Our wonderful stake Relief Society president (local LDS women's group president) Debbi Morrison felt inspired this spring to organize a stake "Tri Your Best" sprint triathlon: 500 yard swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 5K walk/run. When I heard about it, I thought it sounded like a great idea for other folks, but that there was no way in hoo-ha that I was going to do it.
I don't run.
I DON'T swim.
And I haven't ridden a bike for more than a mile or two.
No way.
But... thanks to a couple of friends who had caught the vision early on, (thanks Jen and Kathy) I caught it too. This was the quote on the website:
“Is it too much of a stretch, too corny, to say that life is a triathlon? After all, both are about body, mind and spirit. Neglect one and the others suffer. In life, as in triathlons, the race isn’t always to the swiftest. It’s to those who pray for balance, who show up prepared, who want to enjoy themselves, and who accept the grace that awaits us if we seek it. The race is on, whether we know it or not. Success is showing up and making a committed run as we move through life’s events and transitions. At the end of the race comes the reward: a voice saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
So... okay fine. I'll do it.
But wait, there's more!
Once I caught the vision, I was on fire. I've never particularly enjoyed "working out." I like working outdoors, like with a chainsaw or going for a hike, or clearing brush or riding horses. But for the first time in my life, I started really enjoying working out. I did a spinning class twice a week which, after the initial feeling of total failure and completely sore rear-end and sore everything else, I began to really enjoy. And for the running... since I was literally starting from scratch, I did the "couch to 5K" program I found on iTunes and it was great. Starting out I could literally only run for 60 seconds at a time. I made it through about six or seven weeks of the program before we went to Montana in July.
Who knew IT bands don't play well with suddenly spending 8 hours a day in the saddle?
If you don't know what an "IT band" is, that's because you've never injured it. Count yourself lucky. It's the iliotibial band that runs from your ileus (sort of by your hip) to your tibia (one of the bones in your lower leg) on the lateral side of your upper leg.
And it doesn't like to be angered. Not only that, it holds a grudge.
The week of long days in the saddle fried my IT band on both knees, but the one on the left was worse. Towards the end of every day it was super sore, but I was having fun and didn't think much about it... until I got back home and went for a run. My left IT band was totally fried. I could run for about 30 seconds before it was absolutely killing me. Long story short... I did acupuncture, acupressure, massage, foam roller, yoga, ibuprofen, ice, and all kinds of fun stuff, but rest was the main thing that helped.
Definition of "rest": Not a good thing when you're supposed to be training for a triathlon.
For the swimming, I ended up using a snorkeling mask because I physically can't hold my breath under water.
No, really.
Turns out I wasn't the only one who used one, and it was a lifesaver.
No, really.
Strangely enough, of all three events, when race day came and went, it was the swimming where I did best. My time was 12 minutes. Not too bad... especially if you could have seen my floundering breathlessness when I first started.
The bike portion went great; didn't break any land speed records, but I had a great time.
And the running... was mostly walking, thanks to the ever-present agony of the IT band. I was so frustrated and discouraged by that, but I did the best I could. Which was the whole point of this triathlon-- to "Tri Your Best."
That afternoon we had a luncheon before the Relief Society General Broadcast and the ladies were given the opportunity to share their experiences regarding the triathlon. It was really humbling to see how many women's lives had changed for the better just in the course of training for it, and not just by becoming physically stronger. The perspectives were beautiful.
The best part of the whole thing was just actually DOING it (old Nike ads propping me up)-- showing up to do something that I knew was going to be hard--, and all the words of encouragement from all the ladies who were participating in it and volunteering for it. It was a huge undertaking, and I am grateful not only for Debbi Morrison for her inspiration and leadership, but for all those great ladies who encouraged each other and hollered supportive comments all throughout the race. Like all things in life that are challenging, it was totally worth it. I was really discouraged about not being able to run and when it was first over I said I'd never do it again. But like childbirth, the pain is forgotten now and all I see is the triumph of finishing something HARD. It felt so good to
JUST DO IT.
my cheering section crossing the finish line with me
Debbie Moore and me
Debbie, me and Tina Seare
me and Jen Wintersteen-- my biggest inspiration. :)
1 comment:
No matter how much I love it here, I miss you guys so much it hurts. Looks like you had a ball.
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