the guts of T3 athletes

...no, this is not going to be a post about the GI issues of T3 athletes, although there has been plenty to say about that since the food after our ride this weekend made lots of folks sick. I'm still feeling sad for those friends of mine who were so miserable on Saturday night and into Sunday and even into Monday...feel better, friends!
This post is about what I experienced and observed this weekend...GUTS!
I would be remiss to not write some more about this weekend because it was a big one - physically, mentally, and emotionally. We're knee deep in our training now which means that the distances become longer and that usually means that each long workout is quite simply more difficult. Not only are there physical challenges but there are mental challenges as well.
When I look back on this weekend - the long ride + brick on Saturday and then the 17-mile run on Sunday - what I'm struck by is that we all have guts to be out there trying to accomplish this amazing thing. I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I feel like I'm just this very ordinary human being trying to do something a tad beyond ordinary. And just when I think that this might all be some crazy dream, I feel the real pain of 17 miles (I know...it will probably get more painful!) and I'm thunderstruck by what "little old me" has been able do with the support of teammates, coaches, family, and friends. What I do might not be fast. What I do might not always be pretty. But it's a heck of a lot more than I ever thought I'd accomplish athletically in my life. And for me, that's where the courage and the discipline and the sacrifice and the willingness to suspend disbelief that you can't do something comes in. You have to be willing to let your life flow into this pattern of swim, bike, run, eat, sleep, work, time with friends, time with family, laundry, swim, bike, run, eat, sleep, errands, rolling, icing, naps, downtime, etc... And for many of us who picked up this sport somewhere in our 20s or even later, it's meant a shift in our lifestyles. It's meant trying something new that we weren't sure we'd be any good at. And I think for adults that's hard.
As kids, we try lots of new stuff because we never really think that we won't be able to do it. We enter everything with the expectation that we can surely do it as well as the next guy (or gal). But as we grow up, we sometimes get timid.
I had a lot of time to think about all of this on my 17 mile run this weekend because I was seeing anything but a timid spirit from my teammates. I ended up doing a chunk of the run by myself because my poor running buddies physical guts were giving them trouble, and I thought how amazing they were for even getting out there and attempting the run. And that launched me into a whole conversation with myself about the courage and drive that I've been observing in my teammates and that I think I must have a touch of, too. (Don't worry, I don't think I'm the only one who has these internal conversations...I'm not going crazy!)
As adults, I think we tend to only want to do things that we do well. We don't want to make fools our of ourselves. We don't try new things because we fear we might fail. We can get caught in the rat race mentality that it's not worth doing if it doesn't get us anywhere. And heaven forbid we should not be the best at whatever we do.
But triathlons are humbling in that way. For most of us, there's (at least!) one part of the training that we just don't do as well as the next guy/gal. There's typically one piece of it that always takes more physical or mental or emotional energy because it's just harder than some other part. Maybe it's making it to yoga class when you're not that flexible. Or getting yourself to track practice when it completely messes with your mind to the point that you forget it's just about running. It might be hopping in the pool where others seem to glide by effortlessly as you focus in every breath, trying not to hear the voices in your head that are telling you that you are barely moving. Sometimes getting on that bike saddle and pedaling into nowhere is the toughest part as you know there are hills ahead that you will have to resist the urge to walk instead of ride. Maybe it's core class where you can barely do one push-up and you watch in envy as others pound them out as if they've been doing them all of their lives. Sometimes it's just putting one foot in front of the other for 17 miles pretending that you really are doing something other than a shuffle. (Okay...sometimes you are just shuffling!)
Yes, for each one of us it's something...or a lot of somethings. But for some reason (and I think that reason is also different for each of us), we keep showing up. We keep getting back out there - on the road, at the PTC, on the Town Lake trail, in the water - and pushing ourselves a little more. And that, in my opinion, takes guts and courage. And T3 is chock full of it!
P.S. The 17 miles...the longest run of my life...tough but satisfying. I think I even managed to smile for some parts of it. I certainly smiled when it was over! The ice bath after...painful but totally helpful. That and my fabulous compression socks and a quick nap and some rolling saved my legs so that I was able to do the hills behind O'Henry at our run workout tonight. (Not super fast, but I made it up them...6 times with Blythe and Amy! Yeah girls doing the CDA workout! We were it for the girls in that group tonight...and Blythe and I think that Amy is secretly signed up for this race and that's why she does all the training with us!? Unfortunately, we're a tad slower than everyone else so Logan has to wait around for us...sorry, Coach. We appreciate you waiting and not making us feel bad.)