Carpinteria Tri - Final Thoughts

Things that I learned from my triathlon:

– Always prepare mentally and physically. In fact, the mental part may be even more important. I think I told myself that I would be in the bottom half of the group and I was. Given my state of mind, I don’t think it would have been possible to do much better.
– Swimming in cold, foggy, and choppy conditions suck but its made worse when you freak out about it.
– If you allow yourself to think that quitting is an option, then your mind won’t let go of it. You will be constantly evaluating if you can/should continue or not. If that option is removed from the table, then the question becomes how to achieve micro-goals (e.g. swim just a little farther, pedal a little longer, run to the next telephone pole). Big achievements are based on setting and reaching these micro-goals. After I had a mini-panic attack during the swim portion, using this approach was the only way I saw myself to the end.
– Volunteers are the best and it doesn’t hurt to say thank you.
– Athletic women are hot. I think their hotness comes from not just being fit but more from a confident state of mind, and a willingness to take on something challenging.
- Medals are cooler than t-shirts and their importance grows as you get older (although I always liked medals)
- Enjoying an event is purely a state of mind thing

Okay, thats enough for now.