General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Do you have a life outside of triathlon? Rss Feed  
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2013-07-04 7:06 PM
in reply to: Leegoocrap

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by LeegoocrapWhat are your goals in triathlon?In my opinion too many "recreational" triathletes put in just enough time to "ruin" their social life, but not really enough time to ever get "fast." That's LIMBO in my opinion. If triathlon is just for fun, either you need to work on your scheduling or cut back on what's least important to you.
This is a great point. I have a hard time in May and September, which are the worst months for teachers. Doing TTT in May just about killed me and doing an IM in Sept may finish me off. This is the latest I've done a big race, usually I've done IMs in August. We'll see! But after 13 years, I'm taking a break next year. I'm in that limbo where I'm training 15 hours a week, getting massages, going to PT, just to keep me going, with little time for fun. Next year I'm focusing in running races, doing masters bc I love it, and centuries. Races seem to get in the way of all the good centuries!So, do what you like, take a week off you need to reset-that can do wonders for you mentally and physically. IMs are the most time consuming. No shame in doing 6-8 hours a week and focusing on Olys, HIMs, or sprints!


2013-07-04 11:52 PM
in reply to: lisac957

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by lisac957

Originally posted by thebigb Yep, absolutely. Although its probably beneficial that I don't have kids, a spouse, a yard, a demanding job, or much of a care if I clean weekly. .

Haha same here

All though dating whilst training for an Ironman can get tricky. This being my third time on the IM train I feel way more relaxed and am prioritizing things outside of triathlon better.

For example, this past week (which happens to be "peak week" in my training), I've gotten drinks with a girlfriend, went to a holiday party, found time to make pasta salad for a family BBQ, attending family BBQ today (helps that it's a holiday), hung out with my boyfriend every evening, and am meeting a friend a few hours north of here to get in our last 100-mile ride Saturday. And my laundry is done.

But on the flip side I am paying a landscaper a huge chunk of money to fix my woefully neglected yard, and my house is filthy. Good thing I don't spend much time here




I remember when I was dating my now-husband during his IM training.
There was a lot of time management trying to get together between his long workouts.
I was so proud when he finished the IM, feeling like I helped a bit with his achievement.
2013-07-05 6:26 AM
in reply to: switch

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by switch

I also don't socialize that much, never have.  It's just not important to me.  I would rather go for a run or ride by myself than socialize.  Socializing is draining for me.



This.

I think maybe why I am drawn to triathlon is the long periods of time spent alone.

Patti
2013-07-05 6:59 AM
in reply to: pugpenny

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by pugpenny

Originally posted by switch

I also don't socialize that much, never have.  It's just not important to me.  I would rather go for a run or ride by myself than socialize.  Socializing is draining for me.



This.

I think maybe why I am drawn to triathlon is the long periods of time spent alone.

Patti



ditto - i'm very much a home-body (for lack of a better word)

between work, trying to finish up this dang dissertation (kill me now) and training, its like I have no time
2013-07-05 7:12 AM
in reply to: austhokie

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by austhokie

Originally posted by pugpenny

Originally posted by switch

I also don't socialize that much, never have.  It's just not important to me.  I would rather go for a run or ride by myself than socialize.  Socializing is draining for me.



This.

I think maybe why I am drawn to triathlon is the long periods of time spent alone.

Patti



ditto - i'm very much a home-body (for lack of a better word)

between work, trying to finish up this dang dissertation (kill me now) and training, its like I have no time


Same here. I have a small group of frineds that I enjoy spending time with, but most of them are s/b/r friends so I see them when we train together. Outside of that, the rest of my time is spend working or hanging out with my dog. He is a lot more fun to spend time with than most people.
2013-07-05 8:45 AM
in reply to: Flying Kiwi

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by Flying Kiwi

All I seem to have time for is training, working, eating or preparing to eat and sleeping.

I have the weekend afternoons free but I usually spend this doing washing/cleaning or grocery shopping.

I literally don't have time in my week for anything else.

So.. Do you have a life outside of work and triathlon? Do you enjoy this lifestyle? Do you wish you did other things with your time?


Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

My boyfriend and I discussed it just a couple of days ago that we are going to work to have more balance in our lives. Which means neither of us will be doing an Ironman anytime soon. Never say never... but the plan is that we won't, because it removes any balance we have in our lives.

