Two years after losing my husband, I found myself in the worst physical shape of my life. Frustrated with where I was, I asked a few brave friends to join me in a sprint triathlon. To my regret, they not only agreed, but jumped in whole heartedly. They even organized outdoor swims, bike rides, and runs.
Over and over, I questioned why I was doing this and if I could do it. The voice in my head telling me I wasn’t an athlete, and I could never do something like this. Despite having done three sprint triathlons previously. But my friends encouraged me to keep going, and I didn’t let that inner voice stop me from working toward my goal.
A sick parent, a sick child, and other life obstacles threatened to deter us but we managed to all make it to the race. Myself and four dear friends, all 45 +, swam 1/2 mile, biked 13 miles, and ran a 5k. This was a first triathlon for two of us, a chance to conquer that swim for some, and for me a chance to reclaim a part of me I’d lost. But we showed up and all crushed our goals!
While pushing through the 13 miles bike ride, I realized how much triathlons parallel life.
These races require one to wear many hats – swim cap, bike helmet, and a running hat. In training you can’t where all the hats at once but you must pick and choose what hat/hats you’ll where each day. Sometimes one hat feels easier to wear but it doesn’t mean you don’t have to wear the others.
While the training helps you build your endurance, it really doesn’t prepare you for the unexpected variables. On race day you may have choppy water, bad weather, leg cramps, or a flat tire. This requires you to adapt, accept what you can’t control, and persevere beyond what you ever imagined.
Before the tri we talked about how to handle that voice in your head that says you can’t do this, it’s too much, you’re not an athlete. For me looking to the next buoy, the next mile marker, the next turnaround point, the next light post, kept me going. For others a mantra like “every challenge is an achievement opportunity”, or the encouragement of others kept them going.
Life is like that. You always have to wear more than one hat, sometimes the waters choppy, sometimes the weather sucks, and sometimes things just turn upside down. But you have to finish the race, so you keep looking for the next right thing, the next mile marker, and if you’re lucky, you’ll find people who will encourage you to keep going, and maybe even join you in the race.
Still only you can run your race, no one can do it for you. Even when the waters are so choppy you feel like you might go under, keep swimming, float on your back if you must, but keep moving toward that next buoy, that next right thing, and you will finish the race.
You got this. You can do hard things. You can persevere beyond what you ever imagined.
