Why so serious?

Bit of a thought bubble post today. Sitting here at the start I am not really sure where it will end up, but I am hopeful that it will make sense once I am finished. 

I was reading the blog of another Triathlete today, an account of their day at the recent Busselton Ironman. I won't name names, but if they are reading this then they will probably have a good idea who they are. They had what most people would consider a good day, especially considering the conditions. Nothing went terribly wrong in their race and they got a PB. In Ironman racing that pretty much counts as a win. Their pacing didn't go exactly to plan, but that was possibly more due to unrealistic expectations rather than any particular disasters. Not a bad day out.

However, in the eyes of this person the day out was an abject failure because it did not secure the sought after Kona qualification. Now this post isn't a rant about how completely Ironman has built the cult of Kona. I thought it might be, but it turns out that it isn't. Kona is a big deal to a lot of people, I get that. I don't think it is the be and end all of all triathlon racing on the planet, but I get that it is an important goal for a lot of people. I wouldn't mind heading there myself one day.

I think what this post is about instead is how far we let ourselves get drawn into this sport that we do. How much we let it taint our perspective, potentially to unhealthy levels.

I race a lot. I know people who race more, but I don't do too badly. This year I have done 9 half Ironmans which I think it not bad going. I race a lot for a couple of reasons. One of those reasons is that I have some sponsors and one of the best things I can do for them is to get out and race, getting their products in front of eyes. But a bigger reason for why I race is because I really quite enjoy it. One benefit of racing a lot is that it is easy to keep perspective about the importance of a race. When you know you will have another race in a month's time, it doesn't seem so devastating when a race doesn't go to plan. Obviously you do everything you can to ensure races go well, but when they don't it isn't that hard to pick yourself up, dust off and focus on the next one. That makes it easy to remember that what we do is a sport rather than life or death.

Unfortunately when the move is made to Ironman I think that perspective becomes harder to maintain. For one you simply can't do as many Full Ironman races as you can Halves, they hurt you too much. Plus there just aren't that many Full Ironman races around, at least not in the Asia Pacific region. On top of that, the time and training investment put into Ironman is more. By the time you get to the start line you have typically shed tears of blood to make it there. That tends to influence how you view a race. However, just because an Ironman makes it hard to keep perspective, it doesn't make it any less important to do so. It is still just a sport.

You regularly see Ironman become such a big part of somebody's life that it ends up defining them. In extreme cases it becomes all they are, pushing out friends, social events and sometimes even spouses. It is always a worry seeing somebody immerse themselves that far, in the name of a sport. Making decisions that they may one day regret. Losing their perspective on life.

I get that goals are important and Kona is a doosey of one. And I get that the best way to pursue a goal is with honest intent. However, I also believe that you can do that without signing your soul over to the church of Ironman. You can chase a lofty goal like Kona and maintain balance. I know you can because I have seen people do it. There is a definite point where dedication changes to obsession and this switch is not a good thing. This level of obsession is not good for your mental well being and will soon become not good for your physical well being too. 

I think we can all benefit from taking a step back sometimes. Taking a deep breath and reminding ourselves that this is a sport and that we originally got into it for fun. Remembering that we should still be doing it for fun.

Here is my personal test. On every start line of every race I take a deep breath and smile. Feel free to watch me sometime, I guarantee I will do it. I do this to remind myself that what I am about to do is fun and I am doing it to enjoy myself. If I ever stand there and find that I can't muster a smile I know it is time to step back and find some perspective.

Remember it is just a sport.