Wicked Smart or Wicked Fast?

bob hiller

It just so happens that all of our Wicked Smart Members are also Wicked Fast, but what if you could only be one?  Which would you choose?  

Mark Stahlkopf

I'll never be wicked fast at swim, bike, or run. So I will shoot for wicked smart and get the most out of what I have.

Tom Glynn

I wish I was a wicked fast swimmer

drjohnson08

For long course...wicked smart. It's the basic premise of EN race execution. There are a lot of really fit people doing stupid things on race day.

Short course...wicked fast. The mistakes you do make in a race don't typically blow up in your face like they will in long course. Plus, if you do something stupid, you're not dealing with the consequences for nearly as long.

Al Truscott

Old basketball adage on why clumsy seven footers get drafted: "You can't teach height." But, in our sport of long distance tri, you can *learn* to be fast ... enough. Examples...Dave Tallo's on going personal improvement project. Tim Cronk recently running down a guy who may well have been a faster runner, at the end of an HIM. Jenn Edwards and John Withrow training their not-obviously-endurance-athlete bodies to perform at near super human capacity on race day.

Most humans have an inner athlete able to be tapped by hard work, persistence, and wise execution. Most of us are probably "faster" than we think.

Having said all that, I am grateful for being the size and shape I am, which makes it easier to run well.

bob hiller

@Al, love the post.  I haven't met Jenn yet, but enjoyed her podcast interview last summer.  Very inspirational.  I met John Withrow at IMMT last summer.  After the 4 Keys presentation by Patrick, John stood up and said to everyone, essentially: "If you're ahead of me on the bike,  make sure you stay to the right, I'm going to be passing you."  At first I was a bit shocked.    Then I thought, "This guy is FOCUSED and CONFIDENT."  I loved it.  After reading his Pre-race chronicle of his super-human, totally consuming season of training I realized there was absolutely no way he could have imagined he would not qualify for Kona in that race.  Of course, he did.  I may never be wicked smart like you and John, but if I learn the lessons of our WSM people and follow RnP's WKO's, I've got a chance at being wicked fast.  

Nemo Brauch

Aha! I am here to prove you wrong. I am Wicked Smart, but I am not Wicked Fast. And while I'd love to be Wicked Fast too, I'd take Wicked Smart over Wicked Fast any day.