My Goal to Become a Triathlete

Many people 2)reiterate the importance of a “life goals” checklist—a list of things that you hope to do， by a certain time or year， in your lifetime. Last summer I accomplished a huge life goal of mine: I completed an Olympic 3)Triathlon. It may seem like a regular goal to some， and it may pass off the 4)radar screen for many. My family and friends know me as an athlete—so why is one triathlon such a goal for me?

When I graduated from college， one of my life goals was to do a triathlon in my post-college years. Instead， I 5)got wrapped up in the 6)hectic late-night schedule of 7)graduate architecture school and made a mess of my work-life balance while trying to learn how to design. Three years went by， and it seemed I would never really be an athlete in the way I was in college. It was physically and mentally depressing—the lack of 8)endorphins， the lack of 9)adrenaline， of competition. I missed it.

In 2008， I finished my Master’s program and， re-energized， I moved to San Francisco and quickly signed up to do a triathlon relay with friends on the SF Tri Club. The swim 10)leg was amazing， but I still couldn’t run or bike—and I didn’t own a bike to ride. I spent 2008-2009 training for a half marathon—running 5K’s and training in the foggy cold morning hours and trying to figure out how to make my legs move faster than an 11-minutemile pace. I didn’t really know what I was doing， but I had my sights set on one big goal: the July 26， 2009 SF half marathon—my first half marathon. I wanted to focus on running training， and work my way up to a triathlon for the end of the summer 2009. I 11)splurged and I bought my first road bike—a Fuji Roubaix Pro. The rest of my pennies went to a bike pump. Biking shoes would come later. Three weeks until the half marathon!

On July 4， 2009， I stopped by the doctor’s office to figure out a problem with 12)tingling and 13)numbness in my right arm. I walked into the facility with my work clothes on and only my wallet and keys in my pocket—expecting to leave a few hours later. Instead， I was transferred to the ER and later the ICU for 5 days to undergo an extensive set of tests that revealed a 3-inch blood 14)clot inside my chest (blocking blood flow to the upper right 15)extremities in my body)， and it required immediate action. I was 16)hooked up to a drip line of 17)TPA to “melt” the clot and monitored on an hourly basis for vital signs and breathing.

Ironically， I had a rare condition in which my rib and 18)collarbone were too close—nearly touching—pinching the vein and nerves in my 19)thoracic outlet and creating a blood “traffic jam” in my body. After removing the clot， the hospital cleared the 20)cardiovascular operating room for the whole day to remove my first rib and examine the extent of 21)vascular surgery required. Thankfully， they did not have to cut through my breastbone and open my chest 22)cavity—I was under 23)anesthesia for only 3 hours and left the hospital with a 6-week no-arm movement 24)prognosis (and no yelling/talking/coughing/sneezing or moving my chest， either).

My 2009 Fall season was filled with yoga， gentle runs， and working my way back into swimming—300， 500， and 800 yards at a time. In January I did a 1500-yard swim that didn’t hurt my shoulder or neck—because in the process of removing a rib， the doctors also cut out some of the upper chest muscles that hold your ribs in place—making it really painful to reach， stretch， or put any weight or pressure on my entire upper body post-surgery. Sneezing， talking， coughing， and laughing were 25)excruciating. Fortunately， the recovery time went quickly and by March， I swam 3000 yards. I got out my bike and started going on short 5- and 6-mile rides. I started riding to work (8 miles each way) and felt my legs getting stronger.

In late March， 2010， I renewed my tired inspirations to actually DO a triathlon (now a goal over 5 years in the making) and signed up for SF Tri Club’s track practice and Wildflower Training Weekend. At the training weekend， I did my first 25 mile bike ride(which left me panting， sweaty and shaking all over). The swim was excellent， but the run 26)subpar (I ended up walking the last 4 miles of it).

And then， the summer of 2010. This summer was absolutely inspiring. I ran my first 9 mile race and coastal trail runs and began to fall in love with running， especially through wooded， dense， forested areas. I went on a 57-mile bike ride and 27)waddled for days， but still came out grinning. I went to track practice enough times to make some new friends in the city， and swam with 28)USF Masters many more times. I tried out my new tri-fit and 29)wet suit in Aquatic Park and got shiny new 30)clip-in pedals. Each day I get to run， race， swim， or compete makes me incredibly happy.

On a sunny， clear-skied early morning， I drove down to San Jose to do the Silicon Valley International Triathlon and complete my first triathlon. I was incredibly nervous and really excited. It was my first time doing transitions， my first time in the tri-fit in a race， and my first time racing with clip-in pedals. I took it out smooth and long on the swim; 31)negative-split the bike trying to keep a little energy in my legs， and ran the entire run course without walking. In the end， I was hot， sticky， sweaty， and unbelievably happy. I did it: 2 hours and 55 minutes of pure glory. I came out fast in the swim and was passed continuously on the bike and held on at the end of the run. I made it.

I AM now a triathlete.

我的三項全能之路

許多人都在反復強調列出一個“人生目標”清單的重要性——一張列舉了你在一生之中某段時間或某一年所希望做的事情的清單。去年夏天，我實現了一個極大的人生目標：我完成了一次奧林匹克三項全能比賽。對于有些人來說，它看上去也許只不過是一個正常的目標，也許根本不會被列入許多人的考慮范圍之內。我的親朋好友都知道我是個運動員，那么為什么一次三項全能比賽會成為我的一大目標呢？

大學畢業之后，我其中一個人生目標就是在大學畢業后的那幾年里完成一次三項全能比賽。然而，我因挑燈夜戰攻讀建筑研究院而忙得不可開交，在努力學習如何設計的同時，工作和生活的平衡也被弄得一團糟。三年過去了，我似乎永遠都不可能真的成為像大學時那樣的運動員。我身心都倍感沮喪——缺乏內啡肽、缺乏腎上腺素、缺乏競賽。我懷念這一切。

2008年，我完成了碩士課程，重整旗鼓，遷往舊金山，并且很快和舊金山三全俱樂部的朋友一起報名參加了三項全能接力賽。游泳賽段棒極了，但我還是沒能跑步或騎自行車——而且我也沒有自行車可騎。整個2008到2009年，我都花在半馬拉松訓練上——跑上5000米并在大霧的寒冷清晨時分訓練，努力尋找方法，讓我的雙腿速度快于每英里11分鐘。實際上我并不知道自己在干什么，但我的目光聚焦于一個大目標上：2009年7月26日舊金山半馬拉松比賽——我的第一場半馬拉松比賽。我想將注意力集中于跑步訓練上，并在2009年夏末完成一次三項全能運動。……