FEATURES
Using My Superpowers For Good...
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Tuesday, 24 February 2015 00:10
By Jen Wilson
Triathlon is a pretty selfish sport. Not the triathletes themselves; they are in fact some of the most generous, caring, compassionate people I have ever met. But it is an individual sport, so it’s all about “me”. We are always striving for a new personal record, scheduling life and family around our training, sinking obscene amounts of money into gear, equipment, race entries, training, nutrition… All to keep improving ourselves and get a few seconds faster. But we love it and nothing can compare to that sense of accomplishment we feel when we cross that finish line.
I raced my first Ironman in September, 2014. It was an amazing year of training, with some great races leading up to Ironman Wisconsin. I was injury free and prepared. I remember sitting at the Welcome Dinner two days before the big race, listening to the presentation by the Ironman Foundation about giving back to the community and I suddenly felt like my training was incomplete. Yes, I was physically and mentally ready to take on 140.6 miles, but I began to wish I would have used my training and race to help others in some way. I am just an average person, but when I finish a race, I feel like I have superpowers. And I wanted to use my superpowers for good.
When my husband and I decided to sign up for Ironman Wisconsin 2015, the first thing that went through my mind (after the initial I-can’t-believe-I’m-doing-this-again panic) was this year, it’s not going to be just about me. I am taking on this amazing feat, and if I can use it to someway help others, then that will be the icing on my Ironman cake. (For the record, Ironman is NOT a piece of cake). It wasn’t hard for me to pick which...
Balancing Parentling With Triathlon...
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Monday, 23 February 2015 06:10
ED. Posted with the permission of Kort and Midwest Events. This story originally appeared in MWE's 2015 Women's Annual.
By Kortney Haag
Believe it or not, life as an athlete does not end after having children. I myself have become a better athlete after having my two boys and actually raced just eight weeks after having my second child. In this article I wanted to provide Moms (and Dads) with easy realistic ways to stay in shape and hit those personal records while not forgetting about your children, spouse, friends and yourself!
I thought it would be helpful to have different advice from moms with young children to moms with older children and asked my friends and competitors who are moms on top of their game in the triathlon scene! ...
Should Triathletes Date Triathletes?
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Monday, 23 February 2015 00:10
When dating a fellow triathlete, it pays to play by the rules.
By SUSAN LACKE (Triathlon.competitor.comt
Before I met my husband Neil, I had a very strict “No Triathlete” rule when it came to romance. My experience dating triathletes had ended poorly—in general, I found the men of the sport to be arrogant and selfish. Not my type.
But one day, I found myself explaining to a very lovely non-triathlete named Josh why I couldn’t accept his invitation for Sunday brunch (long run day). When he pointed out I had also turned down his invitation for dinner on Thursday night (masters swim) and had fallen asleep at the movies the weekend prior, it hit me:
I was peeing in the wrong dating pool.
My problem wasn’t just that the men of triathlon were arrogant and selfish—it’s that I couldn’t admit I was arrogant and selfish, too. If I was going to have any sort of romantic success, I needed a kindred spirit. Triathlon is a demanding mistress, and that’s hard for the average person to grasp. After all, hardly anyone wants to date someone who spends his mornings riding a bike and afternoons comatose except for occasional trips to the fridge for more cookie dough....
Stuff About Balance...
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Sunday, 22 February 2015 00:10
Image - Pretend that "Triathlon" is in the "Friends" circle.
By Justin Chester (usatriathlon.org)
I recently had a friend ask me, “You’ve trained for an ultra-distance race; are all IRONMAN triathletes completely obsessed and self-absorbed?”
Obsessed … probably, but more like passionate. Self-absorbed? That struck me as a little derogatory. But as I dug deeper, I found that her boyfriend was training for an IRONMAN and was completely ignoring their budding relationship (and in a few months they would eventually break up). Was there a communication problem? Probably. But it is easy to see that as he started training longer hours their relationship started to take a downward turn.
I could definitely sympathize with the situation — I’ve been on both sides. As an athlete, my wife and I have had some serious conversations about my triathlon habit. And as a coach, I’ve had to have long conversations with athletes (and their significant others). So let’s talk about balance.
Read any time management book and the first thing it will tell you to do is to establish priorities. So let’s put them in order....
Life Time & Ironman & Other Stuff...
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Saturday, 21 February 2015 00:10
By Dan Empfield (Slowtwitch.com - Jan. 29, 2015)
Announced at the TBI Conference this week was the rebranding of several races reminding me of a baseball card swap. Soma and Bend, former Life Time (or Life Time Fitness branded "Leadman") races will henceforth be Ironman branded. Soma will become a 70.3, Bend will likely become a 70.3 (rather than a full) and will be so-branded in 2016. Addressing the Conference were Ironman's Andrew Messick (right) and Life Time Fitness head of events Kimo Seymour. Slides below were among those presented to Conference attendees.
One takeaway is obvious: Ironman realizes its brand leverages down to 70.3 and no further. Life Time admits its brand leverages up to Olympic distance and no higher. Smart. This signals the end of the 5i50, even if that is unannounced. I'm not writing this because it's a stated fact, rather it's the obvious conclusion. But then some of us knew in 2011 that the 5i50 was a bridge too far and it just needed its contracts to run out; then it would be laid to rest in an unmarked grave...
