Driving along Kelly Drive into Center City Philly is an experience in itself. Now, every time (like this morning) I drive along that route, I look for the bridge that I swam around and the sandy embankments on the West River Drive that I walked down and climbed back out during the Philly Sprint Triathlon at the end of June. It fills me with a sense of pride that I can say, “I swam in the Schuylkill River and lived to tell about it!”
All kidding aside, training for the Sprint Triathlon was intense. Now I know why they call them “brick” workouts…because it feels like you hit a brick wall head first going from bike to run or swim to bike. But I stuck with it and things got easier. Swimming is definitely not my best skill. The anxiety I feel doing a lap of freestyle is overwhelming. So, I switched to breaststroke. Harder? Perhaps. But at least I could get my breathing under control and do six laps in a pool without stopping. In my mind I kept thinking the .9K swim of the Philly Sprint Tri was 38 laps – and there’s no stopping in the Schuylkill River!
Race Day came quickly and I hardly slept the night before. I triple checked my bags and my gear about ten times. Up and out by 6:30 AM, no traffic on 76 at that time! Finally reached the transition tent and set up my bike and running gear and befriended three other women in my swim heat (there was no hiding my age with my bright orange race cap and the number ‘36’ firmly written in permanent marker on my calf!). One of the women had done the race before and gave us all some great pointers and tips for making the transitions smoother. Talking with them and the camaraderie I felt really helped reduce the anxiety that was creeping up as each wave of swimmers went into the water.
I’m not going to lie—I honestly thought, while swimming against the current during the first leg of the swim, that drowning was a distinct possibility. (Or, at a bare minimum—the humiliation of being hauled into one of the rescue boats, and therefore disqualified from the race, scared me as well.) Hyperventilating and unable to catch my breath, I looked around and saw that I wasn’t the only one struggling and that I wasn’t the last one in our heat. There were many other swimmers in the water who weren’t doing freestyle and who were bumping into one another and doing backstroke just to catch their breath. As I realized this, I said to myself, “You’ve worked too hard and for too long to be carried away in a rescue boat. Get it together. You can do this….you can do this.” So, I switched gears, kept repeating, “I can do this…I can do this.” And just told myself to get to the first buoy and if I could do that, I’d attempt to get to the second buoy. Sure enough, I rounded the first buoy and starting across current, then down current and next thing I knew I could see the rainbow arch that was the finish line to the swim. I guarantee you’ve never seen a swimmer in the Schuylkill River smiling while doing the breaststroke.
After I exited the water and could hear the crowd hooting and hollering support I was literally smiling ear to ear—I had done it! Transitioning into the bike portion was simple and as I snapped on my helmet and hopped on my bike I was literally on cloud nine. The bike portion was even enjoyable as I got a chance to look around Fairmount Park and see the city skyline in the distance that I’ve always loved. Running has always been something I loved, so once off the bike, I knew I was in the home stretch! Seeing my family and friends cheering me on also pushed me to try harder. Crossing that finish line knowing I just ran a 8:36 mile for the 5K run part was exhilarating! The first thought as I crossed the finish line? “I can’t wait to do this again next year!”
So, why am I writing about my Sprint Triathlon experience? To remind myself that during the toughest times and the hardest challenges in life, we’re not alone. Through the love and support of family, friends and co-workers we can get through anything. Stay positive my friends. Live strong. 
This was a great piece! Anyone who has done a triathlon will totally relate to the fear, panic and excitement. If you haven’t done a triathlon, Jen’s blog is a great description of what it’s like to be in the thick of things as a triathlon progresses. Awesome job!
I’ve never done a triathlon. But there have been times in my life that I have felt like I was swimming against the current. Talking myself through these times has always helped. Be your own cheerleader! No pity parties for me.
A triathlon-great job! I knew you could do it!!!!