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Thinking of quiting (Page 3)
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 2013-06-18 11:10 AM in reply to: MuscleMomma |
Veteran  784   |  Subject: RE: Thinking of quitingYou cant win the race on the swim anyway, so who cares if you come in last, the only person you need to prove anything to is yourself. I think that you set out a goal and you should stick with it...its the journey we take to reach our goals that makes us who we are. And i promise you that when you cross the finish line first or last that the feeling you have will be greater than you could ever imagine....Good luck |
| 2013-06-18 11:37 AM in reply to: Jorgito22 |
| 27 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Like I always say - I'm in it to finish! |
| 2013-06-18 11:40 AM in reply to: Jorgito22 |
Champion 10550  Austin, Texas | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Put me firmly of the camp of "as long as you're ENJOYING what you're doing, please don't give up!" My motto is "forward is a pace", meaning that it doesn't matter one whit (though I have NO idea what the heck a whit actually is) how fast or slow that pace is, as long as you're moving forward. My one and ONLY goal for all of my races is to cross the finish line with a smile on my face. I like training (except running, running and I have a mutual hate, but whatever) I'm not going to win anything other than the feeling of accomplishment that comes along with getting to the finish line, but that's enough for me. And the best feeling in the world was having my family there to watch me cross that finish line. Best of luck to you! |
| 2013-06-18 12:07 PM in reply to: MSU_Brad |
| 41 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Originally posted by MSU_Brad I actually probably would DNF if I had a Miley Cyrus song in my head. Outside that, great post!  I seriously sometimes consider swimming into rocks when I do, but for some reason, it's so terrible that it keeps my mind off the task at hand. hahahaha And thanks! |
| 2013-06-18 12:27 PM in reply to: 0 |
Master 1779 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting In the original post you said you couldn't swim. If you are afraid that you cannot safely complete the distance then you should (IMO) withdraw from the race. Spend more time in the pool and OWS and try again at a later date. There is nothing wrong with being honest about where your swim is right now. If this is the real reason that you don't want to go to the race. If it is more of a pride issue then that is something that you will need to work through. Good luck.
Edited by Catwoman 2013-06-18 12:29 PM |
| 2013-06-18 1:18 PM in reply to: MuscleMomma |
Regular 1358 Jenison, MI | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting 1. Not everyone who competes goes to the orientations. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who are at the race who didn't participate in that, and a portion of them will be first timers. There's absolutely no reason to worry about where you will be in the water based on what you saw there. 2. Regardless of where you finish in relation to the rest of the pack, it really doesn't matter. You're out there for you. 3. For those who have said that the people struggling across the finish get just as much encouragement and applause, I totally agree. While it is awesome to watch the fastest of the fast come out of the water, it is just as inspirational to watch someone finish an event that they struggled with. The look of determination on someone's face, or the look of elation for having finished the dreaded swim, are some of my favorite sights to see at every race where I can. 4. Even if you do finish DFL, who cares? Someone has to finish last in every race out there, from the neighborhood triathlon to the Olympics and to the big race in Kona. And they all have one thing in common - they are all triathletes. Nothing can take that away from you no matter what happens. 5. Think about how you want to frame it with your family. You seem to be worried that they will watch you struggle through it. You can be honest with them and tell them that the swim is a struggle for you, in which case I would be willing to bet they will be doing everything possible to build you up and keep you from stressing yourself out too much. Giving them an example of how you fight through adversity can't be anything but positive for them. But if you bail out, what are you teaching them? When you come charging out of that water, give them a smile and a thumbs up, and they're going to be as happy as can be for you. 6. If you truly are concerned that you can't safely complete the swim course, then by all means, postpone for another race. Admit to yourself that you signed up without being fully prepared. And explain that to your family. But if you're just worried about being last, then suck it up and go. You have *no* idea who is going to show up on race day. There could be someone else just as worried (or moreso) about that swim. 7. Unless it is purely for safety reasons, you *are* going to regret it if you opt out. Summing it up: Get out there, tri, have fun. |
| 2013-06-18 1:25 PM in reply to: MSU_Brad |
Veteran 869 Stevens Point, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Don't quit! Unless you don't enjoy it, but I don't think that is the case. You should be proud of yourself that you got out there and did it, and finished, even if it took you the longest. Remember even if you are last out of the water you are ahead of all of those that never entered. I'll be thinking of you! And hoping that you stay here, I have enjoyed reading your posts in the weight loss section as well, been some motivation for me.
