USAT Nationals: Good, Bad, and Ugly

Well we survived our trip to the USAT Age Group Nationals Triathlon in Burlington, Vermont.  Kimee did wonderful- I’m always proud of her accomplishments, but this one was extra sweet.  Last year she got really sick the morning of the race and had to be pulled from the water during the swim.  To see her go back this year was a great sight and a relief.  Time for the good, bad and ugly from the trip

THE GOOD:

• Watching Kimee finish.  Last year I was terrified knowing how sick she was but I knew I couldn’t tell her to not try.  Seeing her wearing that medal made the annoying moments over the last few months worth while.
• That my in laws didn’t make this trip about them.  I love them, but they can really be drama queens.  I’m glad that it didn’t turn into 10 days of me gritting my teeth.  It was great to be at a race with them that didn’t result in the cops being called- now there’s a story about how not to do a race as a family.  I’ll tell you about it sometime.
• Kimee did a great job of finding things for the kids to do on this trip.  Museums, parks, Ben & Jerry’s factory tour, and the aquarium next to the race made the kids’ vacation.  Although I’m skeptical of building vacations around races, she pulled it off.  Along the way she found time to let me have enough “me” time to keep me from going nuts.  Thanks
• The kid we met at the airport that is going pro.  He seemed like a good kid, so I hope he has a long and successful career.  Good luck

THE BAD:

·         Someone died during the race.  My prayers and thoughts go out to his family.

·         The “If your relationship’s healthy you’re not training hard enough” shirts need to go away.  I hope the people wearing them are single- if you’re married and wear that just go ahead and tell your partner “Honey- I like a sport most people think is ridiculous more than I care about how you feel.”

·         Speaking of shirts, the individuals who thought my “Partners not Spectators” shirt was so offensive to them they need to flip me off need some help.  Really mature, guys.

·         Even dumber were the people who saw the back of my shirt and decided to make fun of it behind me.  Nothing like being called fat or a dumb fuck behind my back to prove my point that a percentage of triathletes should be beaten.

·         Worst for me was the conversation I had with a woman at the aquarium on race day.  She was the definition a workout widow.  She stated that from March to September races and training was her husband’s “life”.  The bitterness and resignation in her voice was something every athlete should have to listen to.  When I suggested that I would love to have her as a guest poster or interview her for the blog, her response said it all- her husband "would be furious if I talked bad about his crap”.  He’s the exact person who needs to hear it but probably will never listen.  I felt bad for her.

THE (COMICALLY) UGLY:

• The guy in the hotel lobby who complained next to my wife about all the “fat asses” competing in triathlons.  Saying something so stupid near a female triathlete who actually has a woman’s body instead of having zero feminine curves proves that there is an ass problem in triathlons.  Just not the kind of ass he was thinking of.
• Me.  I hold most of the governing bodies in triathlon, marathon, etc. in pretty low esteem.  I believe they tacitly encourage obsessive and narcissistic behavior in their members.  To meet a race official who loved my shirt and agreed that more athletes needed to relax, have fun, and pay more attention to their families was a good reminder that I need to not slam groups as a whole so much.

To the person who asked where my wiffleball bat was:  I’m looking in to how much they would cost to make up. 

Thanks

Dave