Transitions...

It’s fun to watch new people taking up the sport of triathlon. I had a wonderful experience last weekend, volunteering for the North Shore Spring Triathlon, and watching numerous 1^st time triathletes, including some 6-10 year olds, as they set up their transition areas, getting ready to tackle the sprint triathlon distance… Nervous, excited, some cocky, some frightened, some shy, it is nice to be able to look out and see what people experience as they go through the race in their minds.

I was especially moved by the kids, all excited and enthusiastic and ready to prove something. There was the sweetest little 7 year old girl who was shy, and when we talked, I just asked her how she wanted to set up her transition gear. Not much of a response other than “I don’t know, what should I do?” Priceless. I’ve seen the same response from adults, of course, and it’s no less inspiring, but just seeing the triathlon through a child’s eyes makes you fall in love with this sport even more.

Hmm, something to think about… Maybe kids aren’t so bad after all?

The transition area of a triathlon is a fun place to be. Aside from the gear-envy one inevitably gets watching new bikes set up and on display, like a showcase, it’s the people. We’re always friendly, joking around with each other, scoping out those we think are our “age group” to see if we think we can beat them, or just scoping… there are some very attractive people in this sport.

But a transition area really does seem like something more. It’s the place where we change identities, going from a swimmer, to a biker, to a runner… It all appears seemless and organized, although I can tell you it can be anything but. Most of the time, in the excitement, we lose track of what we’re supposed to do in order to prepare for the next activity. We rush through without taking a necessary sip of water – after the swim, sometimes we do this because we don’t think of ourselves as being “thirsty” – or even toweling ourselves dry enough to put on a bike jersey. In our efforts to rush into our new sport, we wind up taking longer because we have hastily put things together.

It’s the way of triathlon, but maybe that also helps us in dealing with our own balancing act in life. We all have different roles to play. From an employee/employer, to a husband/wife, father, friend, son/daughter, homeowner, writer, gardener, carpenter, etc, we are not one dimensional creatures. Our priorities extend far beyond survival but into our other hobbies and roles.

And the transition from one to another is just as important as the activities themselves. It’s hard to transfer into parenthood after being at work all day without some kind of break, even if just to change your mindset. I don’t agree with taking work home with me, and I try very hard not to take my training to work. I struggle to focus exclusively on the task at hand and give myself to it 100% without considering all the other aspects of my life. And yet, I think that the successful triathlete focuses on one task at a time, not looking too far ahead, not looking behind, and planning for the next step. In life, we can take that lesson to heart.

I think the most successful people are always mastering that balance. They focus themselves intensely on their job/business, when they need to, and then put an equal focus into their family after, their training, etc. And yes, I believe the definition of success is being able to do all of it. I don’t see success in someone who works every hour of the day on his/her business and spends little or no time with family. I figure, if you make the commitment to have a family, you commit yourself to that wholly. You have to work, you have to train (as an athlete), and when you do that, you do it well and with equal commitment. But you make sure you demonstrate the same commitment to your family and everything else that “matters”.

And I think, in a transition area, we find a physical incarnation of a balanced life. It’s like a short lesson in time management. How can you make it all work in one life/day?

You figure out what is necessary to do it all, and you do it.

“You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough.” Joe Louis