Yesterday I ran out of excuses. The lake is warm and I (more accurately my spoiling parents) invested in a more than sufficient bike. I surely have the quads for the bike, and the heart for the run, and I can always pick races where the swim doesn't matter (because let's face it I was not born a fish). So what's the hold up?
I like to think of myself as an open-minded, versatile athlete, but deep down I'm a runner. I love other sports, soccer and nordic are definitely a part of me and there are days when I wish I had played basketball and volleyball, and ultimate ( I don't know why but softball never appealed to me), but I've learned that time and energy are limiting and priorities must be made to get the things you want the most. The triathlon scares me because it reminds me of those sacrifices and it makes me question what is most important. The thing about running that makes it unique from an other sport is that anyone can do it anywhere at anytime. If you're creative enough you can find a way to get a run in, free of cost, all you need is your willing self. There are no special outfits, no special equipment, or special facilities, even the special shoes are optional. As soon as you start introducing all these special additions, for me at least, it begins to lose that element of pure competition; one man's talent and effort directly against another's. In nordic skiing, races are won and lost based on the affordability of wax and wax technicians. In soccer you pay to play with and against the best players and to have the best coaching. Balls are not all that expensive, but tell that to kids in Africa spending hours sewing together banana leaves to kick around. Triathlons take this to the next level. Have you seen the helmets they wear? Anyone know what just the pedals of a racing bike cost? I realize that some economic performance enhancement is possible in running but compared to any other sport it's a matter of God-given gifts, hard work, and motivation.
All that aside, I'm at the point in my athletic career when I need a new challenge. I miss the technical aspect of learning to nordic ski and hurdle barriers. Never say never, but it's fair to say without a sizable head start, I won't ever be the first one out of the water but that means there is a workable margin for improvement. And, for the time being, those arrow-bars and pedal clips will surely continue to expose me as an amateur. At the moment I'm kind of in a "let's see what happens" experimental stage of running anyway, so I figure now is as good of a time as ever...yeah, so I guess it's official. I, Laura Roach, am a triathlete with a fancy new bike to seal the deal.
One last concern; for some reason it seems as if the connections between the triathlon world and running world are few and far between. Anyone know the reason behind this? Being in the running world all my life, I feel a bit out of place at a triathlon, as if there is a some major competition between single sport athletes and multi-sport athletes. Maybe it's just me. Hopefully, everyone (including myself) can look beyond my running bias, because I'm sick of being a traitor and having to commit my loyalties.
Bringing my chase to the water and the road,
Laura
