She didn't have that in mind at all. What she was thinking I would enjoy was a called sprint triathlon. They range a bit in the distances that you run, bike and swim, but the one that I would end up training for was a 250 meter swim, an 8 mile bike ride and a 2 mile "out and back" run. Totally doable. Kind of like one of those days where you head to the gym after a venti latte and end up accidentally staying for 3 hours. Yeah, okay, I don't do that more than once every 2 years, but it's been known to happen.
I was a little distracted (moving, packing, dealing with the completely ridiculous demands of the people who bought our house), so I kind of missed the part where she told me I could do ALL my training with a group that specifically trains people who have never done a triathlon. The group is called Tri it For Life, and I had literally never heard of anything like this before. Here I was thinking, "Man, I am really not sure about this. I'm going to have to find someone to teach me how to swim better, get a bike, AND do all this crazy training on my own?!?" It didn't sound like fun, honestly, even though I was pretty excited about potentially completing a triathlon. Eventually, I got bored and looked up this training group she mentioned, and the rest is history.
I will do more blogs about my specific training experience as well as my first triathlon later, but the bottom line is that this experience changed my life. I met an ENORMOUS group of fantastic women- ranging from couch potatoes (at the time) to marathon runners looking for a new adventure. I got the training I needed, the confidence I lacked, and an overall amazing experience.
The mentors were INCREDIBLE. Everyone had their own inspiring story of how they got started and what the journey has meant to them. Everyone was SO nice. And the best part? It wasn't like I imagined, where I walked into a training group where everyone was good at all three sports, a size 2, and perfectly groomed and beautiful. Not at all. There was such an amazing range of shapes, sizes, abilities. One thing was the same- everyone's attitude. Everyone who stuck to it was so awesome to be around, so inspiring. I never regretted going to training session, although there were several I wanted to skip. When triathlon day came, I was far more cool, calm, and collected than I had anticipated. My mentors and training friends had made me TOTALLY prepared.
None of the ladies from my tri group know this, but when I finished my very first tri, I went to the bathroom to pee and I was overcome with emotion. I remember looking at my medal and absolutely shaking with happiness. Tears were shed (in private- ask any of my training partners- I come across as kind of a hard ass, but I'm really a mushball at heart).
To be honest- and I think this is totally okay: I didn't get bitten by "the triathlon bug" at first. After all was said and done, I just wanted to take a break. Get a massage. Take a week off from working out. And as time flew by, I found that I wasn't getting to the gym much without a goal to work towards. I had the best intentions, but I kept making excuses. Plus, I missed my Tri it For Life girls.
So, I signed up for the Ramblin' Rose Charlotte 5-Mile Race on Saturday, September 29th. It was a mini-reunion for a lot of my training pals, and I did get a little bit of "the bug" then.
I realized that I really like being part of something that is so positive and so visible within my community. I like having an instant group of friends who are fitness-minded. This is something that I've never had before. I knew on that day that despite the inner part of me who hates to be on display, doesn't like celebrating herself, feels constant gym anxiety and has many, many cases of the "I Can'ts", this group makes me realize that despite all the ways that feel like I am not an athlete, I AM.
And even when you sign up thinking, "I'll just do this one race, just to see what all the hoopla is about", it's really not enough. Not when you align yourself with several hundred positive role models, who are constantly posting training updates and race results to their Facebook pages. It makes you want to be a part of the action so that you can continue to work towards breaking free from a past life of negative body image and feelings of self-doubt. I want to strive to shake with happiness at the end of the race. Again and again.
With that said, I'm challenging myself BIG TIME this year. With what, you ask? Not only will I agree to give back and become a mentor for the 2013 class of Tri it For Life ladies, but I am also going to strive to complete the entire Ramblin' Rose Series of Triathlons!
May 5th, 2013: South Charlotte
May 19th, 2013: Raleigh,NC
July 14th, 2013: Rock Hill, SC
August 18th, 2013: Winston-Salem, NC
September 22, 2013: Huntersville, NC
October 6th, 2013: Chapel Hill, NC
Yeah, I can't believe it either. A little bit of me is worried I'm going to miss a sign-up deadline, or schedule something on top of one of these, but this is my goal and I'm going to work really hard to make this accomplishment happen.
Next up is getting a road bike. I did the last tri with "Heavy D", my mom's hybrid bike and if you couldn't guess, it was pretty heavy and very challenging to ride at times. I had to hold onto a road bike for a friend and realized that I have purses that weigh more than that bike did. Imagine the possibilities with such a lighter bike!
