Gina was competing in the triathlon above.
Below is her account of her first Olympic Distance Triathlon. Her goal there, enjoyment.
She and triathlete Francesca Dominici show what that looks like (after the race).
Read Gina's account below.
Below is her account of her first Olympic Distance Triathlon. Her goal there, enjoyment.
She and triathlete Francesca Dominici show what that looks like (after the race).
Read Gina's account below.
My First Olympic Distance Triathlon: Enjoyment Was the Goal
by Gina Shield
I had identified early in the year that training could not be as high a priority in my day to day schedule as it had been in the past. Family matters, work deadlines/stress and allowing my husband more time for training were all significant factors. As such, challenging myself to the endurance required for an Olympic distance triathlon was an experience I needed in order to decide if a Half Ironman was in my future and also an event my husband and I could do together.
My goal was enjoy the experience and be able to do it all comfortably hard, train with my husband, have fun and see what I could learn....no pressure. Training took a lighter tone, which I needed this summer, but it gave me a chance to practice patience and flexibility...I can be very rigid about my schedule and that only causes more stress when I'm forced to change things up or miss a workout all together. It also gave me more time to fit in strength training which I found hugely helpful in recovering from a sensitive knee as well as overall strength needed to add road biking to my repertoire. I found I told more people about what I was doing, unlike when in competition mode, I keep my goals to myself for fear of not meeting them. Since more friends knew, I got a flurry of texts in the morning wishing me we'll...what a nice surprise! I made a conscious effort to experience more details about the race that I would normally overlook when just focused on quantitative goals. I was friendlier to people, enjoyed the race environment, watched other people with their pre-race jitters, enjoyed road biking for the first time in the rain, and made sure to thank all the volunteers I passed.
I had a challenging episode in the swim where I was dunked under by someone pushing me out of their way and I took in a mouthful of water...at first I didn't stop and tried swimming through the choking but that was sending me down the path to panic so I remembered not to worry about time and was able to recover without panic and swim on. I found it easier to stay positive (something I'm really focusing on lately) and push those doubting thoughts aside. In the end I knew I had not practiced my transitions well enough and so I gave myself extra time to get organized during those times. I also allowed myself to experiment with something different which I rarely do during a race...for this race it was how much to eat.
For a 3 hour effort I wasn't sure how much to eat during the race so I ate more than I thought I should. This turned out to be a good choice as it gave me an energy boost and I felt strong on the run. In the end I was pleased with my times and enjoyed the experience a lot, especially meeting Francesca! Learned I can recover from a mouthful of water and choking, need to push harder on the bike but I can ride in the rain, strength training helped me feel strong and enabled my legs to push on the run and staying positive is key. Experiencing a new event with a no pressure attitude helped me fit training into my life better this summer while still providing the mental and physical challenge of trying something new.
by Gina Shield
I had identified early in the year that training could not be as high a priority in my day to day schedule as it had been in the past. Family matters, work deadlines/stress and allowing my husband more time for training were all significant factors. As such, challenging myself to the endurance required for an Olympic distance triathlon was an experience I needed in order to decide if a Half Ironman was in my future and also an event my husband and I could do together.
My goal was enjoy the experience and be able to do it all comfortably hard, train with my husband, have fun and see what I could learn....no pressure. Training took a lighter tone, which I needed this summer, but it gave me a chance to practice patience and flexibility...I can be very rigid about my schedule and that only causes more stress when I'm forced to change things up or miss a workout all together. It also gave me more time to fit in strength training which I found hugely helpful in recovering from a sensitive knee as well as overall strength needed to add road biking to my repertoire. I found I told more people about what I was doing, unlike when in competition mode, I keep my goals to myself for fear of not meeting them. Since more friends knew, I got a flurry of texts in the morning wishing me we'll...what a nice surprise! I made a conscious effort to experience more details about the race that I would normally overlook when just focused on quantitative goals. I was friendlier to people, enjoyed the race environment, watched other people with their pre-race jitters, enjoyed road biking for the first time in the rain, and made sure to thank all the volunteers I passed.
I had a challenging episode in the swim where I was dunked under by someone pushing me out of their way and I took in a mouthful of water...at first I didn't stop and tried swimming through the choking but that was sending me down the path to panic so I remembered not to worry about time and was able to recover without panic and swim on. I found it easier to stay positive (something I'm really focusing on lately) and push those doubting thoughts aside. In the end I knew I had not practiced my transitions well enough and so I gave myself extra time to get organized during those times. I also allowed myself to experiment with something different which I rarely do during a race...for this race it was how much to eat.
For a 3 hour effort I wasn't sure how much to eat during the race so I ate more than I thought I should. This turned out to be a good choice as it gave me an energy boost and I felt strong on the run. In the end I was pleased with my times and enjoyed the experience a lot, especially meeting Francesca! Learned I can recover from a mouthful of water and choking, need to push harder on the bike but I can ride in the rain, strength training helped me feel strong and enabled my legs to push on the run and staying positive is key. Experiencing a new event with a no pressure attitude helped me fit training into my life better this summer while still providing the mental and physical challenge of trying something new.