"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
Kitsap TriBabes
Mountain Mentality
Dear Tri Babes & Tri Dudes,
As you are soldiering through the minefield of your pre-event jitters, I invite you to defuse any potential emotional
bombs by noticing a consistent physical phenomenon.
As you are driving in your car, notice how when you first see a hill up ahead in the distance, it looks really steep.
The closer you get to it the steeper it seems to gets. But, the instant you are actually driving on the hill, you realize
it isn't nearly as steep as it had seemed from afar.
This phenomenon occurs over and over again and illustrates an important truth about perspective. When you are
looking at something from afar, many factors intervene to distort your perspective - that which you anticipate is not
that which you will encounter.
I promise that this physical reality provides you with all the wisdom you need in order to quell whatever nervous
ailments you are experiencing - from stomach butterflies to night sweats to compete thermonuclear terror
meltdowns.
Right now, your Event Day "undertaking" is close enough that you can see it in detail. But, since you aren't quite
there yet, your perspective is skewed by your doubt and your fear of the unknown. These factors are escalating
your concern unnecessarily making the event seem much more difficult than it actually is. Expect this fear to
escalate until you are actually THERE. I promise that once you get to the race start and take that first swim
stroke, you will realize that you CAN do this. You will see that it is not nearly as difficult as you thought it would
be. Any challenges that come up, you will be prepared and motivated to overcome. You will receive support from
endless, unimaginable sources. You will experience joy and pride that you can't even fathom but that you have
comPLETEly earned. It will NOT matter how quickly or slowly you go, it will simply be an honor to participate in an
event of this magnitude.
Finally, please realize that if you weren't a little bit nervous, this wouldn't matter to you. All we have to do is
positively re-direct your fear into excitement!!!
~ Lisa Be off to calm her OWN nerves (I am human, afterall!!!)
"Our greatest fears lie in anticipation." ~ Don Draper & some lesser dude named Balzac!