What has being a triathlete taught you...Non-non-triathlon (Page 2)

Stay focused and don't quit before the reward

I really can do things I fear without dying

My body has a wonderful rhythm

You're never too old to have fun like a kid

1.  Memorial Park is the coolest gym in Houston, and it's FREE.

2.  I do like to run.

3.  Triathletes are really friendly.

4.  Group mentality exists:  with a few hundred of our closest friends, we will immerse ourselves in the same nasty bodies of water that we would not dream of jumping into alone on a normal day.

5.  I could always use more tech shirts.

6.  Springy new running socks are up there with clean sheets.

1.  "Because someone is chasing me" is not the only reason to run... I actually enjoy it now.

2.  It's cool to learn a new skill as an adult... in my case, swimming form.

3.  My husband deserves some hardware of his own for his encouragement and ability to make things run smoothly when I'm training or teaching early in the morning, late at night, on weekends and every time in between.

4.  Sometimes an encouraging word from someone you've never met before can turn your whole day around.

1. I LOVE to run.  (where did that come from?  never ran a stitch in my life until age 44).
2. I hate swimming, but still manage to get up at 4:15am and swim three days a week (where did THAT motivation come from?)
3. People at the BOP smile more while racing than people at the FOP. 
4. I like being BOP.
5. I like smiling while racing.
6. I like smiling and joking with the volunteers.
7. People who wear mp3 players during a race annoy me because it prevents me from joking with them.  (Come on.  I am at the BOP so you are at the BOP.  Let's have some fun!)  Ok, this is my personal problem, I'll admit.
8. I love all the motivation found here on BT!

1.  I do my best work when I've got a goal in front of me.
2.  You can never have enough toys.
3.  I really enjoy the bemused head-shaking of non-tri people when I mention my training
4.  I won't date someone who doesn't understand that I need time to train
5.  I feel guilty that I can't take my dog with me on my runs.
6.  I've started cooking to eat healthier, and lo and behold, I ENJOY cooking.  Whodda thunk it.
7.  Nutrition labels can make for good reading.
8.  Being healthy and in shape is hard work, but so totally worth it. 
9.  Running in the summer rain?  Best. Thing. Ever.

I love this thread!  Everyone is so smart, funny, cool....

1.  Tris are the gymnasium of the soul

2.  Just keep moving forward

4.  Decide.  Commit.  Prepare.

5.  You can't cram for a triathlon

7.  Accepting who I am and where I am in the process makes it fun

8.  Weather is not an excuse

9.  Someone is always willing to help, if you ask

10.  Good shoes matter

No matter how old you are, you can become obsessed with something new, and maybe even re-invent yourself.

1 Foot The Other - 2007-03-08 11:36 AM Some of your greatest supporters can be people you've not met ... yet.

This is so true. Also those folks you meet once or only see once a year become close because of the bond of triathleticism (I just made that word up but I like it).

Losing weight and getting in shape and making lycra your friend.

There are no shortcuts, magic pills, secret potions, or mystical spells. It's about swimming, cycling, and running a lot.

That is so totally true! I heart new running socks! (And new running shoes too!) 

Also I have to add, that I don't mind running on a cold rainy, windy day.

I am so much stronger, mentally and physically, than I thought.

What makes me happy is really very simple...biking, running, and swimming. (Second to my kids of course.)

What everyone else has already said X2.

• When I miss a workout, I miss working out.
• Because I wake up at 5am to swim, bike, run, stretch, or strengthen, there's nothing you can throw at me for the rest of the day that I can't handle.
• Committment, even if you can't make it out there every single day, is still powerful enough to get you from 1 mile runs to 10 mile runs in less than a year. 
• Feelings of pride and self-worth last wayyyy longer than a little fatigue and cramping.
• Dude, this is FUN!!
• I couldn't have done it without BT

~Christine

1. I love to run!

2.I don't have to go to the gym to exercise.

3.not going out on a Friday night so I can run early Saturday mornings is more fun than a hangover.

4. Getting older isn't so scarey any more;I look better now than I did 10 years ago.

1. That athletes come in all shapes and sizes

2. I still love running the best...

3. I am poor and Tri's are expensive

4. when crossing the finish line of a race, the world stops if just for a minute, and everything bad seems to fade away.  And for that minute, you are the best in everything you do. 

A lot of times when I talk to non-athletic people about tri's the first thing they usually say is "I coudn't do that"  And, as it turns out, they are right.. Until they get it in thier head that they "can" do things, they'll never be able to do it.  I was a smoker for 15 years and a darn good couch potato, and for the longest time possesed the same kind of attitude, then one day while commuting to work, I wondered to myself Why I couldn't do a tri....later that day I found BT.

And what do you know? When it comes to Triathlons and the multisport life... I "can"

 When that happens...do you see the future...I mean, could you come up with the winning lotto tickets for me...I could use the cash.