Have you ever had another significant sport in your life before running/tri?

very bad at golf

then very bad at football

OK at football refereeing

very bad at triathlon

Competed for Cheshire at Hockey and also Aerobics.

School Gym Team and Run Team until 14, then rugby.

County, Divisional U19 (North), and England Student trials. Semi-pro for about 3 years getting £80/week. Then stopped mid-season as kept displacing T1-T3 vertabrae.

Lots of hill walking and getting fat, had 1st kid, didn't have time for long walks so started to run some of them to get home quicker. Ran a bit, then HappyChap entered me for a triathlon and forced me to do it.

Liked drinking with rugby till it got too serious to drink. I was a bit of a primal chest beater on the field but not off the field. Do like the social side of sport.

M.eface

Reading back through, the majority of us have come from successful sporting backgrounds,

I was a county level swimmer, got to Uni and took up womens rugby. Okay it is a minority sport and I played at representative level for a few years. My best friends have always been from sport relationships and that has been the best outcome.

Interesting that I have also enjoyed other sports I am not good at, particulary sailing and tri  Both of which I would clssify as part of my lifestyle rather than comething I compete in.

Running and swimming in school (got competitive and parents decided I should focus on studies rather than sport as it was taking too much time), then tennis, taekwondo and judo (family are masters)... then about 12 years of rugby...now back to swim bike and run.... and wondering where my swim skills went...

 ...and went a bit porky somewhere around the start or rugby... I was your typical skinny kid who struggled to put weight on...and suddenly caught up

Lot's of " ex sporty types" here. As time passes by, how do you feel about slowing down and watching your perfomances drop off? Do you find it frustrating, or just accept it as part of life?

Orenteering from 8 - 18 represented GB at European Junior level then found sex drugs and rock and roll Did a bit of rugby and football in my 20's then at the age of 44 I decided that being fat and lazy was not good and strated running i have now run 7 marathons and got into Tri as I also cycled. Still cant swim very well though

I did sports at school, was in the hockey team (but only because there wouldn't have been enough players otherwise), until I left school at 16.

I started skiing in my twenties, but not as a competitive sport, just because it's fun. 

I started running in my thirties, not at anything like a competitive level - just for fitness. 

Started riding a bike in my fifties - again not competitvely, just for enjoyment. 

I'm not really into competition, I guess!

A few years at semi pro football until injury and beer drinking took over, county level at tennis, badninton and table tennis, high level of cricket and an 8 handicap at golf.  Just a few!

Dustboy wrote (see)

Lot's of " ex sporty types" here. As time passes by, how do you feel about slowing down and watching your perfomances drop off? Do you find it frustrating, or just accept it as part of life?

I don't accept it as part of MY life, but then my life has always revolved around sport, competing in it, teaching and lecturing in it.

So yeah, it's a big part of how I define myself and my self esteem, right or wrong. I'm very passionate about it and some people don't get that at all, they also don't get that I won't enter anything that I can't do well at. Maybe those people think I'm a snob in sport in that respect, but I'm not at all, I've just had a very different experience in this field and it still brings out the strongest emotions in me.

But my lifestyle has always been in contrast with sporting achievement. 'My body is a temple' has never been my bag, so maybe you could argue that I've never wanted it THAT much.

No

County level hockey player, before spending 20 years in the co-drivers seat of a rally car.

Iron Muffin wrote (see)

I was a county level swimmer, got to Uni and took up womens rugby. Okay it is a minority sport and I played at representative level for a few years. My best friends have always been from sport relationships and that has been the best outcome.

I played women's rugby as well. No not really but coached Brighton Uni Womens team for 3 years and they won the poly cup final and got to the Uni cup final as well. They lost against Loughborugh in a tough game but had played the week before in the Poly cup final as well.

Had four in the squad play in international teams! 2 Welsh, 1 English and 1 Scot.

Thoroughly enjoyed the coaching but with my own playing the week was something like

Monday - University Rugby Training
Tuesday - Rugby Womens Training
Wednesday - Unversity Game
Thursday - Local Club Training
Friday - Day Off
Saturday - Club Game
Sunday - Womens Training & Mens Training

Plus weights at lunchtime. No wonder I had to resit my final year!

marshallini wrote (see)

In 1994 I started running then thought triathlon was a good idea, that lasted about 2 months, then I started Tae Kwon Do and ended with 5 National titles and 3rd place in the 1998 World Champs.

Now that's impressive.

RicF wrote (see)

marshallini wrote (see)

In 1994 I started running then thought triathlon was a good idea, that lasted about 2 months, then I started Tae Kwon Do and ended with 5 National titles and 3rd place in the 1998 World Champs.

Now that's impressive.

Very impressive indeed.

Wow, lots of sporting backgrounds.

I was sporty at school, but at 13 found fags, booze and boys. That's the sum total of my sporting background.