Why are you doing it? (Page 3)

At my last tri, I was standing at the swim start waiting for things to get going. It was like 6 in the morning and I was surrounded by people in spandex. I was really enjoying the energy, the elevated sense of things.....and it occured to me...why do we love this? Then I looked at the triathlete standing in front of me and tattood across his back almost as an answer to my question was the quote:

"All men die, but not all men truly live"

It was the theme of the day, and yes, it's why I do this.

Cause no one sits on their death bed and says man I wish I spent more time on the couch.   Live your life now because you might not get a chance later. 

Oh yeah, and chicks dig it. 

This excerpt from my 2006 race report says it all....

"By mile 3, I was in 10th place, with just a tenth of a mile to go. All of a sudden, I heard the unmistakeable sound of someone trying to pass me. All I could think of is that a 45-50 year old male was coming up to take my spot on the Podium. I kicked out with everything I had in me, and the person still caught up to me briefly - I was able to see that it was a young girl, but I thought, the hell with that, she's not going to pass me right in front of the chute!!! So I went totally anarobic, with a sprint like you would expect in a 50 yard dash (which is about what we had left). I pulled away from her, and just about wiped out the people working the chute as I had a heck of a time getting slowed down once I crossed the finish line.

As they were taking off my race number, I steadied myself on one of my friends working the chute - I'm sure my heartrate was the highest it had ever been. As I walked away, I saw this young girl, around 18 years old, with her hand over her mouth, walking over to the fence, looking like she was going to heave. I'm thinking to myself, that will teach you to try to pass me!!!! I thought about asking her if she was Ok, but she looked like she just needed to be left alone at that moment so I did.

Later that morning, I met that same girl as we were looking at the results that had just been posted. She was commenting to her father that "she tried to pass this old guy, but just couldn't do it". I intoduced myself, and thanked her for helping me run the best 5k of my life. She told me that she was dumbfounded that she could not catch me, as not only is she on the high school track team, but her speciality is the shorter, sprinting races.

I walked away in awe, that in 4 short years, I have gone from a guy that couldn't run a quarter mile if my life depended on it, to someone that is beating high school track team members (that are half my age) at their own game".

Dennis 

To keep my weight in check - I love to eat!    To reduce stress.    To raise money for charities.    To stay healthy.    Because I feel better physically when I train.    Because my wife says I'm much easier to get along with.    Because going fast is fun!    So my wife will continue having sex with me.    For the socializing.

My brother owns a Funeral Home, I have seen a lot of dead people that died from the buffet amd inactivity.  Dead at 40 or 50 or younger from sitting on thier , stuffing thier face and using the remote.

A trip to Great wolf Lodge and sitting thier and seeing all the kids that had fries in one hand and were in sahpes that summed up the national obisity crisis.  Having a 7 year old I thgouth I cannot let that happen.

My daughter writing her report in school  saying she admires her Daddy becuase he bikes and runs and races"

Joe

Plus I like it

I like this answer; I love competition, although I'm pathetically slow. I did kick the arse of a woman 25 yrs older than me in my last race, though...barely. Yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself

I like the triathlete diet (you know...eat anything you want)

Pace booty

Seriously, the comradarie at the first triathlon I did was amazing (and very, very, addictive)

I started it as a way to burn stress energy, and since I am an ADD case, tri worked well because there was always a different workout coming.

 I am now in a much better job that is not as stressful, but I continue tri because it's become a way of life for me.

I am a very competitive person, and the motivation to get out of bed in the morning is to gain that extra training on those I'm going up against.

I love the interaction with other athletes,  and meeting others who understand my OCD (obsessive compulsive desire) to swim bike and run...

 Why in general? It beats what I am doing right now, sitting on the couch... oop, better get going...

I have a little saying taped to the handle bars on my bike. "Remember Why".

My why is my wife. She hasn't been able to train or race for a while. We used to train together all the time but now she can't. We did celebrate her walk around the block last week though! Hopefully late 2009 - early 2010 my training partner will be back running again.

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I did my 5k, 10k, half marathon and full marathon last year this year 2 5k's and half marathon. Why did I do them for my health and sanity and also so I can be around for my husband when the time comes when he needs me. I hope this answers your question.  

TimmyMay, she is beautiful! I love your saying you have taped to your bike.

nice to hear everybody's reason

Yet, I still can't answer why I am doing.  I ask my legs and it won't answer me.  I can make up some but whats the point

Well, I just watched Forrest Gump last weekend, I think his "for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run." is suitable in my case.

And timmy thats a touching story.

Because a few years back I was in too bad of shape to even run for ten minutes and now I can.  I don't want to go back to that.

I love the feeling after I have worked out.

I love all of the friends I have made through training the different sports.

It is fun to challenge yourself to go faster.

To really see how strong I can be both physically and mentally. 

To keep me focused, I have added a charity for my first HIM.  Being a golf professional, I felt it was only right to choose The First Tee Program in Greenville, SC.

Why don't you look a little deeper than your legs.  Your legs won't tell you anything during a race.  Your heart and desire will.

I'd say 1 of 2 things:

1. Cross a finish line, then you'll know

                           or

2. What better physical and mental challenge is there? (Include triathlons, not just mary)

Because you can't DRINK BEER before work... but you can SWIM BIKE OR RUN!!!