A little off subject. After talking to a few fellow co-workers about my training. The below email got sent around. It was supposedly taken off some guys blog. I just told them I would have the last laugh since I will live longer with my stronger heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O5d94P6JGo

The following is the comment that accompanied this clip (I did not write this!):
You have no idea how much it would make my day if this ever happened to one of the jerkoffs I get stuck behind every day on my way work. These self-serious fitness freaks with their bikes that cost more than my car with their spandex suits that cost more than the contents of my closet and are so tight you can tell what religion they are. And making me dodge them while I'm paying four flippin' bucks a gallon for use of the flippin' road. Hope you're lucky enough to land on your $700 helmet, Roadkill.
But I'm not bitter. To quote Oscar Wilde, "It would take a heart of stone not to laugh." The only thing that would make it funnier is Benny Hill music.

As you have already guessed, I get this a lot. A good friend of mine just laughed really hard when I told him that I'm into triathlon. I wanted to punch him, but then I figured that's his problem if he wants to think that.

And, the other day I was in a meeting with my graduate advisor, and he was like "so, what's new" or something, so I was like "well, I have my first triathlon of the year coming up on Saturday". He said "well, it's not a real triathlon, is it?".

I try not to let it bother me, but it still kind of stings when it comes from someone who's opinion I generally respect. Luckily I never got this from my family, since they're the ones who got me into triathlon.

The thing that I love is that other triathletes never give any kind of reaction like that. I think they understand that triathlon isn't about going fast for everyone. For some people, it's just about doing something that they never thought they could, or maybe just to get in shape or lose some weight.

At any rate, I totally hear where you're coming from, and I'll try to remember that I'm not alone the next time I'm trying not to punch someone for saying ignorant things about me and triathlon. It's hard to resist. There's nothing worse than making fun of the fat kid for doing triathlon, and then getting your butt handed to you by said fat kid.

i recently got, "congratulations on doing that triathlon, i did not know you had it in you" and the kicker "you hide it well."

the stuff about a sprint not being that long i could take with a grin because i knew the people saying it had no idea what they were talking about, but i guess this backhanded compliment has stuck with me. too bad i usually let the jerks roll right off.

It happens at all levels, just laugh it off.

Yesterday someone asked me if I'd ever done the "real Ironman". Nope, I just do the fake ones.

I've never had anything but respect from folks about my tri'ing. Friends and family always express pride and respect for my efforts and those of my fellow triathletes. But there was one instance.....

Just for reference, I've got a few pounds I should get rid of, i.e. I'm a size 6 not a size 2, but I don't qualify to race as an Athena so I don't think anyone would ever call me obese or something. So, I ran the Mardi Gras Marathon a few years ago right after Katrina. On the plane ride home my seatmate asked me why I'd been down there and I told him. He looked at me and said with quite a bit of shock and disdain "Really? Um, you don't exactly look like a runner". I smiled and told him he was mistaken.

So to make him feel like a total a$$, when the plane landed as we were waiting to get off I called my husband and said "Yeah, I sat next to this guy who actually said he thought I was too fat to have just run a marathon." The guy wanted to shrink back into his seat after everyone on the plane starting glaring at him.

Sounds like a sexual harrassment lawsuit...

;-)

Most people are usually supportive and/or amazed, but I'm not sure I've ever gotten actual disbelief (at least that I could overhear)

I do think a lot of people equate triathlon to IM, which just means they need some educating on the subject. But I do like when I tell people the distances of a sprint I'm doing and they're like "that's not bad at all." I just say, "yeah, it only takes me like an hour and a half...so not too bad" And then I think in my head that 1.5 hrs probably equals they're hardest training week of the year, so I just leave it at that.

Or do you get the ones that say..."Oh I could do one. The swim might be hard but I can bike and run." Then they put down their smokes.

Bring it on smokey!

I generally think it is not understanding, not malice. I got a similar comment from someone and I said, "what...did you think I would be smaller?" His replay was, "no, I can't believe you aren't slower .... that is totally awesome that you can do triathlon and do it well." This was somewhere around 230 pounds. I started at 247 and went to 188 at IMAZ this spring.

It goes to prove that people generally don't say what they mean or mean what they say. Fortunately, triathletes think, say and do what they intend to.

I had that happen at my first race. It was when I was still a clydesdale and I finish third in the group and was waiting around after the race for my medal. I started talking to a guy who was standing next to me and he said something like "good thing you are waiting around to get your medal, because just from looking at you it doubt it will happen again."

