Whether you were 6 or 26, eventually you had to learn to ride your bike without training wheels. It is always a monumental day of growing up in a young kid’s life—time of excitement, apprehension and a rite of passage. Training wheels have a multi-faceted purpose: balance, added security and they can help to grow leg strength. All of these things are what a young biker needs to succeed.
For a swimmer, “training wheels” are fins. They help to develop good balance, offer a sense of security and they can be used to build strength. Recently I heard some dreaded words from my swim coach, “Let’s take the fins off and see how you do.” I knew this day was coming and knew that if I want to be an Ironman, I need to get past this time of transition to no fins.
A lot of times when kids take their training wheels off, it is inevitable that they fall, get some scrapes and maybe some bruises. Well for me, it was a mouth and sinus full of water and the feeling that I was back at day 1 for my swimming. Eventually I started breathing air instead of water after making some adjustments to my alignment. What a relief! Jokingly my coach said, “Look, you can swim.” Ironman 70.3 triathlon, here I come! Well, it’s a good thing I still have 17 weeks to hone my skills and build endurance.
As you follow my training and trials, please consider joining me in the goal of feeding 685 kids with 2 meals a day for a year. It seems like a big number, but together we can do it. I leave you with this challenge from Mother Teresa, “If you can’t feed 100 people then just feed 1.” Do it today!
Simply click the button below and choose “#TRI2FEED Ironman Triathlon.”
Or, text your donation. Text the dollar amount you wish to give to 28950 and designate “ftnkids.” You’ll then be prompted to provide your credit card and contact information.
