Every triathlete knows that transition is the area through which every athlete must pass in order to continue to the next phase of a race. But many underestimate its importance. Being ill-prepared in transition--the omission of one necessary item, the failure to grab that extra GU before the run--can impact a triathlete's entire race. It's amazing to me that one small, short section of an otherwise drawn-out test of endurance can play such a vital role in overall outcome and performance. As I sit here watching the rain slowly fill my low-lying driveway, it occurs to me that triathlon--and transition--is not so different from life itself. There are certainly many stages in life, but sometimes the most important and overlooked times are those in which we are "in-between". How we deal with the transitional periods in life affects our ability to deal with whatever comes next. I realize right now that I'm in transition between a whirlwhind spring semester and what I'm hoping will be an equally exciting fall semester of racing. But there's one problem. Namely, the boot that has been occupying my left foot for two weeks. It's so easy to get caught up in the crushing tide of frustration and anger that so often surrounds injury. I know this. After all, this isn't my first time wearing the ugly surgical shoe of shame. However, it's a little easier to deal with when instead of thinking of injury as a game-ender, I think of it as merely a "transitional" period. How I cope with this problem will definitely affect all of the training that follows it. The time off will make me hungrier, the understanding of the injury will make me smarter, and the mental vexation will make me tougher. No athlete emerges the same after being hurt, or rather, after being "in transition." Why would we want to? The athlete who never adapts is doomed to make the same mistakes.
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