A friend recently shared 10 Things Not to Say to A Triathlete. I'm still new to the culture, the sport, the community, the whole process. What I will say is that despite my only being into Triathlon for 8 months now, in that 8 months I've heard things. I've heard things, I've rolled my eyes, I've tried to defend, and then I just think "Yeah, no I am wasting my time here."
My first memorable encounter with having to essentially defend my choices to do triathlons was after my second indoor tri. If you recall after I completed that event I showered, got ready, and went straight to a bridal shower. It was at the bridal shower that someone I've known for over twenty years said, somewhat politely "Oh, Triathlon, I can swim and run, but I can't bike, otherwise I could do one, but it also seems like you'd get bored doing it and training for it, I'd rather just go do it."
My second memorable encounter with having to essentially defend my choices to do triathlons was after I had a busy weekend of riding on a Saturday and then swimming on Sunday. Someone had asked how my weekend was and if I did anything exciting. Now in my mind riding my bike more miles than my round trip commute to work is exciting, much less also swimming in there, driving 150 miles round trip to do the bike ride I spoke of, cooking, cleaning, and you know, living. The person whom asked responded to me saying "Oh, I wish I had time for that, but I have to cook and clean." Now, the person didn't say that they could do a triathlon, or even train for one, however they insinuated (or that's how I took it), that I have all the time in the world and only train or do triathlons.
My first memorable encounter with having to essentially defend my choices to do triathlons was after my second indoor tri. If you recall after I completed that event I showered, got ready, and went straight to a bridal shower. It was at the bridal shower that someone I've known for over twenty years said, somewhat politely "Oh, Triathlon, I can swim and run, but I can't bike, otherwise I could do one, but it also seems like you'd get bored doing it and training for it, I'd rather just go do it."
Ah-ha! The Number 5 Thing Not to Say to A Triathlete: ""Tri looks boring. All you do is swim, bike and run." Sure, repetition can be boring—but the mystique of going from point A to point B is one of the timeless tenets of any great adventure. Take your average road trip. Is it just a car headed down the highway running up the odometer? Or is it the backdrop for unforgettable conversations, inside jokes and memories that will last a lifetime?"
So far the memories and experiences I've had since beginning my journey are nothing short of amazing and unforgettable. Do I get bored? Sure, sometimes. I go running and for miles at a time by myself. 7 out of 10 times I don't take music with me because you can't listen to music during triathlon. So, I get bored, sure, but then I go and do it again. And swimming a half mile to a mile in the pool is a whole lot of back and forth ... back and forth ... back and forth ... and back and forth. The time goes by rather quickly. Before I know it I've swam 1.2 miles in 46 minutes. Do I get bored in there? I sure do, I'd be lying if I said I didn't get bored. I look at it as all part of the process; part of the training; part of the experience.
My second memorable encounter with having to essentially defend my choices to do triathlons was after I had a busy weekend of riding on a Saturday and then swimming on Sunday. Someone had asked how my weekend was and if I did anything exciting. Now in my mind riding my bike more miles than my round trip commute to work is exciting, much less also swimming in there, driving 150 miles round trip to do the bike ride I spoke of, cooking, cleaning, and you know, living. The person whom asked responded to me saying "Oh, I wish I had time for that, but I have to cook and clean." Now, the person didn't say that they could do a triathlon, or even train for one, however they insinuated (or that's how I took it), that I have all the time in the world and only train or do triathlons.
Ah-ha! The Number 2 Thing Not to Say to A Triathlete: ""I could do a tri, I just don't have the time." News flash: We don't have the time either, but we've found a way to carve it out of our busy lives because that's what you do when you commit to something important to you."
My schedule is just short of crazy. And I happen to have inside knowledge that it's only going to get more crazy. I start my Monday's out with a run before work and boot camp after work. I continue on with a 6am swim class on Tuesday's, followed by an hour training session, I get ready for work, I work all day, then I run after work. I wake up on Wednesday and I run before work, I go to boot camp after work, some Wednesday's I spin after boot camp and end my night with an hour yoga session. I'm back in the pool at 6am on Thursday's and then I usually go upstairs in the gym and do some work on the skiers, rowers and TRX; I end Thursday's with boot camp. I begin my Friday with a run before work and then I do a long (more than a half mile) swim after work. My weekends consist of at least one long bike ride, followed directly after with a run. I also get another long ride in on the other weekend day and end that evening with a swim and yoga if I can. Let's not even factor in that I have a full-time job, I have to vacuum up dog hair on a daily basis, I need to eat (and often), I have a flourishing garden that takes time, my laundry (and with all the working out I do, there's a lot of it), and believe it or not I still make time to see family and friends. Do I particularly enjoy with that 430am alarm goes off on Tuesday and Thursday? Nope, In fact first thing I think of is "Ugh, I don't want to swim". But, you know what else? I've chosen this, I do this, I want to do this, I am doing this. So it's not that I have all the time in the world to do this, because let's be honest, if I had unlimited time ... I'd finally get that whole rotation in swimming down once and for all.
