What Triathlons Taught Me About Navigating Transitions
This weekend, I completed my 7th Triathlon after a nine year hiatus that kept me busy off the course with a wedding, two kids and a full time job. I may not have broken any records, but triumphantly crossing the finish line with my 7 year old son who ran with me for the last quarter mile made me feel like a champion.
At the finish line of the Marin Endurance Triathlon, my first race in 9 years
I was just 23 when I signed up for my first triathlon training program, an intensive three month course offered by my local District of Columbia YMCA that promised to prepare me for an Olympic Triathlon. I had moved for the first time to a big city by myself and was living in a house with 5 complete strangers. As I fumbled into adulthood, training for the triathlon gave me confidence in myself as an athlete, helped me explore a new city and meet an eclectic group of friends.
My family and friends cheering me on at the finish line of my first Olympic Triathlon in 2003.
As anyone who has done a triathlon knows, they are a test for your mind, spirit and body. Combining three activities back-to-back - typically swim, bike and run - can serve as a metaphor for life. Maybe that’s part of the reason why I seem to embrace them at each of the big transitions in my own life. Here’s some of what I learned through the transition points in triathlons that can be applied to any of life’s transitions.
Get quiet. Tune out the noise around you. There will always be someone faster than you and with more elaborate gear, but they aren’t you and you aren’t them. Let go of what others are doing and run your own race.
No transition is ever the same. Sometimes, they feel seamless, sometimes they feel oppressively long due to factors that may be out of your control, like the weather, or your placement in the transition area. Focus on what you can control and let go of the rest.
Trust the process. Just like you can’t wear a wetsuit on the bike ride, you can’t meaningfully transition to one stage in life without shedding some of what helped you be successful in the last one. It won’t always feel linear but trusting the process will help you move in the right direction.
Go slow to go fast: I’ve seen people rush through transitions only to attempt to exit the transition area the wrong way, or drop their chain because they were in too low of a gear. Take a breath. The extra minutes you spend in the transition phase may help you be that much faster later on.
Sometimes it's during the transitions in life that we learn the most about ourselves and our capacity for change and growth.
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Ask yourself:
What is a supportive activity or tool you use to navigate transitions?
Which transition have you grown the most from and why?
What advice would you give to others about navigating the uncertainty of transitions?
My best friend Liz and me on the starting line for a Bay Swim at the San Francisco Triathlon in 2015
