Iron Pol

 
 

At a local sporting goods store I came across a cycling jersey I really wanted to buy.  It was a tribute to "The Endless Summer," Bruce Brown's 1966 surfing classinc.  In addition to being a cool jersey complete with silhouettes of surfers, it fits well with my view of triathlon.

In "The Endless Summer," surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August travel around the world in search of new surf spots, new friends, and the "perfect" wave.  How many triathletes spend their year doing exactly the same thing?  The end of the race season in the United States simply offers the opportunity to hit countries around the world and check out their race scenes.  If you're lucky, and extremely wealthy, you can chase races around the world.  The last line in the movie says it all.  By chasing the season around the world, you truly can have an "endless summer."

 Even those of us without the financial means to do that can pursue our own endless summer.  As the race season ends and the season turn, we shift our focus from open water swims and the long, winding roads to the pool, cycling trainer, and treadmill.  Well, some go for the treadmill.  I've yet to see it cold enough to warrant that torture.

A quick check of my training log shows that having two feet of snow outside does little to slow down my quest for improvement.  Hundreds of thousands of yards in the pool and dozens of hours on the bike trainer help ensure the next summer will be better than the last.  Signing up for an April or May marathon helps ensure I continue to focus on running during the winter.

And there are some out there who make me look fairly tame and sedate during the winter.  There are plenty of opportunities for mid-winter triathlons, many of which require significant prep time, as the ice must be cut to make a swim area.  While it may feel like anything BUT summer, the dedication to the sport of triathlon is evident during such events.

As winter approaches, how will triathlon fit into your life?  What plans do you have for pursuing "The Endless Summer?"

 


Comments

Bigun

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:49:47

I live in Florida...we actually have endless summers here...

 

Courtney

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:56:22

See, our race is over, and I still count on you to benchmark important dates. 30-days since IMLOU. Very appropriate post, Pol, and great inflection as always.

 

tarheeltri

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:34:45

We have a very successful non-IM non-XTERRA triathlete here who spends her winters mountain biking and doing cyclo-cross. Since I've been lucky enough to get a free bike for my race in Costa Rica, I plan to spend a lot of time on it this winter. My coach also believes it will make me a stronger cyclist, truly my weakest link in triathlon. As for another IM? I don't know. I will probably only ever do Florida, and my mood on that changes day by day. We'll see when registration opens up!

 



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