Yesterday, I checked off another box on the 2023 goals. My workout buddy, Giacomo, and I completed our first sprint triathlon.
For those of you not familiar with triathlon distances, a sprint is the shortest of the series. This particular one consisted of a 250 yard swim, a 10 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run. The event, drawing over 200 participants was contested in the rolling hills of Wakefield Plantation near Wake Forest NC.
I had previously mentioned how Giacomo and I started working out at the beginning of this year and had initially set a goal of being able to complete 3 sets of 10 pull-ups (if you missed that post, you can find it HERE). Well, as we got closer and closer to achieving that goal, we realized we needed a new target to shoot for. It was at that time that I suggested we do the sprint triathlon. Our mission was set! Neither of us were strong swimmers. In fact, Giacomo had a very bad experience with getting caught in a rip tide in his youth in which he actually had to be revived, so it was a pretty big stretch for him to agree to the swim portion of the contest.
But… as I had mentioned in my last post, we slowly but surely adjusted our self-images to include the idea that we were triathletes – not just two guys dabbling and trying to complete a triathlon! As such, it made it easier to apply ourselves to our training – and train we did! Every week, we added in elements of training to our gym time to include time in our local pool as well as running on the treadmill or outdoors, and hours on the bikes riding the greenways. Luckily, my wife’s cousin in Poland is a professional triathlete trainer (he currently works with 50 students). He sent me weekly training plans which we used to tailor our own training. After several months of training, we can now honestly say we are triathletes!
Here are a few pictures from the event taking by my wife Ann Rouleau:
So, what did I learn from the experience?
- Goal setting along with a solid training plan is a must!
- Training with a buddy helps a lot!
- Having support from your family helps a ton! My wife was always understanding of my training time, took an interest in the training process and was there at the event cheering us on (with the really cool sign she made)! She even coached me on my technique while practicing in the pool – very helpful!
- You are never too old to take on a new challenge! Neither Giacomo or I are spring chickens, but we were not the oldest ones there by any stretch. There was a lovely lady named Sharon R. who had racked her bike next to mine. Sharon participated in her first tri in 1981 after the birth of her 4th child. This event was her 240th tri! She was so friendly, taking time to share her experiences with how best to layout the transition area to minimize the time to go from the swim to the bike and the bike to the run. Oh, I should mention that Sharon was 85 years old! Her equally delightful husband was there to support her!
And what is the next goal? Of course, we are starting planning to do a Olympic distance triathlon! (750- 1500 yards in the pool, 24 miles on the bike and 6.2 miles run)
But you might be wondering what the “flip side of the coin” is that is mentioned in the title…
Well, a couple of weeks ago, I read this book:
Near the end of the book, the Author Raymond Prior touches on a risk that can occur when you Couple your “self”, and your “craft”. In my last post (HERE), I had mentioned how it was a good thing to make your activities part of who you are, but as Prior points out, there can be a dark side to doing so if you take it to extremes. For example, if you allow your self-worth to be determined by how well you perform in a sporting clays shoot or a triathlon, you might have a disfunctional relationship with your hobby, sport, etc.. So, it is ok to feel some elation when you win, or feel a little down for a bit when you lose, but if your winning or losing have a significant effect on your mood after a short while, you might need to consider your relationship with your hobby and decide if some “decoupling” is necessary.
So, get out there an enjoy what you do no matter what the result! Train hard, give it your best, and enjoy the process no matter what the outcome! After all, we do these things for enjoyment!
