I was on the “NYRR RUNTalk: A Runner’s Leap into Triathlon” panel at the NYRR RUNCENTER this evening. It was sponsored by Women for Tri, an organization aimed to encourage more women to embrace triathlon. I was shocked by the first stat: Just over half of participants in half marathons are women, yet only a third of half ironman participants are women. There is an intimidation factor reinforced by the significant barriers to triathlon entry, with learning to swim and learning to bike being the biggest.
After an overview of Women for Tri, the other three panelists and I spoke for 5-7 minutes followed by a Q&A from the audience. I loved the questions from the audience and wanted to jump on each one, but my three fellow panelists all had incredible stories and answers of their own to share. Some questions posed tonight reminded me to not take for granted all I’ve learned in triathlon. A few questions evoked memories of when I was a beginner triathlete wearing compression socks on an ill-fitting borrowed bike!
Some of my slides and lessons I shared with the audience, which apply to novices and elite alike:
To the left is my second triathlon, where I’m wearing children’s patriotic goggles, a borrowed wetsuit and getting out of the water way too soon. To the right, I’m on a borrowed bike that doesn’t fit me, an entry level helmet, and who knows where I’m looking! Whatever you do, just get started. I ended up winning that race, and it wasn’t because I had the best equipment, but because I made the most out of the equipment I had.
The law of five is that you are the average of the five people with whom you’re closest. This can be applied to training quite well, not necessarily in terms of speed, but in terms of attitude. If you’re a 5% faster runner than me but complain about the workout the entire time, I’ll run 3 steps behind you and suggest we take the next right, then I won’t. If you’re nailing all of our swim splits but bitching about work during our precious rest, I’ll tell you to find a new job that happens during swim practice. I surround myself with fast AND positive ladies and supportive AND accommodating sponsors (ones that don’t expect nor want me to spend my training hours pushing their products). I don’t have time for anything else!
It’s so easy as dedicated runners and triathletes to focus on the next race, the longer ride, the better workout. But if you’re trying to hit a moving target without pausing to remove the next quiver, you’ll never have time to enjoy the bulls-eyes. Even Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock celebrated hitting their benchmarks (sometimes literally) along the way before finally stopping the bus moving full Speed ahead. While there’s always something to be learned from each race, recognizing what went well – drinking enough despite not being thirsty, nailing your transitions, not starting the run too hard, perfecting your bottle exchange – is imperative to remember to boost your confidence and execute again in your next competition.
I hope what I harped on at the panel and what I rehashed here was helpful to novices and advanced triathletes alike. I know it was helpful for me to preach what I practice! Thanks to Women for Tri (check them out – empowering initiatives from an action-driven brand!) for having me and thanks to my fellow panelists and audience for joining!