-Truly a Life-Changing Experience Pt I-

All ya gotta do is TRI!

Dear Friends,

I really don’t know where to begin. Since I have been back in Baton Rouge, I have felt a bit “lost.” Nothing bad, just that “what do I do now that the big goal is over?” kinda feeling. All this means is that I must find another goal! 🙂 Anyhow, I can’t wait to share my experience with you! I have already talked about it a bunch with clients and friends, but in typical Sarah fashion I feel I can get the point across much better in writing.

The entire process of training for and participating in The Austin Triathlon changed me.

Before I get long-winded, here’s a list of some of my “discoveries”:

1. One must CHOOSE to eliminate self-doubt and limiting beliefs. Unless this is done, things ain’t gonna happen.
2. I now know I CAN train for distance and not just speed.
3. I LOVE being on my bike!
4. Fear rears it’s ugly head 24/7, and it’s up to me to stomp on it!
5. The feeling of training for something that seems unattainable to most is not only thrilling, it’s empowering.
6. I simply cannot live without goals.
7. There are NO excuses.
8. My “zero tolerance” policy for whining and excuse-making has become even stronger as a result of this experience. I simply do not wanna hear it! 🙂
9. My body has adapted happily thanks to a well-rounded training program.
10. More people could train for a triathlon if they simply did #1 on my list.

Bear with me if I venture into “deep-thought” mode and get a little cheesy here and there.

I guess i’ll just start where I want, and end up back at the present day.

Twelve years ago, I was 21 years old and going through a lot in my life. Let’s just say that my college years weren’t the happiest. I wasn’t a happy person. I was full of self-doubt, and I was unable to deal with things in a healthy manner. Instead of expressing myself verbally, I could only journal and “deal” with things through my coping mechanisms, which were exercise and food. I only knew to live in a constant state of stress, and I had little hope for the future. I honestly didn’t care about school or anything much else than my own workouts, meals, and diet pills. On the outside I looked “perfect” but on the inside I was screaming. You see, I spent a great deal of time reading back then. I read a lot of “self help” books as well as anything and everything pertaining to exercise/nutrition. I think I read every possible book about eating disorders, OCD, depression, and anxiety. I was desperately seeking answers for the questions within myself. I felt “messed up” and wanted so badly just to know why…I wanted a solution…I wanted to put an end to how miserable I felt.

Why did I bring this up?

Well, I bought two little books twelve years ago that I still have to this day. “Triathlons for Fun” and “Triathlons for Women,” both by Sally Edwards. You see, I wanted to do a triathlon…and, well…I simply couldn’t imagine doing one. Why? I had zero confidence. The thought of putting myself out there was just too much. I had a HUGE fear of failure which essentially kept me paralyzed. I wasn’t truly living back then. The “best years of my life” were full of negativity and looking back, I think i’ve blocked out a lot of that time.

Now, before anyone has a “oh, here goes a pity party” thought…please stop. I do not feel sorry for myself, although I did at the time. I was pretty pitiful inside. I am grateful for all of it, however, because I would not be here today if it weren’t for the “dark times” in my life.

So…in simply saying “OKAY!” when my friend/former client Avelina called me back in June to ask if I wanted to train for The Austin Triathlon, I made a twelve-year-old dream a reality. I will never forget that day because after saying i’d do the race, I had second thoughts. The old self-doubt crap tried to jump in, but I was able to begin the process of acknowledging it and gettin’ it the hell outta there! Little did I know that I was about to embark on an awesome journey of personal growth and discovery!

It couldn’t have come at a better time. I can honestly say that I have felt confident in myself and my abilities 99% of the time as i’ve been on this “adventure.” 🙂

So…let’s get to the point, shall we? Let’s talk about the RACE!

Wait…let me back it up to the day before the race. I met up with my friend and we got our packets, t-shirts, hats, etc and walked around the expo.

At noon there was a pre-race meeting where they covered the rules and the course. It was during this meeting that I began to get nervous. I had already learned that wetsuits weren’t allowed because the water temp was 80 degrees. Well, they were allowed but if ya wore one, that would mean you wouldn’t qualify if you placed well. I had no intentions of placing…after all, my goal was to FINISH the race, but I opted not to wear my wetsuit. I figured i’d get really hot in it anyway.

Ready to race!

After the meeting, the next task was to run to CVS to get a few things, wrap my aero bars, then bring my bike to check-in. I was a bundle of nerves and in a foul mood. Bless my friend Nancy for putting up with me, because I know I was a crab. As I was wrapping my aeros, I literally was shaking. 😦 I managed to get ’em wrapped, though.

A sea of bikes...of all kinds...from mountain bikes to $10k works of art!

We walked my bike over to check-in, and I got my first view of the MASSIVE transition area. Not only was there a massive area for Olympic distance peeps, there was a separate one for the sprint distance competitors. I had never seen so many bikes in my life, and not everyone had checked theirs in yet!

Mine's to the right of the Fuji...

After placing my bike next to one at the end of one of the women’s 30-34 group racks, I opted to move it to the other end of the same rack. Why? I don’t know. It just felt right.

After this, I was able to scope out the swim start/finish. The swim takes place in what used to be called Town Lake. Now it’s called “Lady Bird Lake,” but as a former Austinite, I refuse to call it this because it just seems weird. Anyhow, the swim course is a giant rectangle with pyramid buoys marking each right turn.  It seemed soooooooooo looooooong! Would realize just how long it really was once the horn blew at 7:56AM (or thereabouts as my wave took off)!

Stay tuned for PART II!!!