And another reason

Every once in awhile I get asked why I do triathlons. There are a whole variety of reasons, some of which I have written about in the past. Recently, I met someone who asked me that same question. I really wanted to answer it but some things are hard to explain. So, we ended up actually talking about the aspects of being an athlete and competing. As we talked about it, we both came to a really good conclusion. Well, one that made sense anyway. So, if anyone asks me "the question" again, I am going to start out with "the answer".

In our lives we get singular events that stand out in our lives. Births, Weddings, parties, deaths, graduations, etc. These stellar days can be limited. Graduations - you can get a few of those, Births – you get a few of those, weddings – several of those but only a few that really stand out. I have been to a lot of weddings, and the ones that stand out are mine, my daughters and most recently some good friends. So you take all these events that stick in your mind, and that is all you have. So, one of the main reason I train and race is to add numbers to the spectacular events in my life. I can close my eyes and recount races, training runs and rides, I can remember training partners, some still around, some have moved on, but I remember them. Twenty six Sundays in a year, this year I will be racing on at least six of them. At the end of the year, I have six more days of events to add to my recollections, not to mention the many, many training days that are eligible for recall. So basically, I am stockpiling memories.