One step at at time!

JuLee A. Anderson

Last year, when Culver brought back their triathlon event, I wasn’t too sure if I was going to attempt it or not. I decided to start my training by taking baby steps. First step, I decided to get back into cycling class. I already had a mountain bike that I was riding to work, so cycling class was going to be a piece of cake, right? Second step, I was going to just continue with the running I was already doing. No problem there! Third step was to swim. Now growing up, I used to swim constantly during the summer, and even though it has been about 20 years since I actually swam any distance, it couldn’t be that difficult, could it? Isn’t it like riding a bike? Or, so I thought….. J


When July came around, a cousin of mine tried to talk me into doing the Magee 3 triathlon in Plymouth on Lawrence Lake. I finally decided the morning of the race to just do it! I packed up my mountain bike and all my running gear and away I went. It was a small gathering and I actually knew a lot of people. They were all giving me pointers on what to expect and told me to just have fun. I came into this race with the attitude: “someone has to be last so it might as well be me!” Once I got my bike all situated on the rack, I looked around and, to my surprise, no other person had a mountain bike but me. The rest had those sleek, skinny bikes. That should have been my first clue that I was in trouble! Undaunted, I headed down the hill to the swim event. At the start, we had only to swim 200 out to the pontoon, around and 200 back to shore. Into the water I plunged amid a chaotic mess of legs, arms and muck everywhere. I finally made it to the pontoon where all I wanted to do was to get on it and stop! Apparently, swimming isn’t just like riding a bike…apparently you need to train for it!

Finally I dragged myself from the water only to face the brutal hill climb back to my bike where I, again, wanted to stop, but I couldn’t do that.  I already had committed to doing this and I was going to see it to the finish.  I made it up the hill, and to my surprise, as I looked back, I could see that I wasn’t the last one!  I got to my bike with legs trembling and arms exhausted and started peddling.  Next thing I know, the two who were behind me from swimming have now passed me on their skinny bikes.  Ten miles later, now completely exhausted, I have only 3.1 miles to run!  LOL!  Everyone who had already finished is cheering me on.  Despite cramping up and keeping exhaustion from draining every last bit of energy, I push on…Then it happens…. I am running down the last portion of the course, and the end is in sight.   The minute I crossed the FINISH line I screamed, “I DID IT!!!!!!”  I finished my first ever triathlon.  I was exhausted, beaten, sore and emotional, but, more than all that, I was proud.  I totally enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment! I finished it in 1 hour and 40 minutes.  When the Culver Triathlon came round, I had trained better for the swim J and I knew what to expect from myself.    I finished the Culver triathlon in 1 hour and 31 minutes, 9 minutes better than Magee 3.      

So….just remember….the first step is always the hardest….take it one step at a time…baby steps … next thing you know, you will be at the finish line! Oh, and by the way, this year, I bought a new racing bike, and I plan on doing 4 triathlons this summer.  Just do it!