Thinking of quiting (Page 2)

Momma,
now is not the time to quit. the majority of us on here do it for reasons other than winning or getting a podium spot. Its in the challenge against yourself and proving you can do it. Invite your kids, show them what hard work, determination and encouragement can do for your life. It will be a lesson they will never forget.

I used my wetsuit for the first time two weeks ago at a practice and hated how it felt. I spent a good chunk of money on it, so I was willing to give it another try last week and it went way better. I would still do the race, no one is identifiable in the water anyway Teach your kids to finish what they started and be proud of themselves for trying their best.

If you want to try and do more open water swim practice there are a bunch of open water swim settings in CT if you want more practice. I think there is a series at Lake T in Marlborough, team in training has workouts that involve open water swims Saturday mornings, and I think there are a couple groups that do swims in the sound.

No doubt the wetsuit is a different animal as is open water swimming. That being said I don't think you should quit at all. You may have been the last out of the water of those at the orientation. But what about those who didn't even come. Sure there will be some experienced people that didn't come but there will also be a lot of rookies who were too afraid.

I suffered through a panic attack on my first OWS with a wetsuit. Despite the fact that I had swam well past the race distance in the pool a wave of tightness and panice swept over me and I must admit the thought of withdrawing did cross my mind. However, I managed to take a moment to collect myself and then pushed on. I am a terribly slow swimmer but when I finished and was pulling myself from the water I happened to glance over my shoulder and still see a lot of heads and arms still churning away. I thought for sure I was coming in with the very tail end of the group. As my signature says "Doubt has killed more dreams than failure ever will."

Bring out the kids. They need to see you face down your fears and conquer them. They need to know that a lot of things in life are more about the effort you put into them than the result you get. There are a lot of life lessons to be learned in effort, in struggle, in fighting the odds.

It's supposed to be hard, the "hard" is what makes it great.

Just to add to what others have said....... I dont think you should quit. I was once told you should only make a decision to quit a job on a good day not on a bad day and I think that applies here too. Do the race and if you absolutely hate it then decide whether triathlons are for you. Right now you need to remember why you decided you wanted to do a triathlon in the first place - that reason was good enough to get you involved in training and spending money on the wetsuit hire etc - I expect it is still valid now. I am new to this I have completed a try a tri event and a sprint tri. Before both I was incredibly nervous, I almost talked myself out of it both times all the way up to when I got in the water. Then when i started the nerves went and I just got on with it - I loved both events although I was in the last ten finishers in both. You are not competing with other people you are challenging yourself and achieving a goal you have had. Your children will be proud to see their mum take part. You also now know what to expect which is half the battle. One last comment - if it was easy anyone could do it and it wouldnt be a challenge........ good luck I hope you take part and are happy at the end!

Don't quit! - the race is not the important thing for me, I'm very slow in the water - take breaks to see where I'm going, one race last year I was so far to the left of the pack I swam around a life guard and scared him when I came up from behind -" dude you need to be over there he said" I'm trying I replied. I'm a slow runner, can't swim in a straight line, and rode a MTB in my 1st 1/2 iron distance race....I was all alone in the country for 25 miles... the race for me means nothing...the training is what I love....it keeps me from eating to much at work, keeps me riding my bike, keeps me running like a 80 year old man schuffling along at a 14 min mile. My kids have no clue how good-bad I am, they don't care, they just know and offten tell every friend - my dad is a triathlete - they see what fun i have training, and now my daughter has started running and biking with me. Think of it as setting a GREAT example for your kids - all the miles you log are all YOURS, all the time you train is all YOURS, all those conversations you have with yourself when you are alone training are pricless. Keep at it - do this for yourself, be alittle greedy with your time, quiet time, excersise time, me time.

I say don't quit - keep at it - your a triathlete!
PB

Excellent Post

I agree 100 %, unfortunately we tend to put too much emphasis on THE RACE, and how did I perform in the race, sure its nice to do well , but as the above poster said to me its the training that I love, the people that I train with when I do group work with the tri club and the cycle group, If I didn't have fun or enjoy the training as much as I do then I would probably pack in in too, but that's not the case. Both my granddaughter's have seen me race and one even trains with me on occasions when I get to visit, she's a natural fish, and a track and field wiz, and is now at eleven very much actively engauged in sports of all kinds, I like to think that I and her parents have had something to do with that.

So if you enjoy it as a personal treat and sense of accomplishment then certainly Don't Quit, it's something that you are doing for you and not for anyone else definitely keep to it, no one say's that you ever even Have to Race if you don't care too, EVER. and remember You are always better off then someone that never got off the couch to try to better themselves so just go out there and do it, results be dammed.

Edited by RRH_88 2013-06-18 8:03 AM

DO NOT QUIT! you got this...your swim will improve as you keep practicing. Swimming in open water is such a different animal then swimming in a pool. Once you get used to it though it gets easier.

My first triathlon was in the ocean but I had only practiced in the pool. I was in complete shock when I was getting thrashed by waves, swallowing nasty salt water, etc. I was determined to finish and I did in a long long 23minutes (1/2mile swim). I wound up coming in DFL in my AG and 2nd to last OA for the race. I had my family and friends at the race venue watching me and it didn't matter, they were still proud of me finishing. After a few years of doing triathlons I have improved greatly. Keep at it, overcome your fears and a year from now you will be laughing about this.

