Feeling special are we? I know I do. After all, I exercise all the time, I’m taking care of myself and my body. Doing special things in a special sport, surrounded by special people. I have special equipment. I use special nutrition and special clothing. Lemmings says I. Fucking lemmings.
Seriously watch the video above. If you have heard the story of lemmings diving off cliffs into the sea, then brace yourself for the truth. These lemmings weren’t marching into the Arctic Sea in droves. They were being dumped out of a truck and down a cliff. Why? Because the filmmakers wanted to perpetuate a myth and they didn’t care how many little furry animals they hurt in the process. The video takes on a different tone after knowing the truth, doesn’t it? Triathlon, trail running, marathons, obstacle races, ultras. Pay the fee, do the race, get the t-shirt and the medal. Immediately post to Facebook and Twitter. Lather, rinse, repeat.
It’s a weird age we live in. For most of us, life is way too easy. We’ve tamed all the wild beasts. Our homes have air conditioning and indoor plumbing. Refrigerators and freezers keep massive amounts of food at our disposal, ready to be consumed at our leisure. Our life expectancy is ridiculously long. Maybe that’s why we are drawn to these “challenges”. Maybe it’s a need to belong to a subculture. Maybe it’s just a primordial itch that we have to scratch. Now, i’m not so sure why we also have to scratch that itch while wearing compression socks, but hey I’m still all for the scratching. So where am I going with all of this?
It’s a simple idea and one that I hope other TRS Triathlon peeps will embrace. If you do it, love it. If you don’t love it, then don’t do it. I know this is going to sound weird, but if you don’t want to do an Ironman, then don’t. If you would rather sign up for Duathlons because you hate swimming, then for the love of Ben Hobbs, do the DU! Don’t like to run, do the Aquabike. Hate running on pavement, head for the trails. Don’t really get any enjoyment out of exercising, then STOP! Time is too precious to waste. Don’t sign up for something that you don’t want to do. Don’t feel forced into a situation that you don’t want to be in.
So what do you think? Vote in the poll and chat on the forum. What is the most “lemming” thing we do in Triathlon? TRS Triathlon wants to know!!!
photo credit: Dare Devil Diving via photopin (license)
