Surviving or Racing?

Joe wrote an interesting article last week about the future of triathlon (see the Winner articles). The article was great because it acted as a catalyst for discussion, reaction and emotion. Four days (and probably a few hundred emails) later Joe issued a clarification of what he meant to say. Frankly, I thought he said it pretty well in Part One.

When I read that article I was quite fired up and wrote a rather lengthy 'comment' on his page... then remembered President Lincoln's advice and deleted it!

I'm glad that I did because Joe's clarification was effective at spelling out his key point, which I'll come to. Wrapped around his key point were some truths about endurance training that likely made some of his readers a bit excited. I know that his comments gained traction on the net.

Remember Obama's guns, religion and bitterness line? Speaking one's opinion plainly doesn't always advance your cause.

Emotional responses happen when a respected figure points out truths that we'd rather not see. In fact, you could say that is the definition of a true friend -- an individual that's willing to share unpleasant truths about us.

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So what's the truth in Joe's post that got everyone excited? Having had a week to think about it, I think he merely pointed out the obvious:

• When an athlete is racing far beyond their endurance capacity, they aren't really racing.
• The trend towards ultradistance events burns out athletes that might otherwise be long term participants in our sport.
• If we idealize races that are inconsistent with the long term success of the participants then we run the risk of wrecking our customers/clients/athletes.
• There is achievement in completion but racing is different than surviving.

Putting those points to one side -- it may appear that there is a choice between participation or performance. Remember that satisfaction comes from personal excellence NOT your finishing position. Learning about overcoming yourself is what gives lasting meaning to athletic performance.

Whether you aspire to participate, or perform, I'd encourage you to develop an approach that is built on personal excellence (and harmony).

When we know that we are doing "our best" then the views of others will slide off us. Emotional responses to other people most often happen when we are stressed by living inconsistently with our personal ethics (or dog-tired from training a lot!).

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I doubt that Joe was telling any of us what to do - I know that I often resist when a respected figure points out the folly of my choices! Rather, I think he was passing along observations on what we are actually doing.

So why are we doing it?

Having been seriously out of shape a few times in my life, there is an attraction to the BIG UNREASONABLE GOAL (BUG). I think for many, the race becomes a reason (or excuse) to carve out some personal time from obligations (family, friends, colleagues).

"Honey, I have a 5K fun run coming in three months..." ...simply doesn't carry a lot of weight!

Of course, a more sensible approach might be to build a Basic Week where you can perform at work, family and triathlon. To do that (really well) on a long term basis requires a phased approach and moderation with events that are well beyond the reach of our Core Volume.

Long term, I think that most of us will gain more satisfaction from doing our lives well, than from surviving a series of BUGs.

While that sounds great -- some of my best memories are from the weird stuff that I've dreamed up. I suppose the trick is to avoid making a habit (or lifestyle) out of wrecking ourselves!

I suspect Joe's hope of making short course racing more "cool" will happen naturally as some of the smarter elites look for a sustainable outlet for long term participation. Watch this space!

We can't all become State TT Champs... some of us will head to middle-distance, and short-course, worlds.

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One final thought...

The spirit of Ironman is about not quitting - at any speed, that is a lesson worth learning.

gordo