My boss runs. It's kinda her fault that, when I wanted to lose weight 4 years ago, running was my go-to. I had soccer at the time, too, and used running to regain my speed, but truly it was her fault. While I wouldn't say she explicitly goaded me or even coached me, she helped me understand some of the barriers to my success, and I was able to work down to a pretty decent competitive pace, and even win a couple of local 5K races.
But when I went to bikes, I went whole hog, and basically stopped running altogether, revisiting the sport for brief forays into a half marathon in 2015, and then a full in 2016. Since that marathon, though, nothing significant at all. Maybe 2 or 3 runs a year, always when traveling to places too inconvenient to bring a bike.
The bike adds a level of mysticism and complexity that just isn't there with running. To run fast, one must simply train, wear decent shoes, and suffer. To ride fast requires training and suffering, but also infinite variability in equipment. That's my sweet spot for a sport: training must not be enough, but it must be possible get up to speed with "adequate" equipment while allowing me to endlessly tinker.
The bike also adds the critical ability to be used as legitimate transportation. I ride to work. Then I work, and then I ride home. I do not run to work. I do not run to anywhere except the place from which I started. Running is, therefore, pointless.
Swimming was just never on my radar at all. I hate being wet, unless it's sweat. I do not like the temperature of pool water, which is simultaneously too cold to get in, but too hot to swim in. Oh and swimming itself is just an inconvenient way to risk death while, again, going nowhere. Honestly, why would you even bother?
Except that my boss is now doing tri's. And one of our VP's is also doing tri's. And they're huddled over there, every day, right behind me, chatting about tri things. Sickening.
But also intriguing.
I have a TT bike, and only 3 or 4 events a year in which to use it. I *had* great running shoes, and if I'm going to get in the water, I'm already more comfortable in skimpy euro trunks than baggy American grocery sack shorts. And, weirdly, I actually already have a tri suit that fits.
So Friday I went and bought new running shoes. Saucony Ride ISO's. I've had great luck with the Ride series in the past, and so far I LOVE THESE SHOES. I ran a 5K that night at a 7:30 pace and felt great, then ran again today after riding to work and backed the pace down to save room for a swim later, doing just a tick over 5 miles at 8:14 average. There's pain, but it's normal adaptation pain.
Saturday morning I rode the TT bike to the gym (in the tri suit) and got in the water (NOT in the tri suit). Boy do I suck at swimming. I've watched a bunch of educational swimming videos, so I'm approaching it very much as a scientific enterprise rather than a sport, because I'd be right back out of that water in a heartbeat otherwise.
I made it 7 laps of the pool, about half freestyle and half side-stroke (my fallback stroke of choice). I was able to breathe for one full lap before it all went sideways, but I had to start somewhere.
I'll be back there again this afternoon, this time with goggles, to put in a bit more time working on breathing and getting more comfortable moving back and forth across the pool.
I'm not saying I'm a tri guy now--that would be a gross over-sell--but I am succumbing to peer pressure (again), spending just a few dollars, and exploring a new element to my sporting preferences. Whether or not it sticks will depend entirely on my relationship with water.
