter or easier," Ms. Frigon said, "by caring for them both physically and emotionally." ART: PHOTO PHOTOG pho·tog n. Informal A person who takes photographs, especially as a profession; a photographer. : SUBMITTED PHOTO CUTLINE: Shari Frigon of Spencer, a registered nurse at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, cycles to work to train for the triathlons and half-ironman races she participates in throughout the year. |
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