USAT: Is an Ironman in your future?
JF: I don’t know. We’ll see. I have three little ones so I know the time that it took me to train just for Olympic distance. But I think it would be a great goal. I think I would be up for the challenge. I would definitely want to start with a half-Ironman first and go from there. [Before New York] I didn’t do any hill training and the hills really kicked my tail. In Louisiana, there are not many hills, and I didn’t have an indoor trainer.
USAT: How is your husband handling all this?
JF: He’s good, he retired from baseball two years ago. He does work around here on the ranch, we’ve got a couple of rental houses, things like that. Luckily he doesn’t have a full-time job, because there’s no way I could be able to do what I do if he did. He’s a huge support. My daughter usually travels with me, and then he has the two boys at home. I did a lot of my training early in the morning. I would try to get most of it done before they even got up. I don’t know how people do it. People who work full time and they’re training for Ironman. Especially with families. I know so many people do it ,but I commend them. It’s a big sacrifice, and I think everyone has to be fully supportive and committed.
USAT: If you do an Ironman, do you want it to be Kona?
JF:That’s the big one. You don’t know if you’re going to do another one, so I might as well go big.
USAT: Do people recognize you on the race course?
JF:They do. If I’m passing, (they say), ‘Well, at least I got passed by an Olympian.’ Or, ‘I beat the Olympian.’ I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, whatever (skills) I have can’t transfer or carry over to a whole different sport.’ It’s always kind of funny to hear what people say.
USAT: Why did you pick triathlons after retiring from softball?
JF: I’ve always been up for a good challenge. I enjoy working out and trying different things. I hate failure but at the same time I’m not afraid to try something new and fail. It was like, ‘Alright, I’m a rookie and I’m going to wear it.’ It was a lot of fun stepping into a lake, feeling the mud under your feet, getting on a bike and being totally uncomfortable. I really enjoyed being out of my comfort zone and pushing myself athletically through it. It was so fun how welcoming the whole tri community was and how helpful and just generous and giving. How everyone loves what they do and want to grow the sport and get others involved. After doing the marathon, and then going into the triathlon, I felt like OK, this could be more of something you can do for life.
— Meri-Jo Borzilleri
USATRIATHLON.ORG USA TRIATHLON 41
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