How do you tell who the triathlete is? You don’t…they tell you.
Well at a party last nite, with about 60 people attending: there she was! Holding audience at a table of about 6 or 7, talking about swimming, biking workouts, etc. for over an hour! It was funny to watch, but her table-mates didn’t seem to mind. Not too many glazed eyes, that I could tell, although by appearances alone, no one else at the table looked like they were big exercisers.
It is why many do this sport (and marathons). You don’t have to be very good to impress most of the people you know with your athleticism. Just doing is enough to make you a “hero” or “something special” in their eyes. Everyone needs to feel good about themselves.
Holding audience at a table of about 6 or 7, talking about swimming, biking workouts, etc. for over an hour!
Sounds like quite a party…
I think he failed to mention the pole in the middle of the table and the dancing.
-Jot
Sounds like quite a party…
oh yeah, THAT was the table to be at!
no, the other 59 people had plenty of other things to do and talk about, i just couldn’t help but overhear the diatribe
**i just couldn’t help but overhear the diatribe **
You probably didn’t have to try too hard to overhear. I’ve seen the same people and they seem to speak just loudly enough so that the tables all around can hear. It works like many people on cell phones, they really don’t mind too much of a lot of people can hear their conversation.
Am I the only one who gets self-conscious when people bring up competing. My friends love to tell others what I do, but I really hate to bring it up.
What is even better is to be a person like my wife, when we go to a party of nothing but triathletes and a few bored spouses. I don’t even like to go to those parties any more and I are one. How many training/racing stories can we listen to in one lifetime?
I hate it too. My father-in-law is the worst about it. We were all at the expo for IMFL, and there he is, yapping about what I do, to who of all people? Frank Day.
So Frank, my belated apologies.
Am I the only one who gets self-conscious when people bring up competing.
I wish more were.
There is a guy I know and I swear, I have never seen him talk about anything except his training or racing. Here is an example from last week.
He comes into the local coffee shop and the barista asks how he is and he replied “oh, pretty good, training too much” and then proceeded to expand on how far he just swam. He then went to sit down and there is an older couple there and he sits with them. The man asks what he has been up to and he says, “I just came back from a race where I placed 7th in my age group. I would have come 6th except…”
I was reading the paper and was there for 45 minutes and the guy only stopped talking long enough to sip his coffee. In the entire time, he never asked them how they were or what they were up to.
I have been there a handful of times and he has done the same thing every single time. There was an article in the paper about him (I live in Bermuda) and that just feeds his ego enough for him to continue training and competing so that he can talk more about himself. It really is nauseating and I simply cannot fathom spending a lot of time around this guy.
I have never seen another sport were so many people were essentially embarrased to let anyone know they participate and so excited to rip anyone who admits it publicly.
Classic! Or how about the FB over-poster who broadcasts each and every workout to get such responses as “wow! you are such a machine - how do you do it?” - Frank’s right - people just want to feel good about themselves.
Unfortunately, triathlon is a lot like religion - people have a hard time simply enjoying it and not pontificating.
Yesterday- Family reunion- my Mom’s 83 and telling everyone how I just did my 3rd Ironman. I said, Mom, it’s not like I’m 8 yrs old and scored a goal in soccer. You don’t have to tell everyone. But she likes to tell everybody and then they all come to me and congratulate me. It is embarrassing. Of course, I’m Irish, and a lot of people in my family like to drink large amounts of alcohol at family gatherings, so by the end of the day lots of people are hugging me and patting me on the back and telling me how proud they are of me.
Almost makes me want to take my Ironman sticker off my truck. ( my kids put it there I swear! )
They all mean well and my mom is proud of me so it’s not really a big deal but it does feel a little wierd… I’m 55!
My wife does this to me all the time. We’ll be hanging out, and she’ll bring up the fact that I do IM races. Usually, the poor souls that I’m having a beer with feel obligated to ask about it, and so I find myself talking about racing and training, all the while a little voice in my head warning me not to overdo it. I don’t think I have, but then I don’t find myself invited to too many parties anymore…hmmmm…(just kidding).
Spot
Owners of Harley Davidson motorcycles are the worst of the worst. They love to talk about their motorcycle, and all they’ve done is bought the damn thing. They haven’t accomplished anything other than that.
At least triathletes have done something other than just bought something.
I once went to a wedding where nearly everyone was a cyclist. It also happened to coincide with the first day of the tour. Somehow nearly everyone knew the result within about 15 mins of the finish!
Sadly, it is often something that is actually often brought up by others. Small talks issues seem to lead to that.
At a party or in a bar if I get introduced by people who really don’t know me it often goes like this: This is Herbert, he is from Germany and he is a triathlete. He does those Ironman triathlons. To which I usually reply: That is not who I am actually. My interests are quite varied ranging from art to food to traveling to fast cars and triathlon is just something I enjoy.
Then the person I got introduced to says usually: Really, you do that race in Hawaii?
Bla, bla, bla
The more I try to cut it off, the more people either digg further, or think I am a jerk. Well, my wife warned me of that when I am trying to shut down that conversation. One thing is for sure, other than a slowtwitch t-shirt at some events, I usually do not wear anything that identifies me as a triathlete. No finishers shirts, no race visors, no tri branded items.
Owners of Harley Davidson motorcycles are the worst of the worst. They love to talk about their motorcycle, and all they’ve done is bought the damn thing.
Narcissim is definately not unique to triathletes. All recreations or hobbies have obsessed, self centric enthusiasts. Try hanging out with some of my dog competition “friends”. Ever see the movie “Best in Show”? It could be a documentary in my experience.
Unfortunately, triathlon is a lot like religion - people have a hard time simply enjoying it and not pontificating.
thats cuz like religion, its mostly just a bunch of crazy pain =)
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