How to Be Tri-suasive

How do we persuade others to come play triathlon with us?

Post-race story time with friends!

For those of us that regularly participate in triathlon, we wonder why more don’t do it, because we love it so much and and can all share a tale of how our lives are better for it.  The very next thought is a knowing sigh, because we understand many of the barriers to starting or staying in the sport. Cost. Time. Injury. Lonely training.

Yet, for those who continue to tri, we’ve found ways around these barriers, or at least ways to minimize the impacts.

Let’s face it, we need more people to tri.  Participants yield opportunities, growth and fun!  If the triathlete market shrinks, we’ll see fewer races, less innovation, reduced community support and less sponsorship all-around.  It’s really in your and my best interests to help others break through the barriers to triathlon.  And here’s the best part, you’ll feel better too!

What pre-race jitters? Team mates ready to GO!

So what can we do?

1.  Mentor new folks.  It can be a formal program through your coach or local triathlon club, or it can be informal, but simply checking on the first-year triathletes, or those reaching for the next level, is huge.  Remember your fears and never-ending questions?  They have them too.  Lend an ear.  Lend a helmet.  Lend your bike mechanic’s name and favorite microbrew.  And cheer them across the next finish line.

2.  Encourage relay teams.  Know someone who’s still afraid of open water, but is confident to bike and run?  Modify your training plan and swim on their race relay team!  You can also match up those not ready to take on the whole event.  This is also a great way to get a dedicated runner or a cyclist to the event, and once they get a taste, they want to come back for more!  Race Directors should also take note and offer relays at all race distances.

3.  Keep it positive.  That five-hour brick on Saturday sucked; it was hot, your legs hurt and you had to fix two flat tires, all on four hours of sleep.  Is THAT really the story you want to share with your non-tri friends and co-workers?  And an hour later you suggest they should sign up for next month’s local sprint?  Perhaps share how much you enjoyed riding your bike along the countryside with a good friend and how refreshing the chocolate milkshake was afterward!

Rain and cold on race day? No problems with friends there too!

4. Volunteer.  And bring a non-triathlon friend.  It might not even be a triathlon; it could be a local 10K or cyclocross race.  Get out and support others in their endeavors.  Cheering, smiling and high-fiving while handing out water is a wonderful way to give back, show the love and get inspired.

5.  Smile and wave!  My personal favorite.  Don’t go “Beauty Queen”; be genuine.  This is the most effective way to share with others on the go.  Whether it’s athletes rolling along an out-and-back run, or cars passing me on the shoulder, I want to connect with everyone.  Even if you’re dying through a tough interval, throw up a hand and show them your teeth (nicely!).  Convey joy, gratitude and humanity in the most universally acceptable way possible.

Sprinkle in a little friendly peer-pressure and gentle arm-twisting,  and we'll have a whole new group enjoying the sport we already love!  Go out and be tri-suasive!!

Be Present!

Last winter, my father texted me a photograph from his phone (sidebar: I love my parents playing with modern tech toys).  At first glance, it was meaningless: a snow-covered driveway leading up to some trees on a small hill.  I was really puzzled, and even considered briefly that he meant to send it to someone else (sidebar continued: that’s happened before with said parents playing with said modern tech toys).

I continued evaluating the picture because it seemed familiar, and then it clicked, remembering that the previous day, my mother shared that our old house had been demolished.  This picture was the site of our old house.  Not the house.  Just the site.

These thoughts really took mere seconds, and I was actually shocked that I didn’t instantly recognize the image.  My family lived there as I grew up, age 1 through 13, and that house was the center of my young world.  It’s been over twenty-five years since my family moved.

Beyond my initial shock that I didn’t recognize the site, and also that the house really was gone, a more amazing, but not surprising, thing happened next.  My mind filled in that blank snowy landscape with all the details of the house, layering in the changes my family made to it over thirteen years.  It went from green to brown.  The windows were replaced.  The rotting front porch was replaced by an open bi-level deck around the side. The trees and landscape flourished, and the gardens expanded lush and beautiful.  I could go on for pages and not even detail the interior remodeling.  And my mind jumped to the endless days of youthful outdoor adventures, taking the dogs (there were always two big ‘mutts’ around, anxious to explore) and friends over the fields, ponds and hills beyond that missing house.

Not surprising at all to recall these vivid details.

But why amazing?

