|
|
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
Kitsap TriBabes
Pink Army Invades
Dear Tri Babes,
I hope by now that you have showered the lake water off of you and are showering YOURself with well deserved kudos!!! All Tri Babes who attended, succeeded. You now know that you CAN get into the lake, you CAN handle the lake environment, you CAN calm and save yourself in distress. These are necessary and powerful steps toward your triathlon success -- don't you DARE discount them!!!
Thanks to ALL the vets who showed up and helped in ways I don't even realize. I definitely want to thank all the volunteers who made sure that each Tri Babe succeeded. At our a.m. swim Sue Crossland, Nancy Lorber, and Donna Wagner (comPLETE with flowered swim cap), made sure you had a happy point to swim to. In the evening, Corri Olsen, Katherine Adams, and Sandy Willoughby kept you safe and sound. Thanks to my long standing friend, Diane Flinn who (wo)manned Tri Babe central from the back of our mini-van in order to accommodate those of you who begged us to have shirts available at the swim. Thanks also to Caleb, the son of a New Tri Babe, who helped me set our "fish friends" free. FYI, he named them, "Jo," "Bob," and "Larry." I hope that you enjoy any future aquatic contact with them AND the FREE oxygenating seaweed wrap which Wildcat Lake so graciously offers.
Please remember that in the water, it is not a question of IF you will get into distress, it is a question of WHEN -- your job is to gather tools so that you can swim confidently despite this unpleasant reality. Yesterday we began building your "bag of tricks." Please realize that YOUR job is to cultivate ALL these tricks & tools -- even if you don't seem to need them NOW. We are co-opting the Boy Scout motto and endeavoring to "Be Prepared" so that WHEN something that you didn't anticipate occurs, you WILL overcome it.
The Merry March is a technique which allows us to get into water of all temperatures in an expedient, effective manner. And, when practiced properly and consistently, it is a HUGE help in preventing swim panic. You need to give yourself time for your "breath" to recover and adjust to the physiological shock of entering water which is significantly lower than your body temperature. By (1) actively marching in up to your waist, you create cardiovascular warmth which combats the cold temperature; by (2) splashing your face and (3) then splashing your neck, and (4) then splashing your back, you incrementally acclimate your most sensitive body parts; by (5) diving in on an exhalation, you encourage the body to relax as it enters the water, you insure that you will not ingest water, and you allow yourself to breathe normally when you resurface. It is very important that you take the Merry March one step at a time. Notice how each step affects your breath. After each step wait to recover your breath before proceeding to the next step. By doing so, you will begin your swim in a state of "respitory calm" -- since most swim panic is caused from breathing distress, the Merry March is an effective swim panic preventor.
The Starfish Float is an important tool to cultivate for when you need a break from swimming or for when you are in true swim panic. By practicing it before you start each and every lake swim, you "earn the right" to be in open water because you PROVE that you know what to do when you get into distress. The more you practice this technique, the more powerfully and quickly your body responds to it, and the more useful it becomes as a calming and as a safety technique. In order to perform it, (1) lie on your back in the water, (2)spread your legs and arms, and (3) push your body out in all directions so that you are long. You should also (4) push the back of your head into the water. By pushing the back of your head into the water, you use "fulcrum physics" to lift your hips up and insure that you will float on your back. As you are floating on your back, (5) exhale to a count. Start by exhaling to the count of 2, inhale any old way, then exhale to the count of 3, inhale, then exhale to the count of 4, inhale, then exhale to the count of 5. Continue in this manner for as long as it takes to calm yourself.
Yesterday, we also practiced the Save and Be Saved. We will NOT be doing this each and every time. I just wanted to graphically demonstrate how important it is to ALLOW yourself to be saved. If you are willing to lie on your back and be still, you allow yourself to be saved. If you refuse to lie on your back and be still, then you will turn an incredibly common, universally experienced mini-crises into an aquatic emergency.