I work a day job, and I have my tri coaching business on the side. Along with all that I have my own tri training. Otherwise, I do like to go out and have fun on occasion. I really like electronic music and there are DJ's who come through town that I want to see. When I go see one it means I'm out till 4:00 AM... aka: no workout the next day. I have decided that after 7 years of tri training, it is OK for me to have the occasional Sat or Sun off training, so I can have fun the night before. Obviously it isn't something I want to do all the time, but I'm going to go have fun when I want to.



2013-07-05 8:58 AM
in reply to: Flying Kiwi

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Work full time in the medical field, 2 x 16hr shifts and a single 6 hr shift weekly. My work commute is 75mins each way into Boston. Have 2 boys--6 and almost 3 yrs of age. Have two dogs-yellow lab mix and german shepherd. I work, commute, train, take kids to activities, do my own yardwork, take kids to beach and/or pool as much as possible, trips to the park, bike rides, outdoor firepit with smores at least twice a week in summer, constantly pickup dog-poop in the backyard to avoid having my kids track it thru the house,vacuum up giant dog hair balls once a day minimum. My wife also does multiple road running races and 2 to 3 tris a summer also. We love to cook, so we have a large assortment of gardening/herbs growing.

My life outside of triathlon is one in which I can easily say, there isn't enough hours in the day to do everything! But..........doing these other activities, helps to break up the mental aspect of triathlon training. Helps you to realize there is more to life then tris. Family time and making a house function daily is a must.

I fact, in those rare moments when the my traininig is done for the day, the house is cleaned, the yardwork is done, laundry and dishes are clean, and my wife and I are chillin with a cold beer on the back deck, while my kids are sleeping---it can be hard to actually sit and relax, because you are so use to going non-stop to get all your "to-do list items" taken care of, you sit and wonder.....hhmmm? What did I forget to do today?

I all has to be a BALANCE or it won't work.
2013-07-05 10:16 AM
in reply to: jlruhnke

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by jlruhnke

Originally posted by austhokie

Originally posted by pugpenny

Originally posted by switch

I also don't socialize that much, never have.  It's just not important to me.  I would rather go for a run or ride by myself than socialize.  Socializing is draining for me.



This.

I think maybe why I am drawn to triathlon is the long periods of time spent alone.

Patti



ditto - i'm very much a home-body (for lack of a better word)

between work, trying to finish up this dang dissertation (kill me now) and training, its like I have no time


Same here. I have a small group of frineds that I enjoy spending time with, but most of them are s/b/r friends so I see them when we train together. Outside of that, the rest of my time is spend working or hanging out with my dog. He is a lot more fun to spend time with than most people.


concur - my dog is wayy more entertaining that most people - especially when he starts telling his frisbees off...
2013-07-05 10:50 AM
in reply to: austhokie

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
have 3 young kids and this is always a battle I make sure to workout when the kids are sleeping or at lunch during the work week and one long workout a weekend. funny thing is my group of people I train with have made me more social and I look forward to spending time with them almost as much as training.

there should be a age group for people with kids under 10. I used to wish I could train while spending time with my family. then I just relized that it was silly to think that way because it will only hurt my relationship with my kids and wife.

my time doing triathalons is my private time away from from the family. If I do it to much I will only have the private time and no family.
2013-07-05 11:08 AM
in reply to: BuckHamilton

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?

Originally posted by BuckHamilton have 3 young kids and this is always a battle I make sure to workout when the kids are sleeping or at lunch during the work week and one long workout a weekend. funny thing is my group of people I train with have made me more social and I look forward to spending time with them almost as much as training. there should be a age group for people with kids under 10. I used to wish I could train while spending time with my family. then I just relized that it was silly to think that way because it will only hurt my relationship with my kids and wife. my time doing triathalons is my private time away from from the family. If I do it to much I will only have the private time and no family.

I have always included my kids when I trained, in one way or another, since they were very young. Not every session, of course, but always found a way to make it a part of our recreation in some way.  Yeah, it helped that my wife is also very active, but she couldn't care less about triathlon.  Still, she was always up for a walk with the kids on the same path I was running, or I'd ride my bike to somewhere where we'd all meet up to do some fishing or something outdoors. 

The payoff?  My kids are extremely active.  Two of them participate in triathlon, my 15 year old is a nationally ranked Jr. Elite triathlete and wins most local races with overall podiums at regional events.  My 13 year old daughter is now starting to podium overall in women's races and is running the national Youth Elite circuit.   My kids and I train together all the time and our family "vacations" are wrapped around their races across the country.

