During training for a sprint triathlon, I faced my biggest fear--open water swimming. The safety of indoor lap swimming did not prepare me for the darkness of the lake. This practice swim was a defining moment--a second triathlon was coming to replace the shame of last year's event. Memories of being kicked by nearby swimmers...the weeds, low visibility, gasping for air...yes, I finished, but it wasn't me. It was my past. I spent the next year in therapy with EMDR to work through a childhood boating accident. I finished my second sprint triathlon, proud of the work it took and of nature's lesson to keep growing.
During training for a sprint triathlon, I faced my biggest fear--open water swimming. The safety of indoor lap swimming did not prepare me for the darkness of the lake. This practice swim was a defining moment--a second triathlon was coming to replace the shame of last year's event. Memories of being kicked by nearby swimmers...the weeds, low visibility, gasping for air...yes, I finished, but it wasn't me. It was my past. I spent the next year in therapy with EMDR to work through a childhood boating accident. I finished my second sprint triathlon, proud of the work it took and of nature's lesson to keep growing.
Ooh, “the darkness of the lake”—I LOVE that.