What motivates you if you are just a middle of the packer

Triathlon Forum
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I want to clarify something. Although I have qualified for Boston many times, I have never come close to qualifying for Kona. When I transitioned from marathoning to triathlon, I thought that I could achieve the times that could qualify me in my age group. However, after some time I realized that my bike performance was not going to allow me to reach that goal.
As far as having fun…I don’t like working out, but love to have worked out. That means that when I’m doing hard workouts or participating in races, I’m not having fun…it’s painful. However, I love the feeling of finishing the workout or race…the sense of accomplishment and feeling of well-being.
I have always been competitive in any sport I’ve participated in. With running, it was all about PRing. I never thought about how many others in my age group were running faster than me if I qualified for Boston.
The reason that I posted yesterday was because, for the first time, I questioned my goals about triathlon. It has always been about goals for me. I don’t participate unless I have goals. That’s why I said I don’t run for “fun”. I would never participate in any race if I didn’t train for it…just to be in it. I push myself in races.
For the person who called me a “troll”, please look up definition of “troll”.
All I wanted is to hear from others who might have been in my state of mind at one time or another.

As above, ok, I take back my troll post since you came back, and also made clear you’ve transitioned from running to triathlon and haven’t come close to KQ.

That makes somehwat more sense, you haven’t had the time to adjust to new/different expectations in tri vs running, and if you’ve always been a strong runner (BQ) it would make sense that your tri results are somewhat disappointing in comparison at least until you train up to your potential. BUt still, you likely didn’t win every running race you entered, so why is it so hard to readjust expectations in tri?

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The hell with doing it for fun and lifestyle and whatever else, triathlon is ranked in age groups which somewhat levels the field respectively - I’m not the fastest in my AG but after each race I look at the podium times and say I can do that, and it becomes my goal. There’s inherently some “fun” in it but I’m competitive and probably always will be. I know I’ll never stand on a long course podium but I’ll keep trying like I will. People telling me I can’t or shouldn’t or won’t because of age is a big peeve of mine, especially when those people are younger and less fit than I am. Move in violence out there until you can’t.

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The hell with doing it for fun and lifestyle and whatever else, triathlon is ranked in age groups which somewhat levels the field respectively - I’m not the fastest in my AG but after each race I look at the podium times and say I can do that, and it becomes my goal. There’s inherently some “fun” in it but I’m competitive and probably always will be. I know I’ll never stand on a long course podium but I’ll keep trying like I will. People telling me I can’t or shouldn’t or won’t because of age is a big peeve of mine, especially when those people are younger and less fit than I am. Move in violence out there until you can’t.

Hah you’re preaching to the choir here on ST. Almost everyone in this fairly die-hard forum does this sport competively, even if that means they’re just contending for a local AG podium in a small local race. You don’t get too many ‘I just wanna complete the race’ folks here with the exception of folks doing their 1st IM, and around here it almost always means they were competitive as above on shorter distance races beforehand.

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Hah you’re preaching to the choir here on ST. Almost everyone in this fairly die-hard forum does this sport competively, even if that means they’re just contending for a local AG podium in a small local race. You don’t get too many ‘I just wanna complete the race’ folks here with the exception of folks doing their 1st IM, and around here it almost always means they were competitive as above on shorter distance races beforehand.

Just one of many ST Urban Legends…

I would suggest that the vast majority of ST members are not overly obsessed podium chasers and are in the sport as a lifestyle.
,

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Hah you’re preaching to the choir here on ST. Almost everyone in this fairly die-hard forum does this sport competively, even if that means they’re just contending for a local AG podium in a small local race. You don’t get too many ‘I just wanna complete the race’ folks here with the exception of folks doing their 1st IM, and around here it almost always means they were competitive as above on shorter distance races beforehand.

Just one of many ST Urban Legends…

I would suggest that the vast majority of ST members are not overly obsessed podium chasers and are in the sport as a lifestyle.
,You are both right. A distinction can be made between ST members and those that actually contribute to the conversation. I think the majority of forum members do view triathlon as just part of their lifestyle. However those that take time to post here could be characterized as “fairly die-hard” as lightheir suggests.

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Hah you’re preaching to the choir here on ST. Almost everyone in this fairly die-hard forum does this sport competively, even if that means they’re just contending for a local AG podium in a small local race. You don’t get too many ‘I just wanna complete the race’ folks here with the exception of folks doing their 1st IM, and around here it almost always means they were competitive as above on shorter distance races beforehand.

Just one of many ST Urban Legends…

I would suggest that the vast majority of ST members are not overly obsessed podium chasers and are in the sport as a lifestyle.
,

Just because you’re not on the podium doesn’t mean you’re not interseted at all in it.

I would definitely disagree that most ST members are in it just for the lifestyle.

