Quit while you're ahead, so you don't quit!

Did I ever tell you the story of my first triathlon? Well let me save you the long drawn out version and skip to the punch line. They say the swim is the hardest part. They didn’t lie. I panicked in the water.  My family thought they had missed me getting out of the water. Nope. I was still in there. See attached, albeit not great, photos.  You can still see the panic on my face.  It took me 22 minutes to swim about a quarter of a mile -- in a POOL. As you can see, you could get up and STAND at each end… it was a zero depth pool. I seriously had a black eye at the end of that race from jamming my goggles against my face so much. That and I also got hit in the head with a kayak….one of the rescuers.  They weren't coming for me….so that’s a positive about this race. But I digress….

Here's a fun fact: I had already signed up for my NEXT triathlon (double the distance) in LAKE MICHIGAN before I had ever even run my first one. Let me tell you, THAT was ALL up in my head as I was doggie paddling through this one. {not kidding there, doggie paddled my way}

I had trained for MONTHS for this triathlon, but you would never have known it, and I absolutely lost it in the water. So bad that I ended up with a swim angel {Definition: Someone who swims next to you, but can not touch you, for moral support….and to make sure no one ELSE touches you. Read: Swims OVER You} - by default. That's how bad it was. I mean, I imagine you got that mental picture when I told you I was doggie paddling, but I wanted to make sure you were clear. 

So now I have to go swim in open water. A lot farther. Oh Goodie. 

Someone recommends a swim group downtown to me. Ok...this seems like a good idea… go get some REAL open water practice in.  Great.  I like it.  Mental note here….I don’t own a wetsuit. I had "on good advice" that it would be fine. No wetsuit needed. 

It was not fine. I was not fine. The WATER was NOT fine. The water was 53 degrees. Y'all - that's cold! Keep in mind that for ALL of this, I was never alone.  Most of the time, my trusty sidekick, Yuri, {my best friend} was with me.  She got in the water first. That was a bad idea on her part.  There were a few expletives to get me in the water.   She didn’t have a wetsuit either...and she was “waiting” for me - treading water. 

I eventually got more than my TOE in the water and I started swimming. There was a lot of stopping, there was a lot of “What in the world am I doing?” moments, but I SWAM. At one point, I even hit a stride.  I was fluid and I felt good.  And that, folks, is when I beelined for the nearest ladder against the wall….and I.GOT.OUT.OF.THE.WATER! 

Now here is the point: I Swam a quarter of a mile and I GOT OUT.

You might be wondering at this point why in the world I would get out when I was JUST starting to get in a groove. And that, my friends, is the point. If your brain is SO paralyzed in fear from a previous experience, or just plain afraid of failing; I encourage you to take bite sized pieces, and then QUIT {for the day} while you’re ahead.  STOP while your mind and body are in a positive mental headspace. You will then be able to come back to it and tackle a little more.  The next time you go for it, you will have a POSITIVE reflection of what you did. If you quit while you're ahead - you'll be less likely to quit later. Each time - you can go a little farther or do a little more.  You'll be amazed at how far you can go with this theory!

I have since, well, gotten a wetsuit for one, and run 20+ triathlons - from Lake Michigan and Lake Geneva, to the Hudson River in New York. 

Quit while you're ahead, so you don't quit!

What is your open water swim right now? What do you need to take in bite sized pieces so you can conquer it instead of quitting it? What do you need to “quit while you’re ahead?” 

Share it with me in the comments so I can help cheer you on and check on your progress!