Hollister senior triathlete stays in shape to keep up with the
competition
Adele Pimentel is a 66-year-old volunteer librarian from
Hollister, who loves pushing herself to the physical limit. This
past summer, she did just that by competing in something that most
athletes never dare attempt: A triathlon.
Hollister senior triathlete stays in shape to keep up with the competition
Adele Pimentel is a 66-year-old volunteer librarian from Hollister, who loves pushing herself to the physical limit. This past summer, she did just that by competing in something that most athletes never dare attempt: A triathlon.
“I just loved it,” she said. “I’m looking for more to compete in. I had a wonderful partner who competed with me. We gave each other a lot of encouragement.”
The triathlon took place last August in Pleasanton. In the event, which included hundreds of competitors, Pimentel opted to compete in the 40 and over division – a division that required competitors to swim 400 yards before bicycling 11 miles and then walking another 3.1 miles.
“I always like to set goals for myself,” said Pimentel, who has lived in Hollister the last 15 years. “I like staying in shape because I like how I feel, and that’s why I keep it up. I gave myself plenty of personal triathlons the whole time I was training for this one.”
In fact, Pimentel trains hard year-round. In addition to being a member of Off The Chain, a local bicycling club, she can often be found doing laps in the pool at Rovella’s gym three to four times a week.
“I usually do between 80 and 100 laps,” Pimentel said. “I’m always pushing myself. Last year I did 200.”
But all of her preparation work in the local swimming pool couldn’t prepare her for the first leg of the triathlon in Pleasanton – a 400-yard swim through a small lake that looked nothing like a backyard swimming pool.
“We had to swim through muddy water that was full of weeds,” Pimentel said. “The weeds would go up your legs too. It was nothing like what I expected.”
Pimentel also had no idea that the 100-plus swimmers that dove into the lake to start the race would hit the waterways with an every-man-for-himself mentality.
“Oh my goodness, the people would just plow right over you,” she said. “They were really aggressive. I usually do 400 meters in less than 10 minutes in the pool. In this race, with all of the splashing and aggression, I had to switch to a side stroke in order to protect myself and get through it.”
As soon as she made it our of the water Pimentel got rid of the bathing cap, and when she got her “walking legs and bearings” back she got up to her bike and started riding the 11-mile course that made its way through several miles of hilly terrain in a park-like setting before winding through the main streets of Pleasanton.
“I was more worried at first about the bicycling part of the race because I am more of a beginning bike rider and much more experienced at swimming. But the people all seemed to know the rules of biking much better. The behavior in the swimming event shocked me a bit,” Pimentel said.
From there, she left her bike and helmet and walked and ran the final 3.1-mile stretch to the finish line.
“I can’t wait for my next one,” she said. “I’m trying to find other triathlons that I can enter right now. I want to do some more that are more intense – ones that will have longer distances to push me more in each event. I’m always looking for ways to challenge myself.”
A mother of two grown children and grandmother of twins, Pimentel has been interested in exercise for as long as she can remember.
When not working out or training for her next triathlon Pimentel can be found volunteering at the Jovenes De Antano senior center as well as both the San Benito and San Juan Bautista library as a “story time” reader for children.
“I read books to kids and incorporate songs, dancing and puppets with it,” said Pimentel, who has been doing it for some 14 years. “I really enjoy it.”
She also enjoys the added benefits that her workouts have brought her.
“I’m in excellent health. My doctor just told me that I don’t have to see him for another year,” she said. “I’ve always believed that it’s better to wear out than rust out.”
