Why triathlon?

It seemed like a good idea at the time.  A way to exercise with less risk of injury than just running.  Keep me from getting myself into trouble drinking.  And I figured it'd be cheaper than motorcycling. 

Now I have a shattered arm, can't exercise at all, and have a gigantic hospital bill to pay.  Awesome.

 

i went from natty bb to triathlon this year.  there are lots of similarities.  dedication to your routine is key.  most people are super friendly.  the training is VERY different.  you can actually measure your accomplishment and improvement with numbers.  and its far easier to manage a normal social life when you don't need to stick to your 7pm tuna pouch every night

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Maybe it's because I've been stuck in the house for two days, but that is funny.

I am goal oriented in life so this sort of sport suits me well since I always have a tangible goal I'm working towards.

I initially tried just running but I tend to do something every day or not at all when it comes to physical activities, so having built in cross training keeps me from hurting myself and keeps me excited for each workout.  I run Monday, then by Tuesday it's been so long (2 days) since I've been on the bike or in the pool that I'm excited to do that, then on Wednesday it's been so long since I've run I get excited again... I'm a little ADD like that.

An added side benefit that keeps me happy is the community (yeah BT!) that's so friendly and accepting of novices.  That's key for me too.

Because Rowing wont fit my schedule with work where as college was rowing. Needed something to keep me busy when I realized the occassional run and nothing else was making me pack on more poundage and feel really sluggish. Started Bike commuting to work. Did that for 2 years then an old high school friend mentioned she was doing Tri's back home and my Sister in Law was doing them so I thought heck, I can run, I can bike, I love the water why not! so now I have my first one (an Oly) under my belt, trying to pick a sprint for the weekend of 7/18 and registering for another oly in September and maybe a sprint in August as well...all while saving my money to get a new bike next winter/early spring (aka sale time!)

Felt like trying one. I was hoooked. Way more entertaining than going to the gym... and I feel like I have a PURPOSE for working out now. Other than, "I want to be skinny and look good". Sure, that's a nice side affect of training... but it's not sole purpose... like working out in the gym was.

Plus, I would get completely bored with just ONE sport to focus on. Having 3 disciplines to maintain... makes it entertaining and always interesting.

I stopped coaching high school football, finally had the time time to do that sport I watched every year in december and always thought "that would be cool to do."

Probably because in the eyes of non-triathletes we are such big studs. It's good to feel like a big stud...

I ran for many years, many miles.  Did a little biking but no competition and always have loved the water.  In December of 2007 I won a raffle, the prize, free SPRINT entry to the Timberman!!  I said why not?  Love the training, the people, and discipline it takes to get to the starting line.  My free entry cost me a new bike, helmet, wetsuit, pool membership etc........so I now have all the equipment I might as well keep it up!

I had for the most part accomplished my main running goals and was looking for something different.  I liked cycling a lot and had used it as my fallback sport whenever I was injured from running.  Now I have this third sport, swimming, which I really need to work on (new challenge) - combine the three and you have a whole new world of goals and objectives.  I really like all of the training and the balance of the three sports.

At one level, I don't know.  The first time I saw it (only a couple of years ago -- apparently I live in a cave) I knew I had to do it.  I had never really biked much -- just the occasional commute.  I had tried and failed to start running a few times.  And I had never swum in my life.  So why, when the three were put together, did it suddenly strike me that this was something I had to do?  Not sure, but it remains true.

Fun cardio. I'd been weight training 3-4 times a week for the past three years, but hate, hate, hate any and all cardio machines. I also hate running. I wanted to drop my body fat a bit more and realized I needed to add in some calorie burning cardio. Although I still hate running, the swimming and biking make it worth the punishment. I'm having a blast training. It really is cardio that doesn't feel like a chore. I haven't lost a pound, but I do believe my body composition has improved as I'm still getting stronger in the weight room and my abs are starting to peak through. Yeah, and I'm on here right now when I should be running. I will, I will...just waiting for it to cool down a little, that's all.

