Then I remember that only a small percentage of people commit to pushing their bodies through the three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running. USA Triathlon's statistics show a 2010 membership surpassing 135,000 members - an all time high compared to numbers from 1993 - 2000. I trust this stat because in order to participate in any multi-sport endurance event, an athlete must purchase a year long or single day membership to USAT.
135,000 people. Compared to a US population of 311 million people.
When I think about it that way, it makes a difference. When I consider the fact that not one but three people committed and registered to compete in this weekend's triathlon with me... and all of them backed out, it makes a difference. When I know that not just me, but ANYONE, can do a triathlon if they can set their minds to the goal and set their bodies in motion and I've been committed enough to see it through to the finish line, it makes a difference.
Sometimes I feel I will be found to be a fraud when I tell others that I am a triathlete. I feel an irritating nudging to explain that I'm "not that fast" and that "I'm a single mom who doesn't have that much time to train."
Even with all of that, I still wish I could encapsulate the feeling of pushing my body further than I thought possible. I wish I could bottle the sheer exhaustion and exhilaration of crossing a finish line. I wish I could wrap up the Zen-like state that descends upon my mind within an hour of completing an endurance event.
I may not always feel like a triathlete. But finishing a triathlon is the one of the most bad ass feelings this not-quite-so-uber-athlete has ever experienced.
And that's something that can't be faked.
No comments:
Post a Comment