Yes, we know we are all about supporting a triathlete emotionally and at races. Many we are happy to do…
We support them by NOT telling them this is a crazy sport and the amount of time it takes is nuts.
We support them by just saying “Okay” every time they read something and want to buy something new.
We support them by helping with the piles and piles of sweaty spandex and not judging that they spend the majority of their time not at work in spandex.
I’m sure you can think of many more ways that you show your support. But there are five things I do to support my triathlete that I really do not like. I mean REALLY do not like. But I smile and do them anyway.
Swim Filming
I do not know why this bugs me so much, but it does. The whole idea of going to the Y pool, waiting for him to warm up, then standing there hoping no one wants to share the lane with him so I can film him bugs me.
Not to mention I have the stress of operating the Go Pro. Will it work, is it recording, and is it in the right place? Then when the laps are finished, my triathlete reviews the film and makes adjustments, telling me how to change it to film it better. Oh, and did I mention that Go Pro extension rod thing that fills with water and gets you soaking wet no matter how careful you are.
But for me the worst is being in the hot, stinky pool area. I do not like the smell of the chlorine or the humidity. But I do it and smile and we do brunch afterwards… so there is that.
Dietary Changes
Why do triathletes keep reading so many darn articles and then add, take away, and change their diets? I mean I just bought tons of kale and now some pro-triathlete announces he gave up kale. Or some new elite athlete decides they want to promote an all natural veggie powder recovery drink and you have shelves of previous must-try powder recovery mix. Not to mention the gross stuff that sits in the bottom of the bottles that require a ton of cleaning!
Sleep Schedules
I know it is now my choice to get up with my triathlete each morning, but it didn’t start out that way. I was pretty much forced to get up when he did because the alarm went off and the lights went on. While I didn’t always love getting up in the dark, I will say that I’ve always liked the time I have to myself once he is off to work out.
What I do hate are those mornings I am planning on getting up and he resets the alarm, because he is too tired to work out and moves the workout until after work. Of course, I can’t fall back asleep, but I have to be quiet because he wants to sleep. So, I lay there in bed eyes wide open. But it gets worse because when that workout time changes because they don’t feel like getting up, you have to adjust your afternoon and dinner time to make it work for him.
Which begs the question…Why can triathletes fall asleep anywhere anytime? Why can’t I?
Laundry
Why does it all come back to the laundry? I know we talk about it a lot…Well, there is a lot of it. Whether there are one or two workouts a day it is a lot. And it is wet, stinky, and it never makes it to the right place.
We have two laundry baskets; one for the triathlon gross stuff and one for the regular clothes. And no matter which day I look, I guarantee you it is mixed up. Why does this matter? Because laundry in our house does not get done everyday and imagine wet, sweaty spandex, hats, towels, and more sitting in the laundry basket under everything else all week. It’s the surprise of the find, right?
The Talk
Really, there are other topics in the world to discuss besides triathlons. No matter where we go, who we are with, and when it is, the conversation always tends to come back to triathlons. No matter how hard we try and redirect the conversation, it always comes back to triathlons.
We don’t even have to be with other triathletes, because it seems many people are interested in this crazy sport or maybe they’re just being polite. Regardless, they have a lot of questions and of course, he has all the answers…
It does not help that when we are with others, chances are my triathlete is wearing something with a triathlon or Ironman logo on it. It makes for the perfect conversation starter. But seriously, when you are with other triathletes forget it, there is no other topic.
Truth is we love our triathletes and all their quirks, but we do need to sometimes be honest with ourselves and air our dirty triathlete laundry!
Tell us what you don’t like about being a triathlon supporter!
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Sherry is one of the TriWivesClub and LifeDoneWell co-founders and contributes to multiple blogs. She is a former co-owner of the California Apparel News and had a career in the healthcare industry. Her passions include traveling, real food, the environment, and animal rescue/welfare. She lives a healthy lifestyle and has been a vegetarian since 1987. She and her husband are parents to two rescue pups and reside in Connecticut.
