Bombaleria

If any of you readers are LA Tri Club members, than there is a high probability that you know, or at the very least have heard of, Tim Bomba. Tim Bomba is one of the main faces of LA Tri, and certainly one of the most prominent voices of the group. He was the first person I met in the triathlon world, and was about the best first impression one could get - basically, our relationship began with his mocking me mercilessly about my asking about the legitimacy of a "jewel-toned purple swimcap" when it came to the brightness requirement for an ocean swim. Tim runs the fabulous Oceans 101, which is also known as "The Idiots Guide to Not Dying in the Pacific Ocean, or If You Insist on Dying, How to Die In Style." He patiently teaches novices about wave patterns, diving beneath the waves, and (in my case) how to handle a panic attack when you are...oh...50 meters from the shore (and yes, I was THAT girl.) He is (though I write this grudgingly, for the mockery that I know will follow should he read this) also fairly inspirational - he began as someone who lived in terror of the water, and now could easily be confused for an oddly formed dolphin. Considering I am someone who was terrified of both the swim and the bike and dreaded the run, he gives me some hope for my future as a triathlete.

As I wrote before, I hadn't been in the ocean in two years. Knowing that I had an ocean race coming up, I wrote/requested/begged Mr. Bomba to let me return to his Oceans 101. In a chance encounter at a Trader Joe's, he replied in a zen master/yoda fashion, "you cannot go back. You must go forward. You are ready. Get your damn wetsuit and swim in the ocean. Ohhhmmmmm" and returned to his shopping. Now, after this brief exchange, I felt something that I hadn't felt before in this sport.

And so I must introduce a new term. Bombaleria.

I should also mention that Tim is a motivational speaker, and has recently become a race announcer. He exudes the kind of self-assurance that would normally be associated with a cult, but for him seems to just come from his many accomplishments, fears conquered, and rare sense of self. However, he has an effect on me that is quite hard to explain, stemming from this confidence.

When I (and I'm sure countless others) am around Tim, or talk to him, or receive an e-mail from him, I suddenly get a ridiculous sense of confidence. Unfortunately for me, this confidence is not always founded in reality, but it leads me to do things that before, I would have called crazy or vastly out of my league.

The swimming two miles today is a perfect example of Bombaleria. In reality, I really had no business swimming with an Ironman swimmer. She was vastly faster than I was, a stronger and more experienced swimmer, and had one of those strokes that (to me) looked like it belongs in the Olympics. However, with my bout of Bombaleria, I felt that not only was it fine to swim with her, but her waiting for me every 300-400 meters was totally good and normal. I also felt that it was fine to swim two miles in the ocean, even though I was getting knocked about in the chop like a coke bottle thrown off a yacht. I did survive the swim unscathed, and had a fantastic time. When I got home and told Tim, however, his response was:

Speed circuit Wednesday morning. Be there.

Now, the Speed circuit is for REAL swimmers. There are actual waves there, and sometimes big ones. My boss swims there. I think even my coach does. In my brain, I have no business going there.

However, when I get a line like that from Tim, I am suddenly overcome with this very odd mental condition, and not only am I going to go to the swim, I am looking forward to it.

Bombaleria. Weird.