I've truly enjoyed my first two years of triathlon training and racing. What a fantastic sport! The training, the people, the races. All of it has been an amazing experience. This year has been a little tougher; knowing that my racing was lessened, I've lacked motivation at some points. Other times, I've tried to do more than my body was able to handle and just ended up hurting myself. I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know enough to pay attention to these signals.
I've had the very good fortune of having a modicum of success in my first couple of years. I've qualified and raced at Worlds, I've collected a handful of AG podiums, and finished 2nd in a season-long series. But I'm kind of competitive, and want to stay at this level, if not get a little better. But here's the thing about triathlon: If you want to be good, you have to train like 80% of a runner, 80% of a cyclist, and 80% of a swimmer. Before, I could do that, but with new commitments, it just can't happen. For the foreseeable future, I would have two choices:
- Train where I can, keep my family commitments, race in the MOP, love my family life but be constantly frustrated by my racing.
- Train at the level needed to perform well, ignore my family commitments, race fast but miss out on my daughter's early years.
What crappy choices. So I'm choosing (c).
Long ago, I started as a runner. It was the first sport I loved as a competitor, if only because it was the first sport I wasn't completely horrible at. It's also, of the three, the one that requires the least time commitment to still be reasonably competitive. And with that, I can announce my hiatus from triathlon for a few years, with a new focus on running.
I'm not sure yet what kinds of goals I'll end up setting for myself. The first priority will be getting a ton of base miles in to bullet-proof my legs. The irregular running of the last couple of years is one of the primary reasons I've been getting hurt. I just don't have the days on my feet necessary to put up with high-intensity running. After that, I'll see what kind of racing I might want to do. I'll probably stick to 15k or less for at least a year or two, but I know I'll have plenty of options:
- A streak of one race per month, never the same distance twice in a row.
- Join a track club and try my hand at 800-5000m.
- Try the local trail running series.
- Get 2011 miles in 2011, or 2011 kilometres by my birthday.
I'll be back to triathlon. I'll have to start swimming from scratch again, but that's OK. It might be in 3 years, it might be in five, it might be in eight. Who knows? But for now, it will be just me, a pair of shorts, and some lightweight shoes.
I'll keep writing on here, at the very least as a repository of race reports, and some other irrelevant ramblings. It might not be very triathlon-y. Maybe a name change is in order. Super Karate Monkey Death Shoes? Super Karate Monkey Death Track (and Road)?
1 comment:
First things first - you're a triathlete. No matter if you never, ever do another triathlon, you're still a triathlete. No one can take that away from you.
Second, you can still do it all with family, but maybe just later. When my daughter was first born, I switched back to running and bike commuting only, with a few short tris. Now that she's 6, and our family is more stable, I find it much easier to return to the longer activities thanks to my supportive family.
As for renaming the blog, well, refer to my first point. :D Just let me know if it changes so I can update my RSS feeds.
Oh yeah, as for the frustrations in future races, toss 'em and be proud knowing you can still go hard even as a dad.
And let me tell you, crossing the finish line of a race with your daughter beside you is better than any AG podium. (Not that I've made that podium...but I've got a pretty good hunch).
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