Do the thing!

My First Short Triathlon Experience: Running on Whoops!

This past weekend, I completed my first-ever short triathlon, which was a) tons of fun b) nerve wracking and c) a wake up call. The event was a women’s-only triathlon aimed at encouraging women to try the sport while supporting a local women’s center—an awesome combination, right?

I was incredibly nervous leading up to the race. As a newbie swimmer, the thought of a 100m swim in a 50m pool had me seriously questioning my life choices. Up until now, all my swimming practice had been in a 20m pool, and that 50m stretch felt pretty much endless. But, I have to say, it was a beautiful pool with fantastic safety protocols in place. In fact, the entire event was extremely well-organized and marshaled.

Despite all that, I managed to psyche myself out. After making it through the first 20 meters with some questionable form, I reverted to a doggy paddle-stop-swim-three-strokes-and-repeat formula for the rest. Not pretty, but hey, it got me through!

I LOVED the experience of going through the transition stages to the bike and then the run. I was grinning like an idiot the whole time! I think I finished in a respectable place: 14th out of 54 participants for my distance and—drumroll—1st place in my age category (which age range I won’t be revealing…so that tells you enough).

It was a wake-up call because it reminded me how much I love the joy of races and that incredible sense of accomplishment when you finish. But it was also a wake-up call in another way—I felt uncomfortable with how I felt in my tri-suit and how I looked in the race photos, and that stuck with me. So here we go, if you don’t like something and you have the ability to change it, take that first step—no matter how small—and start making the change today.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparing your achievements to other people’s big milestones—like ultra-marathons or Ironman races—and feel like your accomplishments don’t measure up. But comparison really is the thief of joy. It’s not about how your achievements stack up to someone else’s; it’s about pushing yourself just 1% further than you thought you could go.

I’ve realized that I don’t want to train as part of this fitness and health journey because I feel like I have to or because of some external pressure. I want to train because it makes me happy. Movement is happiness to me. It’s how I meditate, how I deal with my anxiety. The joy of movement and the challenge of doing something hard—those are the things that motivate me to keep going.

So, here’s to setting goals but also having fun along the way! We’ve got this. Let’s goooooooooooo! 💪🏽