Hi Momma

The EXACT same thing happened to me just last week.
I couldn't complete the practice swim 2 days before the race. I DNS'd the race (for various reasons, I was sick with flu, hubby had complications after a small operation and couldn't make it to the race with me, etc.) but the primary one was that I was scared to death. I realized I was not ready for an 62* OWS even though I could complete twice the distance in the pool. I still don't know if I needed to just HTFU that day and find solutions or if I made the right decision health-wise.

I ended up going to the race as a spectator and deeply regretting my DNS. I saw that even the people coming last were all smiles and proud of themselves, and I made sure to applaud every one of them.

Please don't quit!

Probably because the Germans didn't bomb Pearl Harbor to be fair.

Seriously????. One the funniest quotes from a classic movie and you don't catch it????

So many nice, encouraging posts.

Suck it up buttercup!

Pssst, that's a quote from "Animal House".

To the OP: I agree with what everyone is saying here---don't give up! Swimming in open water is really tough, and you should just approach the open water swim practices as mental preparation for the triathlon itself. Just get a great song stuck in your head, work on your breathing and sighting and do your thing. I don't do triathlons, but I do a ton of OWS, and I just do my best to stay in my zone and not worry about what other people are doing. Heck, at the start, I'll just stand on the beach and chill for a bit so everyone can go and get out ahead and then I just plug away, singing something like Miley Cyrus in my head and zoning out into La-La Land.

If you find yourself struggling or getting into a negative frame of mind, take a break. Turn on your back, do some elementary backstroke...tread water, and slow down your breathing. The swim is the hardest leg for many because there are so many unpredictables in the water, so all you have to do is learn how to relax and have fun.

Plus, not many SWIMMERS do triathlons. Sure, there are usually a handful of people who are good swimmers, and post a decent time for the swim leg, but for the most part, everyone around you is going through the same thing---they think the swimming SUCKS and they are doing their best to just get through it. Everyone around you can empathize with the situation.

I train a lot of triathletes in the pool, and I always just tell them to treat the swim as a warm-up. Get your muscles going, concentrate on your breathing and just have fun with it. As many have mentioned in this thread, it's not about how you do compared to everyone else, just compete with yourself. Set a goal to finish strong, and enjoy it. Don't quit---you got this!!

Edited by BostonSwim41 2013-06-18 8:44 AM

Everyone's first experience in salt OWS is probably discouraging. You just need to decide if YOU want to do triathlons or not. If you do, age/ how you appear/ how you look in your tri shorts/ what your bike looks like/ are your shoes cool/ is my time good enough won't matter.

No way, don't quit. You have come so far already and there is a lot of support out there for you. You may have had a bad outing but you will improve. Keep it up .... we are all proud of you.

Forget it, he's rolling...


And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...
The tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!

IF you finished the pre race swim you'll do it! The wetsuit does take some time to get used to but you can also think of it as a life jacket. The buoyancy built into the suit could be what's throwing you off but definitely helps especially if you need to take a break and tread water or what not. If you need to sight yourself, catch your breath or whatever just take a break and tread or do some back stroke. People walk in the run so no difference or big deal. Who cares if you are last out of the water or last for the race. Quite frankly I have a lot respect for the people coming in at the end because it's more of a struggle making it a much bigger accomplishment. Plus as others have already said think about how proud your kids will be of the accomplishment and the lesson learned, priceless.

I should probably just leave now I guess?!?! In my defence i'm pretty sure Animal House was made before I was born.

No excuse! Animal House was before I was born and I can still recite the entire film. Star Wars was also made before me and I'm pretty sure I could write a psychologically-based thesis on why C-3PO is so OCD and anal-retentive.

(End of thread hijack)

I still suck miserably at swimming, but I still get out there and do it, and I'm doing my 3rd IM in Sept. It's exhausting, it's not easy, and it certainly is not a natural thing for a human to do, however, it's still not a deterrent.

Some persons are more at ease with it, some naturally swim better, and some are just unreal and I highly respect them.

But, don't ever quit.

Hopefully, you find a person to workout with that can help you, or hire a coach if you really want to embrace it and improve a lot.

Good luck!

Let me echo what everybody has said here about sucking at swimming and not quitting. I agree with all that. We all have crappy swims, and alot of folks, including me, still are horrible at sighting, so I wouldn't use that as an excuse to quit.

Now the family angle...I would like to counter what most everybody has said here. Don't have your family come to your races, I think it's much easier not to have them there if they cause you any stress on race day. I've done a few races by myself (ie. no family, no sherpa, just me) and some with family there. I have to admit, I like racing with nobody there. I feel better when the only expectations that I have to meet are my own, somehow that's more comforting for me. Perhaps that's selfish, but that's how I feel.

The race day experience for racers and spectators is much different. We go through so many emotions, struggles, pains, triumphs, etc. during a race - and they're not all pretty. If you're not comfortable with your family seeing all of that, it's ok in my book. Your family will be proud of you regardless if they're there or not.

That's my two cents.

Don't give up, it seems you still enjoy Triathlon, keep on training, and enjoy race day.

As far as your kids go, I really wish my daughter was there at the finish line after my first Triathlon, yes it took me 2 hours to finish my first Sprint but having her there at the finish would have made the day that much better.

Just seeing you out there trying will bring a smile to their faces, go out and enjoy the day! My daughter wears my Finisher Medal around the house all the time.

My swim time for 500M was 20+ minutes, can't get much slower than that

Edited by Rock31 2013-06-18 9:56 AM

I actually probably would DNF if I had a Miley Cyrus song in my head.

Outside that, great post!