A reoccurring encounter where I've had to defend my choice oddly ties in with time. I've had to turn down offers to spend time with friends because I have a long run or ride the following morning. Or I have to cut our time short because I have to get up early. I hope that my friends seeing how happy I am understand, but one more than one occasion I've wondered.
Ah-ha! The Number 1 Thing Not to Say to A Triathlete: ""All you ever do is work out, don't you have a life?" Why yes, I do. Nothing makes me MORE alive than bringing back childhood through swimming, biking and running while enhancing them with the competitive spirit."
Now I wasn't competitive with children growing up, I was a bowler and in band. But maybe it was my lack of competitive spirit, my ups and downs that have made me all that more competitive now as an adult. Maybe it was the lack of competitive spirit that has made me want to try just that much more. To make choices. To make sacrifices. My friends and family are important to me, they'll always be there for me, but I'm doing this for me. Selfish or not, that's the reality and it's not sugar coated.
My schedule is just short of crazy. And I happen to have inside knowledge that it's only going to get more crazy. I start my Monday's out with a run before work and boot camp after work. I continue on with a 6am swim class on Tuesday's, followed by an hour training session, I get ready for work, I work all day, then I run after work. I wake up on Wednesday and I run before work, I go to boot camp after work, some Wednesday's I spin after boot camp and end my night with an hour yoga session. I'm back in the pool at 6am on Thursday's and then I usually go upstairs in the gym and do some work on the skiers, rowers and TRX; I end Thursday's with boot camp. I begin my Friday with a run before work and then I do a long (more than a half mile) swim after work. My weekends consist of at least one long bike ride, followed directly after with a run. I also get another long ride in on the other weekend day and end that evening with a swim and yoga if I can. Let's not even factor in that I have a full-time job, I have to vacuum up dog hair on a daily basis, I need to eat (and often), I have a flourishing garden that takes time, my laundry (and with all the working out I do, there's a lot of it), and believe it or not I still make time to see family and friends. Do I particularly enjoy with that 430am alarm goes off on Tuesday and Thursday? Nope, In fact first thing I think of is "Ugh, I don't want to swim". But, you know what else? I've chosen this, I do this, I want to do this, I am doing this. So it's not that I have all the time in the world to do this, because let's be honest, if I had unlimited time ... I'd finally get that whole rotation in swimming down once and for all.
A reoccurring encounter where I've had to defend my choice oddly ties in with time. I've had to turn down offers to spend time with friends because I have a long run or ride the following morning. Or I have to cut our time short because I have to get up early. I hope that my friends seeing how happy I am understand, but one more than one occasion I've wondered.
Ah-ha! The Number 1 Thing Not to Say to A Triathlete: ""All you ever do is work out, don't you have a life?" Why yes, I do. Nothing makes me MORE alive than bringing back childhood through swimming, biking and running while enhancing them with the competitive spirit."
Now I wasn't competitive with children growing up, I was a bowler and in band. But maybe it was my lack of competitive spirit, my ups and downs that have made me all that more competitive now as an adult. Maybe it was the lack of competitive spirit that has made me want to try just that much more. To make choices. To make sacrifices. My friends and family are important to me, they'll always be there for me, but I'm doing this for me. Selfish or not, that's the reality and it's not sugar coated.
I think the most common misconception in Triathlon is that of the one I tell myself "I just want to finish".
Ah-ha! The Number 10 Thing Not to Say to A Triathlete: ""I just want to finish."
Ah-ha! The Number 10 Thing Not to Say to A Triathlete: ""I just want to finish."
There’s more to it than that and we both know it. Triathletes might seem like simple people on the surface (after all, per #5, all we do is mindlessly cover miles), but we’re actually quite introspective. (How do you think we pass the time over all those miles?) "Just finishing," is the short version of "I don’t have any specific time goals for this race," and that’s fine, but it doesn’t mean the effort is void of a driving force. Personally, I like to know what moves people. Whether you’re racing for a charity, to wrestle personal demons, to celebrate health or to smash a PR, don’t be shy about sharing your motivations and race-day goals. As triathletes, we’ve all come to this sport from different backgrounds, but we’re in this together and we all want something out of it."
It's true. I DO WANT TO FINISH. But it's also true that there's more to it. There's so much more to it. Finishing something I once knew nothing of is pretty astounding. Finishing something that isn't necessarily simple by definition is pretty amazing. Finishing something that has completely changed me is pretty emotional. And it's true, everyone wants something different, everyone comes from a different background, and yet everyone competes to ultimately finish. So it's okay that I just want to finish because I know there's so much more to it.
I can only imagine that as I continue on my journey longer and further I'll hear more of the things to never say to a triathlete, and like I said ... it's not a rant, it's a reality. And I'm ok with that reality.
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