It all started in August 2012, when I accompanied Eric, then-boyfriend, now-husband, to Ironman Louisville. Up to that point, the furthest I’d run was a 5k. I’d discovered in 2011, at age 32, that I finally liked running. I played softball growing up, and tried to do cross country Sophomore year of HS, but didn’t really like running. As an adult, I jabbed and kicked my imaginary punching bag with Billy Blanks in our living room when the kids were small, and I joined in church volleyball a couple of times, but wasn’t consistent with exercise. Staying physically strong and healthy has always been important to me, partially because of a special blessing I received as a teen. I was warned to stay healthy so I could face the challenging experiences of life. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more determined to not face the same health problems many in my family have - I’d rather be GI Jane than Roseanne.
At Ironman Louisville, I was amazed. After a long, hot day, many athletes required medical attention after not hydrating and fueling properly. Many more just kept going, one step at a time, to that finish line. Sure it took physical strength to go 140.6 miles, but their mental strength is what really caught my attention. I’d struggled with self-esteem and self-worth most of my life, and since I’d been working on physical and spiritual strength for a while, I realized mental strength was the third leg of my stool. I told myself that day that I wanted to finish an ironman - to show that I could be mentally tough. I didn’t know if I was capable of that much mental prowess, but I decided I sure wanted it!
My first step was learning how to swim. I took swimming lessons as a kid - multiple times - but I never got past gliding on your stomach with your face in the water. Every time some water got in my nose, it automatically went down my throat and I’d start coughing and choking. I was terrified. For three months, I worked with Eric and Keena to learn at least the basics. My first lesson from Keena started with putting my face in the water and blowing bubbles. I had to do that a lot! I got so nervous in the water and was afraid I’d drown - so Keena would send me back to the edge to blow more bubbles. It took a long time before I was able to swim further than 25 yards without stopping. Baby steps.
I did my first sprint triathlon in Palm Springs, CA December 1, 2012. A sprint is a 750 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and 5k (3.1 mile) run. Buoyed by the fact I could wear a wetsuit, I was still nervous. I knew if I could just make it through the swim, I’d be okay. The night before my race, after many of our friends had conquered the half or full distance that day, I was more nervous than I could ever remember being. My stomach was in knots, I was close to tears all night, and couldn’t hardly sleep. Race morning, I had to use the porta-potty quite a few times. Then I had an issue with my bike tire and Eric scrambled to fix it in time for the race start. Eric drew a smiley face on top of my yellow swim cap so he could easily pick me out of the crowd. Favorite swim cap ever (I still have it)!
I had to swim on my back for more than half of that race, but when I came out of the water, walking like a drunken sailor (no one warned me about vertigo post-swim! I later discovered ear plugs which helped me get used to open water swimming) I was ecstatic! I’d graduated from tadpole to baby fishie! I was so excited, I took off on the bike. Passing people left and right, and still reveling in my swim pushed me on. When I got to the run, I learned what pacing means. Running was my favorite part, so I nearly sprinted out of transition - go go gadget legs - and had to stop and walk before I got to the turnaround. But after the turnaround, knowing I was almost done with a triathlon - I picked up the pace. I can still picture coming down the grassy hill to that finish line. My joy at finishing a triathlon could’ve overflowed the Grand Canyon. I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt pride in myself and amazement at what my body could do. I hadn’t felt that way in years. 1st step to gaining mental toughness. I felt so awesome, Eric convinced me to join a bunch of my new friends and sign up for Ironman Cozumel which would be in one year. I thought, sure! If I can do a sprint, I can do an Ironman! Ha ha. I had no idea..
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| HITS Palm Springs, Dec 1, 2012 |
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