Monday, May 02, 2005

Triathlon blogs

I'm always on the lookout these days for good-quality, well-written blogs written by triathletes, cyclists, swimmers, and runners. They don't have to be elite athletes - in fact, I find it more helpful to read about the struggles of everyday people much like myself, who are juggling fitness along with other important life priorities and motivational challenges. Following them along is like watching an ongoing reality show. They inspire me to have a little more energy in facing my own personal challenges.

In my searches I run across a lot of abandoned blogs with ambitious titles like "IronmanbyChristmas" or "FromTubbyToTourdeFrance", with 3 or 4 posts, petering out to nothing. I wonder about these people - did they get psyched up for a few weeks and then abandon their grandiose schemes, or did they just get tired of blogging? They make me sad.

I also see lots of blogs that are simply a dry listing of workouts - miles or kilometers, yards or meters - with little personal perspective. These may be helpful for the writer, but the numbers from some anonymous person's workouts do not make compelling reading.

My Questions of the Day are these:
  • What triathlon/fitness blogs do you especially like (OTHER than those already in my list on the righthand side of this page)???
  • What triathlon/fitness blog features keep you reading and coming back for more?
  • What triathlon/fitness blog characteristics turn you off and make you stop reading?
After I mull over your responses a bit, I believe I will cull my list of "Fellow Athletes" to the right to limit it to a list of blogs and websites that are my regular reads that I wish to recommend to others. I'll also use your feedback to fine-tune my own blog content and ramblings here a little. Thanks!!

10 comments:

Dawn - Pink Chick Tris said...

For the most part I stick to running blogs but have a few I like to read just for fun. What will bring me back is interesting stories and the "human side". I also like sites where I feel the writer offers stuff I can learn from or they simply inspire me by their abilities and attitude. Hence my "list" on my site or "bloglines consists of a variety of blogs I visit for a variety of reasons. I also love to explore other's list and am forever discovering a new site. But I only do that when I feel like just surfing around and it does mean I may not get to some sites all that often.

Don't worry about rambling...I love to read ramblings. I hate dry facts.

Anonymous said...

Guilty as Charged

Admittedly, my blog is mostly numbers and workout details. I'm certainly not trying to impress anyone - I use it more of a record for me. If anyone else finds it useful - all the better.

I like reading the TriGeek Kahuna for humuour and Iron Wil for her interesting takes on her training - on some level, I can usually identify with something they've posted. Which I suppose is what keeps me coming back.

But - I do like looking at other people's workouts and numbers too. I'm geeky like that though.

c said...

Me too!

Mine's lots of numbers -- indeed, lots of numbers about recent weight loss. But going to grad school and trying to do triathlons is definitely challenging and perhaps worthy of the reading. . .

just an idea.

http://droppinga100pounds.blogspot.com/

Nancy Toby said...

Oh dear! I didn't mean to imply that I dislike blogs which have numbers in the posts - particularly not YOUR blogs - in fact, I use quite a few numbers myself! I do dislike the ones that don't offer *ANY* numbers so you can't get a sense of what kind of speeds, etc., the person is actually talking about! But I see some blogs that are really nothing more than terse "just the numbers" workout logs, THOSE are the ones I'm talking about!

soccerdad said...

i think blogging is just like anything else for many people. they get excited about it for a while, and just like the folks who go to the gym all of january as part of their new years resolutions, they lose their motivation and move on to something else.
my reads are basically what's on the list on my blog. i just don't have time to keep up with more people than that.
that being said, there are other excellent blogs out there that i have wandered onto at one time or another, but the dozen or so that i have listed are the only ones i get involved with regularly.

Comm's said...

I could have written my blog on a dozen different things but for me I wrote something that appeals to the majority of the readers who come across it. I could have gone the straight family route-boring to all, even me, politics, religion, news-too partisan, straight numbers-well everyone has their particular way of doing things and I look at numbers all day anyway, so I choose Triathlons.

I love the lifestyle. Love how it has blessed people in my life and myself. Plus I think I can at least be slightly humorous about whats going on in three different disciplines.

I like your blog nancy your is what all should be like for a good tri blog.

Anonymous said...

I always feel sad when a blog that feels *so* promising peters out and disappears.

my list of reads has changed from "weight loss" blogs to "fitness" blogs to "running" blogs to any person that inspires me. (Which, by the way, *you* do...and I'll be updating my list soon! :)

One that I've recently fallen in love with is Constanttrek. This couple is walking from England to South Africa. Strictly speaking, it's not sports or fitness related. But hey...isn't the ability to *live* why we all do this stuff anyway? :)

Mateo said...

You rock. I can't wait to see the list you come up with. I lost 110lbs a few years back and now I run triathlons, marathons, and more road races than any man should. I just started blogging, so I'm finding much inspration from this online athlete community. Especially "real" people like us, who aren't elites... we're just out there doing it. Keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

Here is my triathlon/Team-in-training blog (started in May). http://thewolf.typepad.com

Wedgie said...

I mostly stay away from posting workout numbers on my blog. I figure if I post statistics like that, some people will think I'm bragging and others will think I'm a wimp because the numbers "aren't good enough". So instead, my beginner's blog talks about the OTHER side of training: what it's like buying spandex for the first time... dealing with blisters... figuring out how "triathlon shoelaces" are supposed to work.

http://www.NeopreneWedgie.com