The pep talk every triathlete needs with no races in sight.

By: Taryn Spates

Amid recent deep dives into social media, I have scrolled through some hilarious Quarantine house memes. The first few just made me laugh, but the more variations I saw, the more I searched deeper about who I typically choose to spend time with outside of a worldwide pandemic. Late last week I sat down and drew five houses I felt best described every facet of my personality and let my instincts lead the hunt for my ideal Quarantine house. 

Initially, I was pulled toward House #3. I could see myself splitting the weekly almond milk bill with the frustrated mountain biker, but I am not a fan of light roast drip coffee, or knobby tire tracks on the carpet, (no outdoor riding), so that might not be the right fit. Next, I figured I could hunker down in House #2, because I am stretching many more minutes than usual without a pool commute, and I have taken one Yoga class in forty years, but I am allergic to cats, so that’s out. Maybe House #1 is it? There is not much I enjoy more than hill repeats with a 25lb. weight vest, and rooting for Icelandic women during the Crossfit Games every summer, yet even though our debates between Whey and Pea protein would provide lively banter (I’m Vegan), they may grow tiresome for Lolo, and I try not to make a habit of annoying Olympians. Plus, I don’t know how to deadlift, so House #1 is out, too. I suppose the real estate winner must be House #4, because I love multiple daily bike workouts and rapping, but I can’t survive a week, let alone months without Vanderpump Rules, so those four walls don’t feel right either. 

Oh, wait, how could I miss House #5? I am a Triathlete! It’s my Goldilocks! Why didn’t my gut steer me toward that address first? I can see the tall pile of running shoes next to the front door from the street. It’s perfect! However, before I step inside with my bike rolling beside me, and start pulling large rubber bands around poles and grunting like everyone else, I want to call a house meeting for us to vent about the days before COVID seeped into our lives like invisible tar, accept where we are today, and brainstorm on how to stay true to our driven and passionate nature for the foreseeable future.

“Hi everyone! Hey, Daniela, it’s great to see you! My name is Taryn, and this is my bike, Simone. First off, thank you for inviting me into your home, I have a feeling we have a lot in common. Before I settle into the top bunk on the second floor, I want to let you all know that I agree that our 2020 season has been ruffled, but I also believe this Quarantine can actually help us.” 

Stay with me.

I race to compete alongside like-minded people and to be a part of a shared experience. A shared goal is a cherished goal. It’s also a wonderful feeling to have friends, family and complete strangers yell their head’s off for us during races, but we can’t forget, especially now, that we are our own biggest cheerleaders. 

We move our legs from our heart. 

It’s natural to feel frustrated, but also liberated. 

We can take a beat to breathe, look around, give ourselves a gut check, then lace back up and keep going. That is what we do. There is no barrier tall enough or wide enough to keep triathletes from trying to be great at THREE different sports. We’re crazy in “normal” times, so let’s embrace our crazy in “crazy” times. Let’s take advantage of this deep pocket of practice to help us when the pressure of performance is knocking at our door again. Personally, I have never performed to my potential when training for short-sighted races, I need a solid year or two to really find my stride, and execute how I want to on race day. 

For example, I raced Ironman Arizona in 2017, placed second in my age group, qualified for Kona, and PR’d by nearly an hour, it was a fantastic day. However, I started preparing for that race in July 2016, the day after racing Ironman Lake Placid, my tenth Ironman. 

I had self-coached myself adequately the previous six months to show up at Mirror Lake on race morning able to survive and hopefully enjoy the day. And I did. Sort of. I picked up my pace for the last two miles of the marathon, thrilled, yet devastated that I had more in me so close to the end. I crossed the finish line happy, but unsatisfied. 

Later that night I realized I needed time, focus, and guidance to achieve what I wanted to in triathlon. 

CUT TO: Tempe, AZ, November, 2017.

I raced well, but I didn’t surprise myself, because I had been preparing every day for the previous sixteen months with this goal in my sights, to be better than I ever was. I believed if I honed in on that focus from sun-up to sun down, I would trim down my time, because I completed every workout I was assigned by my coach, streamlined my diet, and showed up to Tempe Town Lake on race morning ready to go. Naturally, it helped to have my family, coach, and teammates cheering for me on the course all day, but in the quiet moments when no one was watching, I cheered for myself. 

I believed I could be better, but it took days, weeks, and months, stacked upon days, weeks and months to get ready, and then BE ready to GO once the cannon went off.

So, before we social distance any fartlek workouts together, let’s pick our heads up and agree that, yes, the races we signed up for in 2020 may all be awash, but every day until the next race, whenever that may be, matters. Let’s stay focused, stay hungry, and stay true to our crazy roots, House #5, because we’ll have black ink on our arms, and be stripping off our wetsuits together again before we know it. 

In the meantime, let’s get ready to get ready!”

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