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| 2013-06-18 1:43 PM in reply to: MuscleMomma |
Master 2167 Livonia, MI | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting You mention that you were about 15 years older than the other women there. I'm not sure how old that makes you, but I can tell you that some of the older age groups inspire the heck out of me at races even if they do come in back of pack. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with other triathletes about how we hope that we're still able to complete a race in 15 years plus, or into or our 50's, 60's, maybe 70's, even if we're dead last. Speed is such a relative concept. Not everyone can be FOP or even MOP. BOP'ers are still just as much triathletes as all those who finished before them. |
| 2013-06-18 1:58 PM in reply to: noelle1230 |
Veteran 580 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Without struggle, growth is difficult to achieve. |
| 2013-06-18 2:10 PM in reply to: ccmpsyd |
Extreme Veteran 1190 Silicon Valley | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting You have trouble swimming, I have trouble running. So my first tri (last year at age 57) I find out the swim is cancelled (my best event) and replaced with a second run. I finished the first run two seconds ahead of dead last! Had a good bike and then another terrible run. I had a blast! I thought about not doing the race for about a nanosecond. I had no illusions that I would win or podium. I wanted to finish and have fun. If you can't have fun doing this then maybe another sport would be better suited to you. But don't let a poor leg of any tri scare you away. |
| 2013-06-18 2:16 PM in reply to: ccmpsyd |
Expert 972 Falls Church | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting I found this a very inspiring thread. Thank you all. Swim however is most comfortable for you. I have never completed a swim segment entirely in freestyle. Invariably I end up doing 20 strokes of freestyle, then 20 breast-strokes, repeat until the end. I think it takes quite a bit of courage to attempt something that you know will be difficult. I hope to read your race report next week. |
| 2013-06-18 2:52 PM in reply to: MSU_Brad |
Veteran 622 Roll Tide!! | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Originally posted by MSU_Brad 1. Not everyone who competes goes to the orientations. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who are at the race who didn't participate in that, and a portion of them will be first timers. There's absolutely no reason to worry about where you will be in the water based on what you saw there. 2. Regardless of where you finish in relation to the rest of the pack, it really doesn't matter. You're out there for you. 3. For those who have said that the people struggling across the finish get just as much encouragement and applause, I totally agree. While it is awesome to watch the fastest of the fast come out of the water, it is just as inspirational to watch someone finish an event that they struggled with. The look of determination on someone's face, or the look of elation for having finished the dreaded swim, are some of my favorite sights to see at every race where I can. 4. Even if you do finish DFL, who cares? Someone has to finish last in every race out there, from the neighborhood triathlon to the Olympics and to the big race in Kona. And they all have one thing in common - they are all triathletes. Nothing can take that away from you no matter what happens. 5. Think about how you want to frame it with your family. You seem to be worried that they will watch you struggle through it. You can be honest with them and tell them that the swim is a struggle for you, in which case I would be willing to bet they will be doing everything possible to build you up and keep you from stressing yourself out too much. Giving them an example of how you fight through adversity can't be anything but positive for them. But if you bail out, what are you teaching them? When you come charging out of that water, give them a smile and a thumbs up, and they're going to be as happy as can be for you. 6. If you truly are concerned that you can't safely complete the swim course, then by all means, postpone for another race. Admit to yourself that you signed up without being fully prepared. And explain that to your family. But if you're just worried about being last, then suck it up and go. You have *no* idea who is going to show up on race day. There could be someone else just as worried (or moreso) about that swim. 7. Unless it is purely for safety reasons, you *are* going to regret it if you opt out. Summing it up: Get out there, tri, have fun. This^^^^ I just did my first tri and I could not believe how many people in line to get in the water were saying they had never swam open water at all &/or never that distance. LOTS of people flip over and do back stroke and side stroke and whatever it take to keep moving forward!! You got this!!! Don't quit!!! Can't wait to read your race report!! This is an awesome thread of encouragement!! Way to go BT!!! |