Because I would never have had the memories to fill in that non-descript snowy photograph had I not been present every day so many years ago.  Smart phones, Instagram and blogging were not ideas even conceived in my childhood, and photograph development was individually priced, so film was not wasted!  We have family pictures from those days, of course, but an order of magnitude fewer than today’s standards.

We still etch these memories today, but too often we automatically whip out the smart phone, focus on the screen and see the world through the camera lens instead of with our own senses.  Yup, digital proof that I was there.  But, was I really there?

The best memories are made if we live presently in each moment, not relying on one of a million digital photographs to tell the story that you supposedly lived. 

Whether you are at work or at play, be present. Step out of your office, close email, put down the phone and engage with the people and the world around you.  The memories are so much richer!

Victory Lap: Ready for 2014 USAT AGNC

Yes, that's a mouthful - USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships.  And that's where I'll be next weekend.  This will be my second year, having raced in 2013, also in Milwaukee.  One last tough brick today and I'll be focused on getting quality sleep this week as my last preparation to race.

If you're unfamiliar with the AGNC, it is our sport's annual championship for the Olympic distance, delivered by the governing body USAT.  To participate, one must qualify.  There are many opportunities to qualify, given that many small local races are USAT-sanctioned with good Race Directors that submit the results quickly.  So, not everyone who qualifies takes part in AGNC, but those who do have a chance to race for spots on Team USA for next year's ITU World Championship race.

Up to 18 athletes per age group get slots for Team USA, and the roll-down stops at 25th place. In my 35-39 Female age group last year, I needed to be better than 2:20:00 or so to be top 25, so my 2:50:22 wasn't quite enough!  In fact, I placed 139 out of 158.  Humbling for sure.

Showing off my medal, received from the Champion herself Chrissie Wellington. It was a delight to see her smile at the finish line, along with that of Chris and my parents.

Doesn't mean I did not belong there last year.  My 2014 race goal is 2:40:00 (a PR) with a stretch goal of 2:35:00, which is probably just out of reach, but I will go for it anyway.  No, that likely won't be a Team USA qualifier, either, but again, it doesn't mean I don't belong.

The USAT AGNC is a victory lap.  Team USA slots aside, it's a chance to celebrate our sport, our accomplishments, our friends and teammates, and our blessed lives.  We also get to see what fast really looks like!  Beyond humbling, it was inspiring!  Driving home from Milwaukee last year, I decided my goal was a return trip in 2014 and do the best I could that day.

Me and Rita having a big time on the bike course!

For those headed to Milwaukee for the first time, prepare yourself for a first-class race experience.  The event definitely has a Championship feeling.  To have 3,700+ athletes on the same course is a feat on its own - and USAT did a fine job of keeping us spaced out and safe.  This does mean it takes about three hours to start everyone, but it's brilliant to have enough space to race, but enough competitors to challenge too.  The SWAG was excellent.  The venue was well laid out and there was ample space for spectators.  I don't know if we'll get mostly cloudy skies and a high of 74-degF again this year, but the forecast is shaping up to be pretty close to it!!

Look at that Finish Line! How can you not feel like a rock star?

I am excited this year.  My husband is racing AGNC his first time, plus several members from my local Knoxville RockyTop Multisport Club, a few more friends from near and far, and I expect to see lots of "R's" on course, with my Revolution3 Age Group Team out in strong numbers too.  We may even have family cheering us on!  All of that camaraderie and support is plenty enough to make for a great weekend.

Met via Facebook, Cortney Martin is a wonderful lady and wicked fast, having represented Team USA in Auckland and London. Plan to see her speeding by again this year! 

My parents did enjoy seeing me race, but Dad especially likes that Harley-Davidson is in Milwaukee too!

So, if you're out there with a deleted "Congratulations! You Qualified" email that you didn't take advantage of, I hope you get the chance again and go for it.  Everyone deserves to take a victory lap!

GOOD LUCK to all the USAT National Championship competitors!

Triathlon Lessons

This past weekend I competed in a Time Trial that was part of a local Omnium bike race. As multi-sport athletes, we sometimes dabble in single sport competitions.  These individual swim, bike or run races usually serve as great training sessions generating lots of max effort data for our coaches to parse through, but we also enjoy the simple thrill of "knowing I don't have to run after this bike!"  They are generally humbling too as we multi-sport 'generalists' go up against 'specialists.'

