I love triathlons.  And yet, my first attempt at triathlon was simply terrible.  A friend asked me to do a triathlon with her, and despite being completely unprepared, I agreed. 

During the start of the race, I jumped into the water enthusiastically.  I did not realize the swimmers in front of me would kick hard to get a fast start, and unfortunately, one of those kicking feet connected with my face.  I felt a hard smack, swallowed some water, began to choke, and started panicking.  Thankfully, I was able to flip onto my back, and I finished the swim by backstroking the entire way.

From that day, I developed an intense fear of water.  I loved triathlons and tried to overcome my fear of water, but simply could not.  My fear progressed to the point that I became afraid to swim in shallow pools only 4 feet deep!

For nearly eight years, I alternated between avoiding triathlons and backstroking the swim portion of any races I had the courage to enter.  In early December 2007, I decided I needed to overcome my fear of water, and I wanted to celebrate in a big way.  So, I bravely (foolishly?) signed up for the lottery of the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon (which begins by jumping off a ferry into the San Francisco Bay for a 1.5 mile swim back to shore).  I figured if my name was selected in the lottery (about 1,800 people selected from over 12,000 applicants), that was a sure sign that I had to learn to swim.

On December 15, 2007 at 5:21pm (MST), I received the following email:

“You are one of the lucky triathletes that have been selected as a winner the December 15, 2007 random drawing for a slot in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon to be held in San Francisco on June 8, 2008. You have until December 31, 2007 at 11:59 pm to register for the race and pay your registration fee.”

As you can see, those smart race organizers gave the lottery winners a two-week period to sign up before your spot was given away to someone else.  I proceeded to panic for the next 5 minutes, then I took a deep breath and registered myself.  The email confirming my registration arrived at 5:29pm (MST).

The following week, I signed myself up for a membership at the local pool.

My first attempts to swim were comical.  Because I was so afraid to put my face in water, I would stand at the shallow end of the pool, spend 5 to 10 minutes getting my courage up, then would swim furiously across 25 meters to the deep end.  There, I would cling to the side of the pool while I caught my breath and talked myself into swimming back.  For the first few months, I was only able to swim 200m, or about 4 laps total.  (I already admitted this was comical, so feel free to laugh.)

Thankfully, the local teenagers serving as lifeguards pitied me and gave me some pointers.  After a few months of coaching from kids half my age, I was able to swim continuously for a few minutes.  Those few minutes grew to five minutes, which grew to 8, then 10, then 12, and on.

Five months later, in May 2008, a gravel pond at Chatfield State Park in Colorado opened for the summer swimming season.  I practiced open water swimming at Chatfield, and I could not have been more proud of myself when I swam freestyle continuously across the entire pond and back (1800m total).

On the morning of June 8, 2008, I stood on a dock at the San Francisco Bay.  I then boarded a ferry that took me and 1,799 triathletes to a spot on the water near Alcatraz.   When the announcer told the triathletes to get ready to jump into the bay, the other 1,799 triathletes crowded near the exit doors.  I hung at the back of the pack (I actually learned my lesson about those kicking feet!).

Suddenly, a very loud horn blew and the doors flew open.  Triathletes pushed towards the exit doors, ran towards open spots in the safety railings, and jumped off the boat.   Within a few minutes, almost everyone was gone, and I found myself near the exit doors.  All too quickly, there was no one in front of me except the volunteers.  (I had been warned these seemingly friendly people would push you off the boat if you didn’t jump voluntarily.)  I hurried to the edge of the boat, looked at the water, looked at the volunteer on my left, and said, “I need one more minute!”  Then I ran over to the opening to my left, put my hand over my goggles to hold them in place, and…JUMPED!

Have you ever jumped off a ferry near Alcatraz into the San Francisco Bay?  The water is cold.  The waves are big.  The tides are fast.  And, it is…amazing.  The cold water, the waves, the tides, and the morning light all contributed to a simply magical experience.  During my swim, I also enjoyed the lovely smell of gasoline fumes (for some reason, the safety boats all seemed to be following me personally). 

As you may guess, I lived to tell the tale of conquering my fear of water.  And, I am happy to report that I won a second lottery spot in 2009 and returned to complete that swim again (though sadly, I didn’t finish the run due to a skiing injury that left my right leg impaired).  I am even happier to report that in 2010, I went one step further and gave up my wetsuit.  I wanted to swim without my water security blanket, and I am proud to say that I completed three triathlons (sprint, Olympic, and 70.3), sans wetsuit.

And yet, that is not the best part of this story.  The best part of this story is how others were inspired to action.  When I declared I would overcome my fear of water, a friend of mine (who thought it impossible to do any kind of athletics) made a commitment to complete her first triathlon.  When she finished her first race, she inspired three of her friends to complete their first triathlon.  I was at the finish line and saw one of those friends begin crying when she realized she would finish the race.  These three ladies, in turn, have inspired others to action. 

I have seen that inspiration is contagious.  I want to continue to inspire others to action.  cover my bum is bringing that goal to life. 

Seth, you have already helped me tremendously through your books, and I thank you for it.  Now, I request that you invite me to New York for your 3-day event.  I want to contribute to others at the event, to receive contribution, and to propel the inspiration-to-action movement forward.

Best always, 

Alma