Competition? What?

I am shocked by all of the people that hear about my triathlon adventures and say ‘wow, ya, you must be one of those competitive types.’  Huh?  I truly don’t devote this much mental energy to go ‘beat’ some unknown guy in some obscure race like Burley Spudman or Scofield Utah.  In fact, I don’t think I have every been concerned about anybody that showed up for a race.   I could care less who wins…including myself! …as long as I do my best.

The only thing that matters to me is that I have completely drained the gas tank at the finish line.  If someone ‘steals’ a win when I have gas left in the tank, I am unhappy with myself.  A guy pulled around me at the last 0.005 seconds at Lotoja after I pulled him 5k at a super anaerobic lactate burn of the year.  I don’t ever remember him pulling the entire day.  Oh well, if he can live with that, seriously, who cares?  Yea, a little stupidity on my part, but ‘beating’ him was not my dragon to slay that day.  My dragon was giving it everything that I had at the finish at Lotoja.   I remember I was closing in on the winner of the Escape from Alcatraz at ITU worlds.  I honestly did not know him from Adam.

If I can redline all the way to the finish line, I don’t care what place I get.  I actually like a little comeraderie at the finish line.  In fact, my best athletic adventures have been extreme solo training efforts.  It is all about pushing to the limit and then adding a little more.   That is what is so great about triathlon.  The bravato, mind games and strategic race strategies don’t sizzle my platter.  A true honest hard fought battle is an adventure that builds character and represents our ability to climb out of our natural comfort zone to be better people.  I think that this is what attracts people to triathlon, not the ‘competition per se. (except as it helps us push further).