It would have never occurred to me to leave my family out of any training I did.  Sometimes our activities revolved around my training, sometimes my training revolved around whatever else we were doing as a family.  Today our lifestyle is still infused with multi-sport, but mostly it revolves around the kids......my training, even thought it's for an IM, takes a back seat to them.

Our home is never dirty, our pool/yard is always maintained, our dog loves us, we cook at home for most meals, we enjoy entertaining and going out,  and the truth is, we have plenty of time to do more if we chose to.

Triathlon is NOT life....it's not even close to the really good things about life...but it makes much of life easier to enjoy because we are all fit.  If I ever felt like I didn't have a life outside of triathlon, that would be the end of it.

2013-07-05 11:17 AM
in reply to: Left Brain

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2013-07-05 2:14 PM
in reply to: Flying Kiwi

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
When I trained for an Olympic Tri I had no time for life.
With the training and commute to train etc it took so much of my time. I' already busy with work and commute ( leave for work at 8am and I'm usually home at 7.) I have to spend at least 3 hours at the gym a week to maintain my back muscles strong. I have problems with discs . When my back muscles are strong my back is fine.
I miss triathlons so much , but I also love tennis. This year I 'm playing tennis every other day and run.
I'm going to start training for a tri again in October/November. I will go really easy with the training because I love so many other things in life ( writing, reading, drawing, dancing. I also suffer from insomnia, so cannot really be organized. It is hard to adhere to schedules because of exhaustion and the need to catch up on sleep when I can sleep. With insomnia nothing goes as planned.
When I get 3-4 hours of sleep for 5 days, training and other things in life are constantly switched around.

I thing I should start playing lottery.
2013-07-05 2:20 PM
in reply to: lisac957

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
But on the flip side I am paying a landscaper a huge chunk of money to fix my woefully neglected yard, and my house is filthy. Good thing I don't spend much time here




I love clean places but while I was training for a tri , my house and car were often filthy and disorganized. I consider it a sacrifice.
2013-07-05 3:13 PM
in reply to: slonce5

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?

I'm actually somewhere along the lines of a competitive runner and triathlete and I still put my life outside of tri/running at the very top of my priority list.

It's not easy, and as some have said, some things end up sliding a little (house cleaning, laundry etc.) But I value my friendships/family and hobbies far too much to give them up to be more competitive. To me, it's all about balance.

2013-07-05 3:29 PM
in reply to: slonce5

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2013-07-05 4:08 PM
in reply to: jdl2012

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Of course.

Swimming, riding and running like shooting/reloading, video games and guitar playing are just hobbies to me.

Now if you asked me do I have a life outside of all my hobbies, then no


2013-07-05 5:49 PM
in reply to: 0


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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Nope. For IM training, I spend so much time training, it's all I think about. I really feel like I haven't grown as a person this past 6 months. My hobbies used to include guitar, piano, reading a little, and gaming. Now I'm completely at a lost when I have any free time and what to do with it (e.g., extra day off for today). I had some nerve damage to my hand this year, so guitar is out now and I stopped piano for some reason. I haven't really picked up any new hobbies other than crashing on the couch and watching netflix after working out.

I don't go out at night anymore since I need to get up early to bike or run. I tried drinking (a lot...) and running in the heat the next day. Worst. Day. Ever! I'm definitely an introvert person though. Almost always, I prefer to be by myself on any given day.

Edited by Blastman 2013-07-05 5:50 PM
2013-07-05 6:43 PM
in reply to: Flying Kiwi

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
i do, but i'm not as into tri as most people on the board seem to be.  i do at most 3 or 4 races a year, stick to short course, and don't really care about my placement.  i'd rather have a social life, be good at my job, study italian, and pay some attention to my husband and dogs, and TRAVEL.  my life is very balanced, and the thing i like about tris/running is that i can continue to do it while maintaining a balance in my life.
2013-07-07 2:38 AM
in reply to: mehaner

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
No
I am lucky that I have a sponsor that requires me to show up at the ER Fri/Sat/Sun nights that pays for all my tri expenses. The rest of the time I get to s/b/r and related stuff like work on my bike.
2013-07-07 7:52 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Triathlon is the anchor to my life outside of work and kids. I make the kids games - will do a training session before, have been known to run around the field during games....

As I have planned weekends this summer one is centered around an OWS race on Fire Island, another in the Catskills to check out a new duathlon course, the boys came with me to Williamsburg.....

I still have dinner with friends etc.

I stick to HIM an shorter - and HIMs I put at beginning and end of season when I don't have as much kid responsibility during the week thanks to school.