I just always remember that when I am out on my trainer at 5:30 in the morning. It usually gets me in the right frame of mind for the workout.

As my handle would suggest this happens to me all the time. When people ask how i just laugh and say it's mind over matter. They all think I'm crazy for going after an Ironman, did CDA last weekend but unfortunatley DNF'd due to an injury on the 2nd bike loop. When I tell them I've done numerous sprint and oly distance they smirk. I then invite them to come swim and bike with me and they all, to a person, say no. WIMPS.

When a 'Sprint' is the shortest triathlon and it takes over an hour to do...

I think it's ridiculous that a fellow triathlete would say something like that. We all remember doing our first race: how hard we trained, how tough it was, and how proud we were to finish. I have only been involved in the sport for a few years now and I was so amazed at how cool and supportive everyone has been. I was really intimidated before my first tri and I couldn't believe it when people were actually cheering for one another and encouraging their fellow athletes as we were in middle of climbing a really tough hill. "Way to go, almost to the top." I was blown away by how cool people were and it encouraged me to enter longer, more difficult races. I think you encountered the exception, not the rule, with fellow triathletes.

Some people just suck!! ;-)

Welcome to the site/community

Back on topic...You just got to ignore the naysayers...especially the ones ignorant to tris in the firstplace...if the people who actually understand what it is that you do are proud/impressed, then that's what matters since they can actually relate to it. The ignorant ones are just masking their jealousy.
And if a triathlete makes a comment like some the ones above...well ignore them too b/c they'll show themself to be not a very good fit in the tri community and probably move along to something more elitist before too long.

My friends are pretty cool with everything and are my biggest fans. Everybody is always asking what is my next event coming up. When I am in a group and someone who may not be in the group might say something snide my friends defend me and I don't have to bother. I plan to outlive them all with my healthy lifestyle.

What I have learned is that when people say negative things like "He did a triathlon, yeah right.", it is because they have some kind of insecurity that keeps them from being supportive or encouraging.

At best they could keep their mouth shut.

...I just do it because I like to sweat a lot.

I can understand (but not agree with!) an uninformed person's view of seeing a bigger person doing a Tri. When I went to my first marathon I was amazed at the variety of perceived fitness between the participants. However, as some of the older and heavier people slogged along and finished in 6 or more hours, I understood just how cool it was that they had made a commitment to themselves to work toward a healthy goal and finish their marathon.

Now when I'm pushing hard at the 20+ mile mark its those type of people that I can relate to and those type of people that inspire me.

I started as an adventure racer so most of my friends are used to 3+ hours of racing. When I was thinking of doing triathlon I got a lot of, "Anyone can do a triathlon". I went ahead anyway. That was 2 years ago and recently I was talking to a friend of mine who is one of those naysayers and he says, "I always wanted to do a triathlon, but I don't want to put in the training time. In adventure racing the competition is low so I don't have to train very hard and I can still win." At that point I just lost respect for him. First he says anyone can do a tri and then I find out that he's just to lazy to train. That just solidified my reason for choosing triathlon and never turning back.

Other than that I have been fortunate to not have any negative feedback from my choice of sport.

Day of my graduation from college I invited my partents to my first race and they just looked at me. I asked my mom if she was going to be there and she said " You mean to watch you die.'' My parents told me that I couldn't handle it and that I was too weak. I weigh under 115 and I'm 5'9'' so, my parents think that I'm too little and clumsy to race. I had my first race and I completed it. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks.

Hmmm.... I'd be interested to hear what he does outside of work that qualifies as "living"... Some are merely clueless as to what living actually means. Thankfully, that doesn't include any of us! :)

Then there are the other people that say that they could do a tri or even an IM - but they are just too busy.
Guess they think that we don't have any family or job or other responsibilities. Sheeze!
I just tell them that it is a lifestyle - and if you really want it then you could do it and make the time.

There's this guy at work whom I'll call John, because that's his name, who is such a button-pusher.
One day he comes into our work area and loudly proclaims: "I'm gonna do a TRIATHLON!".
It's not like I brag about tris but he knows I do them too.
So a few weeks go by and I ask him "How's the training going?"
"training for what?"
"your triathlon."
"I'm not doing that anymore."
"you're not doing triathlons anymore?"
"no."
"so you did one and you're not doing any more?"
"no, I'm not doing any triathlon"
"so you didn't do one?"
"no."
"So what was that about when you said you were doing one?"
"Get off my back!"

The mouth says one thing and the rest of the body does another.