DECATUR - There's a little extra motivation for Eric McCray to concentrate on the start of any triathlon, but especially events like Sunday's Rodney Miller Lakeside Triathlon.

Diving into the shallow end of a murky lake with choppy waves can make many hesitant.

Doing it in a tight space with a few dozen other people can be more reason to waver.

Running through with a single focus was not something McCray could see himself doing a handful of years ago.

"I have a deep-seeded and lifelong fear of the water," he admitted.

But McCray now is getting along just fine with help from his wife Syd, who taught him how to swim five years ago so they could do triathlons together.

Now they are doing six to eight triathlons per year, including the Lakeside Triathlon.

After a few days of recovery, they will be off for Ironman Switzerland in Zurich.

"I find if I just relax and concentrate, it will be fine and you'll get through it," he said.

Diane Grubb said she did not know how to swim until a couple of years ago. She had run a little but never got too far.

"I tried off and on, and it never stuck," she said.

But when she turned 50 years old, she decided triathlons were a much better alternative to getting old and sitting in a rocking char.

Now she's enjoying breaking down barriers.

"Motivation has to come from within," Grubb said. "Everybody has their own way to motivate themselves. Think about how much you have trained, how you know you can do it."

Here are some tips from those who have been through the Lakeside Triathlon on how to survive when the body screams, "What are we doing out here?"The Swim

The shortest of the disciplines, the first also can cause the most trepidation.

"A lot of triathletes do not have a swimming background, so that's where a lot of the anxiety comes," McCray said. "Just stay relaxed and concentrate on your form. If you do that, the traffic will thin out."

But he's not about to leave that to chance.

"I try to be intelligent where I position myself at the start of the swim," he said. "I try to move back a little bit, maybe to one side to have clear water so I can just swim."

And don't fight it. The start of the race could bring all sorts of things. Goggles slipping off. Being shoved underwater. An accidental elbow to the ribs.

"If you allow yourself to get caught up in the chaos, you will wear yourself out," McCray said. "I've made that mistake in the past. I was too anxious and too nervous and wore myself out in the first 100 yards."

The Bike

The cycling portion is a chance to recover from the swim and prepare for a 4.5-mile run. But getting there isn't easy.

"You get out of the water and it's like your balance is off, you feel kind of sluggish," Grubb said.

She will run to the transition area, stand on a towel, put on her cycling shoes, helmet, sunglasses and take off.

Then it's time for a controlled effort, McCray said.

"On the bike, it's not the time to bury yourself, nor is it time to rest," McCray said. "It is time for nutrition and to get hydrated. Many competitors have nutrition taped to their bike. If done correctly, pulling it away from the tape will also open the packaging to save effort and concentration for where it's really needed.

And make the nutrition something light.

"You burn a lot of calories," Kyle May said. "You want something to put in you that digests real fast. You don't want something where the blood goes to digest the food instead of running the machine."

The Run

This is another switch in which it takes time to adjust.

"For the first time all day, (your legs) now have to carry your entire body weight and utilize a different muscle pattern," McCray said. "They feel heavy at first."

He suggests taking shorter, quicker steps until you are ready to stride out.

"That way you don't feel like you're lumbering," McCray said.

Kevin Breheny runs as part of a relay team. He uses the minutes before the handoff to stretch out and get hydrated.

Then it's all about focus.

"I like to keep my mind occupied during my runnings," Breheny said. "I say a Rosary during the entire time I'm running so I'm not looking at how far I have to go."

Running is easy enough time to break down, especially coming off a 19-mile bike ride. Maintaining the drive isn't always easy.

"I used to run into that problem," Breheny said. "You start talking to yourself. `It's really hot, or the win is in my face.'

"You start talking negative to yourself."

"Getting to the turn is the hardest part of the race, so the more I can occupy my mind, the better. It really works, before you know it, you're at the turn. Instead of talking to myself, I'm talking to God. I'm just chatting away and once I make that turn, it's a great feeling."

And take advantage of the volunteers being there with more water.

"A little dehydration can really alter your performance." McCray said.

But if you have to slow down, don't worry about it.

"If you have to walk, that's OK, you just don't want to quit," Grubb said.

"It's absolutely OK, you see a lot of people walking.

Post-race

Then it's over. So what tips have been learned on how to recover from a couple of hours of pushing your body to its limits?

"The second you get done with the race, there is an incredible euphoric high that you want to sign up for another immediately," Grubb said. "After you feel so proud of yourself, you'll be fine."

Really?

"Last year, I just had a regular day afterwards," Grubb said. "You take a shower and feel fine."

malbright@herald-review.com|421-7909