Do you know what really makes you a triathlete? Sure you swim, bike and run but is this really how you define yourself. A while ago I wrote some ideas on the subject called, “You know you are a triathlete when…”
Take a look HERE.
Well the fine members of the SlowTwitch Forum had a few ideas of the own and here they are.
You know you are a triathlete when…
From IronDeb
- IM means Ironman
- You're NOT when:
- IM means Instant Message
- Had a communication breakdown w/ non-triathlete today b.c of that one!
- ALL gifts, ChrismaChanuKwanzica, whatever, MUST be contributions to New Bike Fund. No other gift will do..
- You can recommend a good: PT, Massage Therapist, Orthopedist, Chiropractor...
- You've gotten into at least one heated discussion about bike fitting
- You've gotten into at least one heated discussion about M-Dot tattoos
- You're already visualizing your Finish Line Dance for IM that's 8 months away
- You always need more socks
From Football Mom:
- Your car resembles a locker room and you can pull out a full set of clothes and equipment for any sort of workout at a moment's notice.
- You think nothing of changing next to your car in a parking lot.
- Your skin smells like chlorine and your hair has a nice shiny, greenish tint to it
- You tell your hairdresser that you need a "wash and wear" style and not to use any 'product'. Blow drying your hair means rolling down the car windows.
From Fefe:
- You aren't concerned with single servings--all you care about is how many calories in the ENTIRE PACKAGE?
- Coke is something you drink during a race, not as a meal beverage
- It's 9:00AM at work and you already swam 2 miles and ran 6
- The only photos you have of yourself are from races
- You get excited whenever you see the word TIMEX
- You also get worked up when asked to press the SUBMIT button
- You will purposely speed up whenever you see bikes racked on top of a car to get a better (and comparative to yours) look
- Your problem is not overeating--rather it's eating ENOUGH
- You get motivated when your coach tells you to workout harder or longer, or better yet--both
- You don't understand why someone would get up at 4AM to go fishing, yet waking at 3AM to get food down before a race seems natural
- You are used to funny looks when you ask your massage therapist and hairdresser to schedule appointments for 6 months straight
- Your boss is perplexed as to how you scheduled 12 months' of vacation time a year in advance
From DuelFuel:
- Your running shoes outnumber all other footwear 4:1
- Elastic yankz outnumber shoelaces in said running shoes 4:1
- 1/8 of all calories consumed are maltodextrine
- You've considered tattooing your bodymarked race number in place after your first IM
- You drink coffee prior to a race or workout for reasons other than caffeine
- You've left a mirror image of your calf-marked race number on the floor of your bathtub.
From Trifan:
- You give one of those "wolf" whistles when you're admiring a new bike.
- You've used a diaper rash lotion in the last year..on yourself.
- You buy gels by the box and clean out GNC when the gels are one sale.
- You can justify the major bucks it costs to do an Ironman by telling your spouse it will be a life-changing event when in reality it usually just changes the amount of money in your checking account
From Low country:
- You're disappointed when you see a really cool bike on a car top...but it doesn't have tri-bars.
- You tend to stutter when someone asks you how you "stay in shape".
- You're already worried about that February pre-season "test" half-mary.
- You notice people's eyes glaze over soon after they've asked a "triathlon" question.
- The GNC staff no longer offers advice.
- You don't hesitate to butt-in on strangers' conversations when you hear the word "triathlon" or one of the other key words.
From BigSky17:
- 2.5K no longer represents that HDTV you have been looking at, it is now the starter money for your dream bike (without race wheels).
you hide tri gear from your spouse
- you know what you will be doing for exercise on any givin day at least two months in advance
- you begin 'selling' your next big race to your spouse two years before the race.
- riding your bike the distance it takes you half an hour to drive on the highway is a light weekend spin
- you are actively pursuing one sport that you are really bad at (swim, bike or run) instead of finding a sport that you are already good at.
I really like the last one as it captures the true spirit of Triathlon…you know!