by Joel Getty
Tri Harder Triathlon
In a triathlon or any sporting event you have to give everything you have. When I was a youth, long before I started racing in triathlons, my dad told me about his days of running and racing. He has never done a triathlon, but would occasionally race in a 5k or 10k run. I think he might have even been on the track team in High School, but I don’t remember. This design was inspired by some words of wisdom he had for me about running. He said, “If you didn’t puke or pass out, you could have gone harder.”
Since I became a triathlete I’ve tried to apply that concept to every triathlon I’ve ever run. I’ve ended many triathlons with the dry heaves, but I can’t say that I’ve ever passed out. After any triathlon I finish without puking I think to myself, “Did I really push it? No. Could I have run harder, biked harder, or swam faster? Yes.”
The idea is that when you push your body to the absolute limit, you create oxygen debt so deep, and lactic acid builds up so strongly in your blood that your body revolts. The build up of lactic acid is actually poisioning your body and puking is the body’s natural way of ridding itself of toxins. If you push even beyond that, your over taxed muscles are so starved for oxygen that they steal it from you brain, which shuts down in order to save itself. That’s when you pass out.
The idea of mind over matter is nothing new to triathletes and other endurance athletes. Your brain is a powerful tool and when focused properly can make your body do extraordinary things. When the Ironman Triathlon began, no one even thought it was possible, but now thousands of aspiring triathletes complete this grueling 2.4 mile swim, 125 mile bike and 26.2 mile running event every year in cities across the globe.
It’s important to listen to your body and quit before you injure yourself, but many times pushing through the pain of anaerobic exhaustion is the only way to reach your full potential. How will you know if you’ve pushed hard enough? Well as the design says….
If you didn’t Puke or Pass Out…. You could have Gone Harder. Triathlon.
This Tri Harder Triathlon design is available on a multitude of triathlon friendly products and gifts like t-shirts, mugs, posters, and more at the TriathleteTshirts.com Store
Tags: gifts, T-shirts, Triathlete, Triathlon