The Tri Town Times: 5/27/24

• Posted on 27 May 2024
• By Antonio Gonzalez
• Posted in the tri town times
• 0

Open water swim opportunities; "Going in for endurance training."

Hi all,

Here is your weekly Tri Town Times newsletter:

Last week's highlights:

Tadej Pogačar won the 2024 Giro d'Italia in dominant fashion, capturing 6 stage victories along the way and finishing nearly 10 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher, Daniel Martínez of Colombia. Pogačar is a favorite to win the Tour de France, which starts in just over a month.

Events I'm looking forward to:

A few open water swim opportunities this month:

- A group of local triathletes have organized unofficial open water swim practices at Quinn's Pond by the dock. The practice starts Monday, June 3rd at 5:30pm. All abilities are welcome to attend. Bring your wetsuit and a towel. The practice is lead by local triathlete Brian Weissinger.

- Coach Mark Sortino's excellent Open Water Swim Clinic is Saturday, June 15th. The clinic is free, but you must pre-register.

• Our regional race, clinic, and event schedule is a great way to stay up to date on all endurance sports activities in the area.

Shop ops:

We are closed today in recognition of the Memorial Day holiday.

Quote that struck a chord:

“When you have accustomed your body to a frugal regime, don’t put on airs about it, and if you only drink water, don’t broadcast the fact all the time. And if you ever want to go in for endurance training, do it for yourself and not for the world to see.” -Stoic philosopher Epictetus.

I've noticed a sort of journey athletes take when they "go in for endurance training":

The first stage is discovery. This stage is like a honeymoon period defined by the novelty of the activity and a desire to broadcast their experiences all the time. Every day and workout is a new and gains in performance come quickly.

The second stage is evolution. The athlete embraces change, which is driven by a strong desire to improve performance. Their social circle may change, they may move to a different locale, and their nutrition may evolve to better suit their sport of choice. In every way, their fitness and life are evolving.

The third stage is awareness, and there is no guarantee an athlete will ever experience it. For the lucky few who do, the awareness they find is that the whole point of endurance training is not to go faster, further, or higher - the point is to humble yourself in order to become a faithful student to the brilliant teacher that is sport. It is only when we drop our performance-driven ego that we become receptive to the lessons sport attempts to teach us. In the process, we realize that the whole point was not to become better at endurance sports but to become a better person for having tried.

Have a great week!

Antonio Gonzalez

Tri Town Bicycles

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