If you truly are in it just for the lifestyle, you really would’t care much about powermeters, aerooptimization, or even fine tuning swim speed in the pool. You can do all the triathlon stuff and have ‘fun’ without any of that expensive, somewhat arcane (power training especially) and frustrating and time-consuming (swim technique improvement) efforts it takes to squeeze the best out of yourself for race day.

If you’re doing any of the above that I just briefly mentioned, you’re racing. You will care about the podium if you can get it. Just because you can’t get it doesn’t mean you’re automatically a lifestyle athlete. (By that criteria we’re all lifestyle athletes since we an compete in the pro WC race - there are some coaches that do think this! I recall on one podcast last year, one highly respected tricoach for pros and top amateurs was asked how an AGer could optimize training in 10-12 hrs/wk for HIM/IM racing, and that coach just laughed and said, ‘hey at that low volume, you’re just having fun, do whatever you want and enjoy yourself! Unless you’re ready to seriously commit 20-28 hrs/wk, forget about it!’

I would clarify that I don’t think many folks here are in the sport ‘just to podium’. Triathlon is to deep and hard to last too long with that mindset. But we’re all training to grab it if we can. Very different mindset than one-n-doners and true lifestyle athletes who are not interested in training to their near-max to squeeze out results since it makes it less fun at that point.

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So, I’ve read several of your comments and I get why you feel the way you feel. But, since I am still barely holding on to my 40s (48 just this month), I think you should really reflect on how blessed you are to be in the position you are in. You are racing in your 60s. I hope to be able to ride a bike for leisure at that point, let alone be able to run without pain. You are competitively doing olympics and 70.3s. That is awesome.

Another question for you…what areas are you looking at specifically that need to be addressed? Are you losing lots of time in the swim? In T1? In the bike? in T2? In the run? What upgrades can you make to equipment that you can afford and will have the biggest bang to your buck? New suit? New Wetsuit? New Helmet? New wheels? Is your gearing optimal? Is it clean and silky smooth? Is your nutrition a problem? Are you picking courses and races that suit your strengths?

Curious to hear your responses.

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Although I have qualified for Boston many times, I have never come close to qualifying for Kona.

That changes my opinion: I already doubted if you ever KQ’d since you did not explicitly write that in post #1, although a lot if readers interpreted it that way.

In Post #7 he does say he KQed.

But, moving on.

I came late to Tri after years of not doing any training. At first my motivation was getting in better shape. As I’ve progressed, I’m getting faster. Last year I finished 7th out of 20 in what was called a “Quarter Tri” (somewhat like a Oly). I’m still getting “faster” - compared to our AG. I can’t compare myself to the pointy end of everyone in the race.

If you’re just starting out and you finished 6th out of 12, then I’d say you can podium - in a couple of years (maybe sooner). Where did you place in each discipline?

If swimming is really bad (like lower 50%), then I’d focus on improving your swimming technique - but only to get into the top 50%. If you get in the top 50%, for our AG you won’t be far behind the top 30%. You may be farther behind the top 10%, but they are guys who have swum competitively for most, if not all, of their lives and have the technique fully ingrained. It’s unlikely you’ll get to that speed within two-three years. A little coaching can get easily get you into the top 50%, probably 30%.

Your running should be really good. You’ve been doing it forever and you have BQed. That’s really good. You should be close to the fastest, and if you’re not, you already know what to do to fix that.

So, I’m guessing your biking is the weak link. That takes time on the bike. If you’re doing anything over a sprint (Oly, QIM, HIM, IM), then you need lot’s of riding. The more you ride the sooner you’ll see faster times. It’s not that you need “engine” work, it’s that you’re using different muscles than when you run, and you need to strengthen those.

Lastly, are you doing strength training? When I started I thought doing the training for the disciplines was all the “strength training” I needed. Now, after being edumecated, I now spend at least 20% of my training week on strength and flexibility training (>2 hours out of 10 - I don’t do HIMs/IMs anymore). I saw an article or video that said something like, “Over 60 you don’t want to add strength and flexibility training to your tri training. You want to add tri training to your strength and flexibility training.” Right now, I consider that a bit hyperbole, but in a year or two I may gain more education and no longer think of it that way.

Are your transitions times in line with the FOP for our AG?

I would have been thrilled to start with a 6th out of 12. I started at second-to-the-last. Not second-to-the-last in our AG, but second-to-the-last out of 350 participants in a HIM. You should see progress over the next year or two and you might set your goals to KQ.

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so try to come 5th not 6 …

btw just in case you are from australia why not trying to qualifiy for elite breaking world champs…

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I would say that, after 24 years of racing towards goals, I’m having doubts about continuing.

I say follow your doubts. It’s time to pursue something less strenuous.

Sincerely,

65-year-old (racing continually since HS) enjoying the benefit of being the youngest in the AG.

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** I’ve never done a race for “fun”.**

There’s your problem right there. It’s time to learn to really enjoy the sport.

There’s so much more to enjoying the sport than AG podiums. Stop measuring your achievements solely in numbers and medals.

