Try.

"The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those who sang best."

- Henry David Thoreau

Last autumn I got involved in the incredible sport of TRIATHLON. 

For some time now I've been wanting to document my journey of learning about, training for, and competing in multi-sport.  I even considered starting a separate blog specifically designated to triathlon; after all, if you do something then you're automatically qualified to start a blog about it, right? :P

 

Not only does triathlon have endless physical benefits, it also is a powerful source of growth for me, mentally and even spiritually.  I firmly believe that the body is home to the spirit; if one fails to maintain and take care of the body, the spirit will potentially begin to decay.  I have found that physical exercise and release is pivotal to my mental and spiritual health.  

For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, triathlon is divided into 3 sections, which are completed all in one race in the following order:

- Swim

- Bike

- Run

There are different distances and styles of triathlon but they typically fall into these categories:

Sprint

750 meter swim, 12.5 mile bike, 5 kilometer run

Olympic

1 mile swim (1500m), 25 mile bike (50k), 10 kilometer run

Half

1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run

Ironman

2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run (marathon).

Having competitively raced on mountain bike for 5 years, I've always been interested in getting into triathlon.  Since I was very little I've loved swimming and playing in the water, and I've always seen triathlon as a challenge.  I've never enjoyed running as a sport but was willing to learn.  After years of excuses and reasons to NOT start, I finally made a decision last summer that it was time for me to get in the water.  There's a common saying in triathlon, 

"You win the race by stepping up to the start line."

You've already succeeded if you've made a positive change in your life.  I registered for my first triathlon a mere 3 weeks before I was to race.  I hadn't been in a pool, I hadn't been running since high school lacrosse, and I had no idea where to start.  But I had paid money to register and I let that be my motivation to commit to be ready come race day.  Luckily, we live in an age where basically any information can be found almost instantly.  I got online and started researching and reading everything I could about training for a triathlon.  I made myself familiar with the sport, the techniques, the people, the lingo.  In my mind I thought, "no matter what happens, I just want to finish the race."  In my heart I wanted to win. 

I went online and bought a decent road bike for a great price. I bought a pair of goggles at BYU's Lost and Found Sale.  I started training.  When I first got in the pool, I could barely swim 4 lengths (100 meters) without feeling like I was going to die.  I thought to myself, "is this even a good idea? Maybe I can't do it." I remembered my commitment and decided to keep trying.  Training became my part-time job.  I found great joy in working hard every day and pushing through the pain of miles on the bike, busting my lungs running, and crawling along in the pool.  I was surprised at how quickly I began to improve.

Before I knew it I was heading down for my first race.  I carefully planned everything I ate the days before, as well as my sleeping patterns.  It was a chilly morning at Yuba Lake.  It was a gorgeous day to do a triathlon.  The lake was calm and glassy, the air was crisp and refreshing, and the transition area was swarming with eager triathletes.  I set up my bike and running gear at T1 (Transition 1. When you come out of the water, you run to your bike, stripping off your wetsuit, cap, and goggles as you run, put on your bike gear and take off for the bike leg of the race.  When you return from that you remove your helmet, change your shoes, and start the run). I put on my wetsuit and stretched while AC/DC and other pump-up music blared on the PA system.  Then it was time to start.  This was an open water start, meaning we swam out a ways into the lake and tread water until the gun went off.

This was it. I had prepared as much as possible in 3 weeks.  I didn't know what to expect.

Swimming in a pool by yourself is very different from swimming in a lake with 300 other racers.

"10 seconds!" I tried to take deep breaths.

"5 seconds!" 

Bang!

 to be continued...

 

Options.

"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today."  

- Malcom X

Prepare. It's an intimidating word, is it not?  Generally upon hearing those two syllables something triggers the neurons in my brain to induce a flow of anxious unease.  It's as if whatever I'm currently preoccupied with is a distraction and therefore a device of procrastination.  Ah, procrastination, he and I have quite the history together.  I could go on to further discuss the intricacies of mankind's affair with procrastination, but in that very act I'd be guilty of the topic, postponing subject for a tangent.  My question then is how does one prepare for that which one does not see?  What preparation can be made for an event or state of being that even guesses cannot predict?  We are expected to be ready for the future's tests while being utterly blind to its reality.  

How does one prepare?

My oversimplified answer lies in one boring word: options. 

One might say that I am currently in the very middle of the age of decision, on the threshold between an adolescence of preparation and an adulthood of action.  As I have taken the inevitable journey through potential career paths one fact has become excruciatingly clear to me; the more time I spend deciding to do something, the less time I will have to succeed at it.  

This notion unavoidably poses the question -- am I supposed to just settle?

I consider myself a humanist, and I couldn't be more passionate about the idea that our species is capable of great things, both good and evil.  I believe our capacity and potential, if fully understood, would shock and terrify us.  Then why should any of us settle for less than what we truly desire?  If you are tempted to settle or do with your life what you feel is safe, despite having a innate knowledge that you were meant for something more, please watch the following video.  Just because something has been done one way for an extensive amount of time does not mean it should continue to be done that way.

WATCH ME

How does one prepare? How does one avoid settling?  I believe that it is by giving yourself options.  Life is not a fork in the road until the future actually comes.  Until then, it is possible to spread yourself, to walk in several directions, and take a look at things from multiple views.  Pursue a number of paths, and then you will have freedom to choose.  For if one path is not what you expected you will have prepared for another.  If some tragedy beyond your control finds its way into your life and prevents you from progressing in one area, you can adapt and progress another way. 

In  essence, preparing for the unknown is an act of initiative.  It is stretching yourself to do more than you initially thought possible.  Life will deal you more than you expect, so why not be willing to do more than expected with your life?

You want to be a doctor? Do what it takes to be the best doctor, but at the same time learn about business or administration.  You want to be a chef? Do what it takes to become the best chef, but at the same time stretch yourself to gain experience in public health. 
Let us all strive to be Renaissance Men and Women.  The world desperately needs it.

Give yourself options. You owe it to your future.