I am also VERY casual about my training this year. Not really following a plan. I get my main workouts in before work at dark o clock and run with a group 1-2x per week - it is my HOBBY. I do it so I can eat more

Edited by TriToy 2013-07-07 7:55 AM
2013-07-07 9:51 AM
in reply to: TriToy

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Yes and No. I spend plenty of time training (actually became self-employed to enable more time for training) but that's because I want to get to the point of racing at the pro level.

I do get to do plenty outside of training like going to a baseball game today which as anyone knows takes up a chunk of time and other leisure type activities (playing video games, etc.).

However, I don't get to really focus on the tons of other things I love. The violin rarely gets picked up anymore so I definitely don't have time to play in the local symphony. Sculpting? No way. Working on another oil painting? Forget about it. Work on that second degree black belt? Nope, risk of injury is too high and its time/physically intensive. Horseback riding? No time for lessons and the extra expense can't be dealt with. On and on (people have nicknamed me a "renaissance man" because I do and enjoy things from a very very wide variety of subjects).

That all being said however, I focused down onto triathlon because I know in the scheme of things I only have a short window in my life that trying to be a professional can happen. If it ever gets to the point that I don't want to do it anymore then I'll stop and do other things. But I love the sport and endurance training is my life-blood. Has been for over half my life now (easy to say being so young) so I have no regrets.


2013-07-07 10:33 AM
in reply to: jlruhnke

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by jlruhnke

Originally posted by austhokie

Originally posted by pugpenny

Originally posted by switch

I also don't socialize that much, never have.  It's just not important to me.  I would rather go for a run or ride by myself than socialize.  Socializing is draining for me.



This.

I think maybe why I am drawn to triathlon is the long periods of time spent alone.

Patti



ditto - i'm very much a home-body (for lack of a better word)

between work, trying to finish up this dang dissertation (kill me now) and training, its like I have no time


Same here. I have a small group of frineds that I enjoy spending time with, but most of them are s/b/r friends so I see them when we train together. Outside of that, the rest of my time is spend working or hanging out with my dog. He is a lot more fun to spend time with than most people.


One more in this group. I am also one of the "older" triathletes who has an empty nest (completely unfortunately since my son passed 9 years ago), including no significant other, unless you count my 4 cats. Yes, I am the crazy cat lady. I enjoy training and being healthy and like setting goals, and hopefully achieving them. I also like the TRI and Running race family. I still work a lot too (about 65 hrs/wk), so not much time or energy for other things. I'm OK with that as long as I have my health and my kitties to entertain me and give me love in their own unique ways. Life is good.
2013-07-07 11:52 AM
in reply to: Left Brain

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by Left Brain

Life outside of triathlon......

You mean like puppy's breath? Walking your twins, one in each arm, to sleep around the house? A backyard bar-b-cue? The first day of school? A hug from your grandma? Teaching your son to drive?  Sitting with a friend as his wife dies? Being the best man at a wedding?  A glass of wine by a fire?  Your daughters broken heart when her first love breaks up with her?

That life?

Yeah....all of my life exists outside of triathlon.  In fact, when it is all said and done this year, when I finally run an Ironman after nearly 30 years of triathlon, that IM couldn't possibly crack the top 50 highlights of my life.  It's just something I do so that I can enjoy life more.

Yeah, sorry, almost all of my life is outside of triathlon.




This hits it right on!!!
2013-07-07 7:30 PM
in reply to: Mike J

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Nope. That is why I am not doing triathlons right now. Too frustrating.
2013-07-08 6:57 AM
in reply to: Mike J

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Subject: RE: Do you have a life outside of triathlon?
Originally posted by Mike J

Originally posted by Left Brain

Life outside of triathlon......

You mean like puppy's breath? Walking your twins, one in each arm, to sleep around the house? A backyard bar-b-cue? The first day of school? A hug from your grandma? Teaching your son to drive?  Sitting with a friend as his wife dies? Being the best man at a wedding?  A glass of wine by a fire?  Your daughters broken heart when her first love breaks up with her?

That life?

Yeah....all of my life exists outside of triathlon.  In fact, when it is all said and done this year, when I finally run an Ironman after nearly 30 years of triathlon, that IM couldn't possibly crack the top 50 highlights of my life.  It's just something I do so that I can enjoy life more.

Yeah, sorry, almost all of my life is outside of triathlon.




This hits it right on!!!


I LOVE THIS! Although unlikely to ever do an IM, triathlon is part of the myriad of things I do and love to do and it balances the cooking and eating.
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