Your Rival (Page 2)

Yeah, this is awesome!! I hope that will be me and my son one day!!

and yes, if he sticks with it your likely coming out on the losing end of that race every time in a couple more years.

My best friend.  We did our first Try a Tri together 5 years ago and the majority of races we've done since then have been together/against each other.  He's destroyed me by 15min, to edging me out by 22 seconds.  My goal since our first race has been to finally beat him.

First race of the season this year it finally happened.  As I came into T2 my wife was yelling at me that I wasn't far behind him (he started 3min ahead), and it turns out he actually heard them announce me come into T2 while he was getting out on the run.

As the run went further and further I kept looking for his red Tri top.  With 3km to go I finally found him.  As I was closing in on him he turned a corner on the road and looked back over his shoulder, then did a double take - I just raised my arm, pointed at him, and let him know I was coming for him.  He gave me a pat on the back on the way by and we exchanged words for a moment and then I was gone.

When I turned the corner for the finishing straight my wife was going a little nutty seeing me come round that bend first.  This race, this "victory" meant more to me than an actual podium spot would.  5 years of chasing, and I finally got it done. 

We'll be rivals again next year.

Great story and great victory too, congrats, but will we now hear a story of a guy who is training hard for revenge next year

I have to agree that I'm with Claaaw on this, as I'm just racing that previous 70lb-heavier, extremely-out-of-shape woman that existed 2 years ago!  Saying that, I do have an out-of-state friend who races in the same AG as me.  She nearly always comes 3rd in our sprint races, and earlier this year she caught me at the 1.5 mile mark on the run, to once again take 3rd place!  I was not disappointed in my best ever AG placing (5th) and PR during this race, but she now jokes that I've just recently taken up the Oly distance so she can't overtake me again!  My reply was: "Try and overtake me again and your swim-bike-run will turn into a swim-bike-run-swim-run-hit friend at finishing line", as I threatened to toss her back in the lake we run around 

My 10 year old son. (running)

And that kinda bugs me. I thought I'd have a few more years... 

My biggest rival is myself. My goal is to do the best I can in each race. I am a slow but steady type of person finishing each race with a smile on my face.

I also figure if I keep at it long enough people will just drop due to age.  

I used to think that and now that I'm in the 65-70 age group there are usually only a few left but they're usually fast.  And I always get beat by someone in the 70+ age group so there's no relief when I get there next year.  However my goal each year is to be just a little faster than I was this year and I think I can still do that for a couple more years as long as I avoid injury.

I have a lady friend in WI who does tris also.  We did the 2012 OBX Olympic Tri together in Manteo, NC. 

She kicked the living daylights out of me on the swim.  I came out of T1 20 MINUTES behind her.

I caught her, time wise but not physically, on the ride.  We did cross while I was heading to the half-way and she was heading back.  That gave me hope.

Coming out of T2, I had closed the time gap A LOT to 3 minutes.  On the run, I trudged on, as did she.  I never caught her on the run, but we did cross about .1 mile from the turn-around.  She ended up crossing the finish 2:30 ahead of me.

This has helped me gain a much larger desire to improve my swim.  On top of that, I have decided to not take my riding ability as for granted and to work to improve even there.  Then there's the run.  I've now taken on doing bricks such that I can actually get better on the run.  As long as my lady friend can out swim me, I will not be happy.

After that, I turn my sites on the fastest Clyde.  Doesn't matter who he is, or if he's always the same guy.  All I know is that he has my spot and my number.  I can have that.

Claaw is our prodigal son.    Welcome back to the fold.  

P.S. don't you just love the English Language?    Playful 'tis......

My brother. He doesn't do tris, but we are running rivals. Though he lives on the other side of the Atlantic, so we rarely race head-to-head. I have 3 younger brothers. I spent my youth having my butt decisively kicked by the oldest of them, who was seriously talented as a runner. I think our competitive record was something like 5309-to-1 in his favor. But that one win was sweet indeed. That brother got hurt and no longer runs. But then 25 years later younger brother #2 decides to take up running unexpectedly, and turns out to be not bad at it. We've now had 3 head-to-head road races, plus one du. And the record is 3-0 in his favor in the road races, though in the most recent 5k the gap was down to 8 seconds. 

Other than that, my main rival is myself.

dblbogy - 2012-10-06 12:59 PM You. Whoever you are. 

I like it!!

There is no real external rival no matter what that voice in your head is telling you.  
All perception of a rival, is a projection of the ego as the rival. 
 
In this sense you can say that 100% of our external rivals are our own creation. 
Your greatest rival is your own inner perception.  
It is your own ignorance and your own ego.