Throughout my life, I have encountered a lot of uber-focused people, whether they are business executives, civic leaders, athletes or students.  I find that it is very easy for a driven, "Type A" person to immerse him/herself in one facet of his/her life without considering the opportunity cost that it plays in other areas.  Obsessing over a particular set of goals will lead people to justify their oversight of their other responsibilities, and I have always been intrigued by the life balance that is struck by people who maintain a healthy perspective between the multiple hats that they wear.  Someday, I'd love to write a book about exemplary parents who are CEO's, students who are athletes, or business executives who are dutifully involved with civic organizations.  It is these types of people who I think serve as the best role models for others.  Immersing oneself in one activity or another while sacrificing everything else is almost impossible for others to emulate (let alone respect, in many cases).

I think this lack of balance is very apparent in the world of triathlon.  This is a group of people who devote a lot of time and resources to maintaining proficiency in not one, but three different sports.  Although I enjoyed my journey to becoming an Ironman, part of the reason I did it at this point in life is because my career was temporarily less demanding and my wife and I have not yet started a family.  I had the opportunity to "pour it on" for a number of months, so I did it while I could.  I am surrounded by examples of people who do not have the same mindset.  They devote an inordinate amount of money, time, energy, resources and stress toward an activity which is supposed to be a hobby.  However, they continue to let these obsessions take over their lives without striking a healthy balance.  Like anything in life, very, very few people are successful enough to reap many sustained rewards from triathlon.  Sure, they might enjoy the sport and they might be locally competitive, but even the top professionals aren't earning many monetary rewards.  Given the choice between an extra swim, ride or run or some quality time spent with family, honing a professional skill or serving their community, I often see people making the wrong choices.  Sure, that extra two hours per week of training might help you gain a two minute advantage in your next race.  Is it worth it, considering your other responsibilities?

I also see a lot of misaligned financial choices in the athletic community, especially among cyclists.  The shiny new bike widget that weighs four ounces less than its counterpart might be $200 more expensive.  That meaningless triathlon in between the two races which you actually enjoy might be $150.  That trendy dietary product might be $100 yet totally ineffective.  The sum of these seemingly insignificant decisions tallies up to a sizable total.  Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air studies the commercialization of Mt. Everest and the fact that anybody with enough money can attempt to climb it these days (although many of them fail while doing so).  I felt the same way about Ironman when I was preparing for it.  Almost any decently athletic and healthy person who wants to shell out enough money can make a respectable attempt at besting the 17-hour time limit for a 140.6 mile triathlon.  The question is: how many things did they bypass along the way to that goal?

I am really enjoying life after Ironman.  I'm still swimming, cycling and running a decent amount (logging another 128 miles this week), but I'm only doing the workouts which I enjoy.  No longer am I getting up at 4am three times a week to make it to the pool at the detriment of my attention span later in the day.  No longer am I spending hours on long weekend bike rides while abandoning my wife at home.  No longer am I stressing about every nuance of an upcoming race while neglecting my other hobbies and ambitions.  I'm swimming, cycling, running and racing when I feel like it.  I'm a former music major who is practicing the piano for the first time in years.  I'm seeing my family, visiting my friends and volunteering more.  Although there was a "season" when Ironman was a big focus, I'm happy to put that goal behind me in lieu of balancing my priorities differently.

Throughout my life, there have been seasons when my academic, musical, career, athletic or civic pursuits trumped their competitors at one point or another.  I think that's perfectly acceptable, as long as it is a temporary shift.  I just think it's important to eventually return to a healthy "homeostasis" with regard to the various hats we wear.  If you're able to do that while succeeding in each area, you undoubtedly have my respect in doing so.