You Can Do It!
by Rowan Beck,
July 14, 2011, pg 20....

Triathlon Training continues, only now we’ve moved to Shelburne Beach. Rayne Herzog, our fearless leader, believes in our training on the course. This will ultimately help us on race day because of our familiarity with the terrain. The course begins in Shelburne and travels through Charlotte. The next race will be on July 23, and this writer will be there as a nervous participant.
Just a mere three weeks away from the first of three possible races scheduled for the summer, I wonder if I’ll really be able to do it. I stand in the icy water with mist rising all around me. My heart races in my chest; I hate this part. In the distance, toward the New York side, we’re told a milk jug is bobbing up and down, then another towards the north end of the bay. Have you ever looked for something gray with a gray backdrop? It’s virtually impossible to see. “Don’t worry, just start swimming over that way and you’ll see it. C’mon, let’s go!” Rayne yells at us. Like a herd of turtles we inch our way in. The water catches our breath as our faces submerge. Like tuna stuck in a fisherman’s net, we all try to get out of each other’s way. Bumping and splashing, we swim to the unknown.
As I started to swim claustrophobia kicked in; I felt like my muscles weren’t getting any oxygen. I popped up like a cork to see where I was going. This is the hardest part of the training. Swimming in a murky lake, trying to get thoughts under control so you can actually perform. Admittedly, I gave up and did the breast stroke for the majority of the swim.
I stripped my seal’s clothing as I ran to my transition point. Without toweling off, I just threw on my shoes and helmet and started to ride. I spent the rest of the practice playing catch-up and trying to get out of my head. “4:30 is way too early! Why am I doing this? I’m hungry!” That was the day I wanted to quit. It was then that a fellow trainee told me the only way to get better was to keep trying. If I got scared in the water, “Roll over and float. Look at the sky. You won’t sink in your wetsuit.” She encouraged me with a smile, and then she offered to swim with me. I took her up on her offer and followed her suggestions. I swam three more times in the lake before the next practice.
Our time has been moved up to 5:30 a.m. at Shelburne Beach now that we are trying to complete all three parts of the course. The water is slowly warming, and everyone is showing marked improvement. Today the goal was to choose someone to catch. I chose Pete, an excellent swimmer, and a charming older gentleman. He was elusive in his armless wetsuit; the man must have been a seal in his previous life. The water was freezing. I chased him out of the water and didn’t stand a chance; with lightning speed he was on his bike and gone in a blaze of orange. Moments ahead of me he switched to the run. I flew off my bike and twisted into my running shoes; he was almost to the top of the hill when I came out of the gate. My legs weren’t working and again I got hungry. Pushing it to the side, I focused on catching Peter, who had also changed his shirt. I was no longer chasing down an orange fireball but a blue rocket. This man was killing me. His wife, Karen, passed me on the bike. “Go get him!” she screamed at me. I was trying, but breathing wasn’t rhythmic yet. He hit the turn around point before me, but I was gaining. Just as I was about to catch him, he turned into the ultimate gentlemen. His wife went running by, and he turned around to run with her. I don’t know how much farther he ran but they came in together.
The team training has been an excellent experience so far. It is a good group and very supportive. We are all working individually but help each other out. We are being taught proper training, eating, safety and fun: when swimming in a big pack, move to the outside where it’s calmer and you can relax more; have only two really hard workouts a week; strength training is important (and my favorite); eat within 30 minutes of exercise. It’s also nice to stop for breakfast at the Old Brick right after practice. Even though it is not advised, there is nothing better than a hot cup of coffee to turn blue lips pink, followed by a bottle of water.