Season One
For all things seasonal, the first is usually the one that defines all the rest. The first season of any sitcom or reality show is often the one by which all others - better, worse, or just different - are judged. In life, we mark so many annual events in terms of how they are firsts, i.e. your first summer after high school, your first New Year's Eve married, your first Christmas with a baby, and so on. The only problem with this is that we rarely have opportunity to shape that first experience before its already over, and so we're doomed to what are so often unrealistically high or low expectations of that same experience the next time it's "in season." An amazing 13th birthday damns a teen to seven comparitively disappointing ones in the same way a horrible first day of high school leaves you nothing to look forward to for four more summers. It seems to me that the only way around this paradox is to own that first one. Have a plan, and commit to how it should end.
Last year, I competed in the Carpinteria Sprint Triathlon. I did meh, but loved the hell out of it. The training was intense but rewarding, and the event itself was as thrilling as anything, especially once my brother (for whom it was also his first) and I determined that we would certainly not freeze to death in the water. But since it was a one-off event, really towards the end of the triathlon season, we kept our expectations modest. We wanted to finish and not embarrass ourselves. And, aside from being awkward in our skin-tight tri gear, we succeded.
The Steed
The most central part of the triathlete's gear, it seems to me, is the bike. By far the most expensive required equipment, it is also the most critical. At 40km, the bike section is by far the longest leg in the race, and for obvious reasons, ought to be completed at the highest speed. Any advantage gleaned in this pursuit would be of the highest priority; even a small gain, be it areo features or less weight, is more beneficial to the total effort because the athlete can take the most advantage of it for the longest time.
So the fact that I'm staring down my first full triathlon season over the handlebars of a 29lb 1971 Schwinn Super Sport bears explaining.
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