WHY do you do IT!!!!

[robreddy]

Triathlon that is!!

I'm about to start my 32nd season of doing tris - some years have had lots of racing and training, some years less - some years no racing and very little training - but I have always been connected to tris and swimming (actually swimming goes back further to 41 years of competition) - over that time I have seen WAY too many people come and go from this sport, get hurt and burn out - but a few folks keep going on.....

I was asked by one of my kids last night why do i keep doing this 'stuff'

Easy answer - its my lifestyle - I take the process and the training seriously - but I don;t get too hung up on how I place at races or what crap I have. I live for workouts and time with friends, going to races all over the country and potentially the world - but I don;t feel the need nor pressure to preform at any specific level or be validated by any level of 'placing'. I like being challenged every day and being scared on IM race morning.

So WHY do you DO IT!!!!

[benmiralia]

I feel like a rookie compared to you. I can break this down into two reasons. The first, and most important is the lifestyle. I have never taken off more than two or three weeks in the last 20 years. I'm happiest when my heart rate soars and my lungs burn and my legs are tired. There is no sense of freedom like that. ever.

The second reason is strictly for endurance races and training days. Those long days where you are moving for 8 hours or 15 hours. There are no compromises on those days. For me I will either finish the day standing or I will be hauled off in an ambulance. I can't think of any other aspect of my life where I can say that. It is a feeling you only get where you lay everything on the line knowing the potential consquences and you do it anyway.

[ejgorman]

Good topic thread Rob...
I came to this as a result of the onset of chronic injuries in my first endurance passion; marathon running. While I may not ever be strong enough to go beyond Olympic distance events, I am quite grateful for discovering how much I enjoy swimming ( totally new for me since late 09 ), and when weather is good and I can meet up with CTC groups, riding. The blessing I feel in this --- beyond the fellowship--is that I can typically stay in training mode even when I go through my running tweaks. I also find the Tri community to be exceptionally supportive--especially at races. This is why I do this.

EJ Gorman

[jimdehner]

Good question Rob - I think this 14 years so I'm just a rookie compared to you and Ben - I started doing triathlon because I was bored with just running - and things just got out of hand and I became a triathlete -
I enjoy the training (I know that's sick) and the racing - have met a lot of great people - great way to exercise and stay young - Hope to see you all out there this season

[katekosar]

I've been doing tris for a while, marathons even longer. My first Disney was about 18 years ago, I think. I think I knew I was hooked when Ben M. led a spin class over at OCC many many moons ago and I was bound and determined to do it, but forgot my shoes ... eureka, I put a bunch of those little Dixie cups on the pedals, worked well enough to keep the sharp thingies from tearing up my insoles.

Fast forward ... still hanging in there ... wave to me as you return to your vehicles, I'm the old broad who's DFL with a big grin on her face.

Why continue to excel in being DFL? Honestly? Because that sad morbidly obese lady who used to be me 130 pounds ago is still right behind me, chasing me down.

35 lbs to race weight for IMAZ this November.

Bottom line: gratitude for the friendly tri family, gratitude for my body that still moves in space and time, gratitude for the opportunity to feel alive.

[MattCollister]

This is maybe a bit esoteric. I think every human being has an innate need for story. Participating in sports is just a way to be a protagonist in a hero’s journey. There’s a path. There are obstacles and people who help you overcome them. There’s a goal. You return transformed.

I was watching a short video the other day about Kathryn Switzer, the first woman to enter and complete the Boston Marathon, back in the 60’s. It was only a short piece, maybe three minutes long, but I was struck by how perfectly this little slice of history fit the hero’s journey model. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOGXvBAmTsY

Few of us run and change history, like she did, but I do think we all just want to be part of a story.

