dude,

they go to the pool.
they have a good time.
they don't know pool etiquett all that well, but when made aware of, they gladly comply.

what's wrong with that?

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Josef
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blog

"Im still debating if I should signup or not."

Yes, you should sign up. Please don't interpret this post as flaming newbies or slow people; I think the sport is better for having both of them. On Wednesday I rode 68 miles with a fellow who has a heart condition. We averaged 10.6mph - I kid you not. But it was a great ride because he was out there pushing his limits on a lonely stretch of windy prairie road.

What I am flaming is this attitude that seems to be associated with many triathletes now. Hard work, humility, and a desire to learn are all lacking. The two guys I discussed earlier had no desire to become better swimmers; all they wanted to do was talk about how cool their bikes are, and inplicitly how cool they are (I don't really see the connection). While they stood at the end of the lane the guy in the next lane over was knocking out 100's on the 1:20. Instead of asking this guy for some swiming pointers they were more interested in talking about how cool they were.

Of course my speedo clad butt had never done a triathlon because I didn't have either tri shorts or a seal mask.

"they don't know pool etiquett all that well, but when made aware of, they gladly comply.

what's wrong with that?"

Nothing. What is wrong is this attitude that seems to go with it. Sort of "I'm using triathlon gear and that legitimizes everything I do and makes me cool." I don't blame the roadies for not wanting to ride with us.

Any guy with a Joe Campbell quote is cool by my rankings. Poser triathlete or not. :)

"I never met a triathlete that I didnt respect."

You've got a suspect sense of respect then. They have to be "hardcore" to meet your standards? WTF?

"Poser triathlete or not. :)"

It's poseur.

>>Im still debating if I should signup or not.<<

Go ahead and do it Dave. I think you will surprise yourself on race day.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

A VERY wise man, a man certainly more cool in his day than you or I will EVER be, wrote:

"Do not waste the rest of your life speculating about others in ways that are not to your mutual advantage. Think of all that might be accomplished in the time you throw away-distracted from the voice of your own true and reasonable self-wondering what the next man is up to and why, what he's saying, or thinking, or plotting.
Purge your mind of all aimless and idle thoughts, especially those that pry into the affairs of others or wish them ill....In this way, you show the world a simple and kindly man, a good neighbor, someone who is indifferent to sensual pleasures and luxuries and untouched by jealousy, envy, mistrust, or any other thought you would blush to admit..."

Emperor Marcus Aurelius

 I couldn't play ultimate frisbee anymore, but I wanted to do something so that I could still run.

Dude. I miss ultimate something fierce. Three times to club nationals - semis one year. Just live too far away from a large city and had to turn to something else. Don't need 13 other guys to train for triathlon.

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"Race day is a celebration of your training"

last year during the week before Eagleman Natascha met with our club - although not as eloquent as as Emperor Aurelius (despite the huge smile and charming swiss accent) she basically said not to worry about others because you can't control what they do or how they train. The only thing you can control is how you train and compete and your dedication to winning. Everything else is a distraction - and if you were to focus that energy you spend on other people on your own self-improvement you can only benefit.

As long as posers/poseurs/pohzers don't make you any less of a triathlete - what's the big deal?

It seems like the only reason that these guys bug some people is because they appear to undermine how triathletes are perceived (by diluting the hardcore element of the sport) - but this should only bug you if image IS important. Which puts you in the same boat as them.

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"Race day is a celebration of your training"

Sounds about right. I've never met Natascha, but have some friends who have. That's pretty much just what they said about her. This attitude is one I wish all would aspire to. Lord knows, I'm trying. Heck, if I could just race with the same smile she wears, that'd be a great step!

This attitude is one I wish all would aspire to...

Since talking with her I really try to work on this myself - did so three days later at Eagleman. It is amazing how relaxing the pre-race transition area becomes. The ripped and intimidating-looking thoroughbreds, the pontificating and boastful windbags, the unabashed sandbaggers, the nervous first-timers. None of it distracts me any more and like the feeling of being centered and calm amidst all of this nervous tension and energy.

In fact, all of it together sounds like "Om..". The Zen of competition...

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"Race day is a celebration of your training"

Go sign up.

I signed up for my first marathon about 6 years ago because I needed something to organize my training around as I had just retired from playing rugby. It took me nearly 5 hours to finish as walking from 23.5 to 25 miles really slowed me down a lot (went out far too fast). Six years and about 45 lost pounds later, I've knocked over an hour off my marathon time and have been doing triathlons too for a year. Still really slow on the bike compared to the fast people, but I'm going a lot faster than last year. The great thing about this sport is there is so much to learn and so many ways to improve, all of which gives you more incentive to train. If you train for this for a couple months and give it a good effort on race day, you've accomplished something so why would you care if anything thinks poorly of you (most people won't)?

If you train for this for a couple months and give it a good effort on race day, you've accomplished something so why would you care if anything thinks poorly of you (most people won't)?

Word. Don't forget that by just training and toeing the line you are doing more than the overwhelmning majority of people in the US and as much as many STrs. Sometimes it's hard to remember that with all the postings about million hour training logs and eating nails and the like.

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"Race day is a celebration of your training"

Japple sez: As long as posers/poseurs/pohzers don't make you any less of a triathlete - what's the big deal?

