Not competitive

missprice

VestanPance wrote: »

There's no harm in finishing last, as long as you gave it your best. I'd question the point in turning up poorly trained and just pottering around. What's the point? Why bother is that's your attitude?

Again, why would you care a hoot if I turned up and limped my way round?
I would not be holding you back, my time would not affect your time. I can't see why you would even notice if it took me double or worse than your time.
If I ever turned up for a race/triathlon it would be because I wanted to be there, why is no one else's business. And how much I trained or didn't train is also no ones business. And if I wanted to potter about, so be it.

missprice

pickledonionspaceraider wrote: »

Because it demoralises the people who are actually trying to make a real effort, and the actual act of taking part (not necessarily winning) means something to them.

To some, competitiveness is a real thrill and this removes that aspect of the whole thing and because the word RACE - does not mean potter around - you will be surrounded by people competing.

The fact that someone taking part, can't be bothered and just potter around what is a serious sporting event would be seen as making somewhat of a mockery of the whole thing.

A race or a triathlon is a pretty heavy going sporting event, and to turn up without training would be ill advised - people have died at these events without the proper fitness levels, you would be putting yourself at risk. All to prove a point.

If a bit of a potter around is what you were after, you would be best going to a rambling club or the like, as the other people there would be more of the same mind set and ability as yourself and you would have more in common with what is actually going on around you

I am not going to turn up to any sporting event thanks. And rambling is not my thing.
Any race that anyone can pay to take part in without proving that they trained is fair game to anyone that wants to pay and take part.
Just cos you don't like the idea of people not taking it seriously and not competing means nothing.

No thing is removed by potterers entering.

Jagraf

pickledonionspaceraider wrote: »

Because it demoralises the people who are actually trying to make a real effort, and the actual act of taking part (not necessarily winning) means something to them.

To some, competitiveness is a real thrill and this removes that aspect of the whole thing and because the word RACE - does not mean potter around - you will be surrounded by people competing.

The fact that someone taking part, can't be bothered and just potter around what is a serious sporting event would be seen as making somewhat of a mockery of the whole thing.

A race or a triathlon is a pretty heavy going sporting event, and to turn up without training would be ill advised - people have died at these events without the proper fitness levels, you would be putting yourself at risk. All to prove a point.

If a bit of a potter around is what you were after, you would be best going to a rambling club or the like, as the other people there would be more of the same mind set and ability as yourself and you would have more in common with what is actually going on around you

Unless part of a team with an ultimate team goal, why our anyone worry about what anyone else was doing? Why would what Ido demoralise you? That's quite sad.

Georgiegirl256

missprice wrote: »

If I ever turned up for a race/triathlon it would be because I wanted to be there, why is no one else's business. And how much I trained or didn't train is also no ones business. And if I wanted to potter about, so be it.

That's what fun runs are for.

Triathlons and the like are serious business. No one would ever enter one of those without serious training and a desire to win, or at the very least to do ones best. No one would ever enter a triathlon just to "potter about"

Jagraf

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

That's what fun runs are for.

Triathlons and the like are serious business. No one would ever enter one of those without serious training and a desire to win, or at the very least to do ones best. No one would ever enter a triathlon just to "potter about"

How on earth do you know that lol. How do you know what anyone's real motives are except for your own?

Desire to win? Maybe they are facing their own battles and that is why they are entering.

I cycle hundreds of miles for fun not to win.

Mojisola

pickledonionspaceraider wrote: »

Because it demoralises the people who are actually trying to make a real effort, and the actual act of taking part (not necessarily winning) means something to them.

I don't see how it could - the serious, competitive types would be way out in front and wouldn't see the others.

It could only demoralise you if you got overtaken by someone who is really only there for the fun of it.

purpleshoes_2

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

That's what fun runs are for.

Triathlons and the like are serious business. No one would ever enter one of those without serious training and a desire to win, or at the very least to do ones best. No one would ever enter a triathlon just to "potter about"

I didn't enter the two triathlons I did to win. I did them because I wanted a challenge. There was no way I would win, some people were very much ahead of me in the swim and the run sections.

Actually at the finish line everyone who finished stayed to cheer the slower people on. There was no hint of anyone who finished slower demoralising anyone else, quite the opposite in fact.

Georgiegirl256

purpleshoes wrote: »

I didn't enter the two triathlons I did to win. I did them because I wanted a challenge. There was no way I would win, some people were very much ahead of me in the swim and the run sections.

Actually at the finish line everyone who finished stayed to cheer the slower people on. There was no hint of anyone who finished slower demoralising anyone else, quite the opposite in fact.

Exactly, you wanted to challenge yourself, you showed willing, you didn't just enter to potter about. You knew you wouldn't win, but I assume you tried to do the best job that you possibly could to the best of your abilities?

I think that is the whole crux of this thread tbh. If you're going to do something, at least try to make and effort, or it'll come across as a lack of interest/ambition, and that is how I think the OP's husband is perhaps viewing her. As others have said though, why is it all coming to a head now? Hopefully it is something they can sort out.

purpleshoes_2

Mojisola wrote: »

I don't see how it could - the serious, competitive types would be way out in front and wouldn't see the others.

It could only demoralise you if you got overtaken by someone who is really only there for the fun of it.

When I did my first triathlon I was 44. There was a young guy (17) who entered it and the guy who organised the bootcamps said in passing that he was a champion swimmer and he had entered a few open water swims and won them. There was also a girl who was a swimming teacher.

I could have been training all day every day for 6 months and I wouldn't have got near their times.

I had never done one before and I only really wanted to do something different, so I had nothing to compare it to. Im a strong swimmer but not a fast one, I'm also not a fast runner.

I just wanted to finish it. Crossing that line and getting the medal/goody bag was enough for me.

There are always going to be people, anywhere you go in fitness who might have better ability than you even though they don't train as hard. I do a bootcamp 3 times a week, its tough, the guy who runs it is an ex MMA champion and he pushes you until you squeak.

Tonight was the last night of 8 weeks, after 10-15 min warm up session we did body weight exercises in sets with minimal rest for 45 mins. We were in teams of two and we were working as hard as we could so that whoever finished first got the longest rest.

The people who were the slowest, other people were cheering them on.

That's the way it should be in my view. I know a girl who did a half marathon with minimal training, she did cardio classes and kept saying she was going to go out running but never did. She did it in just over two hours. No one else in the race would have known what training she did, like everyone else who paid their money, she had the right to pay and turn up and finish.

Id still do a slower time even if I had trained for 6 months. The bottom line is, who really cares? As long as you are happy with what you do why should anyone else's training or competitiveness or effort or lack of it matter. Even if you were in the position of training someone else, people need to take responsibility for their own training, you can push someone as far as you can, but they need to put the effort in as well.

It would only be if I were in a fitness class with someone who I was paired with and who wasn't giving a hoot or vice versa that it would be of concern because then you are doing something that involves teamwork.

purpleshoes_2

I still find it a bit strange that people taking playing board games so seriously. I think the last time I had a drama about not winning a board game was when I was about 7.

So many things that people could be getting upset about, snakes and ladders or pictionary and rock climbing seems a bit daft.

Mind you Im speaking as someone who really doesn't care if she finishes last in everything. I do take my training seriously, Im just realistic that in certain sports Ive competed in compared to some other people I fall into the rubbish category.