Many of you who follow this blog know that I’ve been diligently learning to swim so that I could compete in my first sprint triathlon. Well – last Saturday was the day! The weather was splendid and the crowd was young. The best news – I finished with dignity – in fact I sprinted at the end. Here’s some of what I learned in this journey:
- Never underestimate how long one can procrastinate on achieving a big goal. In my case – an embarrassingly long 3 years. I finally got “unstuck” when I took a tiny first step and found a local pool. Enough said.
- Going public creates peer pressure to follow through. The more folks that knew about my quest, the more motivated I became. At some point, wimping out was not a choice. So… apologies to all those who had to listen to me talk about this. You’ll never know how much that helped me get my body in the pool and my butt on a bike.
- Doing 3 things is way harder than one. Harder to train adequately. Difficult to transition your body and muscles to move in a different way. Harder to dress fashionably. Multi-taskers – take note!
- Do the hardest thing first, if given a chance. Knocking out the swim first was a boost. My mental state would have been awful had the swim been last. Good advice to remember on Monday morning when I want to just “get these few simple things out of the way”.
- Hire a coach. Performance improves greatly when you have an experienced guide that teaches, observes and provides feedback. Read prior blog posts for more details.
- The real thing is very different than the practice. Within seconds, my swim strategy was dashed. My vision of long, elegant strokes went up in smoke as I bumped into other swimmers and they swam over me. Swimming with 5 people is incredibly different than with 50 in the pool, all of whom want to go as fast as they can. And who would have ever thought, after practicing on perfectly level pavement, that the run would end with a nearly vertical climb out of the woods?
- Females shout out encouragement 10 times more than males. While not a scientifically accurate study, virtually every female that passed by me on wheels or running shoes shouted out. Only two guys did and one was my husband. Halfway through the race, I began shouting out to guys. Made them terribly uncomfortable – another interesting finding.
- The pain fades quickly. Just like childbirth, you quickly forget how awful you felt during the race. There is a reason our brain blocks out memories of pain – and fondly recalls the bagels and chocolate milk at the finish line. Good thing – or no one would run another race or have another child.
- The right tools and equipment can substantially boost performance. The racing bikes were amazingly fast. I, on the other hand, with my bike that had a kickstand, upright handle bars and the words “Schwinn” on the side, was never seen as a competitive threat.
- Old dogs can learn new tricks. We’ll leave it at that – without saying how old this “dog” is.
Thanks to all those who supported, encouraged and listened patiently to me about this. Glad to return the favor some time!
16 Responses
A very interesting–and inspiring–read.
I loved the part about “I began shouting out to guys. Made them terribly uncomfortable – another interesting finding.” May one inquire just what it was that you were shouting at the guys?
Chris
Great job Kris! As a hibernating triathlete (I haven’t done a race since 2007 when my first child was born, but have every intention to return to the sport at some point) I can relate to many of the points. I especially like #4, unfortunately there are some of us who love to swim and bike and despise running 🙂 They don’t let us change the order of events unfortunately. Though interestingly enough the original triathlons had multiple legs of several events (http://www.triathlonhistory.com/). Imagine doing that! Congratulations on this great accomplishment!
Kris,
Congrats! Quite an accomplishment. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Craig
Pretty cool Kris! Nice going!
That is awesome!!! Congrats!!!
Lori
I love your learning points, Kris. Some paraphrases:
1. Don’t have SMAR goals.
6. The way you train is the way you fight (so make training as realistic as possible). (Learned in the USMC).
8. Bones heal and chicks dig scars.
Spoken just like the ex Marine I so admire.
Yea, Kris!!!!!
I’m so proud of you! Also, loved the “shouting out to the guys” part!
Maybe you can motivate me???
Kris: This is incredibly inspiring and the lessons learned very applicable to so many situations. Thanks so much for sharing your journey and the final outcome. Congratulations. You must feel amazing having accomplished this very lofty goal. I can honestly say that unless something changes it’s not on my bucket list so I have the utmost respect for you for taking it on and seeing it through. You are my hero! MAR
Congratulations on marking an incredible milestone! You’ve inspired me, Chris! I’ve been “saying” I’m going to do a tri for several years. Time to set up a plan and DO IT!
Good job KT! High five!
I would say #2,7 and 8 synchronize with each other perfectly. I’m glad everything went well on your swim besides the bumping. It happens. Did you wear a very bright swim cap by any chance?
Congratulations, Kris! Quite an accomplishment…for a dog of ANY age!
You totally inspire me, although I have not yet done the most important first step of stating out loud” I will complete a triathlon.” I first knew you as a walker, now look at you! I share in your joy at accomplishing such a complicated task. Thanks for sharing your lessons!
It’s been an interesting journey from walker to runner. I knew I finally was a runner when I could do 8 miles straight.
Great job, Kris! So much of accomplishing anything is mental — whether it’s in sports or in any other endeavor. What’s next?
So true. I’ve learned so much about myself and my “inner self” through endurance events. Leaning more about mindset and performance has helped me personally and professionally. Love the Henry Ford quote – “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.”