General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story. Rss Feed  
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2011-09-01 12:51 PM

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Elite
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Subject: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

Another thread reminded me of this, and it made me smile.

A buddy of mine and I were doing a triathlon on the west coast. My friend had some difficulty in the swim. The surf and current were pretty big, the water was cold and there was a big, gray storm brewing. It was real world.

They grabbed on to one of the life boats- an inflatable Zodiac style boat- for a brief rest during the swim and to try to moderate seasickness from the rolling waves. One of the volunteers in the inflatable boat said, without even looking down at the athlete:

"You know, it's only going to get harder. You're not cut out for this. You should just quit now. Get in the boat, I'll row you in. You have a long way to go- you're too weak to finish. You won't make it. This event obviously isn't for you. Quit now and save yourself some trouble."

My friend was aghast at the volunteer. Why the heck would a race volunteer ever say such a thing to a competitor? Horrible! No encouragement whatsoever and actually discouraging an athlete from finishing! Unimaginable! Awful.

After the race my friend told me about this. I just laughed. The race was at the U.S. Navy Special Warfare Center in Coronado, California. They guy in the boat- the volunteer- was an instructor at the Navy's grueling Basic Underwater Demolition School- a school where that type of "motivation" is normal.

Encouragement comes in all forms...



2011-09-01 12:56 PM
in reply to: #3669261

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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
Good story. Sometimes the people who yell "you are doing great!" bother me just as much.
2011-09-01 1:00 PM
in reply to: #3669261

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
i hate positive reinforcement.  no sarcasm fyi.
2011-09-01 1:05 PM
in reply to: #3669277

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

I hate it when people are yelling, "Hey! almost there! You look great!" When there are 12 miles to go and I am covered in my own pee.

I'd rather hear some guy say, "Son, you better pick it up or you'll be going backwards. Aww... did you pee your pants? Haven't you learned how to use the bathroom? We won't change your diapers at this race son. You better move if you don't want to do this all over again next year!"

Or- they could just be quiet and let me suffer in my own humiliation....

2011-09-01 1:06 PM
in reply to: #3669277

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

By the way medamullet- that is the absolute baddest profile photo I have ever seen on a forum. Ever. And I am 100% serious.

five stars.

2011-09-01 1:12 PM
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Pro
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

great story.

I still use one of the lines I got from my Company Commander (Navy Drill Instructor) in boot camp.  He was screaming and yelling at this kid for screwing something up and the guy started to cry.  He stopped yelling and became apologetic saying he was sorry for making him cry and that it made him feel bad that him yelling would make him cry.  The kids eyes lit up and just as he looked up to stop crying the company commander screamed out at the top of his lungs.  "I'm over it" and started ripping into him like nothing else.  I'm sure you had to be there, but dam was it funny.



2011-09-01 1:15 PM
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Elite
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
That is funny. It's weird how your sense of humor recalibrates.
2011-09-01 2:31 PM
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Champion
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
When I see some one start walking during an event, I tell them "Don't let the course take you! Take the course!" It seems to get very positive reactions...
2011-09-01 2:35 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

Having watched that BUDS documentary several times on the military channel/discovery, I love this story.  It's exactly what I would expect from volunteers on that course (must be superfrog).

Would they make you ring the bell and leave your swim cap in a line on the ground if you DNF? 

2011-09-01 3:45 PM
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Melon Presser
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

I'd probably reach up into the boat and punch the guy, then proceed to bang out my fastest swim ever

I do very very well on "you can't do this" type motivation, even when it's actually MEANT to discourage me

Also, I am extremely fond of men in uniform, so to speak.

P.S. Thanks for the encouragement on IM Melbourne, Tom ... sure you wouldn't rather tell me I'm a pizzant pansy and I don't have the HTFU to do it?



Edited by TriAya 2011-09-01 3:49 PM
2011-09-01 3:57 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

Having been to BUD/s not once but TWICE I get that type of motivation... I typically use that type of motivation with my training partners and coincidentally it could be why people won't train with me :^)~

 

Sometimes it is just going to suck until it doesn't so move your !

 

Great story BTW...



2011-09-01 4:04 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
Tom Demerly. - 2011-09-01 1:51 PM

"You know, it's only going to get harder. You're not cut out for this. You should just quit now. Get in the boat, I'll row you in. You have a long way to go- you're too weak to finish. You won't make it. This event obviously isn't for you. Quit now and save yourself some trouble."

Sounds like the voice in my head that I cuss out aloud.

2011-09-01 5:23 PM
in reply to: #3669490

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Master
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
ChrisM - 2011-09-01 12:35 PM

Having watched that BUDS documentary several times on the military channel/discovery, I love this story.  It's exactly what I would expect from volunteers on that course (must be superfrog).

Would they make you ring the bell and leave your swim cap in a line on the ground if you DNF? 

I love this!

2011-09-01 5:41 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
tuwood - 2011-09-01 12:12 PM

great story.

