Memory lane

As I mentioned in this post, my friend M is training for her first triathlon. As with any new endeavor, there have been a lot of highs and lows, including having to find a new race when the one she was originally training for got rescheduled to September. So, we went from the beginner-friendly, all women’s Trek to the relatively unknown quantity of Seafair.

It’s been really interesting working with M through this journey. Some of the milestones I remember well: the elation of the first successful ride in clip-in pedals, the longest swim, etc. Her enthusiasm for the increased fitness and new skills energizes my spirits and training. Some things I’d forgotten about, the anxiety that open water can bring. On Sunday, M had her first “open-water freakout” and the loss of confidence that always brings. I struggled with these same issues when I was starting out, so I know all too well how she’s feeling.

But to her credit, she’s coming back strong. We’ve spent the last two evenings in open water, first at Green Lake and then at Cottage Lake and each time she’s faced down her fears and gotten out there. Everyone feels afraid, but not everyone faces down that fear and sets out to conquer it, and M is doing just that. I’m both impressed and extremely proud of her. I know she’s going to kick ass and take names.