When I set my goal for getting in shape this past March it was hardly to do ten races in six months. Back then that would have seemed overwhelming. My goal was simply to complete the Irongirl triathlon in July in my 50th year. That was it; that was what I focused on; plain and simple. But in March it didn’t seem all that easy. On March 11 the fear of failing almost stopped me from pressing the Submit button on the Irongirl registration form.
My “big” secret was that I had actually signed up (and paid for) two previous Irongirl triathlons. But I had never gotten the nerve up to go. I know it seems crazy now and, in fact, it is hard to understand how I could have been so scared. But the truth was I had never felt prepared enough or worthy enough. So when those days came close I made up excuses; stopped training and figured it was a dream I was never going to realize. As a result I kept my entry into the 2013 Webster Ma Irongirl triathlon a secret.
I knew to achieve this goal I would have to implement a lot of the same disciplines I had learned when losing weight. I needed a program. I needed some way of recording my workouts and I needed some accountability. Because I had “trained” for a triathlon before I had a few books but I found they were more than I needed. Lots of inspiration and stories and some programs but way too much lingo (I really didn’t need to learn a whole new language yet) and programs that involved more than just swimming, biking and running. I was looking for simple.
At that point I did what I always do when I need information…I surfed the web. A lot! Eventually I found a program on Active.com for beginner sprint triathletes. I liked it for a lot of the same reasons I liked the Weight Watchers program online. It was simple and laid out a program but it also allowed me to revise and tailor my program to my life. That was the golden ticket! I needed something practical and realistic for my life.
I had to start working out in the gym because the Cape weather was not ideal for outdoor sports in the spring of 2013. I logged lots of hours on the treadmill and learned to use the stationary bike that was designed for Spinning. I was committed and even added in some brick workouts. (Bricks are when you do one sport right after another…that was about as much lingo as I was willing to learn initially.) After a month of working out I felt good but I didn’t feel competition ready.
I knew the one thing that could continue to hold me back from success was my fear of competing in a group. I am not an anti-social person but I can and do find groups intimidating and groups of experienced athletes were my greatest fear! I thought about how I might “train” to get over that and it struck me that entering a few 5Ks over the spring could be a great way to learn the tricks of competing. That led me to sign up for the Brewster in Bloom 5K on April 27. At that time it was about a month away and I started to need to implement the 2nd part of my self-directed program…accountability
It was time to reveal my plan.