Spence Smith

Ahhh…in the midst of family, work, travel, friends and training for triathlons-life at times can seem just a hair out of balance or slightly crazy. I’d like to think of it as slightly crazy. But whatever you call it, there is always a need for true balance in life and to make sure the things we do in life are for the right reasons.

Living a healthy life is very important to me, but it’s not just about physical health. It’s mental, spiritual and social. It’s a very holistic approach but when it’s all working right, the balanced life is sweet. But know this… I’m not always living a balanced life… why? Because life sometimes is Slight Crazy.(see first paragraph)

One of the guys I swim with is Richard Baker. Richard is an encourager, motivator and triathlon coach under the name of TriSwami. What you will read below is an article he wrote that has balance written all over it. This can really be applied to life in general…not just the physical side of being fit or healthy. I read it in an email update from our swim coach Ashley Whitney and it’s such a great reminder for me. I’m hoping you will be able to learn from it as well.

Being Fit vs. Being Healthy:
Recognizing when you have crossed the line.
Richard Baker, aka Triswami

There are a lot of you who have been asking me lately how I got into doing triathlons so I thought I would share with you the little process I went through.

In January of 2007 I came back from Africa with a little bit of a new perspective on life. Africa has that effect on people. When I came back I had decided I want to take my fitness level to another level. I wasn’t a great runner but I loved running, I wasn’t a swimmer but I loved to swim recreationally. I was on a swim team when I was a kid so I thought I would find a swim team to join. I had heard you could do that. What I found was a group of triathletes who swam together 2-3 times a week.

The group is called Excel Aquatics Triathletes.(Here is the new blog site for Excel Aquatics Triathletes)I joined just to see if I could get into swimming a little bit. Well I did…and I loved it. The next thing I knew I was signing up for my first triathlon. After I did the one tri. I was hooked. That was one year ago.

What happened after that was so much fun! Within the community of swimming triathletes, I started to get to know a few who were biking as well. And…within this group  I found out these crazy people were also training for Ironman events. WOW!

They key for me in all of this is the community around it. Whether your here in Nashville or else where. If this is something you want to do…find others to train with.

Most major cities have triathlon groups you can join and train with. Nashville has a great community of triathletes. We range from slow to fast so you will have no problem finding  your level somewhere in between.

Is it scary? No. Is it intimidating? Yes…but only at first. It’s kind of like geting in cold water for the first time, eventually your body adjusts and feels warm. You get comfortable with it and it feels normal.

Even though I’m not a fast runner, running for me is something I do mostly on my own except long runs. But hanging with these people will help you to feel confident that you can do it.

Please note this though…EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE struggles with the swim part. Thats why I train with a team. Everyone in our group now can swim long distances. The key is to finish, not finish first. Unless you really want to finish first…

So what do you need to start?

Swim: swim suit, for guys these are called Jammers. Googles, swim cap, fins, paddles and a buoy. When you go to a swim store, you should find all of these items and the person at the store will be able to help you pick out what you need.

Cycling: A decent road bike if you are a beginner. As a beginner you can modify the bike to add aero bars if you want them..If you are a cyclist already, it’s up to you, but a good tri bike would be the bomb. Bike shoes to clip in to your pedals, cycling shorts, jersey, and a bike helmet. Everything else is accessory…except a water bottle or two. You can spend as little as $1,000 and as much as $6,000 just on the bike. The bike is the most expensive part. There’s always something else to buy for your bike to help you go just a bit faster…it’s a little addicting.

Running: great, not good, but great running shoes and then whatever you want to run in. I like anything dry fit that wicks the moisture away. Good compression socks and a fine buy as well.

There are so many sites you can find online to give you a better idea of what goes on so make sure you google a bit.

I do believe this is my most important thing to tell you…Exercise with a purpose. Make it count and mean something to you so that you can own it as a part of your life. I believe most people fail at exercise because they have no goal or end result. Set a goal, not just a weight goal, but a fitness goal…i want to run a mile, then two, then 4…then a ahlf marathon…maybe a sprint triathlon…see what I mean?

When I got into running I first did it with Team In Training. It was a community of people doing the same thing with a coach, a schedule and a purpose for a good cause. It gave me a great foundation of what I wanted to achieve for my personal fitness.

Friends…if you want to do this, you can. Literally…one step at a time. If you want to talk about it all, just email me…I’ll have you running or in a pool in no time and loving it:)