Somehow I got it into my head that when I turned 60 I would
do a triathlon. But, then I had a minor
health scare at age 57 and the perfect counter strike was to strengthen my
lungs. So I decided to take up
swimming and what better motivator to learn how to swim than by signing up for
a triathlon? Don’t get me wrong; I was
no stranger to the water having been raised in Detroit in the proximity of the
Great Lakes. But swimming free style, breathing properly, and going for 750
meters (1/2 mile) in the open water was, in a word, frightening! I couldn’t even swim 25 meters without
stopping and that was in a pool. Open water would be even worse. So what was I
thinking?
For the sake of full disclosure I have been in the fitness
business for 30 plus years steadily teaching aerobic and body sculpting classes
and providing personal training sessions at the fitness facility in Washington,
DC that I co-own, City Fitness Gym. I also do my own weight training workouts.
While I am not a cyclist, a runner and clearly not a swimmer, I knew that I had
the physical ability and endurance to do all three. I would just be completely out of my comfort zone. I decided that this would be a good
thing.
I believe that as we age, our fears often become bigger and
we stick with what we know and take fewer risks. I also believe that when you
stop exploring, stop trying new things, and stop pushing yourself beyond your
own level of comfort, you accelerate the aging process.
At age 57 I signed up for the 2009 New Jersey Sprint
Triathlon and immediately enrolled in the DC Triathlon Club’s “New Triathlete
Program” (NTP). Their first training
session began with a 5 K run and I was undoubtedly the oldest in the
group. I quickly discovered, though,
that most everyone was nervous about the run, not everyone was a runner and
“triathlete wannabes” came in all sizes and shapes. It was a hopeful start.
During the NTP program I participated in all the group
workouts and clinics. Not only did I
stand out because of my age, I also had a bike that was not your state of the
art “Tri-Bike”. It was a bike that I
was emotionally attached to, having been given to me by my staff when I turned
50. With it’s purple flower
decorations, I was constantly asked if THIS was the actual bike I was going to
use in the NJ Triathlon, to which I would proudly reply, YES!
When the day finally arrived, I was a wreck. A few weeks prior to the real event I
participated in a practice triathlon sponsored by the DC Tri Club. It’s called “practice” for a reason. First, the swimming was done in a pool – a
far cry from the open water of a lake – and though I completed the swim, I was
the last one out of the pool. Next, I had to immediately hit the bathroom (nerves)
before I could get on my bike, and to top it off I started my run with my bike
helmet on.
The memory of all of that forced me awake even earlier than
I needed. We arrived at the event at
about 6 a.m. and as I waited for my group to get called into the water, a woman
about my age standing next to me could feel my fear (and probably also see my
entire body shaking). She told me not to worry and that once I got out of the
water I would probably pass her up on the run. The open water is intimidating
because as you follow the big orange buoys that help you keep track of where
you are going, you have a pack of other folks swimming over you, doing the same
thing. Despite all my freestyle
training, my swim on that day consisted of a combination of the backstroke,
sidestroke, and breaststroke and sometimes the front crawl. But I made it out
of the water, the endorphins kicked in, the hardest part was over and I was in
competitive mode.
When you participate in triathlon events, they make sure
that your body is marked using a bold black marker to write your race number on
your arm and your age on your calf. This mortified me until I passed someone
younger than me and was elated that they could see my age. The encouraging
woman that calmed me down at the beginning of the race was correct – I did pass
her during the running segment.
I don’t think I will ever forget the feeling of crossing
that finish line, especially with my son watching and cheering me on. I did it!
I wanted to do more! I was
hooked. And most importantly, from that
day forward, I could say that I AM A TRIATHLETE!
Since my first triathlon, I spent a lot of time and money
learning how to swim better. I now
enjoy the quiet, meditative, and rhythmic back-and-forth of swimming laps; my
Zen of swimming. I bike almost one hour
to and from work whenever I can and get a short run in about once a week. I even sign up for some 5K and 8K runs.
I have since participated in four more triathlons, three of
which were on the Potomac River. Of
those five I have actually won my age division three times! Even though winning
isn’t really my goal, getting up on the platform and being number ONE is quite
the emotional boost! My goal is to do one triathlon a year. I love the cross training aspect of triathlon
training because it does not limit you to just one sport. Swimming has made my
entire upper body noticeably more toned and the running and biking have
strengthened my lower body. I still
participate in other types of fitness activities including Yoga and Pilates.
Today, I feel physically younger at 62 than I did at 52 and
attribute it to my triathlon training.
Who would have thought that I would find the fountain of youth swimming
the notoriously murky waters of the Potomac River? So, don’t let your chronological age hold you back either
mentally or physically. I challenge
you to TRY A TRI! It only takes
completing one to say “I AM A TRIATHLETE!”
