And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain....
You know the rest. And it's all a bit retrospective, really, as the final curtain was last August when I raced in the National Team Relays (and won, I might add..!). But that was my last triathlon for the foreseeable future.
Even before Covid hit, I wasn't planning on racing triathlon in 2020. Now it's all but certain that I won't.
Why?
Well, there's a few reasons.
First, I'm just not loving it anymore. What was once an addiction became a chore and I started to resent running and swimming sessions. If you're not enjoying it (and don't rely on it for your income!) why do it? Funnily enough, since lockdown I've been tempted once or twice to go out for a run, or head up to the lake for a swim, but I'm almost too scared to see how much fitness and speed I've lost in the last four or five months.
Second, the body isn't loving it either. I've been having ankle issues for a while and late last year my shoulder joined in too, making both swimming and running painful.
Third, I just don't like what triathlon has become. I kinda liked it when triathlon was a 'minority sport' and you could get half-decent results, even at 70.3 level on 10-12 hours training a week. Today that's simply not the case and an increasing amount of amateurs seem to have the training habits of pros. I've literally no idea how they earn the money for the expensive bikes they ride and countless hours of training each week. Between work and family, a 10-hour training week for me is a good one. Not the norm, unfortunately.
So, for the foreseeable, I'm sticking to what enjoy best, messing about on bikes.
To that end, you can now find me over on my new home, The Sartorial Cyclist.
Enjoy the articles that I'll leave on here for now. And maybe come say hi on the other site.
Peace. Out.