EMILY GRAVES TRIATHLETE!!
I first met Emily as a volunteer at the Meech Lake Triathlon a couple of years ago. She mentioned to Heather Eberts that she would love to do a triathlon but didn't know how to swim. Heather kindly rushed her to my side and told her you NEED to take swimming lessons with Julia! And so the journey began.
As a swim coach, I know that some people pick up swimming quickly and for others it doesn't come as naturally. Emily has certainly had her share of challenges in the water. Between Coach Maggie and I, we tried every trick up our sleeves. Emily gradually learned the skills needed to get across the pool. She never gave up and just kept swimming!
Next was her challenge to get in open water! She launched into the Pond with me at the beginning of the Summer to tackle her fear of the deep and unknown open water. Learning to tread water and how to use her float she started to become more comfortable. Here comes the coach's challenge....
"Emily, I want to do a sprint triathlon with you!"
Emily's report:
“Are you nervous?” I asked myself as I woke up Friday morning. “Yes, I am terrified”, I responded. The night before (and two weeks earlier), I had recurring worries about how might I be able to swim around that pond twice over ~ with the little skill that I have, and my lingering fear of the deep? It was a mental and psychological warfare within me. I reflected upon my personal reasons for wanting to do a triathlon that piqued my interest sometime in 2018. It’s the pursuit~because the swim part 🏊♀️ seemed unobtainable, because I start from square one and the fear of the deep, posing a huge mental block.
So I took lessons, and got some gadgets: a wetsuit with a 3:5 flotation ratio, a matching fuschia pink swim cap, and a hot pink buoy (to look the part 😝), and found an amazing coach who believes in me and who I deeply trust.
Friday was a “supported” sprint triathlon, and not with the usual transition. For the swim, I was pleasantly surprised at not having even considered how deep the water is, once we started. My focus turned into the goal: circle the pond twice (~750m), albeit slowly, despite the frequent stops, and a leg cramp near the end 😱, for I was kicking too hard. Overall, I can’t believe how fun that swim segment turned out to be; I was elated.
I didn’t even worry about the bike ride 🚴 or the run, so I winced, when halfway thru the bike course (22k), I had to contend with strong wind 💨. My thin yellow windbreaker jacket which I put over my wet trisuit, kept me warm, but it puffed like a delighted wind vane 😱 ! The bike ride was harder than anticipated so I had to talk to myself : “you aren’t quitting because of this, are you?” I summoned some grit and sighed at the finish line. Done ✅.
Next, the run 🏃🏽♀️... I thought, nah #igotthis , I run marathons so this should be easy. I was so wrong. My thighs weirdly felt like jello after the bike ride and the cramping from the swim became more prominent; my calves felt stiff. I sucked a sport gel and summoned more grit, “just don’t push it beyond capacity” I reminded myself and ran the 5k until I looped to the finish line.
Overall, I think the photos we took at the end of each segment, undeniably convey that I had fun!
Thank you, coach Julia, for your enduring support. I look forward to our next adventures, as I continue to work on my skills!
CONGRATULATIONS EMILY...YOU ARE A TRIATHLETE!!!! |
