Do you have a rival?
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bluebirdbiker posted 1 year ago.
Yes, it's called the clock!
BBB
There are no excuses - so don't look for them. As a product of your own choices, you directly determine your life outcomes.
Don't think, just do.
My Blog
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beads1985 posted 1 year ago.
I am with BBB. I race myself.
However there is a guy I see at many a running event.
I think his name is George(or Bob)
He doesn't look like your typical runner but he does over 100 running events a year. One year he peaked and did about 130(it was in Runners World too!) and doesn't do so bad.
If I push a little I can beat him at a 5k. Usually at distances longer than that I pass him about the 4 mile mark.
Not really a rival, but a benchmark.
I look for him at events and always say 'Hi' :D
Nothing to it, but to do it
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gfd posted 1 year ago.
I agree with Beads in that there are a few runners in my area that I use as benchmarks, but I the most important thing is the time in which I finish not the place.
But, there was this one guy a few years ago who accepted a 2nd place age-group award in a 5k that he knew was rightfully mine. I tried real hard to never let him even come close to me again. Haven't seen him in a few years.
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RV posted 1 year ago.
Ya, the clock... and that inner voice that wants to slow down.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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Star posted 1 year ago.
Its usually a race between my head and my body :p
There is a local girl who last summer signed up as elite and then raced the sprint in AG, knocking me out of the top 3 in the AG. That was a pisser! A few weeks ago we raced in a biathlon and she kicked my butt (I still came in 2nd), but I kicked my previous time in that race.
When its all said and done, I want to know that I gave my best on that particular day.
"I'm more fun than an iPod!"
My blog: http://star.trifuel.net
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dr_rios_ec posted 1 year ago.
My rivals...
My mind who tells me: "man stop...go home...this hurts"
My watch who says: "look man...you are taking too long to do this....wimp!!!"
My muscles screaming:"dude we are all burning...stop...sit down, just quit"
Every now and then blisters who say to me:"we are here to ruin your run pal...give it up"
I enjoy some much to give them a good battle
-Santiago
"Man!! Defeat is worse than dying, cause´you have to live with it" -My Dad
"It ain´t about how hard you can hit...it is how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward"-Rocky Balboa
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Red5 posted 1 year ago.
My coach. He and I are VERY competetive with each other and really push ourselves. On race day, my rival is anyone in my age group who happens to be in front of me :).
_______
Bryan
Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
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catwood posted 1 year ago.
I don't have any rivals until the gun goes off... Myself of course, but like red, anyone in my age group who happens to be in front of me. Any woman who can beat me really since in the small races I usually do I often place just out of the prizes for the overall and I would love to break into that level in the next year or two. I race a fair amount and know some specific people that are of similar ability and I can recognize the local super stars who I can only come close to in my dreams...
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jdav0520 posted 1 year ago.
Beating the "clock" is good and all, but having a real human to fight for every square inch of the win is awesome. It can take you to levels the clock never can.
Back in college I had a great rivalry develop my senior year between myself and another. We went at it from about mid-XC until our last meet of outdoor track. A lot of the races we were either fighting for the win, or to score the most points for the team. In the end I we tied head to head. The best race of the year between us came at Bucknell in indoor. It was the 5k and we were alone at the front after a mile. Back and forth we went until we hit 1k to go. I passed him and made a strong move, but he was able to recover and pass me with 400 to go. I sat on his shoulder and we went through the line for the bell lap. As we lapped some runners going in to the turn i got a good elbow (billy mills style) sending me to lane 4 and giving Fred about a 10 meter advantage. I made it up by the time we reached the home straight and both of us were kicking all out like we were doing the 100m dash. It was a photo finish with me barely getting the edge. We had several more like this, one with him pulling it out over the last 200m, one with me catching him with 100 to go and passing him as he looked for me over the wrong shoulder... It was a great rivalry. He went on to further running exploits while I'm making the switch to Tri's.
"The faster you run, the quicker you'll be done."
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mdd posted 1 year ago.
While it does sound wonderfully noble to say "the clock" and "I race myself", yada, yada, yada. The truth is that if you are a competitive person who is gifted enough at this sport to perform at a reasonable level then you do have "rivals" or at least people who you must beat in order to win your AG or even the whole race if you are that strong.
Most races I go to I will check out who was there in the past and who is there this year to keep an eye on the competition. The last thing I want to do is miss a key rival and have them slip away on the swim or bike because I wasn't paying attention. Triathlon DOES require strategy if you want to win and part of that strategy is knowing who else is in the event and what they are capable of.
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Anton posted 1 year ago.
Barysnikov said:
"I don't dance to be better than anyone else. I dance to be better than myself."
I am my rival.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://agingsuperhero.blogspot.com
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bigdogtwo posted 1 year ago.
Yes. A friend of mine and I are very close in times. I am a better swimmer and he is a better runner. We are close on the bike - I currently edge him by a bit. I have beat him at both the tri's we did together this year, but it was pretty close.
We ride together most weekends and are friendly competitive - we "unofficially" race up hills and to stoplights.
Part of my motivation this offseason is training to stay ahead of him. It is super fun to have someone my same age and close to my abilities.
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Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.
I've got a dude who graduated a few years ahead of me I hope to catch one day, and my best friend who I hope never catches me!
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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JohnieTri posted 1 year ago.
Everyone in the race is my rival. We're all pretty close early on and each time I think I got a chance at winning..... THE GUN GOES OFF! Seriously, I just try to pass the person who is always right in front of me and then my goal is to not let those same people come back and pass me.
-Johnie
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fittycent posted 1 year ago.
It's kind of a given that we all race against the clock...I mean, otherwise we wouldn't worry about chips, splits, etc.
Although I don't have a rival at the moment, I agree that a rival (a person other than yourself) can push you to greater heights than an abstract idea, an insightful quote, yourself, or a machine (I've never seen a clock that can swim, bike, or run). That's why world records (and, I would argue, the vast majority of PR's) tend to be set while competing with other people.
Remember the movie "Jericho Mile?" At the end of the movie, the main character runs his final mile, solo, holding a stopwatch. Upon crossing the finish line, he looks down at the watch and, without a word, throws it as far as he can. The audience is never shown his time, but we are led to believe this "toss of the stopwatch" is symbolic of him smashing the record - going where no man has ever gone.
And...yeah...it's just a movie - doesn't happen like that in the real world!
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beads1985 posted 1 year ago.
I loved the Jericho Mile!! Great movie!! :D
Nothing to it, but to do it
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trainDaBrain posted 1 year ago.
yes, and I don't want them to know they're my rival and that I am obsessed with beating them at every turn. Shhhh.
Do you have a rival -- friendly or not-so-friendly? Is there a guy or girl who helps push you to be your best or is there that someone you just have to beat?
Googles, Out.
The Battle does not always go to the stronger or faster man,
Because sooner or later the man that wins
Is the man that thinks he can.