You’re Never To OLD to try something NEW

Twenty years ago, I did first sprint triathlon as a part of a relay team.  This was so long ago, I don’t remember the names of my teammates.  I volunteered to do the bike portion.  Running and biking weren’t a problem for me, but I doubted I could survive (or even master) the open water swim.

It took me three years to decide that I’d like to try doing a sprint distance triathlon alone. I signed up for swimming lessons, figuring I could use a refresher course. My goal was to survive the triathlon’s swim portion so I could get onto the biking and running.  The coach announced he was offering a triathlon training weekend.   Desperate to feel more comfortable swimming in open water, I signed up.

I remember getting in the lake for the first time, knowing I was going to swim and not just splash around.  It was so dark and murky.  What was I thinking?  I swam very nervously, slowly picking up one arm and moving it forward over my head.  I was moving, but barely.

And then something clicked.  During our pool workouts, our coach said, “Do not look down at the bottom of the pool.  Tilt your head up and keep your eyes looking forward at your hands.”  Until this moment, I never understood the point of this instruction.  In this cold, dark lake, the only thing I could see were my hands.

Suddenly, his advice made perfect sense.  My hands were something I could see through the pea soup, something I could focus on and my anxiety level dropped.  I took another stroke, and then found a great rhythm and I wasn’t terrified anymore.

Looking back, I realize that moment taught me that no matter our age, we can always learn something new.  It helps to have a good teacher and I will always be grateful to my first swim coach, Doug, for sharing the one technique that made the difference for me.

I keep this lesson in the back of my mind and keep pushing myself to try new things.

In February, I went skiing in Utah with my sister and a few cousins.  Three of us decided to try something called skate skiing.  It’s supposedly a great cardio workout and we thought “no problem, we know how to ski.”  Not so fast.  Sue, our patient instructor, told us that we were doing great.  I strongly disagreed.  My body was flailing and tired and I was frustrated.  I was not having anything resembling fun.

After our lesson, Sue let us loose on a 3 kilometer groomed track.  All I wanted to do was make it safely around the track (and get in the hot tub).  During the last 100 yards, I finally felt all the instructions from the lesson sink in.  If I wasn’t so fatigued, I might have been up for another loop.

While I was struggling with the skate skiing, I thought back 17 years ago to my first triathlon in Upstate New York.  Scared and panicked, I couldn’t imagine completing the half-mile swim portion of a race.  I wanted to turn back.  But then I saw my hands and started to relax.  So, I enjoyed the skate skiing for what it was, a new experience, a new challenge and potentially something that I could get better at in time.

As a triathlon coach for first time triathletes, I am constantly reminding myself about these experiences and the lessons I learned from them.  Most things don’t come naturally.  Many things are humbling.  However, there are few things more rewarding than succeeding when you challenge yourself.

So, make this year the year you try something new.  Remember, you’re never too old to try something new. You may be humbled. You may get frustrated.  But, you’ll learn something and you might, just might, have fun.

The Power of the Popsicle

Group dynamics, self-confidence and frozen juice on a stick

A few mothers and I (all triathletes) decided it would be fun to get our 9-10 year-old daughters to attempt their first open water swim. All five girls are confident swimmers and three of them were on a local swim team this past season. We knew they could swim the distance (approximately a ¼ of a mile). But could they swim that distance in a lake; where there were no lines on the ground, or a wall to rest on between laps?

I explained the difference between swimming in a pool versus a lake, most notably the limited visibility and lake “stuff” of unknown origin. I told them that it didn’t have to be pretty, but finishing was all that mattered.

As is common in any group experience, one girl just took off immediately. While the other girls were just dipping their feet in the water, she was already in the water asking, “Can I go now?” She was fearless. Her confidence in the pool seemed to translate well to the open water. If she was nervous, she didn’t show it. It was tremendous to see her just start swimming and never look back or to one of the mothers for reassurance.

The other four girls did their share of screeching and whining. “Ick, something touched me!” or “The water is so brown, it smells really bad.” The mothers swam alongside them, encouraging the girls to focus on their stroke or look ahead at the buoy that they needed to reach.

At one point, the girls were bunched together and they were just chatting. It occurred to me that they had no idea where they were. They didn’t realize they were in the middle of the lake, treading water. They were just laughing and giggling and having a great time.

Then slowly, as if they suddenly remembered the task at hand, the girls just started moving forward.

Most used the freestyle stroke and plugged away until they reached the buoy. On the return trip the girls were not as chatty. While their breathing was more labored, their strokes were more focused. They kept moving forward until they reached the shore.

This experience made me think about my career coaching women to do Sprint distance triathlons. For the past six years, I’ve been preaching about the power of the group. I talk about how important it is to train for a goal with a group of like-minded women.

I firmly believe that a group pushes you more than solo training ever could. Sometimes when training alone, she might stop or not push herself as hard without the “others” helping her along. This dynamic helps each woman reach the starting line and cross the finish line a stronger and more confident person.

As I watched these young girls in their first open water experience, I realized that this dynamic was replayed every season with women thirty to forty years older – including the whining and screeching. And every season, these women persevere. Every season, the positive power of the group pushes these women to cross the finish line of their first triathlon.

I am certain that my daughter, despite her complete confidence and skill in a pool, would NEVER have attempted this challenge alone. I’m still not sure if she realizes what an amazing accomplishment this was. I remain hopeful that she’ll want to do it again and again, both with her friends and, if I’m lucky, with me.

For now, the Popsicle that awaited her at the finish was enough.