"It's Just a Sprint" (Page 3)

 

 

 

 

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Don't tell him that! We love the sarcastic LB much more than the level headed LB...just sayin'...

(and my kids aren't 17 anymore, but I still get enough spice from those boys..ha!)

That depends if the race is in a time trial format or race format. If it's not a time trial than nope, your competition is better if they're faster.

Edited by runtim23 2017-07-25 5:46 PM

WTS elite race this weekend is a sprint. I am doing the draft legal AG event that's beforehand. I find the draft legal sprints are more competitive than most Olympic distance events.


60-65 minutes at red line are more fun than 10 hours of Iron man.

Johnny B is doing a sprint, that's legit right ?

RB almost had me agreeing with him. Thanks 3mar for pulling me back from the brink.

BTW, what's with the weird hair pics?

Mitzi

I've never been able to do anything with my hair so I usually go with pigtails. Since that picture was taken I've learned a bit more about hairdressing and now they are more like two little buns....so less weird.

Like this? definitely less weird





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Weird is wonderful. Normal is boring.

Haaahahahahaha - I just snorted coffee all over my computer. Thanks

I concede to LB's assertion I am not an athlete, though my ego leads me to say I have been in the past (distant past).
However I do see myself as a triathlete even though I only do sprints (to return to OP), again ego leads me to say I have done an oly (OK came in last, but BT tells me the last person in is still a triathlete).

I think my embarrassment with doing sprints is because it is the longest I can now do. If you are competitive there is nothing "just" about a sprint distance, which is what many of you have been saying.

Mitzi

You are welcome

aw shucks...

I don't think anyone would disagree....certainly not in regards to the established fact that most of us aren't really athletes. Even fewer are competitive athletes.


For me, endurance doesn't explicitly come with ease....it comes from being stubborn.
And that...being stubborn....I can do with ease.
That's why statistically against others, I do better the longer the race

Again for real athletes....nothing comes easy.
Some find achieving success at different lengths....just as track athletes do.

I guess my definition of an athlete is different. It is not a level of talent or expertise, but a level of commitment. If you are truly seeking excellence and striving, in your training and competition, to be the best you can be, given the limitations of your genetic gifts, health, and life circumstances, then you are an athlete. Perhaps not an elite, or a professional, but an athlete. That can be true for a middle school kid struggling to finish her first race, an 80 year old trying to qualify for Kona, or a top pro. All, in my mind, are athletes because they are striving to better themselves through sport at their particular level.

In that sense, I have been an athlete since age 10, and I hope to be one all my life until I cross that final finish line. The fact that I'm not, have never been, and may never be, fast enough to be world-class in any of my chosen sports has nothing to do with it. I am training to do my best, and racing to win, or at least better my past performances nad pursue new goals. Even if it was "just" for fitness, I would be training to be a better version of myself--fitter, happier, more productive. Others may have different definitions of what an athlete is, and that's fine with me--I don't need them to define what I am or am not. Some may believe we are all athletes, some that only the elite are athletes, and many may in fact believe we are all crazy. Who cares?

So, you are still competing against yourself. That's the thing I have enjoyed the most on this first year of my triathlon journey. Yesterday I probably had my best bike ever in training and it felt great. Improving your proficiency in any physical activity is the constant goal of all true "athletes."

So I'm going to play devil's advocate here (since LB has seemed to have lost his fire). If we're going to be honest; the large majority of participants in a triathlon finish in the place/time they do, not because of a lack of genetics or time, or any circumstance out of their control, it's simply a lack of commitment. A job, social commitments, or Netfilx are more important than training....and that's fine. Each person should use their time on this planet to do what fulfills them. The thing that gets to some folks is that for some reason, in this sport, that same large majority is VERY disproportionately proud of themselves. There is a weird social construct in this sport that seams to celebrate a lack of commitment in training and then slogging over the finish line as an "everyman"/"everywoman" doing something amazing, because they failed to properly prepare, then drug themselves across a finish line. There is also a level of smugness and self importance of those same individuals which can drive others up the wall. The writing off of the most committed and fast as just gifted or not real, or whatever, and celebration of those that had other priorities in their lives that outweighed the commitment of training can get to people. Again, if family/career/dinner/drinks/netflix/the zoo is more important to you than training, then you should absolutely do those things, we have one life here, so do what works for you, but lets all be realistic about who is really climbing this particular mountain, and for whom this is actually a commitment.

The plus side is that when one of those people happen to share a lane with LB in a pool...it makes things fun on here at least.

PS, LB, if you want to get that fire burning again, just go on instagram and type in #triathlete. I would love to watch you look through those pictures and comments.

Hot Runner - loved your post and, really, who cares.

3mar - with all due respect, I'm probably one of those people you think you know. I was definitely not fast at my first sprint; however, I spent four weeks training (yes, we can both agree that signing up and only having four weeks to prepare was idiotic. I'll own that one), 6 days a week. I had my plan and was committed. I got up early to fit in runs, bikes and swimming and, honestly, am now in better shape than I've been in many years - perhaps ever. And it wasn't "lack of commitment" that had me finish when I did, it was a matter of where I was at when I began training. I'm sure it's the same for many others who aren't fast - they just have a longer road to travel before they're as fast as the "elite." And you can thumb your nose at that as much as you want, but I'm sure you had to start somewhere too.

Also, there's no part of me that thinks that the people who finish first do so because of "genetics," or luck, or whatever. I actually don't think anybody here does. We realize the amount of training involved and I, personally, am in AWE at how fast they are and have nothing but respect for the people who crush it.

Lastly - I AM proud of myself, despite my finish time (although I don't think I'm smug about it). I did something I never thought I'd be able to do. To me, it was a huge accomplishment to cross the finish line, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like that. Of course, now that I know I can do it, my goal isn't to "just" finish, it's to train more and do it faster - hopefully a lot - but I'm not going to forget where I started.