strengths and weaknesses?

Autum,Great thread. My greatest strength is my will. It is what keeps me going. My greatest weakness is my tendency to let little things stress or upset me. I know you were probably looking for specifics on physical strengths and weaknesses but to me you win or you lose not by physical prowess but by mental toughness/weakness. I overcome my tendency to get discouraged by the little things by reflecting on the big picture of accomplishments. So I give myself teeny-tiny goals daily to reach and succeeed. Every workout I look for something that I've done good. Maybe I was slower on the run and the bike, but I did fantastic on the swim. etc. That has helped me to keep my will strong.Ovetta.

I think I have the right kind of muscles. As long as I have enough water and food and go the right pace I can go indefinity.
If I don't work hard and watch what I eat I tend to get flabby and when you are big to begin with any extra weight really slows you down.

Hmm. I've cycled for as long as I can remember and always felt pretty comfortable on a bike, so I guess the bike is best for me. The weakest is easy too. Swimming. I didn't learn to swim until I was 13 or so. Between leaving school and moving to Minnesota (about 20 years). I didn't swim at all. As my in-laws have a lake place then swimming compulsory But even so I still didn't start swimming seriously until January of this year. I just keep plugging away, practice, practice practice...

Ian

thanks for the responses.

ovetta, i agree that mind set can be greatest strength and/or weakness. in fact, for me i think the fact that i've never done a tri before is my strength AND my weakness. i have a fear of the unknown, but then i am so nervous and excited about it, which keeps me very focused on training.

physically, i think my greatest strength is high pain tolerance (when working as a camp counselor, one of my co-workers commented 'woman, you could get shot and you wouldn't notice it). my greatest weakness is the extra 30 lbs i'm carrying around. i'm sure that is slowing me down. i'd love to be able to blaim it all on having had two babies in the past 3 years, but a lot of it is just me.

my strongest link is probably swimming. i love it and can go for hours. my weakest link is running, since i just started doing it a few months ago and it has never been something i've really enjoyed. in between, cycling, which i love and have done for as long as i can remember...but i don't care for the drop bar stance, so that will be an adjustment.

I think my strong point would be the ability to keep pushing. On a 60 mile bike ride or a 10 mile run I can endure to finish...but my swimming is a huge weakness. I know it is, but I don't have much desire to do what is necessary to correct it. I do not have any fun in the pool. I just put in the laps.

My strongest point is ability to stick things out. I banished long ago the little voice that says "you've worked hard enough, why don't you walk the rest of the way". I do listen to my body when it tells me it needs a rest, but I don't talk myself into taking easy.

My biggest weakness if the run. Bike & Swim I can go for hours. Running, I never really got into seriously until just recently, so that's my weakest leg.

Fortunately, my stick-with-itness is keeping me pushing, and I'm seeing my run get better now than it was 2 months ago. That and all the motivation from BT and reading others posts that inspire me to get out there and keep pounding pavement.

-Chris

Originally, I thought one of my strengths would be the bike, but it turned out to be my weakness. This is probably because I lack the proper cycling technique. My running I considered my weakness, but it turned out to be very predictable. I really surprised myself on my swim but my transitions were below average.

Your thread poses an interesting question. I re-evaluted my *genuine* strength and weaknesses. I have determined that my strength is my desire to prepare, compete and finish. My weakness is my physical ability and proclivity to relax and enjoy. I hope to eventually overcome my weaknesses through my desire.

I'm a reasonable swimmer and an okay biker. Those are strengths. But more fundamentally, what I'm good at is long, slow distance. I'm not a racer, really... but once I start something, I'll put my head down and finish it.

I'm a terrible runner. But again, to get to the root of the thing, it's a mindset problem. I don't THINK I can be a good runner. I'm not convinced I can be a triathlete for that matter. So, I'm telling myself that I'm doing the triathlon TRAINING, which can only be good for me, right? And I'll wait and see if that can-do spirit takes over and I become willing to learn transitions, and how to survive having people swim over me, and who knows what else. In the meantime, it just so happens that I'm swimming and biking and running and weight training and doing yoga -not all on the same day, so far.

I'm in the same boat with Chris, as my running could really be stronger. I came from a competitive swimming background in high school, and then into bike racing...but my running leaves lots to be desired, so that's my weakness. My strength lies in the fact that I can keep going for an interminably long time...100 mile bike rides are not a big deal. I feel I have the ability to press on even when my body wants to quit.

Max

Weaknesses:
1. I'm very perceptive of pain and responsive to it. Running through the pain doesn't really jive with me.
2. I have no background in swimming, a slow background in running, and have only taken fun treks on the hybrid.
3. I'm a perfectionist and feel like I should be able to do everything perfectly even from the start. This can lead me to get frustrated and/or give up if I do not progress at my desired speed.

Strengths:
1. I'm a fraulien -- sturdy and tough. I've never broken a bone or suffered an injury worse than a very bad bruise. So, I have no real fear of injury (for better or worse).
2. I’m not a hero – I do not push myself stupidly and will seek medical attention when necessary.
3. I set realistic goals.
4. Once I decide on a goal, I have an abiding faith that I will reach it.

My strengths and weakness kind of compliment each other. I don't get hurt much because I pay attention to pain and I reach my goals because I don't set them too high (no ironman for me just yet). Having reachable goals allows me to be "proficient" sooner and keep me from feeling like a failure. :-)

Also, I have friends and family to offer me perspective whenever mine gets out of wack.

My #1 weakness is my immune system!!! It has never been normal, and I don't recover normally like other people. I can get really really sick and fatigued really suddenly. So training is a fine line. It is soooo easy to cross over the line in enthusiasm and then pay for it royally!!!
My strength is that I still try the best I can.... I don't let this get me down. Other people tell me I shouldn't be stressing my body so hard, but I believe I can find the right balance eventually. That's the challenge of it, and I am up for it no matter what. I figure even if I can't get it right and can't race, I will be able to say that I gave it my all.
But I am trying oh so hard not to have to say that!!!!
Jen :-)