Triathlon dream dashed

Triathlon dream dashed
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly five months since I declared my desire to enter a triathlon, despite only learning to swim and bike as an adult.
Well, I now have a great excuse for putting that dream on hold. I gave myself a tailbone injury one recent weekend. Oh, it wasn’t deliberate, nor was it heroically earned. I just landed ungraciously on my derriere as I tumbled off a ski lift during a snowboarding lesson.
As far as injuries go, this one has been a real pain in the you-know-what. I can barely walk fast without wincing. Forget running. Forget swimming. Really forget biking.
I suppose I should now be saying how devastated I am that this happened, and that it has dashed my triathlon dream. The truth, however, is that I never really got on the triathlon bandwagon like I had hoped I would.
Of course, when I posted that initial article, I revelled in all the support I got. I was elated by the kind responses I got on Facebook, and I teared up as one of my favorite fitness instructors brought me to the front of her class to applaud my efforts. I even snagged a thumbs-up from a world record-holding cyclist!
And while I biked around my neighborhood, went to swimming classes and ran on the treadmill, I never pushed myself anywhere close to the distance or difficulty level I would need for the most basic triathlon. I did it half-heartedly, with the trepidation of having to do two activities that were embarrassingly absent during my childhood.
It’s funny, though, how having something taken away from you makes you want it more.
The first thing I thought of when I got my x-ray results was my kids. I’m a mom after all. The second thing, though, was this triathalon. How I’d been training for it lightly, with fear. How I’d been riding the wave of good sentiments more than actually working on my swimming and cycling form. How I had been so hung up on emotional factors that had slowed me down. And how, after I recover, I have to approach it again.
I guess, when it came to my triathlon goal, what I really needed was a kick in the you-know-what.
Neera Siva is a health enthusiast, mom, patent attorney and writer, in no particular order. She and her family live in Santa Clara County. Check out her website at healthierbites.com, or follow her on twitter @neera_avis.