I'm an Olympic Athlete (Kind of!)

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Added: Tue. Oct 27, 2009 1:22pm
Posted in: Triathlon

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I cringe when I hear people say things like:

"Oh, I'm not an athlete. I could never (fill in the blanks)!"
"I'm too old/out of shape/busy to compete in an event like that."
"I was a swimmer/cyclist/runner/gymnast years ago, but it's too late to follow those dreams now."

I'm here to tell you -- it just ain't true.


A few years ago, I heard all of those words come out of my mouth. I couldn't run half a mile, the last time I'd been in the pool was high school, and I didn't own a bike -- wasn't even sure if I could still even ride one!

Then I went to the Masters Triathlon Championship for Growing Bolder:



I met men and women from every walk (bad pun) of life. Cancer survivors. People who were out of shape. People who had ripped abs and muscles. Mothers. Fathers. Grandmothers -- great-grandmothers!

And I knew it was time to start Growing Bolder, and give it a shot.

I bought a bike, and started riding. First five miles, then 10, then 20 and 30. Bought sneakers and started running -- one minute at a time. Then five, then 10, then 3 miles, then 5 miles, then 10 and 15. Hit the water (Lucky's Lake Swim) and managed to make it from one side to the other...

That was two years ago. Since then, I have completed four triathlons, a 5K and am training for two half marathons. Last weekend, I completed my first Olympic-distance triathlon, which was one of the goals I set but never thought I'd actually reach.

• 1.5 km swim
• 40 km bike
• 5.6 mile run

Want to see what happiness looks like? Check out my face during the running portion of that race:


Hard to believe that this is the same location, same event, that I'd attended in 2007 as a spectator; the event that pushed me to follow my dreams.

If you're struggling with doubts in your own mind, whether it's about completing a triathlon, starting a new career or something else, I hope you'll believe me when I say from experience -- it's never too late, and never too big a dream. Just do it.