When it comes to racing, Lindsay Selinger is use to speeding around a roller derby track and elbowing her opponent in the face to get ahead. After an injury sidelined her, Lindsay decided to trade in her skates for a bike and some swimming lessons in preparation for her first triathlon, the Rookie Tri. Post race, Lindsay is hooked, and is taking full advantage of our triathlon training program gearing up for the next big race. We sat down with Lindsay to find out more about her motivation behind getting into triathlons:
Q: Where are you from and how long have you lived in Austin?
A: I was born and raised in a small town just south of Amarillo, Tx. called Canyon. I moved to Austin from Dallas roughly 7 – 8 years ago.
Q: Your first race was the Rookie Tri here in Austin, what was your motivation for getting into triathlons and competing in this race?
A: I skated flat track roller derby off and on for 4-5 years. But after a gnarly fall that resulted in a broken hand that required surgery, I was skittish for a repeat and knew I needed to find another sport that had less contact. Washing your hair with one arm in a trash bag for seven weeks is not fun. I have been a long time runner so triathlons seemed like an easy fit. I just needed to learn how to swim and get a bike.
Q: You took our Freestyle Fundamentals class before the Rookie Tri, what was your swimming level/experience going into this class?
A: Can I say 0 or none? I never knew how to swim and over the years, people have tried to teach me and it never worked. I started lessons 2 x week with Nate about 2 weeks before Freestyle Fund. The one on one lessons were great for me to get used to getting over my anxiety of being in the water. But the Fund. classes were extremely helpful because I was able to see other people swimming and hear what they were focusing on and how they were correcting issues. Since I had no clue what I was doing, I was able to copy other people while I was swimming next to them.
Q: Aside from perfecting your swimming skills, what would you say helped prepare you the most for the Rookie Tri?
A: Honestly, I thought I was prepared mentally, but I was way off. I was great until I hit that water then it was sensory overload. After a 50m swim I freaked out. No shame in saying I was one of those people clutched to the side of a canoe. After a minute, I calmed down and I thought about what my coaches would say if they were out there with me. Coach Nate, “Focus on what you can control.” Coach Justin, “Keep your head down. Grip it and rip it.” Repeating those lines made the last 250m swim a lot easier.
Q: Sounds like you were able to re-focus, gain control, and use your training to push through…congratulations on finishing! So now that you’ve completed the Rookie Tri, what’s next?
A: I think the next race I’m doing is the Pflugerville Tri. My goal is to build up to a 70.3 Ironman next spring.
Q: Wow, that’s awesome! Now that you’ve got some experience under your belt, any advice for other newcomers?
A: Do what the coaches say and push through those workouts. Each practice makes your race a little easier.
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