Y to Tri
By KAREN AVRA

I had just finished my lifeguard training and was volunteering at the local Y when five guards from Indiana were talking about going to St. Pete and participating in a women's triathlon. On the spur of the moment I said I'm game and they handed me the brochure. It was Friday afternoon and I went home and registered online with Team Vector, a group that raises funds to fight cancer. I bought an airplane ticket, booked a motel, and rented a bike.
On Monday morning I went back to the Y and excitedly reported that was all set, only to find out that they had all decided not to go because there was not time enough to train. Wow. I thought for a moment, then decided that I'd go anyway. The body can do amazing things in two weeks if only you ask it to. I thought I had better set some realistic goals: (1) finish and get the participation medal and (2) don't be last!

So then there I was, standing beyond the finish line eating my banana with a medal around my neck and lots of well dones going around, reflecting on how much I didn't know about swimming in a race; I felt as if I was the only one out there attempting every stroke known to man simply to finish the swim. Luckily, in the goody bag I had received there was a flyer from Total Immersion and I wasted no time signing up for a weekend workshop in Ann Arbor.

The workshop was a total class act from the moment it started – very informative, with lots of support and encouragement to each of us regardless of ability level. The group was certainly a mixed bag; from basic beginners like myself who had never had any formal swim lessons to competitive triathletes like a woman who had just finished her first Kona (I thought: what is a Kona? Must be something big as everyone was nodding and giving her much respect!). Once we got in the pool and began watching the video of our strokes, we all became equals. The weekend flew (or was it swam?) by and I found my core balance, learned to extend my strokes, relax and breathe along with everyone else. Working with the TI instructors was like training with Navy SEALS: everything was clockwork! We drilled on our weaknesses until they became strengths. During breaks the coaches shared lots of reading material with us, even items to help with other legs of triathlon like “ChiRunning” which was an excellent book – I actually called the author, Danny Dreyer, and he gave me some additional tips. TI was the answer that I had been looking for and I never looked back.

I went on to do one more triathlon that year. The next year I signed up for the entire Reebok Women’s Triathlon circuit raising money for Ovarian Cancer and was the first woman to ever do the whole series. I also added a Danskin triathlon that year. The following year I was ranked third in the nation in raising funds for Danskin for breast cancer research and made and donated blankets for survivors; so who says one person can't make a difference! The next year I did Reebok and Danskin triathlons again as well as entering and finishing my first x-terra triathlon in the Florida everglades and came in second in my division.

I have been racing each year since, with seven being the most in a year, competing in places as diverse as Florida, Illinois, Washington, California and Michigan, my home state. I have always had this theory that if I wait until I think I am ready to accomplish something, I might never actually do it. I live by the motto that "I can do anything that I set my mind to" and have found that my body always agrees to go along with my mind! This year when I race I will have to enter in the 60 and over category – how time flies when you're having fun! I am absolutely sure that I would not have achieved all these goals and raced all these years without the training and support that I received during that TI weekend workshop back when my journey began. I have spent money and time on many self-help and fitness programs, but Total Immersion is one of the few of which I can say I was and still am totally satisfied.


Karen Avra resides in Coldwater, Michigan but has homes in the Alaskan Bush and the Florida Keys. She received her pilot's license at the age of 39 and loves to fly. Her other interests include hunting (archery and firearms), kayaking, swimming, biking, running, softball and just about anything that takes place in the outdoors. Karen is deeply devoted to her family, friends and country.