My best just isn't good enough?

Hmmm, you feel like you didn't try hard enough, your times are not satisfying to you, you're 'very comfortable' in the water, and you have enough energy to be cheering on the people who are passing you.  I'm reading a lot into your post, but it sounds like you might be in the same boat I'm in.  I like training, but I certainly don't ever 'leave it all out on the pavement.'  I LIKE the feeling of being able to comfortably run my distances (or bike or swim).  Sure, I'm tired when I get back, but could I have gone a little farther or harder or faster?  Sure.  I don't really want to bonk anywhere and have to call for a ride.    I had a good discussion with my big brother last week that resulted in me pushing myself a bit out of my comfort zone in both running and cycling.  It was...um... uncomfortable... but I was able to do it and if I keep it up, I'll probably ll get faster.  Are you following a plan?  Or taking any recovery weeks? 

I checked your logs, and it looks like your swims are coached.  I will also never be one of our club's elites, and don't get too many pointers during our swims unless I ask.  Can you ask your coach these questions?  Maybe it's something specific with your stroke, maybe it's a strength thing - could you ask for specific strength exercises for swim muscles?  Lifeguarding is different that tri swimming (I'm guessing here) and it could be that even though those 10 people are now in the 'deep end' that you are just far more versatile than they are.

Finally, it looks like you've had some kind of mystery illness not very long ago...it may be that a time trial in another week or two would give you a different result?

We may be long lost relatives...I too am not a natural athlete and have to work hard for any gains I make.  I am also married to a guy who can pick up just about any sport or activity on the first try.  He used to run our local 12K fun run every year in about an hour...and that was the ONLY time he ran all year.   The first time we went skiing he could ski better than I could by the end of the day, and I had skied for a long time.  Frustrating isn't the word for something like that! 

So, your best is ABSOLUTELY good enough!  You are doing awesome and should be very proud of the progress you've made - taking over two minutes off your TT time after being sick...that's a big deal!

Sorry, probably too long for a post, but don't worry and be sure to give yourself the credit you deserve!

I hear you about the swimming. I swam all year most weeks 3 times a week, did a 1000 yd TT in January and was slower than I was the year before. Gosh I took expensive swim lessons with coach who works with triathletes and it plain sucks that I don't improve.

The TT comparision in a way wasn't really a fair comparision since this off season I worked on technique for 3-4 months and the year before I was doing swim intervals so it is a bit comparing apples to oranges.

I sometimes feel that I just won't get it....if I had any talent it would have come out by now. This will be my 4th season doing tris and almost everyone I know that has been doing them as long as I have swims faster than I do (most much faster) and many take months off at a time.

I keep holding onto the thought I just haven't figured out what works for me yet and that some day I will get that break through. In 2005 I was last out of the water a couple times in tris and 2006 that didn't occur, plus I was nervous swimming in '05 and felt comfortable in '06. Mentally I am working on accepting where I am and trying to be kind to myself and working on improving from where I am. I have no control over others just me and my attitude.

My run and bike times are improving so I hang onto that. I just want to know what it is I need to do to get better; it has to be a mechanics thing based on what I have read. I just would like to get the answer....whatever it is I'd do it...someone please tell me!

I have to somewhat agree with amiine.

If you are not a natural athlete - you need to spend MORE time in order to get better.  For myself, swim improvements ONLY start happening when I am swimming at least 3x a week, at least 1500 yards at a time.

Once I've got my times where I want them, I can ease back a bit and still maintain, but swimming 1x or 2x a week is ONLY maintenance level, NOT improvement level.  (at least once you are past the getting used to swimming again part.)

I use swimming as an example, but this applys to running and biking as well.

There are two wolves in your head that are fighting each other.  One is the dread and doubt that you'll never get faster even though you work at it.  The other is that hard work will pay off and you can blow past your current swimming abilities.

The wolf that wins is the wolf you feed.

From the prespective if what I'm reading, I know which is getting fed.

While natural ability is all well and good for those who have it, the rest of us have to rely on hard work. From what I am seeing in your logs, you need to work out more consistently to improve. A day off here and there is a good thing, recuperating from injury is necessary, but multiple days in a row of not working out is not going to help you improve.

This time of year it's really difficult (for me) to get in the training I need to do (the trainer sucks, the treadmill sucks, the weather sucks, running in the mud sucks) this I know. I also know that it sucks for everybody else as well. Those who can put the suckitude aside and press on with what needs to be done will have a better race season than those give in to the suck.

I heard a great quote the other day

"Triathlons are not won on race day, they are won at 4:30 A.M. on a cold Tuesday in February" 

I heard another one too

"it's called a WORK-out, not an EASY-out"

I'll stop with the platitudes now

Get busy!

For me it was getting beyond trying to compare myself to others. Although  I am competitve by nature w/ swimming I had to realize its going to take some time. I just took my second masters swim class and after the first class I almost quit because I felt so inadequate (secretly crying in the lane during sets), but then I had to remember it's not how how I do against everyone else, but how I do against myself.

Class was much better this week - was I faster NO, but I was working strong for me and left feeling like in another year or I so I will be the fast one if I just keep at it.

Look at it this way, barring any injury or illness you can only improve! Keep you chin up!

Irondog, I am not a natural athlete either.  2 quick observations:

 1.  Training more helps; and

2.  It might be time to ditch your tri group and go back to solo workouts most of the time.   My local tri club is mostly very positive, so I can train with them even being the slowest person on the track and one of the slowest in the pool (after the first-month-of-swimming-just-doing-a-Danskin people!)  If the coaches were unhelpful or the triathletes were snotty, I would train alone.  Life's too short for that.

Get out there girl! 

I find that I can either concentrate on the people passing me or the ones I'm passing (metaphorically speaking).  I may never win my AG.  I will never win anything overall.  But I train hard and often.  I'm in great shape, and I look good in a swim suit.  I work in a company of 80,000 people,  99% of whom do not work out, do not get off the couch and who do not look good in a swim suit.  So, yes there are lots of athletes that will kick me off the course, but there's a lot of people that I can kick off the course (if they would ever get on it in the first place).  I'm happy for those who beat me IF I did my best and they were better.  They make a better society and they deserve their credit. 

Your best is good enough!  Because it is your best.  That is all that matters.