I am beginning to PANIC... fat Triathlete

hey

i think that is everyones fear, it has been mine on every event i have entered. be it running, duathlons or triathlons. 3 things,

first you wont be the last person

second, you will not care or even think about that once you get going.

third, you will regret not trying if you bail.

 the best piece of advice is to stay at the back and get in the water at your own pace and forget what everyone else is doing, you are going to be suprised by how many other people will stroll into the water doing the same thing. probably half the field.

keep your pace slow, calm and comfortable. dont even think of this as part of the race.

i am gearing up for my first HIM, and it feels like i have to face those same swim demons again, will i be last, cut off, not finish. but i know i can do it and i will  be so proud of myself when i finish the swim,

nothing better than heading back into shore on that first open water swim.

feel free to PM me 

go and have a blast!

DFL is a whole lot better than DNF and that is leaps and bounds better than DNS!

you can always breast stroke, and you can always stop and hold on to the buoy or  kayaks and rest  - no penalty as long as the boat is not moving.

you CAN do it and yeah, you will totally regret it if you don't.

come let us know when you officially become a triathlete!

Your reaction is completely normal.  Self-doubt and fear is a byproduct of facing the unknown.  Overcoming that fear is part of the process that is triathlon racing. 

It is something I've faced and overcome each and everytime I've stepped up in distance.

Rest assured you will be more capable than you think come race day.  Sure, you'll have butterflies (up the wazoo) until the starting horn goes off...but once it does...you'll just focus on the task at hand and before you know it you'll be out of the water.

Remember: DFL > DNF > DNS

Good luck!

 Triathlon pits us face to face against many of the things all people avoid. Fear...of failure, of success, of what others think... physical pain, self doubt etc.  Through the right of passage of training, racing, and finishing you will lean forward, kiss each of these demons gently on  the forhead.....and fear them no more. EVERYONE goes through these feelings. You CAN do it!

When I started, 4 years ago, I was 60 lbs heavier. I was worried if I could even finish. You CAN do this. Tell yourself everyday how powerful you are as a woman and an athlete. That's right...YOU ARE AN ATHLETE! No matter what your size, what your shape, or how fast you are, you are taking care of your body and putting it all out there.

 Race with your heart and you'll get through it and you may even love it, like the rest of us. As for the swim, take the advice of others and do whatever you need to do to get through it. You'll be amazed by how many others just aren't strong swimmers, no matter their experience! 

 Last of all, remember that the big accomplishment is the journey to get to the start line. You've done the hard work, now just enjoy the accomplishment that comes with finishing your first triathlon!

Melanie

Even if you are DFL in the water, you will be fine.  I used to routinely get passed by several waves after mine (my swim technique was terrible).  The first few times I was pretty scared, and would switch to backstroke.  Whatever gets you through the water is fine.  And most races have pretty attentive kayak support, so if you look like you are struggling, they will be right there.  And of course, you can always call to them.

And for what it's worth, I am now a MOP swimmer - practice and technique make a big difference (I used to be 50 pounds lighter which made me a faster biker and runner, but had no impact on the swim)

the panic might get worse, too.  It did for me.  I was the last swimmer out of the water, last in AG, last Clyde, last under the age of 70.  I ran across the finish with my head high and my hands high, because I was a winner for doing something to better myself, something that most people were never do, even once. 

Everyone has these doubts, but one you start, it gets fun, hard maybe painful, but fun.  Noone regrets crossing the finish line, but many regret not crossing the start line.

Kevin

Everyone has given you some great encouragement, and I agree with everyone and don't have anything to add except this factoid:  the last triathlete through the finish shute receives the most applause from the crowd and fellow competitors!

1.  I would take the attitude you are not competing against others but are doing this for yourself.

2.  If you are worried about being able to finish the swim, think about the pace you think you can do and for the first half of the swim, attempt to set a pace for yourself that is significantly SLOWER than that pace.  This should help take the pressure to finish off.  If you want to pick up the pace at the half way point, go for it.  I suspect you will do better than you think you can.

Don't bail on the race.

That feeling you get when you cross the finish line will make you forget all about any doubts and fears you had during the swim.

Do the race 

Do not talk yourself out of the race or build it up into something that makes you so anxious and full of self-doubt that you end up more anxious

Do not let the fear of the unknown stop you ~   You can do this, you trained for this

I did my first TRI- OLY 2 weeks ago I can empathize with your thoughts/fears, but once you get in the water you do not have time to think, "Can I finish this?" , you just swim along with everyone else and it feels awesome !! 

my Mantra was I am here to complete this race and I put no other expectations on myself

good luck let us know

DO IT!!  DO IT!!  DO IT!!  DO IT!!  DO IT!!  DO IT!!  DO IT!! 

Did I mention, DO IT?

Seriously - remember that ANY swim stroke is allowed in a tri.  You can breast stroke, side stroke, dog paddle, whatever gets you from point A to point B.  Heck, if the water is shallow enough, you can walk it.   You do NOT have to perfectly freestyle the whole thing by any means - if you get panicky and need to keep your head above water, just switch strokes.  

Also, it won't matter if you're the last person out of the water.  I have actually been the last out of the water, and it wasn't bad at all - I had my own cheering section of all the kayakers following me!

The best thing that calmed my pre-first-tri nerves was the RD had a DVD of the previous year's race playing at packet pickup.  I watched and all I could think was, "WOW, look at all those NORMAL people doing this!  They're not all super-athletes!!"

Go for it.  You won't regret it.