Comments on: My Triathlon Uplift http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627 The Blog of Terry Laughlin Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:48:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Terry Laughlin http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2708 Terry Laughlin Mon, 11 Oct 2010 01:52:36 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2708 Well done, Tracy. We're honored to have determined pack-backers such as you and Kerry reading Swim Well Blog. Well done, Tracy. We’re honored to have determined pack-backers such as you and Kerry reading Swim Well Blog.

]]> By: Terry Laughlin http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2707 Terry Laughlin Mon, 11 Oct 2010 01:50:51 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2707 Kerry I'm glad we found you - or you found us. Congratulations on what your teammate Tracy described as "back of the pack determination." That phrase has a nice ring. Kerry I’m glad we found you – or you found us. Congratulations on what your teammate Tracy described as “back of the pack determination.” That phrase has a nice ring.

]]> By: Kerry http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2705 Kerry Sun, 10 Oct 2010 20:26:54 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2705 ...I plan to FINISH this race again (and on TIME) next year (2011). Feel free to follow me :-) Kerry B …I plan to FINISH this race again (and on TIME) next year (2011). Feel free to follow me :-)

Kerry B

]]> By: Kerry http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2704 Kerry Sun, 10 Oct 2010 20:24:40 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2704 Good after noon. My Name is Kerry and I am the "Team Z" girl who finished last at 9.5 hours. I was told that there probably would be support out there and so I prepared myself, I put my sneakers on and ran. I came there to finish and I wasn't going to 'GIVE UP', and I'm not foolish, I am fit enough for this distance and I had FABULOUS support!! Sure there was things that were not there that I wish I had, like FOOD but I had what I needed and finished my first Half Ironman. Was it emotional, lonely, sad, hard, tiring, frustrating sure it was!!! Did it test my inner toughness, absolutely!! But I DO NOT quit, give up and I came to finish, I have the best team in the whole world, TEAM Z!!! There loud and wait until the LAST and cheer like they were the first. It's not foolishness, it's about mental toughness, physical conditioning and the WANT, desire to FINISH. I plan to FINISH Good after noon. My Name is Kerry and I am the “Team Z” girl who finished last at 9.5 hours. I was told that there probably would be support out there and so I prepared myself, I put my sneakers on and ran. I came there to finish and I wasn’t going to ‘GIVE UP’, and I’m not foolish, I am fit enough for this distance and I had FABULOUS support!! Sure there was things that were not there that I wish I had, like FOOD but I had what I needed and finished my first Half Ironman. Was it emotional, lonely, sad, hard, tiring, frustrating sure it was!!! Did it test my inner toughness, absolutely!! But I DO NOT quit, give up and I came to finish, I have the best team in the whole world, TEAM Z!!! There loud and wait until the LAST and cheer like they were the first. It’s not foolishness, it’s about mental toughness, physical conditioning and the WANT, desire to FINISH. I plan to FINISH

]]> By: Tracey http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2696 Tracey Sat, 09 Oct 2010 21:54:19 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2696 Hi Terry, Thank you so much for posting your experiences about the end of the race. I'm also on Team Z (www.triteamz.com) and know the last girl who finished. It was her first half. Your whole story was correct except for one missing detail. Despite everything shutting down, about 100 Team Zers stayed along the finish line to cheer ALL of the final people coming in. We went nuts when we saw our team colors coming into view. When you train with someone and have experienced their struggles, seeing them finish is almost better than finishing yourself. I personally have had similar experiences. My first half I was DEAD LAST after a mechanical issue on the bike (and my just general slowness.) The race organizer did not announce cutoff times for my race, so I just kept going. My husband was at the finish line waiting for me and had to insist that they not dismantle the finish line until the rest of the runners were back. (A more detailed report is here: http://traceytris.blogspot.com/2009/10/bassman-half-iron-october-4-2009.html) In February, a teammate and I will be putting our back-of-the-pack determination to the test by hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro for charity. We feel like we have some good mental training to draw upon when the going gets tough. One foot in front of the other, over and over again until you finish. Just keep going and don't quit. Hi Terry,
Thank you so much for posting your experiences about the end of the race. I’m also on Team Z (www.triteamz.com) and know the last girl who finished. It was her first half. Your whole story was correct except for one missing detail. Despite everything shutting down, about 100 Team Zers stayed along the finish line to cheer ALL of the final people coming in. We went nuts when we saw our team colors coming into view. When you train with someone and have experienced their struggles, seeing them finish is almost better than finishing yourself.

