Things that *were* important when I started tri, but now I don't give a crap about: (Page 2)

Any sustenance outside of the tears of my competition.

Any music but the "whoosh whoosh" of my disc wheel passing said competition.

doesn't the create it's own interval workout later on that night?

Glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that one!!!  I would have had to clean the computer screen

So you havent found a way to hide them?...I was hoping! 8)

that was the only one I wasn't being sarcastic about!

Yep I was gonna call that out too when I saw it.

The importance of taco bell has only increased since starting triathlon.

x2!  When I 1st started I was all about tri everything.  Now I look around at my family and how fast my girls are growing up and I just want to be part of their lives and have good relationships with them.  I love sbr, and I still try to find a balance of 3 workouts each discipline/week, but I don't race and if I miss a planned workout I don't sweat it.

jami

I meant to quote MMRocker!

Um, yeah. Triathlon. 

Much more important to be a partner, wageearner, father, athlete, friend, son, luddite, neighbor than a triathlete, IMHO.

Tri has gotten back in it's rightful place, in my world. 

PS. think of another pastime you'd endorse for your kids or yourself where you spend 8-20 hours a week by yourself (training), and the logistical adjustments to get to that schedule, not including the prep time of getting dressed, driving to your pool or ride or run, or recovering. Would you do that for your kids?  Your parents?

Long distance tri is the most self-absorbed sport in the world; it's for the few that ARE that self absorbed, have nothing better to do, or (the vast minority) peg that as something core to their being. The rest of the folks doing it are are trying to prove something, and will be disillusioned shortly after drinking the kool-aid, and having success. They'll move on, due to economic or life costs. Some will find a way to make that lifestyle 'normal'. That's not most of us, works for some. 

I applaud the folks that stick to shorter distance tris because it fits in their lives, and they're not smitten by the glow of the WTC marketing / IM finisher medal. Has the same (or better) health benefits, without the life costs. 

Oh, and one more:

* Triathlon magazines.

Wow...this was certainly a long way to say, "I'm bitter that I am unable to balance a normal life with long distance triathlon training."

If you were just trying to share your opinion you could have probably stopped after the third sentence...I guess, instead, you felt you needed to go out of your way to insult the self-absorbed, delusional, Kool-Aid drinkers that make up about half of this board.

If you were half as good at managing your training as you are at trolling the internet you might have had a better experience

*Television--realized a few months ago that my TV hadn't been on for about three months

*Cooking anything that isn't ready in 30 minutes or less (because I get too hungry)

*Taking care of house plants (Not sure why, but I let them die this spring. It's hard enough keeping myself fed and hydrated in the tropics. I do feed and water the cat, though.)

*Caring what other people think/say about what/how much I eat (too hungry to care).

*Trying to save money on food. High training volume makes me crave certain foods (currently on an avacado kick) and I've started to just give into them when the stuff is available figuring body is telling me it needs something. Luckily I haven't craved anything too expensive--yet.

I'm not sure I would have worded it that way but I see your point.  I guess anything in life that puts so much obsession, attention and time on one's own success could definitely be considered self-absorbed.  It's like being the absent workaholic parent.  Hard to say since I've never done IM or had a kid but if I had a kid and a job (maybe not even a job) I don't imagine IM would even be a consideration.

"Um, yeah.  Triathlon"

This from the guy with over 6000 posts who is a gold member and paying for a subscription to BT.  You can look at anything anyone does as self-absorbed if you take a step back and change your perspective.  You start triathlon b/c of whatever reasons that make you feel good, that's you doing it for you, ie self-absorption.  You stop triathlon b/c you maybe don't spend as much time with your family and therefore are missing out on some things that you would like with your family, which is you changing your activities to make you feel better, ie self-absorption.  Not to mention your avatar, which is one of the most self-absorbed cartoon characters around.

But, I agree with the other poster that you could've finished after the 3rd sentence.  Sounds like you're bitter and have your own regrets for not completing those things that other triathletes have been able to while still managing life outside the sport.  There are tons of stories of athletes managing life, training and racing without regret.  Maybe you just weren't able to and are taking it out on those forum participants who were able to complete their goals.