It seems like the only reason that these guys bug some people is because they appear to undermine how triathletes are perceived (by diluting the hardcore element of the sport) - but this should only bug you if image IS important. Which puts you in the same boat as them.

I Know I am a couple of weeks late responding to this, but DAMN that is a great post. My favorite ever. I love love love it.



(and, just because I looked it up once upon a time: Poser is a synonym of Poseur.. but I think I will begin using Pohzer when I have the opportunity)

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beyourownsuperhero

You can't really fake this sport for long anyway...that is what I like about it. It takes dedication and determination, qualities imagine counscious tri studs probably don't have. Your pool freinds might do it for a summer, but you won't see them again.



BTW, were they driving BMWs too?

If this is what the sport has degenerated to, I am ashamed to call myself a triathlete. Perhaps my perspective has always been skewed since I swim in a private college pool most of the year where the only other two triathletes are Hawaii caliber and we share lanes with collegiate swimmers.

I think the sport might be better off without organized events. That way no image would develop. We could still get together with friends and have competitions, time trials, and even triathlons, just without any hype. Just a few dudes, beating at the bounds of existence.


the reality is that there are assholes in every venue. the main thing, is not to be one yourself.

also, don't own someone else's issues. them being the way they are doesn't mean you have to own it, and be embarrassed to be a triathlete. that's just ridiculous. it's not about you, so don't act like it is. and any event, no matter what scale, if there is more than one person, it is organized.

and even if it were possible to have "unorganized events" image would still develop from it. so just let it go--they aren't you and you aren't them. get your chuckles if that makes you feel better and go on with yourself.

I would put money on it that the club you are swimming at is the LifeTime Fitness in Plymouth. There are so many idots that think they can swim. usually they sit and talk like they are the shit while you punish your self for an hour. then they ask you if you are a triathlete, because they are also.

it is not all of them but alot. that club is full of meatheads

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GO4 SMOOOOOOTH AND FAST

I wouldn't worry. The finisher at a triathlon I was most impressed with was the slowest I have ever seen.

At the Peterborough Sprint in 2001. I actually passed a guy just heading back on his bike as I was running. I am a slow runner but I was running faster than he was riding.

He looked like he belonged in a bike gang more than in a triathlon. The swim (750m) apparently took him almost 40 minutes. His splits from the sheet are below but it appears that the bike and run times are maxes as the last two guys had the exact same bike/run splits so he was actually slower. FWIW Jasper Blake won this race in 57 minutes. I heard later that when he started he couldn't even walk a km or swim one length of the pool.

438 CL 2:49:50 JIM WILLIAMS 7/8 K 863 8 442 39:10 5:14 4:42 7 440 1:28:09 13.6 2:59 7 436 34:50 6:58

To me, it is guys like him that make the sport interesting. It is guys that inspired this thread that pay the bills.

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"which is like watching one of your buddies announce that he's quitting booze and cigarettes, switching to a Vegan diet and training for triathalons ... but he's going to keep snorting heroin." Bill Simmons, ESPN

I'd like to make a comment and add my .02 cents.

I'm a newbie as you'll soon learn. In a recent triathlon I was involved in an accident. This accident was VERY unfortunate for the person who happened to use me as a speed bump; but it provided a life lesson that is probably the single most valuable thing that I've learned about triathlon and most possibly life.

When I started doing this whole swim/bike/run thing I was doing so somewhat for self punishment, maybe a little health issues but mainly I was fighting demons....the ones who say I'm not an athlete, not able to participate much less compete, the ex telling me how fat I am.

While I've always been impressed by the physical demands of triathlon and the ability of others to push themselves to their absolute limits. I think what's more impressive is a persons ability to respond and adapt to the adversities that occur during a long endurance event.

Granted you can't just go and knockout a IM your first go. You do have to start out with some sprint, oly, half plan. But in reality not a whole lot happens in a sprint, oly. It's when you get to the half's and full's that you get to experience true mental fatigue, doubt, question your own reasoning, dehydration and true endurance. It's not a matter of avoiding it....it's about preparing for it and reacting to it when it does.

You can't avoid disaster in life....there will be heart ache, struggles with money, family, health. You can not plan on avoiding them but prepare yourself mentally to adapt and react to them when they do happen lest you buckle under the pressures.

This to me is the true essence of triathlon. Perseverence.

totally agree. And persurverance not only on race day, but in daily training, equipment, learning the sport, nutrition, and fighting, as you say, your demons. That is why the image-conscious ego dude, isn't going to last long without something else to offer.

And lets face facts too, there is ego and arrogance in this sport and lots of image, but at mile 9 during a half, or mile 19 during an IM, or hell, mile 5 of an oly, or mile 2 in a spirnt, or during the thousands of lonely miles spent training, we are all brothers and sisters stuggling to endure and persevere and finish and finish well because we know those are the best qualities we have to offer.

[quote]
438 CL 2:49:50 JIM WILLIAMS 7/8 K 863 8 442 39:10 5:14 4:42 7 440 1:28:09 13.6 2:59 7 436 34:50 6:58
[/quote]

Can someone explain all these numbers in the splits.

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Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.