How to Pi$$ Me Off On A Training Ride (Page 2)

2 week turnaround time!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you box it up, send across the country, they fix it it and then send it back???

My LBS, I take it in, they are like, you have 5 minutes? 5 minutes later I am putting the bike in the Xterra and heading home. The worst case senario is: "We can have it ready by tomorrow afternoon".

Get a new bike shop and a new training partner.

It's the area. TRust me. All the bike shops are backed up around these parts. Apparently, for now, as long as I stay out of the 1/5 combonation of gears I am ok. My chain just hangs up there (this from my "bike Mechanic" also know as my husband who is really not super mechanical).

Man.... my wife won't let me go ride alone.... I love to ride alone. I can decide what I want to do and not worry how fast the other guy (or gal) is.... I can motivate myself. Sounds to me like the grass is always greener to some people

It's true that that type of turn around time isn't unusual. I live right next door to one of the best bike shops in this city, and if they can't fix it within 15min, then there's a week's turn around.

Matthew

Yeah, I can see how different parts of the country have different demand. Here in KC people are more worried about where to go eat bbq than riding their bikes or working out.

It's all about bikes in a college town. It's how people get around.

Cause I know that I'm not fast. So, if I can go on a bike ride with someone and ride away from them, I feel good, cause I can really see that all this training HAS made a difference. When hanging around with people who do IM's in under 12 hours or Oly's in under 2.5 hours (and these are really nice people, BTW), I feel like my accomplishments aren't really worth a whole lot. They are a LOT for me, but in comparison to a lot of triathletes, let's just say they are not so great.

I am in the same situation. There's nothing wrong with doing something and not being great at it. I don't have a problem with saying, "I love triathlon training, but I ain't that good at it". I'm great at certain things, not-so-great at others. Being "sucky" at something doesn't prevent me from having fun at it.

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I understand everything else you've said.

This just hits a hot button for me... stupid threads I've read (on other boards admittedly, not this one) "why would anyone do a tri if they know they are slow" ... "why do people do it just to finish" etc. etc.

I understand why people would do a tri, even if they are slow (that's me). I understand why people would do it just to finish. Those are accomplishments.

Anyway, I believe you took my comment completely out of context.

Yes. I thought "general population" meant everyone, not just "general population of bike riders". Regardless, as an active (competing) triathlete, why would I compare myself to the general population of bike riders? It's apples to oranges. Competitive v. non-competitive. It's an easy win. A safe bet. A win by forfeit ... the whole "nothing ventured, nothing gained" thing. I'm trying to see how that is useful in getting better.

If I set my goal as "finish" and you set yours at "finish 1st in AG," there's nothing in there that says that my EFFORT is not equal to (or even higher) than yours, even though my SPEED is slower. This is an assumption on your part.

I have never, and will never, say anything like that. All I said was that I did not see the productiveness in comparing an active athlete to a non-athletic person (for the benefit of the athlete).

Edited by TripleThreat 2005-07-18 4:12 PM

Well, the original answer was to help find a group ride, since she is posting herself as "slow," so, just saying that she is not THAT slow and could probably find a group ride going about her pace, so that she doesn't have to ride alone.  If you really can't face the thought of riding alone, then surely riding w/ a group has got to be better than not riding at all (or riding with complete training dork.)

Okay, sorry.  I guess my point was to enjoy what you have and remember that we can all do so much.  I can remember complaining about stuff (I wasn't thin enough, cute enough, etc) and I look back now and think I was nuts.  I mean, I could have been in better shape (granted) but I wasn't as awful as I kept whining on about either.

So, try to improve but enjoy the journey?  Push yourself hard, but always realize how far you've come? 

Something like that anyway.

Hey guess what? I got an IM today from a fellow BTer and she lives close to me! She says she is slow too and wants to know if we can ride together. We are going out Wednesday.

AWESOME!!!!  Be sure to let us all know how it went