Aug

20

My First Triathlon In My 60th Year

Filed Under In The Moment 

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At 4:45 the morning of Aug. 15, 2010, Steve and I got up, drank some coffee and left the LaQuinta hotel in SeaTac, heading into the sunrise for Genessee Park in South Seattle. We were soon joined by my two young friends, Alyssa Haddenham and Amber Arnold, in the transition area where we had racked our bikes the day before. I excitedly prepared my personal transition area, arranging my towel, running shoes, socks, sunscreen, water and snacks in a small Hawaiian print duffel bag, under where my bike hung. We were each assigned an area, designated by a letter of the alphabet, to park our bikes and gear, so we could easily find them among the thousands of other bikes and gear during our brief transitions between the swim, bike and run.

The Danskin Triathlon is the largest and longest-running women’s triathlon in the world. It consists of a 1/2-mile open-water swim, 12-mile bike ride, and 3.1-mile run, in that order. I first heard of it several years ago when my friend Linda Tremper and I were attending a week-long nursing course in Kailua, Hawaii. One of the women in the class, a nicely-dressed “older” lady (at the time, I thought 60′s was old) mentioned she had done the Danskin Triathlon when she was 60. My jaw dropped in amazement, as this woman did not appear to be your typical jock by any means, but wore lovely wide-brimmed hats and dresses, and even make-up. I thought to myself, “What a cool thing to do at age 60,” but never really thought I was capable of such an athletic feat.

The last couple of years I’ve been thinking about doing something unusual, memorable, and physically demanding for my 60th birthday, or birth year, since the actual day is 5 days before Christmas and not ideal for any outdoor activity besides skiing. A triathlon kept coming to my mind, as it sounded like something I could actually work up to doing. A few years ago, I didn’t believe I could even carry a loaded backpack 5 feet. I loved day-hiking unencumbered, except for lunch and a camera, but I had a hard time picking up a 25-lb bag of dog food, let alone a 35-lb pack full of everything I needed to live for 5 days in the wilderness. But my nurse girlfriends and I formed the Healing Hikers group, and within a year or two our day hikes had progressed to nearly week-long backpacking trips across the Olympic and Cascade mountains. Although this can be physically challenging and exhausting, I also find it to be incredibly exhilarating, exciting, and fun. I love bonding with my girlfriends, and I love being outside, exploring the trails less-traveled.

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Which brings me back to the Triathlon. Since I grew up on the shores of Lake Washington, spending my summers swimming and waterskiing, I thought I could probably handle the swimming part, even though it’s been 40 years since I actually swam in the lake. I also rode a bike as a kid, and maybe several times a year since, so I could probably ride the 12 miles required. That leaves running. Every year I jog/walk the Rhody Run, a 7.5 mile run here in Port Townsend, so I ought to be able to handle 3.1 miles. The only thing I would have to do them all the same morning, one after the other.

Alyssa and I clutched each other’s hands as we made our way, barefoot, out of the transition zone, across the road and to the boat ramp area. They had us start in color-coded “waves” of 100 at a time, 4 minutes apart. Mine was wave 4, beginning at 0657.  I put on the green cap they’d given me the day before and huddled anxiously with the rest of my green-capped group as the person with the microphone counted “10, 9, 8…” and at “go” we ran from the boat launch down into the water, heading straight east into the sun toward the first buoy.  Whoa, this was more difficult than I’d expected, with the choppy, crowded water and what appeared to be sharks at a feeding frenzy in front of me. But after rounding the first buoy, the swimmers spread out a little, and I settled into a “nice morning swim in the lake,” alternating between breaststroke and sidestroke. After 25 minutes I reached the finish and a man extended his hand down to help me climb out of the water. Then I trotted off toward the transition area, stopping along the way to briefly chat with Alyssa and Amber who were standing on the sidelines. I wanted to let them know that the first part of the swim was the hardest so they wouldn’t become discouraged.

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The first transition took me about 10 minutes, as I sat down to dry my feet and pull on the socks and shoes, then apply sunscreen, drink some water, and eat some salted nuts. My legs needed that time to transition from limp to strong again, as I lifted my bike off the rack and ran along side it down to the start of the bike course.

What a beautiful ride along the tree-lined Lake Washington Blvd, to the I-90 bridge across the lake and onto Mercer Island, my old hometown. The mountain (Rainier) was out, the sun was shining, and I was having a blast. I needn’t have worried about some overly-aggressive biker woman knocking me down, because everyone was so respectful of and encouraging to each other. There were lots of “WooHoo’s”, especially when we got to the tunnel, and then I was surrounded by a chorus of women’s voices echoing “WooHoos” and “YeeHa’s”. What a high! On the way back (12 miles total) I began to feel like an actual bike-racer, pedaling as fast as I could and thanking the volunteers as I passed them, as they shouted out their constant words of encouragement. “Go girl! Love your sequins!” It was a mutual love-fest. As I practically ran down the volunteer at the finish line, finding it difficult to suddenly come to a complete stop and leap off my bike, there was Steve, faithfully recording it all on video.

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After hastily racking my bike again, guzzling from my water bottle and pinning my number on my suit, I trotted into the running area and headed south on Lake Washington Blvd toward Seward Park.

Once again, the wonderful volunteers were stationed all along the route, calling out their encouragements. “Love the sparkles!” “You can do it, just another mile!” They were fantastic, keeping that energy up for hours. I alternated between jogging and fast walking, and felt great until the very last bit, when I began to feel a little pukey, but with the crowd’s encouragement we all kept going, and soon I was crossing the finish line! I sat down while the young woman removed my timing chip/ankle bracelet and then flopped down on my back. She said, “Are you ok?” and I said, “I just feel a little pukey,” and she said, “Oh I always feel like that when I run.” That made me feel better and that yukky feeling was quickly replaced by this wonderful endorphin high that has stayed with me for days afterward. Steve was right there to greet me and we walked through the park toward the bikes, then sat down under a tree to rest for a few minutes. It was 9:30 a.m. and I’d already completed a Triathlon and could even be back in Port Townsend by lunchtime!

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As I sat there, I called my daughter, Jessica. “I’m a Triathlete!” I couldn’t stop saying or thinking it. One of the sayings I taped to my bike was, “The true you can do anything.” Another was “You will amaze yourself.” My friend, Chris Shields, told me I have “stamina,” so I stuck that on there, too. These words, as I was able to read them and think about them that morning, really did help keep me motivated, and I believe they’re true. I don’t think most of us realize the power we have or the things we can do if we didn’t put limits on ourselves. Not that everyone should do a triathlon. We all have different things we love to do or feel called to do. I just love to be outside doing something active, so this was fun for me.

Whatever sounds fun or interesting to you, I encourage you to “just do it”, as a gift to yourself. This was my 60th birthday gift to myself. It’s a good year.

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Comments

One Response to “My First Triathlon In My 60th Year”

  1. Jessica on August 20th, 2010 3:27 pm

    Way to go, Mom! But I’d like to know, when are you NOT on an endorphin high?!?