Do you still enjoy getting out with a group for a morning ride or open water swim? How often do you go on long trail run or a scenic ride where the time, distance, speed and even the route doesn’t matter?

That’s pretty much what I would answer

I’ll add that, as a Runner, I enjoy Trick-Or-Treating at the Expo* then chasing ponytails on race day

  • I recently discovered the thrill of going to an Expo for a race you’re not even running 😎 You won’t be bringing home a bib or t-shirt, but you can load up on other stuff the tables are more than happy to give away, and do a little discount shopping if you care to

YMMV

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Doing intervals or hard long training is not for fun. I need a goal. I need some sort of competition. Some of these “old guys” kick ass.

You are around healthy people so you don’t know what’s out there and possibly you are taking it for granted. There are so many sick, fat and unhappy people out there who would love to do what you do but they just can’t. I’m extremely happy to train, show up and race. I don’t take anything for granted. That’s one of my main reasons.

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As I get older, I’m looking at Ms. Eileen Croissant of Colorado as my role model. Now, I’ve never met this 85 year young lady, and I know nothing about her training or race history. What I do know is that she’s signed up to race at USAT Nationals in Atlantic City in a couple of weeks. If she gets to the finish line, she’ll officially be a U.S. National Champion… Granted, she’s the only one in her age group, but she got there. Of the thousands (if not 10’s of thousands) of women who at one point or another raced in her age group over the years, she’s the one who was able to stay healthy enough and have enough determination to keep getting out there and racing. Yes, I might not be good enough, smart enough or lucky enough to do what she’s doing and win a National Championship when I’m 85, but sitting here today I can say I’m planning on trying. In the meantime, I’ll just keep getting out there and doing the work to the best of my ability and keep showing up on race morning the trying to make it to the finish line.

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Although I have qualified for Boston many times, I have never come close to qualifying for Kona.

That changes my opinion: I already doubted if you ever KQ’d since you did not explicitly write that in post #1, although a lot if readers interpreted it that way.

In Post #7 he does say he KQed.

But, moving on.

Correct, it is post #7 I meant. Either I made a mistake, or the posts were changed. With the wording of post #7 however there remains some doubt if he KQ’d, although I can understand that you can read it such that he did KQ.

Since he made it clear that he didn’t, I agree with you to move on:

The OP still did not specify his experience in triathlon.

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This sounds corny but it’s true - I compete primarily against myself. I have some personal goals that I’m chasing that keep me training and racing. Once I meet those goals - if I ever do - I’ll readjust and go after something else. I’m getting old - 52 in less than a month - so re-evaluating goals is a regular exercise for me. I have a time goal for a half IM, one I’ve come close to achieving but haven’t yet. I figure I’ve got maybe three more years to get it and that’s it. My goal is rather pedestrian but it’s something to chase. I also have some short course running goals that I’m working on. None of these will do much to get me on a podium but they keep me moving.

I’ve also noticed that having a hobby you’re passionate about is key to fighting the negative effects of aging. Even if I’m not very fast, triathlon is something that keeps me moving, mobile, and healthy.

That’s what keeps me motivated.

RP

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A lot of good comments and perspectives shared here. I’ll share mine:

  • There are things we enjoy that we may not be good at. These are called hobbies.
  • There are things we enjoy that we may be good at. These are called serious hobbies.
  • There are things we get paid to do that we need to be good at. These are called jobs.

Ask yourself - what is triathlon for you? Work back from there understand what role it plays in your life. Only you can decide that.

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I was looking for something else when I found this old post

The post itself more about my own training than MOP/BOP results, but kinda ties in here, I guess? Or maybe the "Intrinsic/Extrinsic " thread?

Enjoy

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When I started I was a back-of-the-mid-packer. I kept training and showing up, and made my focus on just completing my training sessions and trying my best while I raced. The results were fun, but it did bother me that I had so many people better than me so I had to change my mentality. I started to just raced myself every race and did it for me. Some people worked harder than me for their results, and some people were just naturally better, so I would just have to keep putting in the work. I set realistic, gradually improving goals for every race, and I would often hit them off the pure idea of accomplishing them. If I was improving from race to race, I was happy with myself. Eventually, just by showing up, doing my training, and having that race-myself-mentality and hitting the goals I set, I became more of a front-of-the-mid-pack/back-of-the-front-pack. Don’t let it get in your head for the wrong reasons.

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This exactly. Though my own goal is to get INTO the back-of-the-mid-pack, I’m currently front-of-the-back-pack! Which yes of course means racing others but mostly means racing myself every time. If I can be slightly faster (or feel stronger on a harder course) than my last result, then I’m moving forward and can be happy even if I’m still in the back.

Seeing the (FTP/speed/enjoyment/distance) gains during training is also enjoyable…the whole process of training and slight increases and steps forward all put together is what keeps me motivated.

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