Finding your Down Hill Momentum

Article written by Niki Dobbyn

As a child and young adult natural athlete, I rushed home from school, ate a snack, got driven to a two hour swim practice, came home for dinner, did homework and went to bed. I practiced for five days a week and then drove around the state for meets all weekend long with my parents. The only obstacle I faced was the challenge of reaching my ultimate swim time and THAT was what I lived for!

Now that I'm thirty-something and have everyday responsibilities like family, bills and work, I still love the sport I loved as as a child and teenager. I still have the competitive spirit and the need to race, but I have a new obstacle that is far more difficult to overcome as competitive sportsperson: How can I be satisfied with training as hard as I can and not achieving the same results as I did when I was ten and fifteen years younger? I'm not getting any faster.

Every athlete reaches the pinnacle of her sports career and must face the climb down the other side of the mountain. For some, it's an easy transition. But for others, it's a difficult time. I say it's all about the attitude. I'm on my way down from the top of the swim mountain, but I have to tell you something that you can only see from this vantage point: The view is spectacular!

A New Sport
As a one sport athlete, I missed out on a lot. I don't regret one minute of my swim career, but I was finding that it didn't keep my competitive spirit as nourished now as it did when I was younger. I wanted to swim and find that excitement again, but I thought there had to be a different way. Then it dawned on me: Triathlon. I had to consider the two other events before I decided if it would be a fit. Where I didn't kill myself walking from here to there on a daily basis, I knew I could probably run or jog without hurting myself or anybody near me. I also had fond memories of my father running behind my bike and letting me go. I still had a few scars, but I was pretty sure that the helmet rules would keep the most important parts safe in this day and age.

I started looking online and on magazine racks, and it was obvious that I wasn't the only thirty-something who saw the triathlon view from the other side of her mountain. There were millions of us! In fact, the majority of all triathletes were over thirty. So I devised a plan of attack and signed up for my first triathlon. It was amazing. I worked so hard at biking and running and experienced so many small successes during my practices that training became very enjoyable to me. Most importantly, I found that I didn't have to work so hard at swimming because I was already in the top quarter of my age group. In the end, I crossed the finish line of the first triathlon with such joy and such a pure sense of self-satisfaction, that I became hooked. The triathlon gave me the nourishment I needed to fill my competitive spirit and still swim.

One notable difference I have to mention between childhood and adult training routines is the amount of stretching and patience I must have with my body. As a child I could hop into the pool and train for three miles without any real concerns. Now, being a bit older and more prone to injury, I must stretch more before and after a workout. If I don't stretch, I find that I pull muscles more often and it takes a lot longer to recover. I also found that trying to conquer larger goals without slowly working towards them also leaves my body open to injury. Remembering these new rules keep me healthy and ready!

I have been competing in mini-triathlons for three years now and look forward to the next season as soon as the previous season is over. It gives me the inspiration to keep my body fit through those dark winter months and I get to share my thoughts through articles like these and websites like TriathaNewbie.com.

Coaching:
Part of that spectacular view I saw from the down side of my mountain was a coaching opportunity. I found a position at the Murphy Community Center and began working with children from the inner city who did not have the resources to commit to a top level swim club. I started out with ten average kids and practiced twice a week. I taught them each stroke and how to race. They tried their best and I decided that we needed a mascot for inspiration because we were getting killed at swim meets. So the Murphy Monster was born to inspire us and intimidate our rivals! I decided that a banner would unite this great group of kids and painted a picture of the Murphy Monster on the pool wall. My slogan was going to be: "The Murphy Monsters: We only scare ourselves". I figured that we should have a sense of humor about the fact that we weren't scaring anybody else.

Then it happened. During the third year of coaching, I found thirty kids trying to sign up for my team. They heard that their friends were enjoying themselves and wanted to try it out for themselves. Because I am only one coach, I was only able to take 25 of those kids onto the swim team But what we did was amazing! The kids I had for the two previous years turned a corner and started winning a majority of their races and the new kids were thirsting for swim knowledge. Some of the kids started coming to the pool during adult lap swims because they knew I would be there. I'd end early and give them one on one tips. I was completely taken back with the level of excitement and quest for knowledge from these kids. At the end of the season, we actually took home 25 trophies from the championship meet. We didn't even go to the meet at the end of the first year and I was so thankful that I didn't use the initial slogan on the banner!

My soul was so thrilled for these monsters and their drive that I realized that this was another outlet for my competitive spirit to thrive. I can give them my advice from years of experiences and success and they return the favor back to me threefold by listening and doing their best!

Your Mountain
We all reach our pinnacles in different sports at different times and see different views from the down side of our mountains. Some of us are lucky enough to have a few mountains in our lifetime. Whatever view you see, reach for it and enjoy the momentum. It will take you to places you never even dreamed you could reach!