I still use one of the lines I got from my Company Commander (Navy Drill Instructor) in boot camp.  He was screaming and yelling at this kid for screwing something up and the guy started to cry.  He stopped yelling and became apologetic saying he was sorry for making him cry and that it made him feel bad that him yelling would make him cry.  The kids eyes lit up and just as he looked up to stop crying the company commander screamed out at the top of his lungs.  "I'm over it" and started ripping into him like nothing else.  I'm sure you had to be there, but dam was it funny.



That's a good one.

The hardest part of basic training for me was not laughing at stuff like this...
2011-09-01 5:44 PM
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Elite
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
I cried twice in basic. Well, maybe four times....CryCryCryCry
2011-09-01 6:32 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

I find what the BUDS instructor was yelling to be much more motivating than the "You can do it!" type stuff you always hear.  Guess it comes down to what type of personality you have.



2011-09-01 7:59 PM
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Champion
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
funny story.
2011-09-01 8:05 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
RockTractor - 2011-09-01 4:41 PM
tuwood - 2011-09-01 12:12 PM

great story.

I still use one of the lines I got from my Company Commander (Navy Drill Instructor) in boot camp.  He was screaming and yelling at this kid for screwing something up and the guy started to cry.  He stopped yelling and became apologetic saying he was sorry for making him cry and that it made him feel bad that him yelling would make him cry.  The kids eyes lit up and just as he looked up to stop crying the company commander screamed out at the top of his lungs.  "I'm over it" and started ripping into him like nothing else.  I'm sure you had to be there, but dam was it funny.

That's a good one. The hardest part of basic training for me was not laughing at stuff like this...

 

Knowing you, Jay, I'd bet you did your fair share of pushups for laughing

2011-09-01 8:19 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
Great story!!
2011-09-01 8:25 PM
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Champion
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

Very nice story. That's exactly how I motivate myself when I need motivation -- self-flagellation.

And I agree that some of the well-meaning comments are hard to take.  A recent one for me was in an extremely hilly (as in, mountainous) 5K.  I was absolutely suffering at the end like I had not for a while, climbing the last hill, and a volunteer said "You're done!"  Well, no, I wasn't and I'm sorry but despite the good intentions, it didn't go over well with me in the moment.

2011-09-01 8:42 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
In 1993 I participated in an event in Nijmegen, Netherlands that covers 100 miles in military uniform carrying at least 10 kilos called a 4 Days March. Each day you would have to complete a course of 25 miles over the 4 days. We had one Soldier on our team that was having a lot of difficulty on the last day. At the last check in/break area about 5 miles from the end of the event I used this same type of movitivation to get him across the liine. I kept telling him to just quit, we will come back and pick you up when we finish, it's just a small medal and a piece of paper so no big deal, I will let you hold mine, if you have a camera you could even take a picture of it and just put that up on your wall, those small blisters are just going to get bigger and no need for that, that sort for stuff. The guy got mad and finished it up.


2011-09-01 9:19 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.

Think I should have been in  the military! With Yanti--I would have yelled the F word more than once, puked on top of him, then proceeded to PR.  Most of my best races involve someone not believing I can do it or telling me during some difficult part of the race to take it easy/drop out, me cussing them out, and going on so MAD that I end up doing very well. The one coach I had that I really worked well with (when I ran the Olympic Trials) had me all figured out--workouts were like basic training. I actually thought all that barking at me ("Up! Up! Up! Watcher problem?  Least you're not runnin' thru some g.... swamp with f....VC shootin' at you!!!") and other athletes was really funny and motivating. The touchy feely stuff just makes me lazy. Not surprising, he was an ex-military guy! To this day, when I'm really working hard on the bike, I often mutter "Up! Up! Up!" to myself. (It was his mantra when we ran sand dunes, which is what hard biking feels like to me.)

Then there's my friend's husband. He yells the most amazing stuff.  My buddy was taking forever to finish an Oly run on "rapture" day last spring, and he yells, "You're gonna get sucked up all sweaty and gross in the **** giant vacuum cleaner of Heaven if you don't get the lead out!" Think he caused at least fifty people to lose it in the last 5K of the run. 



Edited by Hot Runner 2011-09-01 9:30 PM
2011-09-01 11:08 PM
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Subject: RE: Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story.
Tom Demerly. - 2011-09-01 12:06 PM

By the way medamullet- that is the absolute baddest profile photo I have ever seen on a forum. Ever. And I am 100% serious.

five stars.



If you truely are serious Thank YOU That's my before in October and after 3 months later. I wrestled in college and was getting to the point of hating to see myself in the mirror. It was April this year I did my first sprint tri with zero cardio and loved it. Now I can't stop my cardio work. The only problem is I can't eat enough food to sustain my body I have lost 3/4" in my arms. I guess on the bright side my wetsuit won't fit so tight in my chest.
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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Reminded: Quick Funny Race Swim Story. Rss Feed