Several summers ago, I found myself in the midst of a triathlon race during one of my casual training rides around nearby Whidbey Island.
The race leaders zoomed by and I wondered how I might fare if I competed in what I learned later was the annual Whidbey Island Triathlon.
However in terms of answering my question of how I would fare competitively? Well, maybe I need to take a more modest assessment of my relative abilities.
It is nice to tell myself I am a global elite triathlete, mixing it up in world championships, but then when I enter a neighborhood event with a few hundred participants I start to expect that I will place among the top handful of overall finishers and perhaps win my age group. This is what I expected as I arrived on Whidbey Island. Even during the race I was under the delusion that I was among leaders when adjusting for the wave start. 
Upon crossing the finish line I saw that a list of earlier finishers had already been posted and I was startled to see that not only was I nowhere near the overall leaders -- I was a mere SIXTH in my age group. My age group is only a 5-year category, and the top 3 guys were some 10-18 minutes ahead of me - an eternity for this short of distance.
Even moving up to the 55-59 age group would not help me that much - Saturday's time is a couple minutes behind 3rd place in that division. Interestingly I would have placed 1st in the 25-29 age group and 2nd in 20-24 age group (lending more support to idea that triathlon is a midlife crisis sport).
Looking at the race result breakdown, it is apparent that my limited swim and bike training have not been adequate race preparation:
Looking at the race result breakdown, it is apparent that my limited swim and bike training have not been adequate race preparation:
Swim - 18:18 / 74th place
Bike - 1:04:37 / 42nd place
Run - 22:59 / 4th place
Or obviously you might look at this breakdown and say if I am so damn caught up with being on the podium why don't I just stick to running events (or half-ironman distance triathlons where the relative distances are more favorable to running).
That thought did briefly cross my mind after the race (I only have running races on my calendar for the next nine months). But I tried to shake off the loss of motivation for triathlon competition and for doing swim and bike sessions -- racing is supposed to serve a symbiotic relationship with my training -- inspiring me to push myself and create meaning around my workouts. Just running is not healthy for me I remind myself.
Moreover, rather than tiresome, repetitive "triathlon training", much of my summer 2017 swim and cycling has been fascinating new discoveries --
- Olympic Discovery Trail - A paved, off-street, trail spanning most of the length of the northern Olympic peninsula through forests and farms and small towns.
- UBC to Spirit Park to Kitsilano over Burrard Bridge to English Bay cycling in Vancouver - What an amazing urban ride
- Kitsilano Beach Swimming Pool - A 137-meter, heated salt-water pool that sits next to the beach with stunning views of the soaring Vancouver skyline and mountain backdrop. I swim at sunset in a remarkably smooth flow of swimmers
Moreover, rather than tiresome, repetitive "triathlon training", much of my summer 2017 swim and cycling has been fascinating new discoveries --
- Olympic Discovery Trail - A paved, off-street, trail spanning most of the length of the northern Olympic peninsula through forests and farms and small towns.
- Kitsilano Beach Swimming Pool - A 137-meter, heated salt-water pool that sits next to the beach with stunning views of the soaring Vancouver skyline and mountain backdrop. I swim at sunset in a remarkably smooth flow of swimmers
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