Hi babes! This week I’ll be doing a Throwback Thursday about that time I won my triathlon, in last place! Before I dive in, don’t forget to secure your spot in our upcoming retreat in the beautiful and sunny, Destin, Florida. It’s time to drink wine, do yoga and laugh among friends on gorgeous white sand beaches. This is your last shot to register, don’t miss out!
A triathlon you say? Shannon, did you bump your head while doing a sirsasana?
Ok, let me be real as hell with you, this was my first, and last, triathlon. It was ten years ago, and I was, at the time, heavily into CrossFit and 5k races. Man, oh man, was I feeling my oats! I was a road racing warrior and thrusters champ (at least in my head); I’d felt I needed a new physical activity to concur.
A few friends had done triathlons and there was an upcoming one in just a few months. I’ve always liked challenges and saw this as the ultimate physical challenge.
“I can do this!”
Is what I said, at the time. Ha! If I only knew what was in store for me, mentally, physically, and emotionally. This triathlon would be one of the hardest moments in my life. I’d end up physically pushing my body almost beyond its limits (or was it my mind??).
How I “trained” (or didn’t- deal’s choice) for my triathlon
Did I already say I was feeling my oats? I was feeling pretty damn fit at the time; I felt that I could physically tackle a lot of things. My game winning strategy? I didn’t need a training schedule and I didn’t need to do any additional research into the right tools and such. Shoot, I was already fit, remember? I was made for these things, I’d said. Poor, innocent Shannon, BIG MISTAKE!
To ‘prepare’, I continued training as normal at my CrossFit gym and swimming in my personal pool. Tell you the truth, I didn’t change much else. I already owned a mountain bike and rode it from time to time, no biggie there either (please remember this for later). Furthermore, I could swim in a pool, check; I could bike (leisurely), check; I could run (or jog, same same) and had the stamina and physical strength needed, check, check and check! Go Shannon, go!
Logic check needed, stat!
Outside of the gym, I’m a mom of four, savvy business entrepreneur and wife.
I was used to successfully handling a lot on a typical day.
You might wonder how I balanced it all at the time. The truth is, I’m not sure I juggled everything well. You take it day by day, sometimes moment by moment. I tried to keep my kids involved by letting them ‘train’ with me, but if you’ve not cottoned on just yet, I was winging it while prepping for the race. I was just trying to do the best I could daily, kinda like I still do today, ha-ha!
(Mis)Understanding the logic versus the reality of what I’d signed up for
My husband, Nathan Jamail, is an executive coach, keynote speaker and author. In his book, The Leadership Playbook, in it he says something pretty poignant:
When we apply logic, instead of realistic thinking, the correct path becomes clearer.
Oh, how I wish he’d written his book at the time; I’d come to learn that advice the hard way. I had been thinking realistic (remember all those boxes I checked earlier) but not logically. There was no game plan or research. If I’d just humbly looked a little bit closer, I’d have seen that triathlons are not things people just wing.
How the Triathlon unfolded
Look at this picture. If you can’t already tell, I’m dead last. As I mentioned in my recent, reflective Instagram post about the whole experience, I’m ok with last. I mean, I’m not usually but in this instance, I was totally ok with last. Let’s not jump ahead, I’ll need to rewind a bit.
My brother and nephew also signed up with me to tackle the triathlon. Then came race day and the gun went off, signally the start of the race. They’d trained less than I did, so they both ended up tapping out after the first stage, the swim.
Remember when I said I’d bike leisurely, keyword, leisurely? Well, I found out the hard way that my bike was not a ‘triathlon’ bike and leisurely riding a bike from time to time isn’t the same as competitive cycling. The non-triathlon bike significantly hindered me. Looking back, it’s actually quite funny because when I got to this stage of the race, I had people passing me telling me “Good luck on that bike!”. And then when the 93-year-old passed me…good lord, I had to dig REAL DEEP to keep going; at this point I was completely tearing up and wishing I hadn’t signed up for this stupid ass race.
But I kept on going. That was the most challenging experience throughout the whole ordeal. I was having an intense internal battle with myself. I’d wanted to quit, really bad. I mean what f’ing human thought it would be a good idea to:
- Swim till you puke
- Then, pull your jelly ass out of the water to try to balance on a bike and blow your knees out (not to mention the wet rash that happens in unmentionable places)
- And after that, attempt to run till you literally can’t feel your extremities
Who? I need to pause and look this shit up. Please hold… It originated in San Diego. Figures. Anyhow, I was determined to overcome limiting my self-belief by quitting.It. Was. Terrible. But I finished it. And I don’t regret it. A small shift happened inside that whispered to me at the end, “See, you can do hard things!”.
My takeaway from the triathlon saga
I’ll never ever do another triathlon again, period. I now know and understand my physical and mental limits; I’d pushed them, but I’d survived (barely!). If someone tells you to sign-up for a triathlon, don’t do it! Well, kidding…sort of. When it comes to this kind of elite training and competition, you’ve got to love it. You’ve got to prepare, learn the ins and out, get the right equipment and humbly build a game day strategy and maintain a dedicated schedule.
I don’t regret doing it. I’m incredibly proud that I’d actually completed the racecourse. Though it’s not even about finishing it for finishing’s sake, no.
For me it was that I overcame the VERY LOUD voice in my head that said to quit.I didn’t. I never gave in. I won my own personal triathlon, and this was my personal gold medal.
And for all you diehards out there- please don’t come after me. I celebrate your love for masochistic fitness. It’s fine. You’re fine. It’s all fine.
See ya next week 🙂 !