As for only applauding the folks who stick to shorter distances because it fits their lifestyles, what about applauding the folks who stick to longer distances and still manage their lifestyles?  The thing is is that you wind up adjusting your life around those things that are important to you.

As for being smitten by WTC marketing/IM finisher medal, I would venture to say that most people who do the long distance are actually more interested in completing the distance rather than completing a WTC race.

Cheers and I hope you get some happiness in your life.  I work full-time as a junior VP in IT, renovate rental homes on the weekends with family, go to school for a Masters degree currently, spend time with my girlfriend, and still manage to train about 12 hours/week.  And if my life changed, so be it, but I wouldn't degrade those people who still do it.

Not feeling stupid when I wear a fuel belt while running.  Don't know why, but I felt stupid for the first few months wearing it.

Ditto about the goggles, and the funny looks I sometimes get.

Missing a workout.

Not looking stupid, yeah most definitely.  Was riding the bike the other day and looked down for too long.  Ran parallel into a curb, tumbled head over off the bike into the grass.  Got up, wiped off my shirt and shorts.  Got back on the bike.  Nothing in the way to cause my accident, just my stupidity.  Was off and riding in under a minute as if nothing happened.

Whoa, wait a minute.  I got no shot at beating super fit, geared up, 145 lb lightening bolts in Tri-race, but I can slap my meathead freinds around for 16 weeks in FF.  Talk smack to them for an entire of season after winning championship..... Fantasy Football must stay......

LOL!! Yes, Fantasy football is staying...Difference is I'm only in two leagues instead of four. That and I'm not going to spend the amount of time I usually making my own cheat sheet, staying glued to the waiver wire, etc. The guys in my league are happy I'm training for an IM this year. They're sick of me beating up on them every week

*'clean' bathrooms-after going in those porta-potties pre and during races-I can handle pretty much anything

*Triathlon-like someone else said...this year, I am doing ONE tri. I did a mud run and am doing the Warrior Dash with friends (fun stuff), doing a century bike ride and doing a run with my kids (which I am NOT competing in). Tri's are still important, but it's not an end all.

That cracked me up !! (sorry!) I stopped the other day to wait on a friend, put down my (unclipped) left foot and turned to look over my left shoulder. I promptly fell to the right (where I WAS clipped-in) fortunately, into the grass. I was laughing hard, while trying to hurry and right myself before anyone saw me ...

Most of the hobbies I've had have taken up that amount of time. My husband easily spends about 10 hours a week playing video games. A lot of people spend that and then some watching tv. I used to play roller derby and practices, games, and community appearances/fundraisers/bar parties easily turned it into a 15 hour/week commitment, +/-. When I was in grad school, it was a HUGE time commitment as well.

If you can manage your time well, it turns out there are a surprising number of hours in the day.

I've only been in this environment for a touch over 2 years, but I can see my own evolution through much of what y'all say, and I'll likely continue to change my attitudes on many things. But, for now:

*Jammers. Yah, I get odd looks sometimes, and I almost feel like I should be in the "I'm sexy and I know it" video when everyone else at the pool is dressed in baggy trunks.

*Looking for some kind of external reinforcement (fishing for compliments). Most folks don't comprehend the difference between a sprint-distance event and an Ironman, and I don't have the patience to explain it, so I just don't say anything.

I started out knowing I'd not get into HIM and IM distance events, so sticking with shorter ones is easy, and my life stays somewhat balanced (as much as it was before). I'm still trying to learn how to swim more than 400m in less than a morning. 

Gear isn't a problem either. As my current GF has said on a few occasions, I'm a tightwad. Even though my tri-bike, all together with the various after-market components, was expensive, it was all bought on sale or used (except the power meter). If I win the lottery (the $6 I got last week doesn't count), I'll have a fancy bike built just for me, but otherwise I expect I'm where I'll be gear-wise for quite a while.

And I've never cared for Toxic Hell, so it saves more Nacos Bel Grande for y'all. I'll stick with a bacon double cheese burger!