Sport Today

One of the greatest challenges that faces the citizen/athlete
is
coping with how different we actually are from the rest of
society.
Overall,  we are a poorly understood group of people.  The
thoughts
that occupy our minds (adequately hydrated?  disk wheel or deep
section rim?
racing flats or trainers? lighter cranks?  ship the bike ahead
or take it on the plane?
switch to bike shoes or use adaptors?) are foreign to most.

The problem seems to reach it's zenith at the work place.  We
are
surrounded by the sedentary.  They are everywhere.  Despite
reaching common
conversational ground with most people on  a variety of topics,
it frustrates me
that I can't talk *passionately* with the guy next to me about
how training and
racing are so  wonderful, such a great expression of being
human.  Why moving
completely under one's own power, letting the child-like urge
to move and be
physical, to test our limits, is so central to our lives.

I've been nursing a tendon injury in my left knee for a month
and
a half, and have had to cease almost all training.  It's
frustrating,
but my mind has not wandered from the sport.  I'm still
planning
race strategies, thinking of new workouts, wondering who won  
Sunday's race, and checking the net for news.  The sport is
much
bigger than an interest or hobby; it's an identity.  It don't
think it
matters if you are a pro, top age-grouper, or
middle-of-the-packer,
it feels the same.

David F. Monti, NYC

If the world was made up of 5 billion triathletes it would be a
pretty boring place.  Respect the people that pursue other activities.
The main thing is are you happy?

I personally have far more respect for people who devote their time
to give of themselves to others (e.g. coach, volunteer) rather than
give to themselves (e.g. swim, run).  Some do both.  Great.  Maybe
you do to.  I don't know.  I don't care.

'Nuff said, though I could say a lot more.  My $0.02.

                      I was just wondering.. was this intentional?
                      Quail in '96, right?

                      Sorry, couldn't resist.....

                      John K.

<snip>

: I've been nursing a tendon injury in my left knee for a month and
: a half, and have had to cease almost all training.  It's frustrating,
: but my mind has not wandered from the sport.  I'm still planning
: race strategies, thinking of new workouts, wondering who won  
: Sunday's race, and checking the net for news.  The sport is
: much bigger than an interest or hobby; it's an identity. ....

Your injury shouldn't keep you from participating in the races.  These
events need volunteers, in some cases desperately.  It sounds like you
need to get out more.

Get well.

Dave LaPorte
U. of Minn.

I'm currently taking an anthropology class- biological evolution.  It's quite
interesting, and has some applications to this non-triathlon topic.

Your group (1) of people who do things (soley) for others is most definitely
non-existent in the human species (or the rest of the animal kingdom for that
matter).  Human beings are inherently selfish and egotistical- pure altruism
is impossible to evolve.  Anytime you do something you are (unconciously)
calculating the benifit to cost ratio. If the cost out-weighs the benefit, you
don't do it.  it's that simple.

I agree with the original point of your post- we shouldn't condem people for
being non-athletic slugs :)  they might be doing something else more important
to them.  But I disagree that they might be doing something for somebody other
than themselves.

I know this is totally unrelated to the intention of the newsgroup, and to the
original post, but you did challenge...

anyways, if you'd like to talk more about biological evolution e-mail me.

as for me, I'm going for a bike ride :)

Jeff Mitchell

Penn State Triathlon club

On my long runs I often wonder which group is more unusual, the
sedentary donut-eating slim-fast-drinking lets-watch-football-
on-tv-this-weekend crowd, or the bring-at-least-3-sandwhiches-its-
going-to-be-a-long-ride athlete crowd.

If I'm totally objective, I have to admit that the donut eaters
heavily outnumber the athletes (ooh sorry about that bad pun).
So if I go by sheer numbers, being an athlete is unusual.
But I also believe, especially among the male fatboys that I
work with, most of them view themselves as athletes because
they've been programmed by TV.  They watch some sports every
weekend, they played xxx-ball in jr/sr-hi or college, and some
of them still haul their 300 lb butts around the golf course
before drinking the pre-requisite 6-pack.  So they want to
be like us athletes, it's just too much work.

