Enthusiasm

"You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas. Enthusiasts are fighters. They have fortitude. They have staying qualities. Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress. With it, there is accomplishment. Without it, there are only alibis." - Henry Ford

Ten years ago when I was a level 1 modern dance student at my arts high school, I was chosen to understudy a modern repertoire that the level 4 students were preparing to perform. I was very excited and considered the opportunity quite an honor. I attended all rehearsals, gave 110% percent (determined to prove my value and potential to the department heads), and tirelessly practiced in and out of set rehearsals. My efforts did not result in actually performing (but this was not a shock as I was an understudy and was not needed to fill a position during performance). Here's what did come as a shock... Right before the performance our choreographer, who was also one of the accomplished faculty members at our conservatory, gave us each little mementos and a card acknowledging our involvement in the piece. I remember my disappointment in reading my card which said something to the effect of "(blah, blah, blah)...I appreciate your enthusiasm...(blah, blah, blah)". I remember feeling doomed, hopeless, even futile...like I had given my very best and all I got acknowledged for was "enthusiasm", really? In that moment I made myself so wrong for being enthusiastic...if only I was more than enthusiastic, wishing I was something better like great or breath taking or graceful or the best...something better than enthusiastic! In fact, I've had some variation of that thought cross my mind for the past decade.

This past Friday (ten years later, almost exactly), I had the fortune of meeting a highly recommended triathlon and endurance coach. I went to his website to check something out and lo and behold I saw the aforementioned quote on enthusiasm. When I read it, a few things happened. a) My relationship to that note forever changed. b) My relationship to myself, my value, my capabilities and my confidence forever changed. c) I became proud of being enthusiastic, instead of trying to hide it, or trying to prove that I'm more. d) I hired that coach! (His website and info is on the sidebar, TNS training.)

Ocean Swim Virgin

I went to my first LA Tri Club ocean swim circuit this am (6:15 am to be exact...yes, I was late)...Let's just say, I've got some training to do and I've got 51 days to get it done in! I thought I'd share the quick re-cap with you all:

Good News (naturally I like good news first):
1. I went, period. This is something I'm going to remind myself of throughout the day. It actually takes something just to get there.
2. I rode my bike there (only a couple miles, but still, a good warm up/cool down and by cool down I mean turtle pace)
3. I swam 600 meters straight...which is just over 1/3 of a mile.
4. The experienced swimmers are very nice (and although speedy and definitely attaining a different kind of a work out) they really look out for the newbies (me)
5. My wetsuit is a perfect fit for my body...it has boob panels!
6. My wetsuit is super buoyant...even when walking to the water it's almost like there's a mini trampoline under each one of my feet.
6a. My wetsuit is super buoyant (part 2)...even if I was to get really tired and couldn't swim any more, I would float. With all the neoprene stuffed into this thing, floating is inevitable.

Not so good (aka Bad) news:
1. There were a hundred other swimmers there
2. Most of the hundred plus swimmers are semi-professional if not professional/sponsored triathletes...yes, people who get paid to do all three legs of the race! (Mind you, I'm training to compete in one leg of the race)
3. I swam most of the 600 meters in breast stroke because my crawl is, well, for lack of a better word (and for honesty's sake) weak!
4. Lots of people passed me...
4a. Lots of these same people did the course 3 and 4 times (and ran back and forth between)...In case you were wondering, I did it once...and never ran.
5. One guy stopped his speedy swim and asked me (snail pace girl) if I was ok. I was ok. I don't think this is a good sign. Imagine the tortoise and the hare.
6. Another guy stopped and waited for me to body surf to shore together. I like to think it's because he thought I was cute. Given I had a neon swim cap, goggles and my (boob-paneled) wetsuit on, it's probably safe to say he was concerned.

All in all, it was good, it was harder than I expected (as with most things I do in my life...probably good or I'd never end up doing any of them). And Although I was not great, I did it. And I didn't have to stop or swim back to shore, which I think was a decent first effort. Besides, didn't the tortoise end up winning the race?!

Tyro (also Tiro) and Tri : Similar but Different

Yes, they sound similar, but their meanings are very different.

For those of you visiting my (first ever!) blog, who are not familiar with the definition of 'tyro', I will refrain from pointing out that it was on your S.A.T. word list (ok, so I'm not too familiar with that word list myself) and will instead provide the definition (as stated on dictionary.com):

ty⋅ro [tahy-roh] A beginner in learning anything; novice. A beginner in learning something.

As we don't need dictionary.com to tell us the definition of 'tri' I think the distinction is now apparent (if it was not before).

Point being, that this is my life as a beginner, amateur, fledgling, novice, rookie in the sport of triathlon. My hope here is threefold; that this blog makes you smile and/or laugh, that you find it inspiring (let's face it, if I can take on this sport, you can take on this sport) and if not inspiring at least amusing, and that being able to share my humility with you all gets me through the days that embarrassment and physical shortcomings have me wonder "what was I thinking?"!