The sport of triathlon and perhaps more exclusively Ironman triathlon training may be responsible for brain damage in what appears to be healthy, otherwise normal individuals So spouses relax, your partner is not partaking of "the chronic, kona gold, maui wowie or texas tea".
The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is involved in memory forming, organizing, and storing. As evidence I will point to the results area following any race, where hundreds gather to analyze every aspect of each phase of the race to prove they could have pushed a little harder and caught the competitor who was only 30 seconds ahead. This obvious delusion demonstrates the absurdity and complete abandonment of reality as less than an hour earlier, the same foolish individuals were suffering on the brink of a complete physical and mental meltdown - spitting and gasping for air, quads afire and pain receptors screaming "what in God's name are you doing"?
I am the second example. This weekends training menu included a 50/10 brick on Saturday followed by a century ride on Sunday. Now, on paper, this seemed a plausible and reasonable progression in the program. What struck me, although I have lived through this before, was my complete inability to produce a single memory of just how bad it could suck. Starting your 10 mile run off a 50 mile bike at almost 9am - in July - in Florida - instant producer of pain. Can you sing "HOT, HOT, HOT"? I call it the Tour de Shower, dragging to the next shower long enough to cool off and march out another mile. I looked at Shir about mile 7 and there was no joy in his face, no smile, not a shred of happiness and the run was noticeably absent of any conversation as I realized he was a mirror of me. Even better was the Sunday century extravaganza. I was excited to do my first 100 miler in a while. Again, no memory of the pain and suffering that can take place. I now list the areas of suffering the last 20 miles of the day - my neck, my back, my crotch, my wrists, my quads and finally the bottoms of my feet.
How long will I remember this experience? My wife says, "It will be forgotten in the morning" You know, I think she is right. Maybe my hippocampus really is broken...
See you on the road,
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