Today’s guest post is from Superfan Krystal Wright, who blogs about her triathlete journey over at Moving Wright Along. We love her dearly, and so should you. Take it away, Krystal…
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Yeah, I Don’t Know All The Answers.
So, I’ve been sitting all weekend trying to think of a clever, charming, funny, and thought-provoking guest post topic to write about. A topic that is worthy enough for the Angriest Trainer listeners, who I know have been waiting on pins and needles to read. The more I thought about it, the more I expected that you expected this post to be about black people and the underlying reason to why many black people don’t do triathlons. Well, quite honestly, I don’t know. Would someone please tell me? By-golly, I have nothing.
Yesterday, I ran some ideas (which I thought were great) past my boyfriend, who is not black, and he thought I would be walking very thin line of being offensive, which is not my goal. I want to be educational and funny, but not brass. So, there you have it folks, this post is not about black people and our inability to swim. And if you care at all, I do prefer a wetsuit, because this girl does not float.
Although, I can’t speak for every Lawrence, Vincent, or Cary, (my family likes proper names, nothing too cray-cray), I can speak for myself, and address some of the hesitations I had when I first began competing:
Fear.
I have proclaimed myself as a triathlete for a year now. I got into the sport because a friend invited me to do a sprint triathlon with her last June. The main, and possibly the only thing that went through my mind at the time was, “does she know that this is not “my” kind of sport?” My feelings were solidified when I showed up to my first Splash-n-Dash. I didn’t finish the swim, and everyone and their child knew what they were doing, with the exception with me. Yes, I did say child. There were six year-old children killing it in the water. I was intimidated and scared, scared to fail and possibly even to succeed. But, as for this day, I failed. I thought, “How in the heck can I do a triathlon, when I can’t even finish the swim?”
Swim.
I can’t even use the “I can’t get my hair wet” excuse anymore. I knew how to not drown, but swimming, effectively and efficiently while moving from point A to point B, was a completely different story. My first time attempt at an open water swim, went a little something like, let’s just call it doggy-paddling. Have you ever tried to doggy-paddle 250 meters or more in open water? It’s hard. Just take my word for it. You know it’s bad when the kayak is debating on whether to rescue you, because they can’t tell if you’re swimming or not. With swimming being my biggest weakness, it was also my greatest opportunity. That same night I went home and downloaded Mr. Swim Smooth and YouTube’d “open water freestyle swim”. There you have it ladies and gents, I learned how to swim on YouTube.
Expense.
Triathlons can and do get it expensive. Race fees are just the beginning. Most people know the basics of swimsuits, goggles, swim cap, bike, helmet, water, and running shoes. But, the more experience and competitive drive you gain, the more equipment you will need in order to be on the same playing field to compete. You should have seen me almost “pop a tag” when I paid $60 for a Speedo. I buy all my swimsuits from Target so this was a whole ‘nother ball game. Start up expenses for multi-sports may initially break the bank, but once you have the equipment you will just need to maintain and tune-up.
In the last year, I have learned so much about myself through endurance sports. I’ve learned the importance of nutrition and strength training, as well as, developing a stronger sense of self-awareness and confidence. I would suggest to any person, whether white, black, or whether your color may be to challenge yourself.
Fear is irrational, and many times we try to rationalize it. Get out there and prove yourself wrong!
Krystal Wright- Former collegiate soccer player. Triathlete. Runner. Weightlifter.
Read more and follow my journey at: MovingWrightAlong.com