I took up triathalon training last summer after being a runner for almost 20 years.  I started running at the age of 43 to keep in shape for slow pitch softball league play and eventually ran local 5K's, 10K's, half marathon and finally in my late 40's I did two marathons.  I found out that my knees and back would not take the pounding of running so I was looking for some crosss training events that would keep me somewhat fit and my weight from balooning.  I always thought that triathaletes had to spend a lot of money for the equipment but I found out that is not always the case.  I started biking with my son and grandkids on a Wal-Mart commuter bike and started swimming in a local lake in the swimming area.  After 3 months, I decided it was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  I read a lot about road bikes, triathlons, swimming and everything associated with triathalons on the web (especially this site).  I bought a very nice steel framed Raleigh Grand Prix with all new components (Shim 105) on Ebay for $250.  It came with shoes, helmet, Dura Ace 7100 pedals, and even had clip on aero bars.  I picked up bike shorts and goggles on Amazon, and now I'm all set and haven't spent a fortune.  I did my first Sprint last Sun. at the age of 61 and was hooked.  Everyone was so nice, even to an old codger like me.  I was very pleased with my time (especially the 450 m. pool swim - 9:56).  I finished in 1:43 and won my ag.  It's nice to get some hardware on your first try!  Sorry for the long thread, but I think I have a very good reason to do tri's!!

I was a swimmer a long time ago, hadn't been on a bike since high school and detested running. A few years ago, a friend asked me and my husband if we wanted to do a sprint tri with her. I was looking to lose baby weight from my first kid, so I thought maybe... I asked my husband if he thought I could do it. He said "sure" in a way that really meant "heck no" but was afraid to say it. I had to prove him wrong! The first race wasn't pretty, but I was hooked! Another kid and a few years later, I'm still at at and doing my first Oly later this summer.

For me, it's partly the competition with my friends and husband. They try to beat me in the swim, I try to keep up in the run. But also, exercise is so much more fun when there is a goal in mind. And having 3 sports to train for, I don't get bored. Besides, I need to burn some calories so I can enjoy good food and drinks too...

Because I am competitive and I grew up being very sporty but never "very good" at any sport. However put 3 x sports of "average to good" together and I come up in the "good" category.  I have fun with goals of trying for age group spots and improving my time on the same race courses each year.  It is very motivating to know that even as I get older I can still improve.
Also I like the training lifestyle because it enables me to eat more and I love my food.

Jackie

I went into tris terrified of swimming and biking. I wanted to face my fear! Also, wanted something different than" just running."

Cause I am a reformed quilter....seriously............

Because I was losing weight by learning to run and was already biking so it was logical.

Because I read "The Slow Fat Triathlete" and was inspired.

Because it keeps me exercising and on track with weight loss.

Because I like how it makes me feel accomplishing goals I never dreamed possible.

Because I never EVER want to revert to anywhere near my old lifestyle bye bye 300lbs!

Because (ahemimightwanttobeanironmanahem)

It's about kicking my OLD life/self to the curb.

Plus I like the "individual" type of sport with a team sorta spirit.





Edited by IdealMuse 2009-06-30 10:29 PM

Because I never thought I could do a triathlon.


(not a triathlete yet, but soon!)

Originally it was to lose weight and get in the shape i once was 20 years ago but then when i told co workers and friends i was training for my first sprint Triathlon i basically was laughed at so Now i am out to prove a point, That I can do this and now i love the training and sport !!

I started to help with weight loss and wanted something that allowed me to compete.  I have found the rotation of running, biking, and swimming really keep me from getting bored.  Only done one race so far but I am pretty hooked, love the feeling during the race and also during training, even when I feel like I am going to drown on an OWS.  Also I did it to prove that I could, never thought I could do it, now it is working to improve my speed and distances.

I was already commuting on a mountain bike and getting out for occasional weekend rides. I started trying to run, kept hurting myself, and taking time off from it, but I kept going back and trying again. The last time I hurt my foot, I decided to learn to swim lanes to maintain some fitness until I could run again. While searching for swim training information I stumbled over BT. That got me thinking about it since I was already going to be doing all three sports and then I found that there was a local tri in a few months that included a really short "super-sprint" event. I signed up, trained for it, did it, had fun, and was hooked.

Also, on BT and other websites, I learned enough about running to stop hurting myself and start to make some very slow progress on that front too.