my year as a metromint all-star

4/15/08
by Lauren Thies, Metromint All Star

Lauren Thies cycling in the Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon

I've definitely enjoyed my involvement with Metromint as an All-Star. This year there were a total of twelve participants, and I was one of two swimmers.

This past summer I had an amazing experience representing the U.S. National Team in Swimming at the Pan American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I was nominated the Women's Team Captain and came home with two Gold medals!

On April 5th, I participated in my first triathlon: OSU's annual Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon. It was my first competitive event since Brazil and the conditions were anything but tropical. The tri involved a 500 yard pool swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run. Conditions were 44 degrees with winds in the high-teens... I was first out of the swim and ran to the transition area to grab my Metromint cycling jacket and get ready for the bike. Unlike swimming, where you actually rest between events, I now had to hop on a bike and try to average 18mph or better! With rain pricking my skin I tried to bear a smile. The run was great and I found my legs fairly quickly, which was suprising and nice. The event is very well run, nicely staffed and you can't beat the crowd supporting you every stroke, pedal, and step of the way— many thanks to the OSU Tri Club and supporters! I finished 2nd in my age group (25-29), and 9th overall out of 136 women. The woman who beat me in my age group was 1st overall for women— maybe I'll do triathalons more often?

Metromint is a great refresher while swimming, biking, running and doing Bikram yoga. I enjoy sharing both the product and the concept to my circle. I have been taking Metromint eveywhere I go— swim and yoga clinics, corporate special events, a run with a friend, family and social events. In my experience, kids enjoy Orangemint and Chocolatemint the best, my co-workers are nuts for Orangemint, my friends enjoy the mild taste of Lemonmint, and my family thinks Peppermint and Spearmint taste like mouthwash (I disagree!).

Stay hydrated, stay strong and keep believing in yourself and supporting those around you :)