I know this may sound crazy from all of my posts, but do you ever want to quit? I raced 3 times last year and I was fine with that.
I think for me, the active lifestyle is becoming more awesome than actually racing a lot. I think I’m ready to dial it back a bit and do other things in life.
Thoughts?
I know this may sound crazy from all of my posts, but do you ever want to quit? I raced 3 times last year and I was fine with that.
I think for me, the active lifestyle is becoming more awesome than actually racing a lot. I think I’m ready to dial it back a bit and do other things in life.
Thoughts?
Yep
I was forced to quit after a shoulder injury in 2013 but I could still ride so I got into racing mtb and cx with a little trail running. I got the shoulder fixed but haven’t done a tri again for a few reasons…
*costs
-the Canadian dollar sucks for any races that make you pay in USD (WTC Ironman)
-masters swim club upped their fees
-it’s just a lot cheaper to race mtb/cx/trail running
*time
-driving to the pool and back sucks
-tri’s are an all day event or days for ironman (cx the shortest with mtb kind of in the middle)
*fun factor
-cx has been a blast
-mtb has been a blast, even the training is fun
-road riding on a tri bike is boring and at times scary/life threatening due to the driving around here
-staring at the black line in the pool is boring
Having the injury happen right after an Ironman adds to the “tired of it” factor I think. Can’t see me coming back anytime soon but the entertainment round here has been great!
I can’t wait to begin my 36th consecutive year of racing triathlons. My daughter and I were just discussing on our 10 mile run this morning (she’s 17) how important the active fitness lifestyle of our family has been to her. For me it is the lifestyle and racing is just the reward. I see no end in sight.
I know this may sound crazy from all of my posts, but do you ever want to quit? I raced 3 times last year and I was fine with that.
I think for me, the active lifestyle is becoming more awesome than actually racing a lot. I think I’m ready to dial it back a bit and do other things in life.
Thoughts?
Yes. Not so much quit but limit number of races. I enjoy the training and staying active. I have been racing between 5-7 races per year and that’s plenty for me. And in one year I haven’t done more than two half distance or longer. 5-7 triathlons along with 3-5 running races and a cycling event or two are more than enough for me.
I know this may sound crazy from all of my posts, but do you ever want to quit? I raced 3 times last year and I was fine with that.
I couldn’t race so little and stay interested.
I race short course and racing is by far the most fun aspect of the sport, but i do enjoy training as well, but my motivation levels can be pretty variable if there’s no race soon.
I raced about 100 tris since 1988. Bunch of running races. A couple seasons of bike racing. Raced a tri in August of 2012. Decided to take a few weeks off. Haven’t raced since. I am pretty immersed in the industry and enjoy my work immensely, but I keep trying to force the training/racing thing on myself, and so far it hasn’t taken hold. I was obsessed for a good 10 year stretch. The tide rises, the tide falls.
…i do enjoy training as well, but my motivation levels can be pretty variable if there’s no race soon.
+1
I find it too easy to skip planned sessions when there’s no goal, especially swimming, where getting to the pool is a bit of a hassle. An extra hour or two at work here and an long lie-in bed there and before you know it, 15 hours-a-week training becomes a struggle to make 5.
I know this may sound crazy from all of my posts, but do you ever want to quit? I raced 3 times last year and I was fine with that.
I think for me, the active lifestyle is becoming more awesome than actually racing a lot. I think I’m ready to dial it back a bit and do other things in life.
Thoughts?
Sounds like you need cyclocross and mountain biking in your life.
I think a triathlon forum probably isn’t the best place to look for people that have lost interest in triathlon.
If you are still training in all three sports, then you’re doing tri. See slowman’s front page article. If you’re still playing pickup basketball or football, you’re still playing the sport. Same deal. Now I guess if you actually are not training all three sports, then you’re not doing triathlon…but you don’t NEED to enter a formal tri to do triathlon/be a triathlete.
Yes, I do get tired of competing but I don’t get tired of training and at 58 I find that for overall health and joint health (shoulders and knees) in particular it is very important to train vigorously on a regular basis. That said, I am a competitive guy and do regularly sign up for running and tri races.
Not really. I do get tired of training twice a day and get tired of 2 hour runs and 4 hour rides on the weekends. Off season it’s just 45 minutes-1 hour per day and no long efforts on weekends. It helps a lot with motivation. Come about February I’m ready to train again.
I never stop training completely. Even when I had 5 broken bones I was on the trainer and elliptical as soon as it was possible.
honestly dude if I had time tomorrow when I’m in Raleigh I’d beat you, badly.
Lucky for you, your beating can wait until later in the year or early in the new year. I’m patient.
Yep. In my mind, I think I quit this year. I have no desire to race tri anymore. I want to do other things. I still love masters swimming, might try something totally different (went to a muay thai class with a friend… holy shit that was fun). I’ve been active in one sport or another since I was 15. I’m not going to stop any time soon, but, it’s time to turn the page on triathlon, I think. Variety is the spice of life.
Yep. In my mind, I think I quit this year. I have no desire to race tri anymore. I want to do other things. I still love masters swimming, might try something totally different (went to a muay thai class with a friend… holy shit that was fun). I’ve been active in one sport or another since I was 15. I’m not going to stop any time soon, but, it’s time to turn the page on triathlon, I think. Variety is the spice of life.
You can check out any time you like but you can never leave
You said you have been active since 15 and variety is the spice of life. Nothing is stopping you from going out on your bike, swimming at the lake or ocean, or jogging while doing your other activities to expand your scope of variety… You don’t NEED to do a race to do triathlon.
I’ve done all these sports in my life, in order of when I picked them up: Running, ball/street hockey, swimming, baseball, skating, cycling, soccer, track and field (including jumping events), hockey (how the rest of the world calls it, not the kind you play on ice), tennis, cricket, ice hockey (the kind we play in Canada), weight training, football (the kind we play in North America), triathlon, XC skiing, bike racing, mountain biking, speed skating, downhill skiing, in line skating. If I have the choice I am happy to hop in and play any of them. I may have not picked up a tennis racket in 2 years, but I’m not done as a tennis player. Same for football (OK, I won’t ever be putting on a helmet, but I’ll play touch football).
Variety is definitely huge. That’s how most of us got into tri in the first place!
Yeah, that’s all very true. The problem, for me, is if I can’t do something at a level that is pushing my abilities, I’d rather not do it and just focus on other things. I still want to swim masters, as I love it, and the community around it, but it kind of sucks doing it 2x a week and knowing you wont really be improving. I’ll still run a few times a week, because it’s just a great way to stay in shape for whatever other adventures come my way, and it helps keep weight down. I love just throwing on my shoes, heading out the door, and coming back 45 minutes later having done a great work out. Very efficient!
I don’t see myself biking much in the future, because I just hate the feeling of sucking wind up a hill, knowing how far I am from what I could be. I’d rather just try something new and give it my all, but I’m too scared to stop swimming because I know how hard of a hill that is to try and climb back up after you stop!
We shall see where I end up. Tri has been great for me. I met my wife running. It has kept me sane, and incredibly fit, through some busy times, and I love the feeling of being so fit that you can literally work out all day, and still get up the next day without feeling like a bus hit you. I think a lot of life long athletes take that feeling for granted, and I really never want to!
I can’t wait to begin my 36th consecutive year of racing triathlons. My daughter and I were just discussing on our 10 mile run this morning (she’s 17) how important the active fitness lifestyle of our family has been to her. For me it is the lifestyle and racing is just the reward. I see no end in sight.
I love seeing this, Dave. I hope to not lose the love for the sport and want to keep it a part of my family moving forward.
Not really. I do get tired of training twice a day and get tired of 2 hour runs and 4 hour rides on the weekends. Off season it’s just 45 minutes-1 hour per day and no long efforts on weekends. It helps a lot with motivation. Come about February I’m ready to train again.
I never stop training completely. Even when I had 5 broken bones I was on the trainer and elliptical as soon as it was possible.
Switch to one workout a day, first thing in the morning, and double up on the weekend. Just go easy. No tempo or intervals. No one workout longer than an hour or two. Focus on just running races or on shorter tri races.
Dialing it back is fine, it’s healthy, but whatever you do, don’t stop training. Just make training more enjoyable. If you quit altogether, you will be in a much worse place than you are now.
On the bike leg of my last race of 2016 I decided that I was sick of long bike rides and that I didn’t have any desire to be doing any rides over two hours for the foreseeable future.
I have not been back on my bike since that day and I have only been in the pool a few times in the last two months but I am running more than I have in a long time. I have actually signed up for a 100 mile running race and am really excited to be training for it.
So, the answer is, yes. I got tired of tri and am taking a break from long course triathlon. I will probably do a few short, local races just to keep involved. I’m not done, just taking a break while I try some other stuff out.