Triathlon at Retirement

In a previous post, I touched upon doping and performance enhancing drugs. Recently, I have seen some blatant cheating on important races. I am talking about people cutting run and bike courses short, getting pushed up hills, drafting on non-draft races and receiving outside support. There is probably more, this is what I personally have observed. Why do people want to cheat? Some of them are accomplished athletes. For most age group athletes, there is no monetary award or even fame. If I ask a person on the street who is world champion in mens 50-54 draft legal sprint 2023, I guarantee that no one knows. I don't know who it is as I am writing this.  Even when I win a race (fairly and squarely) I am acutely aware that there are people better than me, that did not participate in this particular race for one reason or another. If you cheat, you know even less what your level is.  It's pathetic to cheat and you take away a position (a win?) and satisfaction from someone that ear

I live in Kerrville, a small town in the Texas hill country. Every year, there is a triathlon competition here and I have been signed up for a long time. With recent illness from covid, it was a difficult decision if I should go through with it or not. The race was quarter distance, that is 1100 yards open water swim, 29 miles bike ride and 6.4 miles run, a significant challenge even for a healthy 65-year-old. Would it be too much for me so soon after covid, and would it be damaging for my recovery in the long run?  I had been covid negative for 2 weeks and I started light training. I had been off all training for 4 weeks since August 19, (with only light swim workouts the week before that, due to a knee injury). Once I decide to do something, I don't like to change so it was my inclination to go ahead, but I was uncertain. Five days before the competition, I did my only hard workout, a 5km run on max effort. The result was discouraging, I was about a minute slower / mile than befo