I personally have had similar experiences. My first half I was DEAD LAST after a mechanical issue on the bike (and my just general slowness.) The race organizer did not announce cutoff times for my race, so I just kept going. My husband was at the finish line waiting for me and had to insist that they not dismantle the finish line until the rest of the runners were back. (A more detailed report is here: http://traceytris.blogspot.com/2009/10/bassman-half-iron-october-4-2009.html)

In February, a teammate and I will be putting our back-of-the-pack determination to the test by hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro for charity. We feel like we have some good mental training to draw upon when the going gets tough. One foot in front of the other, over and over again until you finish. Just keep going and don’t quit.

]]> By: Andreas http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2095 Andreas Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:18:57 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2095 Terry, A short anecdote on coming in towards the bottom of the field. My proudest swimming moment of last year was a race I did not finish. Last years Aquarium Swim 5K at Coney Island presented a particular challenge to the slower swimmers (me), as the current on the return leg was unusually strong, sufficient for about a third of the field to quit. (I think you swam this event and finished comfortably). After making the turn after the far buoy and starting into the current I quickly became demoralized; I had swam a few minutes and was standing still. After 15 minutes the stone pier to my right continued to stare me in the face. At this point I realized I would not be able to finish, my cruising speed was equal to the current I was trying to master, no actually I was absolutely SURE I was done. At 30 minutes in the same spot I looked around, the same pier was mocking me from my right, a few other swimmers remained in the battle to keep going. I tried everything; increasing my stroke rate- no help, I tried to relax and focus on my stroke- again no measurable progress. And then a small miracle occurred; one of the support kayakers came over and casually encouraged me by saying: " once you get past this pier you'll be all right". Somehow that turned the proverbial tide; I managed to inch forward, and indeed a couple of 100 yards ahead the current was more manageable, and I started making progress. I become increasingly up- beat and made it to the 2 mile buoy; at that moment I was told to turn in, the race only was permitted up to a certain hour, and swimmers remaining on the course were told to turn in. That day those tough 2 miles ended up taking me about 2 hours and 40 minutes, all that in a place where the 3 mile loop usually takes me 2 hours to complete! And yes I could have not been happier or more proud of my not so young body, and for discovering a trace of resilience I had not known. This was an unbelievable experience for me. I will be swimming the same race this Saturday, and even though I hope to finish with less of a struggle, I do not expect to duplicate the joy of last year's swim. Here's to the bottom 3rd! Andreas. Terry,
A short anecdote on coming in towards the bottom of the field. My proudest swimming moment of last year was a race I did not finish. Last years Aquarium Swim 5K at Coney Island presented a particular challenge to the slower swimmers (me), as the current on the return leg was unusually strong, sufficient for about a third of the field to quit. (I think you swam this event and finished comfortably).
After making the turn after the far buoy and starting into the current I quickly became demoralized; I had swam a few minutes and was standing still. After 15 minutes the stone pier to my right continued to stare me in the face. At this point I realized I would not be able to finish, my cruising speed was equal to the current I was trying to master, no actually I was absolutely SURE I was done. At 30 minutes in the same spot I looked around, the same pier was mocking me from my right, a few other swimmers remained in the battle to keep going. I tried everything; increasing my stroke rate- no help, I tried to relax and focus on my stroke- again no measurable progress. And then a small miracle occurred; one of the support kayakers came over and casually encouraged me by saying: ” once you get past this pier you’ll be all right”. Somehow that turned the proverbial tide; I managed to inch forward, and indeed a couple of 100 yards ahead the current was more manageable, and I started making progress. I become increasingly up- beat and made it to the 2 mile buoy; at that moment I was told to turn in, the race only was permitted up to a certain hour, and swimmers remaining on the course were told to turn in. That day those tough 2 miles ended up taking me about 2 hours and 40 minutes, all that in a place where the 3 mile loop usually takes me 2 hours to complete! And yes I could have not been happier or more proud of my not so young body, and for discovering a trace of resilience I had not known.
This was an unbelievable experience for me. I will be swimming the same race this Saturday, and even though I hope to finish with less of a struggle, I do not expect to duplicate the joy of last year’s swim. Here’s to the bottom 3rd!
Andreas.