VISUALIZE THIS FOR YOUR COMIC RELIEF ~ I got a post swim email from a Tri Babe who asked if it was harder to lead the Swim Orientation than to actually do a triathlon. And, I've got to say when I showed up yesterday at 6:45p.m. to a Wildcat Lake Park filled to the brim with the very best of Kitsap County's "Beer and Buttcrack" crowd, I was daunted. Of course YOUR obstacle was bigger and YOUR accomplishment was more significant, but do you KNOW how deep one has to dig into inner resolve in order to walk, in a wetsuit, from parking lot to lake, in FULL view of a large "Kitsap" crowd carrying an anorexic mannequin in pink panties, a bikini top, and pearls?!?!?!?!?!? It felt like walking a gauntlet and there was NO dearth of comments from the "peanut gallery!!!" Talk about needing to don my OWN "Big Girl Panties." Ironically, the "beer and butt crack" crowd was rather protective of Trixie. When her foot fell off as I was carrying her, a man immediately ran over to help me re-assemble her. And, when I came out of the water at the end of the p.m. swim, someone had given her a beer (Pabst Blue Ribbon, of course). Given the long, trying day she had (violation and desecration were a constant threat, afterall), she definitely appreciated it.
Thanks to all of you for "gamefully" participating in yesterday's water activites. I hope they prove useful once we start our actual "swimming" next week. Please remember that it does not matter what stroke you use; it does not matter how many times you stop to rest; it does not matter how long it takes you. Just make sure you come next week and take the next comPLETEly manageable, baby step toward your triathlon success.
Lisa Be Your Soggy Tri Turtle
P.S. Confidential to the a.m. Tri Babe who was shocked that I allowed/encouraged Dane to skip school Tuesday morning to help with the training . . . please know that he only missed 1st period, which is P.E., so it seemed like the physical activity he did at the training more than compensated for the physical activity he missed!!! And, he won the the P.E. (and Math) Student of the Year Awards last year!!! So I PROMISE that his education is not being treated cavalierly in our household!!! I am, at heart, a Professor, after all!!! ;)
Discuss in the forums
Dear Tri Babes,
I hope by now that you have showered the lake water off of you and are showering YOURself with well deserved kudos!!! All Tri Babes who attended, succeeded. You now know that you CAN get into the lake, you CAN handle the lake environment, you CAN calm and save yourself in distress. These are necessary and powerful steps toward your triathlon success -- don't you DARE discount them!!!
Thanks to ALL the vets who showed up and helped in ways I don't even realize. I definitely want to thank all the volunteers who made sure that each Tri Babe succeeded. At our a.m. swim Sue Crossland, Nancy Lorber, and Donna Wagner (comPLETE with flowered swim cap), made sure you had a happy point to swim to. In the evening, Corri Olsen, Katherine Adams, and Sandy Willoughby kept you safe and sound. Thanks to my long standing friend, Diane Flinn who (wo)manned Tri Babe central from the back of our mini-van in order to accommodate those of you who begged us to have shirts available at the swim. Thanks also to Caleb, the son of a New Tri Babe, who helped me set our "fish friends" free. FYI, he named them, "Jo," "Bob," and "Larry." I hope that you enjoy any future aquatic contact with them AND the FREE oxygenating seaweed wrap which Wildcat Lake so graciously offers.
Please remember that in the water, it is not a question of IF you will get into distress, it is a question of WHEN -- your job is to gather tools so that you can swim confidently despite this unpleasant reality. Yesterday we began building your "bag of tricks." Please realize that YOUR job is to cultivate ALL these tricks & tools -- even if you don't seem to need them NOW. We are co-opting the Boy Scout motto and endeavoring to "Be Prepared" so that WHEN something that you didn't anticipate occurs, you WILL overcome it.