Me and Mr. Burl before the Time Trial - yes, he still had stitches in his lip from last weekend!

Following the TT, another participant commented that I should consider joining a cycling team versus triathlon.  It was a fantastic compliment, but I responded that I was more fit and healthy because of the three disciplines.  I benefit mentally and physically by splitting my energy among three sports.

The following day, I was struggling through the end of a tough run in humid 90-degree conditions.  Only fifty minutes, the workout LOOKED rather tame on paper, but after about thirty-five minutes of actually running, I was suppressing the urge to faint and/or throw up.  Odds were good for either outcome.  Somewhere in that last set of intervals I asked myself again, "Really, why do I do this? Why do I run?"

As the oxygen flow returned to my brain during the cool down, I remembered why.  Simple self-achievement - accomplishing goals I never thought possible, running 'fast' being chief among them.  And I thought about how each triathlon discipline teaches something valuable, for that self-achievement or just getting by in life.  Here's what I came up with:

Swimming teaches the importance of good technique, balance and focus.

Cycling teaches how to suffer, and how to stay in control inside your head when you really, really want out!

Running teaches sacrifice, and that it really doesn't hurt that much more to dig really deep.

Transitions teach the values of planning and simplicity.

And besides the sport itself, I am fortunate to have family, friends, teammates, clubmates and coaches that remind me daily of the importance of praise, gratitude and love.  May your sport(s) of choice also be so generous with life lessons!

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law joining us for their very FIRST triathlon recently.  So proud!

2013: Another Level!

Inspired by my friends, teammates and fellow bloggers, I spent the morning reviewing 2013.  Pouring through the +Garmin data, +TrainingPeaks records, race reports and my very own "Race Numbers" spreadsheet (yes, still an engineer at heart) was pretty cool.  Lots of things to be happy about regarding the 2013 multisport season.

The best way I can sum it up... I took it to another level in 2013!  I trained less, yet accomplished more.

On 03 February, I completed my first coached workout.  Hiring a coach was a smart choice: I dedicate a lot of personal resources to my tri life and have non-tri priorities too, so letting a professional take over this part of my life was wise.  My +Carmichael Training Systems coach gets IT.  My workouts are tough, but there's not junk volume, no training for the sake of training!  And the results came.  The data proves it:

2012: 383 training hours and 3844 miles = 3 Age Group Podiums
2013: 261 hours and 2850 miles = 3 Overall Podiums (1-1st, 2-2nd) and 2 Age Group Podiums

July 2013:  2nd AG, Sprint distance, Music City Triathlon, Nashville, TN.

Race-wise, in 2012 I completed 7 triathlons including a 70.3, and in 2013, 7 triathlons and 2 duathlons, also including one 70.3.  Each season included a half marathon, a 2-mile open water swim, and few 5K or 10K races.  I even tried cyclocross in 2013!

2013 was a year of PRs for both pace (70.3, Olympic, 10K, half marathon) and distance (longest bike ride completed).  Sprints are hard to compare due to varying distances but I was just plain faster in 2013.  I rewarded myself with a new aero bike helmet after holding a 20.0 mph average in an Olympic distance race mid-season, and repeated it two more times!

The highlight of 2013 racing was participation in the USAT Age Group Nationals in August.  It was a wonderful event in Milwaukee, and I'm thrilled that I already earned the chance to return in 2014.

My awesome parents joined us in Milwaukee...

And they also supported the June 70.3 effort in Syracuse, along with my brother, sister-in-law and dear friend Frosty.

Racing with family and friends cheering is unparalleled.  I think they had as much fun as us.  Oh, and when I say "us" and "we," I'm referring to me and Burly, my favorite training partner!

Capping off the year was nomination to the most excellent Team Rev3!

I'm humbled and excited to be one of more than 60 amateur athletes representing a wonderful event company +REV3 Triathlon (REV3TRI).  2014 should be a fantastic year with them!

2013 also included several non-triathlon changes, including a new job and new house, so navigating the training and racing was not without its challenges.

I'm so very fortunate to have a strong support network of family, friends, coach, RockyTop MultiSport club mates, Provision teammates, Rev3 teammates, new sponsors and Burly.  Thank you.

As much as I enjoyed the next level that was 2013, I simply hope that sharing my activities inspired others to go out and live each day fully.  May 2014 bring more fun and inspiration.

It's time to get ready for a bike workout and get a glimpse of the next level.  Cheers!