]]> By: “Smell the roses.” Even while racing! « Swim Well and Live Well: The Blog of Total Immersion Founder Terry Laughlin http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2042 “Smell the roses.” Even while racing! « Swim Well and Live Well: The Blog of Total Immersion Founder Terry Laughlin Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:42:31 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2042 [...] recent post My Triathlon Uplift has proven to be my most popular ever, as measured by the number of positive comments. What I [...] [...] recent post My Triathlon Uplift has proven to be my most popular ever, as measured by the number of positive comments. What I [...]

]]> By: Neale http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2010 Neale Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:39:01 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2010 I view race results and read race reports all the time. Thanks, Terry, for reminding us all that the true race winners are seldom those who stand on the podium. God bless all you guys who have the grit to continue competing solely motivated by your will to finish. I will draw upon your feats for inspiration I view race results and read race reports all the time. Thanks, Terry, for reminding us all that the true race winners are seldom those who stand on the podium.
God bless all you guys who have the grit to continue competing solely motivated by your will to finish. I will draw upon your feats for inspiration

]]> By: Terry Laughlin http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2005 Terry Laughlin Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:24:23 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2005 Doug Thanks for sharing this great affirmation of the motivating effect a slow-but-stalwart athlete can have on others who've been on the fence, perhaps doubting they have the stuff to pursue an athletic/endurance accomplishment themselves. This is an example of what's called Peer Modeling. We are far more likely to believe ourselves capable of doing something when we see someone we perceive to be much like ourselves doing it. When we see someone who's clearly a superior athlete - because we don't perceive ourselves to be like them - it serves less as an example or inspiration. I've previously viewed this in a teaching context. This gives it far more power. Doug Thanks for sharing this great affirmation of the motivating effect a slow-but-stalwart athlete can have on others who’ve been on the fence, perhaps doubting they have the stuff to pursue an athletic/endurance accomplishment themselves. This is an example of what’s called Peer Modeling. We are far more likely to believe ourselves capable of doing something when we see someone we perceive to be much like ourselves doing it. When we see someone who’s clearly a superior athlete – because we don’t perceive ourselves to be like them – it serves less as an example or inspiration. I’ve previously viewed this in a teaching context. This gives it far more power.

]]> By: Doug Alt http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/627/comment-page-1#comment-2003 Doug Alt Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:03:22 +0000 http://www.swimwellblog.com/?p=627#comment-2003 Terry, Thanks for the motivating and uplifting thoughts. For me, my challenge last September was being able to complete a 1-mile event. Having taken up swimming as a fitness activity in my mid-60's, I was happy just to make it to the end, albeit with liberal stretches of backstroke and breaststroke. It was an evening event, and as I approached the end of the course the marker bouys had been pulled in, the sun had just dipped below the horizon (as viewed from beneath my armpit with each breath... talk about a "sinking feeling") and I ultimately received a hearty applause for completing the course...LAST! I felt GREAT! I had done it! What added significantly to my satisfaction was that 2 separate spectators, who had been chowing down on barbeque and beer at the water-side festival where the swim was held, came up to me afterward and said that I had inspired them to get off their fat you-know-whats and start working on ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING also. Terry,
Thanks for the motivating and uplifting thoughts.
For me, my challenge last September was being able to complete a 1-mile event. Having taken up swimming as a fitness activity in my mid-60′s, I was happy just to make it to the end, albeit with liberal stretches of backstroke and breaststroke. It was an evening event, and as I approached the end of the course the marker bouys had been pulled in, the sun had just dipped below the horizon (as viewed from beneath my armpit with each breath… talk about a “sinking feeling”) and I ultimately received a hearty applause for completing the course…LAST!
I felt GREAT! I had done it!
What added significantly to my satisfaction was that 2 separate spectators, who had been chowing down on barbeque and beer at the water-side festival where the swim was held, came up to me afterward and said that I had inspired them to get off their fat you-know-whats and start working on ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING also.

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