I've always considered myself a pretty decent athlete. I've been able to pick up a sport and perform relatively well at it in a short period of time my entire life. I've called myself a "Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none" many times. If you want proof, well:
high school - football (started, nothing extraordinary)
track (400 m - 53 seconds, 2nd in district, my running consisted of attending meets)
college - cycling (race or two, nothing serious)
triathlon (very short sprints - twice)
post-college - running (~15 miles/week, a few 5ks, some age group medals)
power lifting (added 25 lbs so running was out)
adventure racing (short one/two day events)
triathlon (again, still sprints)
duathlon (I realized I'm not a very fast swimmer, heck, I'm not very fast at anything, so swimming had to go)
football coach (added another 25 lbs so all physical activity was out)
today - duathlons/(very short) triathlons - I've lost 40 lbs
As you can see, I've run the gamut (not even mentioning my pickup basketball games and the few summers I spent playing church league softball). This past summer I turned 39. The day after my birthday, my wife did the bike leg of a pretty good sized triathlon. As I went down to watch her compete my competitive juices started flowing again. I jumped right in and did a few short duathlons and triathlons and realized that 1) I still don't swim well, and 2) it's difficult to be competitive while running ~10 miles/week and biking ~20 miles/week. So, I've made a commitment (probably WAY too strong a word) to become the best duathlete I can become, considering my age. I don't want to look back, when I'm older, and wonder if I ever could have become REALLY good at one particular sport if I had focused on just one.
So, I'm running more than I ever have (still not what I want to, see previous post to understand why) and I am getting faster. I am blessed that at age 39 my body still is in pretty good condition (both of my running partners are currently on hiatus due to back problems). I will eventually get my running, and my biking up to par, hopefully sooner rather than later. The questions that haunt me, though, are "How good can Faun Ramey become?" and "Am I limited by my genetics?"
I search a lot on the internet for training info, motivational stuff, etc. (unfortunately many times instead of training not after training) and recently came across an article that I found most encouraging. It appears that genetics isn't the most important aspect of becoming an elite at something. Research suggests that practice does make perfect (or at least really good). So, since my parents aren't holding me back, look out duathlon competitors, here I come! If, of course, I can get motivated to train today.
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