There seems to be a shift in the running world.
A shift from running and only running to multisporting.
It tends to happen like this.
Runners run. They run far and they run often.
Then they discover cycling.
They buy a bike.
They figure it will be easy because they are a runner. They discover it's not. They are surprised. They keep cycling and get better and better. It seems to help their running, and it's fun, so they keep at it.
Then they hear people talking about duathlons.
They think it might be fun so they try it.
It IS fun and they love it.
Then they realize that it's not as hard on their body as running for 2 hours and they it takes a lot less time to recover.
Some of these runners then find themselves in the pool. Some are there to recover from an injury. Others want to add a third sport to their repertoire. Next thing you know they are buying wetsuits and signing up for sprint triathlons.
Doug and I have a group of running friends. I am one of the only ones who doesn't have a pretty impressive collection of marathon medals. These folks are runners and they are serious about it. They commit to 20-week training plans. They focus on one event and dedicate hours and hours per week preparing for it.
And yet, one by one, these dedicated running friends are signing up for duathlons and triathlons. And loving them. And doing well.
And not talking so much about their next marathon.
Instead, they're talking about improving their transition times, how to hydrate on the bike and how to get their damn wetsuit on.
It's fun to watch and great to be a part of.
It is amazing how popular multisport is becoming, and it's wonderful! Somewhere along the line, triathlon became "normal"... or at least normal enough for regular people to do. It's not just for the crazy Ironman devotees anymore. It's interesting that you mentioned community, because I really think that's a big part of the "normalization." If lots of people you know are doing it, then it can't be that strange, right? (Someone could probably do a research dissertation about why triathlon, duathlon, etc. are gaining so much popularity.)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't been part of an organized athletic group since I finished high school until I started triathlon, and we were already bitten. Now they're the people I swim, gab, and compare results with. It's fun watching it from the other side.
I love this post! I started running last November but my sister did an Olympic Triathlon back in June and it was so much fun that I signed up for a Sprint Tri that's next week. Your thought process described me perfectly. I ran and thought that biking wouldn't be too hard (it was at first!) and while swimming was/is definitely my weak spot, I love the challenge.
ReplyDeleteI think multisports are becoming more popular because it changes things up a little bit. I enjoyed running but adding biking to my weekly workout shakes things up a bit (I'm still not sold on the swimming!)