I watched my first triathlon this weekend. I also volunteered so I could get up close and personal with the athletes as they came out of the water. While I saw a lot of smiles all day, there weren’t a lot of them as they stood up to climb through the sand and up the hill after the swim. Now I know that the look on my face when I finish isn’t unique!
I got to witness my good friend Natasha Van Der Merwe kill the race taking first place overall for the women anchoring the race with a run pace that isn’t even on my chart, not even for a 400 meter interval! I saw one guy (Jamie Cleveland) finish the swim in half the time it would have taken me, and another (Peter Mallett) crush the field with a 5:15 minute/mile pace on the run. Really guys, that is just sick!
There were, however, two athletes there in whom I was particularly interested: my father and older sister. Their stories are wonderful; full of hope, inspiration and strength. The next time I find myself struggling to complete a workout or feeling sorry for myself because I’m tired or it’s hot or windy or whatever excuse I might come up with at the time, I will use them as an energy shot. Thinking of them and what they have been through will give me strength.
My sister Deb is 5 years older than I. Forgive my ignorance, but 5 years is a lot of time when you are a little kid. Her interests were far more sophisticated than mine, though I did inherit her “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album which I played all the time. I don’t know that she was particularly athletic growing up, but she was at one point involved in a master’s swim team, and pretty good from what I hear.
I don’t want to say anything here that she might not appreciate, but it was obvious that she gained some weight as she got older. It was like the elephant in the room, something that everyone knew but no one talked about.
For whatever reason, Deb decided it was time to lose the weight. Somewhere along her weight loss journey she decided it would be fun to do a triathlon, and attacked the training like a rabid pit-bull. Despite needing shoulder surgery, she toed the line yesterday, determined to do this race. I watched her swim, bike and run, all with the smile of a person confident she could do it (Ok, maybe she didn’t smile while she was swimming, but you get the point). I saw her bike split and worried she had made the classic rookie mistake and spent too much energy on that leg, especially when her smile at the beginning of the run wasn’t a big (she had just twisted her ankle).
They disappear for a long time on the run, and you wait and wonder what is going on. Did they have problems and have to withdraw, are they hurt or walking; where are they? Suddenly there she was! She was approaching the finish line so much sooner than I’d expected I almost missed her! She was still running, and was ahead of much younger and thinner racers. It is hard for me to say who was more proud when she crossed the finish line, what a wonderful race she had!
Deb might not appreciate me telling everyone how much weight she lost, but I can safely say this: The announcer mentioned another racer’s weight loss journey, and my sister lost much more than her, and she is looking great!
My father was never athletic when I was growing up. A favorite family story is of how he went running with another of my sisters and he lasted a block. He was in his 50’s back then, and the experience changed him. He took up running, finishing one marathon and was training for another when he was injured and had to back out. When his knees finally gave out he took up cycling. I remember coming home from the Army, thinking I was in good shape, and he would put the hurt on me during long bike rides.
Knee problems continued and he was forced to abandon his beloved bike. He started lifting weights and swimming, though as a former smoker he couldn’t swim 50 yards without gasping for breath. Somewhere along this journey he suffered a major heart attack. With his priorities firmly in place, the first post operative question he asked was will this improve my cardio!
It took me a year, several doctor’s visits for both his knees and heart, and some nutritional changes, but I was able to convince him to do a triathlon. I think he was the the one who got my sister to also sign up.
During his training he suffered a calf injury. He couldn’t run without pain. He changed up his training to focus more on the bike and run, until he cut his arm and couldn’t swim. I know he thought about quitting, probably a lot. I would have understood if he had quit, how many of us in his shoes would have? Amazingly, a little rest and regular usage of a foam roller worked that out and he was back running. The cut on his arm healed and he was able to get back into the pool. Unfortunately he lost several valuable weeks of training and started the race less prepared than he would have liked.
I was right next to him as he got out of the water. I’d like to say he smiled at me as he walked by, but he didn’t. He was focused as he walked up the hill, straight to his wife, who received a kiss.
I didn’t see him again until he came charging up the last hill before climbing off the bike. He looked very strong, even standing up for a bit. I wonder if he ever used his granny gear?
It was awesome to see him come running around the corner towards the finish line, yes running! After more than an hour and a half of strenuous physical exertion he was still running! The announcer gave him huge props as the oldest athlete on the field, at the tender age of 77. Oh, did I forget to mention that my father was doing his first triathlon at 77! He ended up winning his division, beating the nearest competitor by almost 40 minutes, despite giving up 9 years!
All in the family
I am proud to announce that we now have two more triathletes in the family. Both of them have expressed interest in racing again, maybe later this year. Then a crazy thing happened: Deb’s husband and her son said they want to do a triathlon, then Deb’s daughter and her roommate chimed in as well. The target race is still nearly 6 months away, but it looks like we could have 7 family members sign up! I wonder what the record is?
All I can say to everyone (including myself) is that if you put your mind to it, there isn’t much you cannot accomplish!
The happy finishers:
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