There was a song that was popular the year I graduated high school. I'm not sure who it was by, but I think it was called "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen." Basically it was just a guy with a "could- be-your-dad" voice talking to the beat and giving advice like "respect your elders" and "remember to wear sunscreen." One of the pearls that he dispels is: Do one thing, everyday, that scares you. I never whole-heartedly grasped or embraced this idea . . . until I started my triathlon training. I have been under the impression for far too long that you are supposed to do what you're good at. Go for the guaranteed "A" instead of risking failure by trying something new and challenging. In a time and society of specialization, I think we are rarely encouraged to step outside ourselves. We are surely never encouraged to fail. So we keep in that safe zone and as Teddy Roosevelt said, we become "timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
In my training I have met individuals who are paralyzed by the fear of failure. They ride with one toe unclipped, fearful of falling in a "quick-bail" emergency. They won't alternate their breathing in the pool, fearful they'll inhale water. They won't push their body to its capacity, fearful of the pain. They see these scenarios as opportunities to fail.
But what if, like the song advises, we did one thing everyday, that scares us? Would we ever fail? Certainly! We would scrape our knees, choke on pool water, and puke on the side of the track. But imagine how much better and further along we would be, having embraced those challenges without giving thought to their outcomes!
When people ask me how my training is going I tell them that it has reminded me what it's like to be a student. It has re-taught me how to learn. Each time you conquer a skill, a door is opened on yet another even greater challenge. I learned how to swim in a pool, then force myself into open water. I teach myself how to change a flat in my garage and the next time find myself on the side of the road, miles from home, daylight fading. I finally get comfortable with my shoe and pedal system then buy a new bike with new parts and nearly run into a telephone pole when I can't unclip and panic. The outcome of all these situations? Success? Failure? It doesn't even matter and it's all subjective anyway. Will you always do things right or well on your first attempt? No. But as athletes, what we can't allow ourselves to forget is this: failure is not final. It is only the opportunity to begin again more wisely. And isn't that actually one step closer to success?
I coach a girls high school rowing team and one of my biggest challenges is creating an environment where the rowers are not afraid to push themselves to the point of failure. As athletes, we have to learn to be comfortable, walking that daunting line of pushing too hard and not pushing hard enough. When you have made the trip to that line, when you are ALREADY there, what is the difference in the outcome of your effort? If you had not made the trip, if you had not even tried the thing that scared you, THAT would be the failure.
And so, " . . . if I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest on my advice has no basis more reliable that my own meandering experience . . ."