| 2013-06-18 3:07 PM in reply to: Left Brain |
Champion 6046 New York, NY | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Originally posted by Left Brain Originally posted by MuscleMomma I went to an excellent orientation tonight for the sprint next week. It included swimming the course. First time using my wetsuit, first time in open water, salt water to boot. (must confess to surviving a sprint about 5 yrs ago, but that was in a lake and no wetsuit). When asked who was doing their first tri, most hands went up - but you'd never know it by how they all took off in the water. I got left behind. A very nice person swam along side me giving me encouragement. Big problem was sighting, not surprising. Would stop, tread water, feel exhausted, correct my direction, swim another 7-8 strokes. Clearly I'm not a swimmer, but have been doing my pool workouts. Honestly, I don't feel like my time in the pool made any difference - I still can't swim. I have a decision to make about going through with the race. I'm thinking of returning the used wetsuit and seeing if they will just charge me a rental fee. I will be the last out of the lake. Thinking of asking the kids to not come watch me, don't want them to see that. I'm really afraid of floundering during the swim. There were a few older men, but I must have been the oldest woman there by 15 years. Who am I kidding? Now those who do quit aren't on the website, so I'm going to get skewed feedback here, but who has been glad to have hung in there. Mitzi Let your kids see you are afraid and still go through with it.....THAT'S a lesson for your children to learn. That's the best part of life....being scared, being afraid, and still moving forward. In fact....if you don't do those things that scare you, how will you even know you are alive? "Quit? Did we quit when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? HELL NO!" Finish what you started.....make your kids proud! ^^This do you want your kids to have the example of quitting? or sticking with something that is hard, that does not come easy to them. |
| 2013-06-18 3:24 PM in reply to: MuscleMomma |
Master 2264 Sunbury, Pennsylvania | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting OK I am sorely late to this one. I'll try to keep it brief. I am in my third season of this tri thing. At the outset, I imagined that by now, I'd be 80 pounds lighter than I am now, an ironman, and faster. At least I thought I would be an awesome swimmer. I just did a HIM that kicked the crap out of me and took nearly 10 hours. I am lighter than I was in 2010 but not by a huge margin, i still swim like someone trying to reverse time. I have thought of quitting again and again and again. I wonder why these things seem so simple for others. It looks easy for everyone else, it feels hard for me. I know I don't train enough, and I am not as solid as the g I imagined I would be. But somehow, I keep not quitting. And if it was suddenly easy for me, I am not sure how it would feel. Would it matter? That long drawn out 9:39 HIM was a serious personal victory for me. And it hurt. And i don't want the same course to be the same experience next time. Quit now? Ok, if that's what you want. But ask yourself: what do I want? And what am I willing to do to get it? And better yet, how many times am I willing to fail or not get it before I do, even if I am working as hard as I can? You don't want to quit. If you did, you wouldn't even involved us in the situation. Go be slow. Have a great time. Then keep training. Yu may still be slow. Having a good time? There you are. Speed is all relative. |
| 2013-06-18 3:33 PM in reply to: TheClaaaw |
Extreme Veteran 1106 , Connecticut | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Someone shared this on the DFL thread. Makes me cry seeing how excited the guys cheering him on were on the track and in the stands. Especially on the track - how supportive tri people are. Thanks everyone, how could anyone not want to be a member of this club? (gotta love training till it hurts which I do). |
| 2013-06-18 3:43 PM in reply to: TheClaaaw |
Regular 1358 Jenison, MI | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Originally posted by TheClaaaw Once again, you reaffirm why you are THE MAN. Great post.OK I am sorely late to this one. I'll try to keep it brief. I am in my third season of this tri thing. At the outset, I imagined that by now, I'd be 80 pounds lighter than I am now, an ironman, and faster. At least I thought I would be an awesome swimmer. I just did a HIM that kicked the crap out of me and took nearly 10 hours. I am lighter than I was in 2010 but not by a huge margin, i still swim like someone trying to reverse time. I have thought of quitting again and again and again. I wonder why these things seem so simple for others. It looks easy for everyone else, it feels hard for me. I know I don't train enough, and I am not as solid as the g I imagined I would be. But somehow, I keep not quitting. And if it was suddenly easy for me, I am not sure how it would feel. Would it matter? That long drawn out 9:39 HIM was a serious personal victory for me. And it hurt. And i don't want the same course to be the same experience next time. Quit now? Ok, if that's what you want. But ask yourself: what do I want? And what am I willing to do to get it? And better yet, how many times am I willing to fail or not get it before I do, even if I am working as hard as I can? You don't want to quit. If you did, you wouldn't even involved us in the situation. Go be slow. Have a great time. Then keep training. Yu may still be slow. Having a good time? There you are. Speed is all relative. |
