An Open Letter to Triathlon

Dear Triathlon,


It's been fun. It really has. These past few years together have been nothing short of incredible. You've shown me how to push the limits of my mind and body to places I didn't know I had. You've introduced me to an outstanding community of people that are the epitome of positivity and support. The events, the medals, the sweet gear that you come with, they're all motivating in a way that I've never experienced before.


The discipline you have provided me with for training was unmatched. I had never seen such a change in my body or the way it performed. I enjoyed every second of searching for the perfect wind-cheating tri bike to get an edge up on the competition. I relished in the achievement I felt with every entry I logged in TrainingPeaks. With each word of encouragement from my coach, training partners, and other athletes, my confidence grew and my happiness soared. I even went so far as to get my USAT coaching certification so I could teach others about how beneficial you could be to their lives.


Why then, did I have such a nagging feeling in the back of my head?


Don't get me wrong; all the things I said earlier are true. I figured that this would be something I could do my whole life until I'm old and made it to Kona based on athlete attrition alone. Everything was looking great.


Something clicked. Amidst the long training weeks on top of a full time job and another part-time job, what was I sacrificing in order to make you happy, Triathlon?


When all is said and done, you can be pretty high maintenance. There were times when the only instances of seeing my infinitely patient girlfriend would be at training sessions and a half hour before bed when I was half passed-out anyways. I willingly put off chances to see some of my best friends just because I had to train for a race and had to follow a schedule to the letter.


I enjoy swimming. I enjoy cycling. I enjoy running. Hell, I enjoy doing them all one after each other. As the difficult taskmaster you are, you can require sacrifices in life that can sometimes push the line of reason. Whether it be personal relationships, free time, or monetary outlays (you're not a cheap date), there are aspects of one's life that must unfortunately be put on the back-burner in order to appease you.


Sometimes I like traveling to a new city and enjoying the local sights, sounds, and tastes without having a pre-race brick, sleep schedule, or strict nutrition plan dictating my every move. I know you'll say "just stay a few more days if you want to enjoy the city." Well, I would, but then again theres that whole money and taking too many vacation days thing. Also, most of your big events are on Sundays; in effect, killing the weekend and forcing me to party like a rock star on a Monday night. Sometimes, you just want to be in a new locale and not have gargantuan levels of race anxiety.


So, it's been fun. I'll be back for more, just not as much as you want me to do in order to be the perfect triathlete. A casual triathlete, how about that? I like it. It'll bring the enjoyment back. I'll still teach and coach when asked. I'll still train when I decide to sign up for a race.


You're not going to agree with me, I know. You're going to think I don't have what it takes. You're going to think I'm less of a person because I won't give you 100% of my time. That's ok. I can live with that. You still rock, but I'll see you around.