The first think I think about when I wake up is training. The last thing I think about before I go to sleep is training. I’m sitting at work thinking about training. I have triathlon books in my bathroom. I listen to Triathlon podcasts on the way to work.
Nowadays, I only read about tris… the only websites I go to are tri websites. I can’t WAIT to get out of work to go swim.
I rarely hang out with my friends anymore and when I do, I try to convince them to pick up triathlons so we can talk shop. I feel that I’m closer to you guys than I am to them (although this relationship is most probably one-way).
And no, I’m not an elite or even a strong AG’er. As a matter of fact I’m a newbie. I’ve never done a triathlon in my life. I just got into this a few months ago and I’m already losing my mind.
As Demerly stated, it will pass. The “honeymoon” phase has you in it’s full grip. You’re amped on everything to do with the sport, but eventually, you will find that balance. Get a couple of seasons under your belt and you’ll be fine!
On that note, I don’t have any close friends that are into triathlon and though my wife dabbled in it, she’s out of it now, so this is my only refuge where I can talk tri with people who understand. ST, you’re a fickle mistress…
It will pass and I think what most of us have learned over the years is that when you enter into triathlon, train, and make the commitment for your first race, you are soing so much more. You are making a lifestyle change. Whether you have an athletic background or not you are making a change and commitment to a new lifestyle. So as with any major lifestyle change it sometime takes patience and time to sort things out. Remember your friends and family first as triathlon may not always be there.
The book that Tom was referring to is Mark Allen’s Total Triathlete. I “googled” it and found a number of listings for it.
I also found this entry on a blog - In relation to a super hard workout he had prior to a race, he said this about his next race experience:
“My body was absolutely rejecting that pain threshold I had to reach to maintain contact. You’ve only got so much physical and emotional energy. If you spread it out, you’ll have it at the proper times. but if you tap yourself out, you may not be ready to do it again a week or two later when it’s the real thing.
I knew it was going to be really tough to stay with Mike . During some races, your body almost thrives on the pain, that push, that hunger that will not let anyone get away from you. You know you’ll do whatever it take until you drop dead. In other races you start to push, and your body just shuts down.
It’s kind of like having a favorite food. When I was a kid, I used to love those little link sausages. When you went to a restaurant, you’d only get maybe two on your plate. Our family hardly ever went to a restaurant, and we didn’t have link sausages at home. One time I was camping in the mountains with my grandma. She bought a pack of 84 link sausages and said, “You can have as many of these as you want, Marky!”. She started cooking them, and I had one, then five, and finally eight. All of a sudden, I started feeling so damn sick. Just the word ’sausage’ made me nauseated for weeks. My family would say it just to watch me squirm and turn green. For years after that, i couldn’t eat a sausage.
This is known as Mark Allen’s Sausage Priniciple of Triathlons. You love the sport, you love the training, but if you tap into that deep reserve and go too far, your body rejects that pain when you have to do it again.”
It’s exciting, huh? The all-encompassing aspect of it will probably fade a bit after awhile which will let you get some balance back. I went through the same passion in my fifth year in the sport (last year) as I ramped up for my first Ironman. Have fun - don’t injure yourself with overtraining (cause then you’ll really go NUTS), and remember to keep a balance - you’ll want your local friends around when your internet connection is down. You could also join a tri club to help direct some of the energy and meet up with like-minded folks. Good luck in your first race, whenever it is! You’ll be even more hooked…
"The first think I think about when I wake up is having sex with my wife. The last thing I think about before I go to sleep is having sex with my wife. I’m sitting at work thinking about having sex with my wife. I have sex books in my bathroom. I listen to having sex with my wife podcasts on the way to work.
Nowadays, I only read about sex… the only websites I go to are sex websites. I can’t WAIT to get out of work to go have sex with my wife.
I rarely hang out with my friends anymore and when I do, I try to convince them to pick up sex (but NOT with my wife) so we can talk shop. I feel that I’m closer to you guys than I am to them (although this relationship is most probably one-way).
And no, I’m not a a porn star or even a porn “Amateur”. As a matter of fact I’m a newly maried. I’ve never done a women in my life. I just got into this a few months ago and I’m already losing my mind.
Do I need help or is this normal?"
& you can still apply ATX TRIHEAD reply: “It will pass.”
Simply find a new and different obsession, then training will take a backseat. However you’ll eventually have to find something to replace the new obsession with, quite the conundrum don’t you think?
