January 11, 2010
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I received a letter from a blog reader this week, and wanted to share it with you.  I think this message is the key to success.

Question:

Hi Carol-
My name is Lori and I came across your blog accidently while googling triathlon information.  I am a 37-year old mother of two and getting ready for my first triathlon season.  This year I signed up for a handful of sprints in the insideout series and an olympic in August.  I came across triathlon by doing the Ramblin Rose back in Sept.  I couldn’t breathe through the whole event, never swam or biked except recreationally, and couldn’t run more than a 5k at an 11-minute mile.  Interesting enough, it was fun and I decided to pursue the sport further.
I was looking at your 2005 events and stats, which are similar to mine.  In October I signed on with a coach and in November I ran my first half marathon (2:26) and in December my second (2:20).  As I browsed your 2006 events, I noticed your times have significantly improved and you were running an 8-minute mile or so.  My question is, how did you do that?!  I’m sure it was posted in your blog as you went along, but I have not come across it.  Over the last three months I have shown improvement in running and breathing, but still can’t imagine being that fast!  I am currently hovering around a 9:45-10:00 minute mile for short distances (under 5 miles).
Please share any advice.  I think most of all, I need confidence that I can do this.  Your blog is certainly inspiring!
Thank you for your time and sharing your experiences through your blog!
-Lori

Answer:

Hi Lori,

Thanks for visiting my blog and writing to me.   And Congratulations on your own triathlon success thus far.

My 2005 season was my first, and I was coming off being a complete couch potato.    I was approaching the 2006 season with a goal to move from the back of the pack, to the middle.   Then I met someone who was always winning his age group, and he told me that he had no athletic talent.  He said all it takes is persistence in training.   At that point, I decided to shoot for the top 20% of my age group.  Why not, right?!  It never hurts to try.   I followed a good training plan out of a book, worked my ass off, and BELIEVED that I could finish in the top.   To my great surprise I was sometimes even coming in 4th in my age group.  At that point, I decided to shoot for the podium.  It took another two years of persistence and believing in myself to make the podium.

I only make the podium at local North Carolina races, which are kind of like the minor leagues.  If I did an M-dot Ironman or 70.3 race, I would definitely not make the podium.  Those are the big leagues.    Who knows, maybe I should shoot for that next??

Good luck and remember, YOU CAN DO IT!

Carol
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