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Reality!

I know quite a few elite athletes in various sports and reality even for the most professional (Olympic) means getting the session done usually in the company of whippersnappers who want to hammer you despite the fact that it is Winter/ you are doing a recovery session.

I suppose when you have to balance elite training with a fulltime job, doing your laundry, buying groceries, coaching, and upkeeping your house something has to give - probably stuff like elaborate warm downs, super specific diets and stretching. I suppose all this matters in the medal shake up but to get yourself there it really is a case of just good honest sacrifice, prioritisation and most of all hard work and its worth it

Comments

  • sfullersfuller Posts: 628
    you classing yourself as an elite athlete in that speech! [;)]
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    Interesting thread. I've had thoughts along similar lines (not the elite athletes and elite training bit!) since reading some of the posts on here.



    With a demanding full time job, wife and two kids and other things to do there's not a chance of me doing some of the training mentioned on here - and that's not training anywhere near elite level. Three days a week I take the kids to school too so even mornings are restricted. Four hour bike ride? Lovely idea, in reality, I'm never going to have four hours free [:D] I'd love to do far more training than I can.



    Perhaps rather than age group categories, triathlons should have categories for single, married and married with kids [;)]
  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    To be good is easy but to excel takes a hell of alot more,time,money,sacrifices and quite often total single bloody mindness.What I find hilarious is those that think that they can look down their noses at us commoners when they are frankly p##sing into the wind.
  • GHarvGHarv Posts: 456
    Interesting post.



    Triathlon has a diverse scope of participants and i think as with any sport there's room for everyone.



    How many people continue to play football each week knowing they have no chance of making it to the big leagues. They train when they can and play when they can.



    But they enjoy it.



    I think each of us has to decide how far we want to go?



    Then I think all we can do is aim to go are far as we can with everything that we have. Make the sacrifices we can. When we can and make the training we do count.



    However, I think all of us from time to time need to be challenged on our training. (Treefrog is this your mission?)



    It hurts sometimes but we don't always go far asking ourselves easy questions.



    It's the hard ones that matter.



    I got into a bit of a rut a couple of months back just doing 25 mile bike rides and fell into a comfort zone.



    It wasn't until i read one of Treefrogs posts that i thought am i really pushing myself?



    Am i raising the bar? Or am i going through the motions a bit?



    (*****I'm actually following a tailored version (scaled down a bit in some areas) of Treefrogs training plan and i'd like to think it's making a difference. http://forum.220magazine.com/tm.asp?m=20376 )



    It's amazing how sometimes when we look there's bits of time we waste that could be a 30 minute run e.g. rather than taking the dog for a walk sometimes i'll take him for a 4/5 mile run. I work away a lot and would bemoan how i couldn't always train or carry my gear and look for excuses not to rather than to train.



    I was looking for problems in opportunities not opportunities in the problems.



    Check out this poem by Dale Wimbrow (You'll find it in my book JFDI! Success Achieving your Goals and Targets)





    The Guy in the Glass… [/align] [/align][/align]When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf *, [/align]And the world makes you King for a day, [/align]Then go to the mirror and look at yourself, [/align]And see what that guy has to say. [/align]For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife, [/align]Who’s judgement upon you must pass. [/align]The feller whose verdict counts most in your life [/align]Is the guy staring back from the glass. [/align] He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest, [/align]For he's with you clear up to the end, [/align]And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test [/align]If the guy in the glass is your friend. [/align] You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum, [/align]And think you're a wonderful guy, [/align]But the man in the glass says you're only a bum [/align]If you can't look him straight in the eye. [/align]You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years, [/align]And get pats on the back as you pass, [/align]But your final reward will be heartaches and tears [/align]If you've cheated the guy in the glass. [/align]

    In grateful memory of the author, Dale Wimbrow 1895-1954 [/align]*Pelf: Money, Wealth [/align][/align][/align]

  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Geez I didn't mean to open a can of worms, it was just an observation
  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    Treefrog I'm actually glad you created the post on the forum. Being new to triathlons and training over the winter to give myself a good base for next year I was actually crapping myself due to the amount of training that I can/ can't do.

    I looked at some of the previous posts and they seemed very technical and it got to point I wondered if I could really do it since my time is devoted a lot to the house/wife/dog/work/other comittments and then I realised that I had to fit tri's into and around my life. So know I get up that bit early just to make sure I can do some exercise, whether its sit-ups/ press-ups/ stretching/ running whatever, the point is that I try to do my best when I can. I'm not aiming to win a triathlon as my life dictates that I won't but my aim is to compete in one, finish it and hopefully wipe the smiles from some smarmy gits face but most of all to bloody well enjoy it.



    people like me want to learn from the guys who are experienced so that we can be in a postion not to hold other back and to encourage others to do things differently so that the mistakes that I would/ will make are not made by others. Surely there has to be some give and take???



    sure we need to challenge ourselves, and I think the first step is to compete in your first triathlon, then to consolidate yourself and then to push on from that. What I would hate to happen is to take part in the first triathlon, turn up in my crappy bike and for everyone to sneer at me just because I'm beginnner, that would put people off.



    Triathlons need to be able to diversify into all ages and appeal to everyone other wise some new sport will come along and take away the people who may have wanted to do a tri in the first place
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    shadowone1 wrote:


    Treefrog I'm actually glad you created the post on the forum. Being new to triathlons and training over the winter to give myself a good base for next year I was actually crapping myself due to the amount of training that I can/ can't do.

    I looked at some of the previous posts and they seemed very technical and it got to point I wondered if I could really do it since my time is devoted a lot to the house/wife/dog/work/other comittments and then I realised that I had to fit tri's into and around my life. So know I get up that bit early just to make sure I can do some exercise, whether its sit-ups/ press-ups/ stretching/ running whatever, the point is that I try to do my best when I can. I'm not aiming to win a triathlon as my life dictates that I won't but my aim is to compete in one, finish it and hopefully wipe the smiles from some smarmy gits face but most of all to bloody well enjoy it.



    people like me want to learn from the guys who are experienced so that we can be in a postion not to hold other back and to encourage others to do things differently so that the mistakes that I would/ will make are not made by others. Surely there has to be some give and take???



    sure we need to challenge ourselves, and I think the first step is to compete in your first triathlon, then to consolidate yourself and then to push on from that. What I would hate to happen is to take part in the first triathlon, turn up in my crappy bike and for everyone to sneer at me just because I'm beginnner, that would put people off.



    Triathlons need to be able to diversify into all ages and appeal to everyone other wise some new sport will come along and take away the people who may have wanted to do a tri in the first place



    Shadowone, I did my first two tris and a duathlon this year, all on my £100 Raleigh flat handlebar knobbly tyre hybrid bike. No-one said a word. There were some seriously nice bikes on show but no-one sneered at mine. Actually it was quite nice going past a few people on "posh" bikes [:D] (Some clearly needed to spend more time training and less time in the bike shop!).



    You seem to be in a similar boat to me. Do whatever training you reasonably can without abandoning the rest of your life. You'll be fine.
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