The Post-College "Tri"

About once a month, my friend and co-worker Jake pops into my office to ask when I’m going to do a Tri.  My response it always the same, “it’s on the list, but I hate biking.”  I get a lot of pressure to do a triathlon from people who know I can actually swim, since that is typically the hardest part for people.  Apparently not everyone spent their youthful summers logging laps through the blue, and sometimes green or brownish, pool in a hot pink swim cap.  Back when hot pink was in style the first time. 

I really would like to do a sprint Tri (the shortest of the Tri distances) but the bike is truly what is holding me up.  I’ve never been a big bike rider, mostly because I despise riding a bike uphill.  I always ended up pushing the damn thing uphill which led to my pondering of why I’m not just walking – at least I wouldn’t have to push the bike.

Plus, for anyone who has been to Portland, you know that biking here is serious and intense.  It’s not an all-inclusive sport like running where you cheer on and encourage the person you see running for the first time in their lives.  No, biking is far more mean spirited.  You’re expected to know what to do right out of the gate and get the hell out of anyone else’s way.  Just riding your bike to work is considered a competitive sport.  Even Jake admitted that biking here is intimidating.  Plus there are the cars to contend with.  At least once a month on the news there is a report of a bike-car collision.  The bike always loses.  And Portland is built on a hill.  See previous paragraph where I mention not liking hills.  If I was going to be a biker, I’d need to live in the Midwest in one of those super flat states.

Completing a sprint Tri is definitely on the bucket list.  But it’s entirely possible that it will be when I’m retired and competing in the masters category.  And probably I should own a bike first.  Now if I lived in a warm weather climate, they offer run-swim-run duathlons.  That would be right up my swim lane.