The Merry March is a technique which allows us to get into water of all temperatures in an expedient, effective manner. And, when practiced properly and consistently, it is a HUGE help in preventing swim panic. You need to give yourself time for your "breath" to recover and adjust to the physiological shock of entering water which is significantly lower than your body temperature. By (1) actively marching in up to your waist, you create cardiovascular warmth which combats the cold temperature; by (2) splashing your face and (3) then splashing your neck, and (4) then splashing your back, you incrementally acclimate your most sensitive body parts; by (5) diving in on an exhalation, you encourage the body to relax as it enters the water, you insure that you will not ingest water, and you allow yourself to breathe normally when you resurface. It is very important that you take the Merry March one step at a time. Notice how each step affects your breath. After each step wait to recover your breath before proceeding to the next step. By doing so, you will begin your swim in a state of "respitory calm" -- since most swim panic is caused from breathing distress, the Merry March is an effective swim panic preventor.
The Starfish Float is an important tool to cultivate for when you need a break from swimming or for when you are in true swim panic. By practicing it before you start each and every lake swim, you "earn the right" to be in open water because you PROVE that you know what to do when you get into distress. The more you practice this technique, the more powerfully and quickly your body responds to it, and the more useful it becomes as a calming and as a safety technique. In order to perform it, (1) lie on your back in the water, (2)spread your legs and arms, and (3) push your body out in all directions so that you are long. You should also (4) push the back of your head into the water. By pushing the back of your head into the water, you use "fulcrum physics" to lift your hips up and insure that you will float on your back. As you are floating on your back, (5) exhale to a count. Start by exhaling to the count of 2, inhale any old way, then exhale to the count of 3, inhale, then exhale to the count of 4, inhale, then exhale to the count of 5. Continue in this manner for as long as it takes to calm yourself.
Yesterday, we also practiced the Save and Be Saved. We will NOT be doing this each and every time. I just wanted to graphically demonstrate how important it is to ALLOW yourself to be saved. If you are willing to lie on your back and be still, you allow yourself to be saved. If you refuse to lie on your back and be still, then you will turn an incredibly common, universally experienced mini-crises into an aquatic emergency.
VISUALIZE THIS FOR YOUR COMIC RELIEF ~ I got a post swim email from a Tri Babe who asked if it was harder to lead the Swim Orientation than to actually do a triathlon. And, I've got to say when I showed up yesterday at 6:45p.m. to a Wildcat Lake Park filled to the brim with the very best of Kitsap County's "Beer and Buttcrack" crowd, I was daunted. Of course YOUR obstacle was bigger and YOUR accomplishment was more significant, but do you KNOW how deep one has to dig into inner resolve in order to walk, in a wetsuit, from parking lot to lake, in FULL view of a large "Kitsap" crowd carrying an anorexic mannequin in pink panties, a bikini top, and pearls?!?!?!?!?!? It felt like walking a gauntlet and there was NO dearth of comments from the "peanut gallery!!!" Talk about needing to don my OWN "Big Girl Panties." Ironically, the "beer and butt crack" crowd was rather protective of Trixie. When her foot fell off as I was carrying her, a man immediately ran over to help me re-assemble her. And, when I came out of the water at the end of the p.m. swim, someone had given her a beer (Pabst Blue Ribbon, of course). Given the long, trying day she had (violation and desecration were a constant threat, afterall), she definitely appreciated it.
Thanks to all of you for "gamefully" participating in yesterday's water activites. I hope they prove useful once we start our actual "swimming" next week. Please remember that it does not matter what stroke you use; it does not matter how many times you stop to rest; it does not matter how long it takes you. Just make sure you come next week and take the next comPLETEly manageable, baby step toward your triathlon success.
Lisa Be Your Soggy Tri Turtle
P.S. Confidential to the a.m. Tri Babe who was shocked that I allowed/encouraged Dane to skip school Tuesday morning to help with the training . . . please know that he only missed 1st period, which is P.E., so it seemed like the physical activity he did at the training more than compensated for the physical activity he missed!!! And, he won the the P.E. (and Math) Student of the Year Awards last year!!! So I PROMISE that his education is not being treated cavalierly in our household!!! I am, at heart, a Professor, after all!!! ;)
Discuss in the forums