Now that I’ve chalked up my seventeenth sprint triathlon in not quite three years, I have to ask myself what keeps me going. At the age of 72, I have enough aches, pains, health issues, worries, and societal stereotyping that I could easily drop out, just as I’ve dropped out of nearly everything else remotely physical that I’ve tried to do in my life. But, no, I’m not writing a downer. I’m riding an upper today.
What keeps me going is that I can still keep going. I do triathlons because I can, while so many people my age can’t or won’t. I race because I don’t have to be a real athlete to compete. I don’t have to be talented. I don’t need to be young, firm, and fleet of foot. All I have to do is show up at a race that allows amateurs, newcomers, age-groupers, or people of all fitness levels.
Besides, racing is fun. I love speed. Slow as I am, I still get the sensation of speed when I glide as fast as I can through the water, race downhill on the bike, and lean into the run. I can only imagine how much better it must feel to those who are much speedier than I am. They must have an absolute blast! Love that speed!
Training log: Tuesday – just a few miles on the bike. Wednesday – somewhere between 800 and 1000 meters in the pool.
Motivation log: Looking forward to watching and cheering at the Buffalo Springs 70.3 this weekend.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment