Why I Tri

I’m starting a Friday Quick-read Series, “Why I Tri,” where I come up with a reason for all the sporting I do every Friday. I call it “Why I Tri” because this encapsulates the different athletic events in a triathlon (swim, bike, run – which means I’ll have a lot to cover) and because I stole the phrase from someone else.

It’s going to be anywhere from light-hearted to deep to dark to angsty and all of the above.

Let’s start, shall we?

I did my first Tri last September: The Oktoberfest Triathlon in Longmont, Colorado. It was awful, yet strangely satisfying.

I woke up at the ass crack of dawn, confused with my breakfast decision, and so anxious that it felt like there were 1,000 people already running inside my intestines.  I didn’t want to drink coffee for fear of having to run to the toilet and having to take off my one piece trisuit. I wasn’t about that life.

I was afraid I’d forget something like cycling shoes, running shoes, socks, a towel, sunscreen…my bike… any of the 50 things all the tri-sites I read suggested I bring. Instead, the only thing I forgot to do was calm the fuck down.

I tri because the only thing I can focus on when I am training or competing is that activity. I can’t worry about anything else other than trying not to drown during the swim, passing the other cyclists during the bike portion, and trying not to cramp up during the run. I can’t get my mind to shut off, but I can finally be present when I’m tri-ing.