I agree with this and think this attitude is the best way to make triathlon and endurance sports a lifelong hobby. However, I do have a few performances where I was extremely happy after and thought the performance reflected the work I put in. I usually give myself tough but realistic goals for each race I do and no matter the outcome, I'm always looking for ways to improve for next time.

I can think of a few race performances that I was "reasonably pleased" with. But I have never had a race that went so perfectly that I was 100% satisfied with what I did because I knew I left time out there. Granted one of them it was a matter of seconds in a marathon, but I was still analyzing that result over and over trying to think how I could have avoided losing 10 seconds to a cramp.

I have had excellent results at IM and 70.3 that I still could point to something about the race that needed improvement.

So I while I can say I was "reasonably" happy with many of my results, I have never been actually 100% happy or satisfied. Always need to strive for improvement.

Right on . And the older I get, the happier I am . Those who say "never" are setting themselves up for a rough future . Enjoy the training and the experience / camaraderie . I can still outbike most athletes half my age, but so what ? I'm on the podium in most of my events , the least important part of the journey .

Absolutely!!! This is as close to the fountain of youth I've ever gotten, and the sport has given me my teenage body back. I usually podium my age group, and even have a couple overalls, but that's nothing compared to looking and feeling good. I fell apart in the hills at Waco last year, and tried really hard to be disappointed. But I've been doing this long enough, to know that you learn more from one bad race, than you do from 100 good races, so cherish the opportunity to still learn. And once I saw the Waco race photos, I'm like looking pretty good for an old dude, so I'm very happy with that.

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Athlinks / Strava

When I began doing distance running as an adult, I heard some advice that I still use: set an ultimate goal, a reasonable goal and an acceptable goal. So while I rarely hit my ultimate goal, I usually hit my acceptable goal. Therefore, I rarely (limp) away disappointed.

And, as others have mentioned, as I have gotten older -- while I am competitive -- I also try to make goals of being the friendliest person on the course, appreciate certain moments of the experience and be happy to finish. Throwing up in the recovery tent is also a reward ...

I guess maybe I should have phrased the original question a bit differently. By really happy I guess I meant a result that you almost didn’t expect you could accomplish. There have only been a few times where I’ve crossed the finish line and given myself a ‘wholly crap’ - meaning I was almost shocked with how well I did.

The first time this happened was 2012 when I ran a 10k three weeks before Boston and ran a full minute faster than what I thought I could run. This gave me a ton of confidence heading into Boston with good run fitness, but on race day it was 90+ degrees and my race was far from the result I wanted. Since then, I’ve had four other races where I crossed the line almost shocked with how I did based off training and expectations.

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Assuming I performed up to my capabilities and didn't goof up, most of the time. I stopped mass start road racing once it got to the "never" stage. Chasing results was making me crazy, and not in the fun way. Got into this as a bit of a lark and did well enough in AG that I am training for it. But its for the experience, people and the venues. I go as hard as I can, and the results are what they are. I try to learn from my mistakes, not let them own me.