| 2013-06-18 4:09 PM in reply to: Left Brain |
Expert 2180 Boise, Idaho | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Originally posted by Left Brain Originally posted by MuscleMomma I went to an excellent orientation tonight for the sprint next week. It included swimming the course. First time using my wetsuit, first time in open water, salt water to boot. (must confess to surviving a sprint about 5 yrs ago, but that was in a lake and no wetsuit). When asked who was doing their first tri, most hands went up - but you'd never know it by how they all took off in the water. I got left behind. A very nice person swam along side me giving me encouragement. Big problem was sighting, not surprising. Would stop, tread water, feel exhausted, correct my direction, swim another 7-8 strokes. Clearly I'm not a swimmer, but have been doing my pool workouts. Honestly, I don't feel like my time in the pool made any difference - I still can't swim. I have a decision to make about going through with the race. I'm thinking of returning the used wetsuit and seeing if they will just charge me a rental fee. I will be the last out of the lake. Thinking of asking the kids to not come watch me, don't want them to see that. I'm really afraid of floundering during the swim. There were a few older men, but I must have been the oldest woman there by 15 years. Who am I kidding? Now those who do quit aren't on the website, so I'm going to get skewed feedback here, but who has been glad to have hung in there. Mitzi Let your kids see you are afraid and still go through with it.....THAT'S a lesson for your children to learn. That's the best part of life....being scared, being afraid, and still moving forward. In fact....if you don't do those things that scare you, how will you even know you are alive? "Quit? Did we quit when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? HELL NO!" Finish what you started.....make your kids proud! Well Played, sir! I want you to know ....I got this right away. However, my obscure 'entertainment' references have, of late, gotten me into some...err...difficult predicaments. |
| 2013-06-18 5:06 PM in reply to: jeffnboise |
Extreme Veteran 792 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Hey MuscleMomma. You are going to do this race. You are going to finish it. You are going to become a role model to your children. This sport is not about winning or losing. This sport is about self-honesty and fighting for an achievement that none of us deserve. It is scary and it hurts inside, but there is no victory that didn't do that. The biggest hurdle is over: First Open Water Swim. This is nothing to scoff at. It is a huge barrier to learn so many things at once. You have learned all of them at once. You are now going to be much more successful in the swim. In all honesty, it sounds like you are experiencing what every racer experiences just before a race. Do your best to take the negative self-talk and hide it somewhere so dark that it can't find it's way out again until after the race. You have done the work. Now it is time to show up and smile at the finish line. And quite honestly, it sounds like your brain is just preparing itself for the race. |
| 2013-06-18 6:49 PM in reply to: MuscleMomma |
New user 29 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting I'm with everybody else up here: You can DO this!! Don't discount getting through your first open water swim (even if you didn't think it went well... you still did it!). For my first tri, my only goal was to finish. I didn't care if I was dead last (I still don't 3 years later). You'll never forget that feeling when you cross the finish line. Every tri since I have that same goal - finish. If I manage to do better than I did last year, well then, that's a bonus . I'll give you one actual advantage to being slower in the swim... being in the back of the pack makes for a nicer swim! You won't have to deal with people swimming over you, being kicked in the face, etc. Go forth and conquer!! (What you're conquering is up to you...) |
| 2013-06-18 7:34 PM in reply to: jeffnboise |
