Hey loyal lovers of wellness and adventure!
I'd like to take a moment to exploit a few of my dearest triathlete babies and their recent successes. Rage triathlon 2011 was a day to remember. I had the race of my life, but my hypoxic high was not just due the great race I had....I was beaming because of my brave girls!!
Kathy Fox, Tina Lucero, Tiffany Chavez, and Holiday Garcia took a leap of faith into their first triathlon (Tiff had jumped before, but this race was business this time not a lollygag). These women ages 27 through 44 all have busy schedules, families, and every apprehension imaginable. All had barely learned to swim, had no experience on a bike with "skinny tires", and questioned their ability to finish a 5k run....let alone after a bike and swim. And yet they had registered for the race. Money was paid. They had better figure this race s*** out.
Weeks prior to the race were filled with swim workouts emailed to them that seemed to be in another language and orchestrating sitters for kids so they could go train. My phone was blowing up with questions about wetsuits (I even facebooked poor Tina trying one on for the first time. It took 20 min. THAT'S triathlon) and 'can I really finish this?' To and from the lake we went preparing for something that no one can really prepare for. Race day. 'Transition' was a concept impossible to grasp while removing a wetsuit in the dirt and forgetting bike shoes. Nothing was natural. Nothing seemed familiar. But it was too late to back out now, not to mention it would be a cold day in Hell when these type 'A' women would allow that.
Everyone has their particular hurdle to get over in a triathlon. For many it's the fear of the swim. Holiday had a particularly special relationship with the open water. Holiday Garcia is one of the toughest, most in shape women I train. She makes life look easy with a full time job, 3 kids, and committment to fitness. She's the epitome of 'grace'....except in the open water. The day before the race as I'm coaxing her to go out further than 10 ft away from shore and she's hyperventilating even though being a good swimmer, I asked myself for the first time ever knowing Holiday "Is she going to be able to do this?" Race morning she got in a did it. She put her foot down and handled that swim.
No one goes into these races without a story. Without circumstances. Without reasons NOT to race. My blog would go on until 2012 if I were to list the special things about women triathletes and all that they overcome to take their leap of faith. These women learned that triathlon is not all about the equipment you have or how fast you went (though they went fast and even placed in their division!), it was about doing something that SCARED them. It was about being so far out of their element they had absolutely nothing to lose and a ton to gain.
I want everyone to use these ladies as an example for themselves when they're faced with a challenge they feel they cannot do. I know I will. Here's to being scared. Here's to moving forward anyhow. Here's to FINISHING.
Tina, Holiday, Kathy, and Tiffany: Thank you for your hard work and fearlessness!!
