EyeWorld Today is the official daily of the ASCRS Symposium & Congress. Each issue provides comprehensive coverage editorial coverage of meeting presentations, events, and breaking news
Issue link: https://daily.eyeworld.org/i/124062
76 EW SHOW DAILY Sunday, April 21, 2013 continued from page 74 said. "I always enjoyed cycling, although I hadn't done a lot of it or any distance or competitive cycling until I first went into practice." Likewise, while she had done some running for stress release during the intense medical school years, competitively it had been limited to a few short 5K runs. Finding kindred spirits It is often not the running, swimming, or bicycling that are the highlights of the triathlon experience, it is the solidarity. Dr. Talley Rostov recalls a recent triathlon for which she had been unable to convince any of her usual friends to join her. "In the transition area I met a woman and we chatted briefly," she said. "It was nice to have that initial camaraderie." Likewise, while treading water next to a dock waiting to start the swimming leg of the race, Dr. Talley Rostov found herself among friends, although she had never met the others before. "The water was really cold, but we decided that it was really nice," she added. "We were saying how awesome we were to just be out there." During the bicycle portion, Dr. Talley Rostov found she was in sync with two men, with all three continually wordlessly passing each other. "Finally, one of them rode up alongside me and said, 'Hey, I'm Jim, what's your name?'" Dr. Talley Rostov said. "Then I rode up to the other guy and said, 'Hey, I'm Audrey and Jim's behind me, we seem to be riding at about the same rate." The three took turns passing each other for a while, then at one point Dr. Talley Rostov found herself getting tired. "The other guy, Greg, came up behind me and said, 'Just kick it up, Audrey, you can do it,'" Dr. Talley Rostov said. "At the end I met the same woman who I had started with in the transition zone, so that was fun." This type of camaraderie is commonplace, Dr. Talley Rostov said. While it is certainly not all about winning, there is a pride of accomplishment that comes from a particularly good finish. Dr. Talley Rostov's personal best to date came recently. "I ended up coming in fifth in my age group and second in the swim in my age group," she said. "That was really exciting." There have been times, however, when portions of the triathlon have been less than glowing. "I have been kicked in the face a couple of times in a swim because it's this massive, crazy start," Dr. Talley Rostov said. "Once, my goggles were askew and I had to stop at a surfboard and readjust them." To avoid this, she has learned to be cognizant of the dangers of the swim and to choose her lane accordingly. "I now start on the side because I know that I am a fast swimmer and then I pass people," she said. The long haul To keep going during the race, Dr. Talley Rostov breaks it down into manageable segments. "If you think about the whole race then it's sort of overwhelming," she said. "It's like when I do an 80-mile bike ride I can't think, 'Ugh, I'm doing 80 miles today.' You have to think of the next small goal." In the water, for example, Dr. Talley Rostov will look to the next signpost. "I think, 'OK, I just have to make it to the next buoy, or I just have to make it to that boat,'" she said. "Or I say, 'I'll do a little sprinting and then a more moderate or easy pace and then do some sprinting again.'"