Pro 15655 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Originally posted by jeffnboise Originally posted by Left Brain Originally posted by MuscleMomma I went to an excellent orientation tonight for the sprint next week. It included swimming the course. First time using my wetsuit, first time in open water, salt water to boot. (must confess to surviving a sprint about 5 yrs ago, but that was in a lake and no wetsuit). When asked who was doing their first tri, most hands went up - but you'd never know it by how they all took off in the water. I got left behind. A very nice person swam along side me giving me encouragement. Big problem was sighting, not surprising. Would stop, tread water, feel exhausted, correct my direction, swim another 7-8 strokes. Clearly I'm not a swimmer, but have been doing my pool workouts. Honestly, I don't feel like my time in the pool made any difference - I still can't swim. I have a decision to make about going through with the race. I'm thinking of returning the used wetsuit and seeing if they will just charge me a rental fee. I will be the last out of the lake. Thinking of asking the kids to not come watch me, don't want them to see that. I'm really afraid of floundering during the swim. There were a few older men, but I must have been the oldest woman there by 15 years. Who am I kidding? Now those who do quit aren't on the website, so I'm going to get skewed feedback here, but who has been glad to have hung in there. Mitzi Let your kids see you are afraid and still go through with it.....THAT'S a lesson for your children to learn. That's the best part of life....being scared, being afraid, and still moving forward. In fact....if you don't do those things that scare you, how will you even know you are alive? "Quit? Did we quit when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? HELL NO!" Finish what you started.....make your kids proud! Well Played, sir! I want you to know ....I got this right away. However, my obscure 'entertainment' references have, of late, gotten me into some...err...difficult predicaments. HAHA! I saw it....such a Jagged Little Pill. |
| 2013-06-18 8:46 PM in reply to: Left Brain |
| Member 277 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Well everybody has spoken go for it. I look forward to seeing your race report. I think you may surprise your self. |
| 2013-06-18 9:44 PM in reply to: noelle1230 |
Extreme Veteran 1648 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Originally posted by noelle1230 You mention that you were about 15 years older than the other women there. I'm not sure how old that makes you, but I can tell you that some of the older age groups inspire the heck out of me at races even if they do come in back of pack. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with other triathletes about how we hope that we're still able to complete a race in 15 years plus, or into or our 50's, 60's, maybe 70's, even if we're dead last. Speed is such a relative concept. Not everyone can be FOP or even MOP. BOP'ers are still just as much triathletes as all those who finished before them. I totally agree with this. The most memorable thing I saw at a race last year was at the start of a mountain bike race my husband was doing. I was there with my daughter and my parents. Next to us there was a family with young kids but both the mom and dad were with them- I was curious why they were watching. Then when one of the women's groups started the kids started screaming "Go Grandma!" OMG- I want to have my grand kids cheering for me in a mountain bike race one day. That is soo cool!!! You will inspire more people than you know if you can safely finish. |
| 2013-06-18 10:11 PM in reply to: ccmpsyd |
| 48 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Originally posted by ccmpsyd Without struggle, growth is difficult to achieve. Yes. Just give it a try, it will be some effort and challenge, but at the end you'll have seen it through. If it's not for you, don't do it again, but if it is... how will you know until you give it a try? Give yourself a shot, and see what happens. Best of luck. |
| 2013-06-18 11:23 PM in reply to: dbmata |
Extreme Veteran 1106 , Connecticut | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting Thanks everyone. I have worked hard. I spent time in the gym getting in shape to begin my training, though the two months of actual training wasn't long enough. Proud that I did 8-9 workouts/week, though missed the last, longest run - the 3.2 mile one that would let me know I can do the distance. I did up to 2.6 pretty well (on a treadmill). I am starting to feel like I can do this. I really want it - just afraid of not being able to do it. I did the trial swim, it just wasn't pretty (lots of stopping to tread water to figure out where I was) but I didn't have to be hauled out of the water. I guess now is not the time to question why I also signed up for an oly at the end of Aug! Again just giving myself two months - got to write that down as a bad idea for next year, though I doubt I'll forget. One thing at a time - I'm going to do the positive thinking thing, plus get in a mile run tomorrow and short bike ride to remind myself that I know how. Will shoot for two more pool swims focusing on sighting. Love all you guys/gals |
| 2013-06-19 7:53 AM in reply to: MuscleMomma |
| 97 | Subject: RE: Thinking of quiting 'atta girl! I will be waiting to read your race report....I suspect that you are going to do better than you anticipate! |
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