  I'm like you ... find myself sitting in meetings wondering
about my 400 splits while the fatboys argue over the last
donut.  I've found that I don't ever talk with them about
my training or racing, it's too hard to explain.  It always
gets really hard when my name shows up in the paper (no not
the police blotter ... in the race results) and I have to
answer questions like "oh I see you did the IronMan. Was that
hard ?" ... I always laugh and just say "No, not hard ..."
and shake my head.

maybe I have a skewed view since the group of people I work with
(computer nerds and engineers) are notoriously goofy to start
with.  Or maybe it's like my sister told me "Lots of people may
talk about shaving their head bald (years before Pigg got his),
getting a tatoo, running in a *** race, or doing the IronMan ...
but you're the only who is weird enough to actually say it
and then do it."

Or, as an ex-girlfriend pointed out after I and 5 others were
the only ones who showed up for a mtn bike race on a day that
was -20 F, icy and snowing, "It's not that the other's (the
50 people who decided to stay home) are any smarter then you
guys ... it's just that you 6 are way dumber."

tony

which group is more unusual, the athletes (I usually include myself
in this group), or the non-athletes.  My thought process always says
that the sedentary person is more the norm for our society and
especially at my work place, but most of the males here view themselves
as at

    snipped a bunch of eogtistical pure BULLSH*T
    that classified people as (1) athletes
    (2) sedentary donut-eating slim-fast-drinking lets-watch-football-
    on-tv-this-weekend crowd

This is a very bad, bad attitiude to have.  It is the epitome of EGOTISM.
( I must admit I had it a little when I first became age-group competitive
at tris.)  What makes a tri-geek so special that he can classify the
human race as athletes and non-athletes?  As I said in a recent post:

    I HAVE FAR MORE RESPECT FOR (1) SOMEONE WHO GIVES OF THEMSELVES
    RATHER THAN (2) GIVES TO THEMSELVES!

I must admit I belong more to (2) myself but I realize the contribution
of (1).  Training for a tri is giving to yourself.  Big friggin' deal!
Lots of people do this - in fact probably most.

Life is full of all kinds of honorable endeavours; not just tris.  And
many of these fit into (2) above.  I mentioned examples in my last
post.  If you cannot think of any well you are too far gone.

Training and racing are a blast.  No its not.  Yes it is.  blah, blah...
To me it is.  To others it is not.  This does not mean I am gonna look
down on the people who like doing something else.  This also does not
give me the right to classify all of them as donut-eaters or anything
else.  Classifying non-athletes like this is simple prejudice.

Enjoy your training and racing.  But shaking your head at someone
who asks "Is it hard?" is just a physical display of EGOTISM.

This is not intended as flame bait.  It wouldn't work anyway.
I don't believe any EGO-MANIAC out there has the balls to try and
refute this.

Happy racing all.

You mean the other night when I stopped to help an older lady stranded on
the road with a broken-down car I calculated the benefit to me?  Maybe.
I was in a hurry, had just worked 12+ hours and didn't feel like stopping.
But then a little voice said, "hey that could be your wife".  So I stopped.
There are plenty of people who would have done the same and there are
plenty would wouldn't.

By your analysis I guess Hitler and Mother Theresa are essentially
equal.

Just another perspective, not a flame.  Just an angle.  I don't necessarily
believe what I just wrote, but I had to just ask the question.

JK

Screw all this psychological BS.  What comes around goes around.  Thats
why I stopped.

Pablo Sanchez              | Ph # (415) 390-3812

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"I am accountable for my actions."

This brings up a good point- the purpose of communication
is so that we CAN talk about other's passions.  Just one of the
perks of having all that brain mass devoted to communications.

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