Why tri?

Triathlon Forum
1

As the 2003 season is winding down I want to look ahead to 2004. In order to design an appropriate training program I need to select “key” races that I will taper towards 2 or 3 times over the season. Therein lies the problem…

What is there to accomplish within the sport of triathlons? I’m not new to the sport, but I am in a fog about where I can go outside of my state’s triathlon series events. I could choose an IM qualifier event–Goal = IM Word Championships. I could compete in ITU events–Goal = 2008 Olympics. I could stay home and simply do better than this year.

It’s not that I do not feel challenged; there’s always room for improvement. Why do YOU compete? What is the goal…near or distant future? Are there other “recognitions” to be had other than the Olympices and IM Hawaii? Another way to look at it is, I could spend the next 5 years becomming the best I can be, but I feel that if I never compete on an international “stage” I would be the only one who ever knows that I’ve doen my best. Perhaps I’m just more vain that the average person.

At any rate, what do you think? WHY do you TRI?

2

Its fun
It gives me an excuse to exercise
It gives me something to talk about on the internet
Its fun
It gives me a chance to meet new people and have a good time

and its fun
.

3

"Its fun
It gives me an excuse to exercise
It gives me something to talk about on the internet
Its fun
It gives me a chance to meet new people and have a good time

and its fun "

Multiply X 2. http://www.slowtwitch.com/gforum/images/clear_shim.gif

4

I agree… its just a total blast!!!

5

What taku said.

And, travel! Friends! Totally hot bikes! Hottie tri guys! :wink:

6

I also agree, it’s a blast. I compete to have fun and give my training some meaning beyond the health benefits. As others have said, I do it because I can. As a current age group MOPer seeing the podium would be nice, but it does takes a certain commitment to training just to get there.

I see many people run, bike, swim and kayak just for fun and that’s great for them. I can’t do that. It is much easier if I have a goal, even if it is sometimes just a tri for fun.

7

Thanks for al the “emotional” suport. I tend to get caught up in the competition of it all far more than others. For me COMPEETING is more fun than PARTICIPATING.

I guess I’m trying to solve life’s big question here: What do I want to do with my life? I honestly think that if I put forth the effort (and don’t get injured) I could be racing for first overall rather than first in my age group…allbeit local events not IM Qualifiers. Of course taking that rout pretty much puts the rest of lif’s plesantries on hold.

Keep the replies going.

8

I tend to get caught up in the competition of it all far more than others. For me COMPEETING is more fun than PARTICIPATING.<<

Uh, are you new here? I do believe we thoroughly discussed this issue a couple of months ago. Competing means many different things to many different people. What you may (snidely, IMO) look down on as PARTICIPATING just may be COMPETING for someone else.

9

I don’t think he was being snide at all in his comments. For some, the fun is in signing up and completing the event. For others, the attraction is competing against themselves and/or other competitors (age group, overall, etc.) and going for faster times and higher finishes in races. I think smeegle is simply taking a hard look at where he’s going and what he would like to do in the future. No one should ever look down on another competitor who may not be as fast or who may not have the same aspirations in the sport as someone else. There’s nothing wrong with COMPETING; there’s also nothing wrong with PARTICIPATING. It’s an individual thing.

My goal is to move up into the top half of my age group. So I guess I’m competing, not only with myself but with the others in my group, albeit on the local level. I generally race local events; those are the bread and butter of our sport. I’ve done a few big races, but I enjoy the smaller ones much better.

RP

10

to see just how much pain you can handle.

11

Why tri?

'cause I love to hear, “Go, Daddy, Go!” from my girls, even when I’m finishing at the middle/back of the pack. :slight_smile:

I missed the discussion on this forum to which CLM alluded to in her post. But, I recall a similar thread on RST (rec.sport.triathlon). I think the only consensus for an answer was that there is no consensus. Some people do it for fitness, some for personal satisfaction, others for a living…

As for picking your races, try to have a goal for the year. For me, the my typical calendar includes races that fit into my calendar (very busy with family) and races with family-friendly destinations. When I was training for IMCal, however, my calendar was chosen based on progessing towards the goal of completing my first IM. So, choose a goal, then find races that work towards that goal.

An excellent resource for finding races (in the USA) is http://www.trifind.com/

Good luck next year!

12

Because we can. And did anyone mention that it’s fun?

It’s all competing, IMHO. Whether against yourself (mostly), your training buddies, the elements. And remember, so few people do this. Remember the “That Girl” story from a while ago. It is nice to be “That Guy” to someone. During my first attempt at anything over Oly distance, I kept repeating to myself … You’re hear (meaning on the course), You trained, You’re fit, and Most people are on the couch right now. That’s why I Tri. Because most people don’t.

