“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.” Judy Blume On Sunday, May 5 th , I will be returning to Lake Monticello (Charlottesville) to participate in the Monticelloman Olympic triathlon. The first time I attempted to compete in this race, things did not go well. I DNF’d. I didn’t make it past the 1500 meter open water swim portion of the race. I lost valuable time from panicking in the water and did not make the 50 minute time cut-off. I was pulled out of the water and brought to shore. I was embarrassed, angry and inconsolable. Over the next couple of days after the race, I considered quitting triathlon. I honestly thought I was not good enough to be a triathlete. I didn’t want to face my husband, coaches, especially my swim coach, teammates and tri friends. I felt I had let every