[watchman]

Great question Rob. My guess is the reason changes over time. ( Matt that was very profound what you posted. It has some cool insight. We all are part of a cool story in some way)

For me I was into weight lifting, the "body for life" workout but with 14 kids I realized that only one muscle mattered and that was the heart muscle. So I shifted to endurance sports. I was halfway through marathon build up when I snapped my ankle in a tackle football game. The doctor said I would never run a marathon. That really motivated me ( I have done 2 marathons and 2 I.M. Triathlons since) I could bike and swim before I could walk so I thought ; " triathlons, you run less so why not". I did my first Sprint Triathlon 9 months after ankle snap. That was 5 years ago.
I have learned so much since then. After that race I had a 4 year plan to do I.M. distance. Which was 2011 at Rev 3.
I guess the goal is still heart health for my kids . I do this for the benefit when I am 60, 70 and 80. I have to admit I need challenges to motivate me. Whether it is the distance like the I.M. or breaking a certain time. I like what you wrote Rob and I am starting to enjoy the people, the training and the overall life style more than just having a P.R. They were real easy the first 4 years but are alot harder now. I still want to finish an I.M. while it is light. I still want to do a 5k under 20 minutes. But right now I like the feeling of being 10 to 20 years younger than my age as far as health and fitness.

The key for me is to not let it come before ; The Lord, Wife, Children, ministry , or people. it takes some real planning but as long as priorities stay right I plan to continue.

Also I will say I have never been around a more helpful and encouraging group of people as far as sports go. The endurance crowd is a pretty cool group to be involved with and of that we all know the triathlon is the most awesome endurance sport for sure.

mike

[Jeff Uzl]

Lifestyle, journey, story...This is my third Tri season. I was a high school and D-1 college wrestler. Because of wrestling I was by default a runner, weight lifter, and fitness buff. Triathlon crossed my radar in the early 80's when I watched an Ironman broadcast. My interest began and stopped there.

Fast forward to my 40th year on this earth and a dare from a coworker to run 13.1 miles. I showed up 6 weeks later, 12 pounds lighter and knocked it out. The Half morphed into training for a full marathon. During my training, an ad popped up on the computer for the Cleveland Triathlon and I jumped in. I picked up a bike on Craigslist, clamped on some aero bars, took a couple of swims in the lake and showed up race morning. The love affair started there...

In 2011, the woman I was dating was doing IM, WI. I cheered on athletes of all calibers that day and I said, "I will be here in 2013." Even though our love waned, my love for the sport was growing. A life style of keeping in shape morphing into a journey towards a goal.

The best part of this journey are all the great people I've met along the way.

[benv]

I was a bike racer (road and track) as a junior but dug a big hole for myself when I thought resting was something I was too tough for, which resulted in a multi-year recovery from an extreme case of overtraining. This caused me to swap training for partying, drinking and eating and totally losing all fitness but gaining lots of weight instead.

After moving to Pasadena, CA from Belgium I decided to pick things up again and joined the local bike club, but fatties weren't very welcome and I'd get dropped immediately so I joined the tri club then, originally just to be able to ride a bike with cooler and friendlier people. But I got really inspired by these folks, their energy and excitement was contagious and in my second year with that club i found myself doing my first run half marathon, first olympic tri and first half ironman.

For me it's a combination of different things, it's a lifestyle and just knowing to be quite fit and healthy is a great feeling. Most triathletes are really really cool - usually fun to hang out with, excited, positive, motivating, encouraging others to do their best also. There is a strong friendly competition, but to the most part we race ourselves, our goals, our times, conquer new distances which means we all understand each other!
The jump to Ironman distance magnifies many things a lot further and was also a life changing event, making me realize that many successes or failures in life are heavily determined by how bad (or not) you really want to accomplish something. There are some powerful things to draw from, and I like to remind myself of those (and learn new ones) which is why I try to do one IM every year.

[jen]

I definitely agree with much of what has been written. I think it does become somewhat of an addiction too. Completing a tough workout is a good feeling. I have really enjoyed getting to know and become friends with many CTCers. Almost all are very positive, fun people to be around and are successful in all areas of life which is a wonderful influence. It also is motivating to jump on the band-wagon of what everyone else is doing and realizing it might be something you didn't think you could do.

Also to add, last night watching the last hour of Biggest Loser there was something Jillian Michaels said, "You get up every day and you try (tri) again...for this moment. This is what you fight for and it doesn't happen often, but when it does happen, it is magic. And it's worth it." That makes me think of races and crossing finish lines. We may have some bad days but there are those times when things come together and it is magical. I will never forget my first marathon finish, or my first HIM. I am absolutely looking forward to that finish line in Wisconsin in September (my first IM).