You feel the fear, and then Do It anyway

Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid, NY

"In trying to make it totally risk-free (which is impossible) it becomes sterile and devoid of the essential elements that make it attractive."

On July 7 I received two email messages with a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed piece attached, and the paper version of the same article spread across my keyboard at work. In "The Chaotic Waters of Triathlons," writer and triathlete Megan Williams was assigned by the Inquirer to write on the topic of "the dangers of triathlon" in reaction to the death of first-time triathlete Derek Valentino in the sprint-distance Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon the previous Saturday.

I don't know why Valentino died. The family had every right to not release that information to the press. Usually an underlying medical issue is to blame.

Well, it worked. Mission accomplished. My friends and family are now armed with "proof" that what I am going to do is dangerous. After all, if it was in the newspaper -- and written by a triathlete no less -- then it must be true. The fact that it led off with an alarming description of the swim at the venue where I will be competing next week made me panic. If it upset me, after nothing but positive experiences in three seasons of racing triathlon at every distance except IM, and after training a solid 10 months for this year's Ford Ironman Lake Placid, I can only imagine what goes through the heads of people who don't participate.

Williams' piece described a horrific scene during the swim at Ironman Lake Placid in 2001. When I read her words, none of the training, the experience, the help and advice from my team and our swim coach --none of that -- staved off the panic. The walls closed in around me and I sat at my desk in tears.

Since that day I have been asked about it by other well-meaning people and I don't blame them. Reading an alarmist scare story about the triathlon swim plays on the deepest fears of anyone who has never done one.

But right now I need piece of mind and to focus on race prep, trip planning, housekeeping while we are away, and most importantly, having the time of my life in Lake Placid. So I am writing this down today so that I can put it aside once and for all and concentrate on what is going to be for me one of my greatest accomplishments.

If I sent you a link to this blog post in response to your concern for me, it is not because I don't appreciate that you care about me. I hope you understand that. So here goes:

I learned to swim three years ago. I am quite comfortable in the open water. Not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but comfortable. But because my performance in the swim is the weakest of the three disciplines, and because I have never done a mass swim start (in which all 2,000+ athletes begin at once, rather than in the small group "waves" of shorter distance races), there is of course room for a bit of fear. I thought I was managing it very well. Guess not.

Lucky for me I have some very good friends. One in particular is a triathlete from the area near Chester England who regularly volunteers for the Chester Tri Club's women-only beginner's triathlon. Terry was outraged by the op-ed and wrote to the author pointing out the alarmist nature of her account. Her reply was, "I'm sorry you disagree with my personal perspective, but after all, this is the point of the Op-Ed section of the paper: to promote dialogue..." and then "...I would appreciate not hearing from you again."

So much for dialogue.

Williams copied in a few people from various triathlon organizations in the area, including a USAT board member. On a roll, Terry wrote to them as well and received some very thoughtful replies, one of which stated, and I think it's worth publishing for you to read here,

I remember my first Placid all too well--I wasn't sure I would even make it to the second loop of the swim, let alone finish the race. Of course, it was a tremendous experience start to finish. Your friend is in for a great day. Please let her know that the swim is the easiest and most comfortable one I've ever done--you don't even need to sight, the water is so clear you can just follow the underwater rope lines connecting the buoys.

This is the reality I heard from my team mates who participated at Lake Placid in 2008 and 2009. It is what my swim coach tried to impress upon me. I know it's true, logically, but when you read a horror story, for some reason it makes an impression.

That account sounds so different from the printed story in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Ms. Williams, by contrast, called the swim "hellish." Why didn't she quote the person above, whom she consulted for her story, in an attempt to accurately illustrate that you can expect as many different experiences in a race as there are people racing? Instead the title of her op-ed suggests that the swim of any triathlon is "chaotic."

Not everyone has an experienced team to turn to for guidance and support. Most people don't. And I know I am very lucky to have such wonderful friends. Terry did a little digging and presented this to me:

Also I just checked out the full results for IMLP 2009 and guess how many DNFs [did not finish] there were on the swim? Go on have a guess.
In fact I will let you have three guesses.
Go on. Guess.
Ready for the answer?
0
None
Not one DNF on the swim.
Everyone got out of the water and on to a bike. Nobody bailed in the swim.
If you don't believe me then scroll down to the bottom of this link
http://www.runtri.com/2009/07/ironman-usa-lake-placid-2009-results.html

I think it's been a very long week for him as he has written and responded daily to the writer and the greater Philadelphia triathlon community in addition to all of my concerns as they popped up.

I am convinced now that her piece was a very poor "thin slice" of the experience of the triathlon swim. As Terry wrote in response to a question about preparing new triathletes

...Safety in training is mostly just common sense .... Join a running club, join a cycling club, join a swimming club or join a tri club because there are people with lots of experience and lots of advice that will help you out. But, triathlon is not a risky sport in the spectrum of sports available. In trying to make it totally risk-free (which is impossible) it becomes sterile and devoid of the essential elements that make it attractive. The massive growth in triathlon participation is testament to it's increasing attractiveness so let's get some balance in the debate. Megan [Williams] isn't interested in balance. But that's just her opinion.

In the end there is something positive I am taking away from all of this. Rather than sweeping my uncertainties aside to possibly surface as I enter Mirror Lake on July 25th for the swim start, they have now been fully addressed. I am traveling to Lake Placid knowing that I am well prepared, well-trained, and ready to have absolutely the greatest day. There will be fear. It's very much like stage freight. But you feel the fear, and then you just Do It anyway.