And it’s fun …

13

Several years ago (while I was still running on my college team), I was running in my hometown with my older sister (who has also done some tri’s). We were home on some vacation or another. While running through town, I kept picking up the pace, trying to get what for me would be a hard workout. Exasperated, she finally stated, “It’s not about making it hurt anymore!” At which point, I stopped short and stared at her like she was some sort of alien. But that told me quite a bit about why she still ran and did tri’s. As I get “older,” I’m understanding her point a bit more, that it’s about staying in shape and having fun, but I still don’t much agree with it. Yeah, of course, it’s fun and it’s something to do to stay in shape (better shape than most other people, as my girlfriend is fond of pointing out), but I have to agree on some level with smeegle. Yeah, there are personal, internal goals that we all have in mind, but competing with the other racers and striving for the podium in the few events in which I race is what keeps me motivated. I still view them as races and not just events, for lack of a better, simple way to put it.
Why tri, specifically? Instead of just running, for example? Because I’m a pretty horrible swimmer and an average bicyclist at best, so it’s a hell of a challenge to catch the other podium hunters when two-thirds of the race are already over. It takes the physical challenge of running to the next level for me.
And, yeah, I concur with others’ sentiment: you will never find two people with the exact same motivation. Same goals, for sure, but never the same motivation.

14

I guess you could say I had a mid-life Trisis! I’m turning 35 this year and getting worried that if I didn’t do something quick, I’d pop out a beer belly for good. Always loved to XC ski and wanted to find a way to shape up in the off season that was both rewarding and challenging. Joined a gym last year that started a TRI-club in February 2003. First race was called a tri-for-fun (not timed). Didn’t want it to end. My dad always said “we” (our family) just aren’t meant to run. I couldn’t wait to tell him my race time.

Now I do it because I’m addicted! I have not found a more generally grounded and all around fun group of people then the tri community. It’s habit forming too, my wife is training with me now. There is a ton of compettition but also lots of comraderie. Newbies are not only welcomed but embraced and seen for their potential and willingness to try something like triathlon.

“If it feels good, do it!”

15

Fun, fitness, and inclusion.

Another response to the participate vs compete angle…

I initially did triathlon becuase it was something a bit different. In my first race I finished middle of the pack and displayed some sort of ability. I had entered the race to be included, to “participate”. But times change and now I “compete”. I am ever-improving, and with work will get to the stage were I satisfy my competitive spirit with some very reasonable results.

But I get such a buzz in introducing a new person to the sport and seeing the joy on their face when they complete their first race. On my easy training rides I will deliberately get out with less experienced guys because I find that their enthusiasm invigorates me. I train with a training group of talented athletes, but will NOT let go of the age-grouper/MOP’r mentality that first got me in to the sport, as I think it is a reminder of what is great about our sport.

So I participate and compete, because it fulfils two different sides of my personality.

Just another perspective.

16

Like many triathletes I suffer from a little attention deficit disorder: I’d get really bored if I only ran, biked, swam, or did any one activity. Tri is a way to keep me interested in all three, when doing only one would get dull quickly. I’m certain that I run more training for Tri’s than I would if I just ran for fitness & pleasure.

Triathlon is also a fantastic way to learn about yourself. It presents so many ways to challenge yourself, to stay organized, to stay disciplined. I’ve learned about mental strength that I didn’t know I had, and also weaknesses that I now recognize. Training is my way of meditating, of getting in touch with my body and spirit. I’m certain that just focusing on one activity (i.e. just running) wouldn’t have that effect for me. It’s the constant change of triathlon training that allows me to learn something new every day.

Regarding the compete vs participate part of the discussion, I know I do a little of both. I compete heavily with myself – set aggressive goals, build a hard training program to see if I can reach those goals, then race to see if I can really put it all together. At every moment in the process except during the race, it’s all about participating, having fun, getting fit. During the race, especially on the run, I’m constantly trying to pick people who look slower than me and catch them. I pick people who look faster than me and try to keep pace with them. I enjoy passing people, and I don’t particularly enjoy being passed. At the end of the race, I look up and as often as not, I’ve beaten my personal goal. But I wouldn’t have beaten my goal if I wasn’t trying to beat all those people.

Last thought: I started Tri because I needed a really long term goal. Something that I could work on for years, and quite possibly fail to achieve. Tacky and cliche as it sounds, that goal is to cross the finish in Hawaii. I am a lot closer today than I was when I started. But even with one half-ironman under my belt and another coming up in three weeks, I have more journey ahead of me than behind me. I’m confident that if I continue to do what I’m doing, I’ll finish an Ironman. That’s my halfway point. For me, getting to Hawaii will take more than getting my body fit enough. It’ll mean believing in my mind that I can succeed, that I can be one of the fastest people in the world. When I start an IM qualifying race with 300-400 other guys, I have to believe I’m going to be one of the top 10-15, or I’ll never be one of the top 10-15. For me, that mental shift, from MOPer to FOPer, from training to participate to training to win, will be the hardest part of the journey.

Lee