Just Don't
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
So, the other weekend, at a fantastic spa that for now shall remain nameless so as to protect the identities of all involved in this little story, Chief of Stuff and I were soaking ourselves peacefully in the hot tub.
On the other side of the tub, two women were engrossed in a somewhat loud (for the setting) convo. Or, I should say, one was engrossed and the other seemed to be feigning engrossment. In any case, I was trying to tune them out and just relax. But then, after getting up and dunking herself in the adjacent cold tub, The Talker started going on and on about how that was just like the ice baths she had to take after her long rides. And on and on about how hard long rides were and how tough she was for getting through them. Very important-like.
Uninterested and slightly annoyed, I hit the cold tub. When I came back, Chief of Stuff had engaged The Talker in a conversation that went something like this:
CoS: "Are you a cyclist?"
Talker: "No, a triathlete. I do Ironmans." (Note the "s" here. That's important later on.)
CoS: "Oh, wow. What ones have you done?"
Talker: "I did Wisconsin this year."
CoS: "What others have you done? How does Wisconsin compare?"
Talker fumbles a bit.
Talker: "Well, Wisconsin was my first one. But I've done lots of halfs and other tris."
CoS: "Oh. She just did her first one this year, too," pointing at me.
The Talker looks at me in my bikini and sizes me up -- toes to head and back to toes -- and the look in her eye says something along the lines of, "It sure doesn't show."
But she doesn't say this. What she actually says is, "Oh, how was it?"
I tell her that it was fantastic. I had a blast. I expected it to be harder than it was -- not that it wasn't hard -- but that it was one of the best days of my life.
And this is what she came back at me with:
"So, what was your time?"
Oh no she di-in't.
But I wasn't hearing things. Because, when I looked, she was still staring at me, expecting a response. She had actually asked me what my time was -- and in an overly-competitive tone. I wanted to tell her that time wasn't what it was about for me, and that at the very least it was none of her business. But she hadn't asked me how much I weighed or how much money I made ... just my time, and a "it's none of your damn business" response seemed slightly drastic, if not appropriate.
"14:41," I told her, annoyed, and much over the entire convo...like, yesterday. So I purposely didn't ask her what her time was, in an effort to end the exchange as soon as humanly possible.
She told me anyway.
"I did it in 12:01," she said, smugly.
Good for you! I wanted to say. Instead I commented that that was really fast, and she must've been happy.
"Yeah, it was okay. But I could do it faster. I've got a few things I'm going to change for next year. I'm going to try to qualify for Kona."
Are you kidding me?! If she had been in the tub, and not standing above me -- both literally and figuratively -- I might have tried to hold her underwater until she wised up a bit. I mean...you. just. don't.
Eventually, she finally stopped talking (maybe because I had stopped talking to her) and left ...And left me steaming. After all, she violated the underlying premise of what Ironman is all about for us newbies and non-pros. It's not about your time, or beating the person in front of you, or beating random people you meet at a spa who did the same race. Rather, it's about YOU -- doing something you never before dreamt of doing. Overcoming obstacles to reach a goal. Digging deep and getting to know yourself in ways you could never have imagined.
And as I saw on that day, it's about something so much bigger than you. All of these people who took so many different roads to get to that one starting line on that one day, sharing the experience of pushing themselves to the limit...together. The will and desire to take on such a challenge. The camaraderie and goodwill from spectators and other athletes throughout the day. Those things are Ironman. The time on the finish clock? Beating other people by two minutes...or two hours? Those things don't really matter when all is said and done. There will always be someone in better shape. There will always be someone faster. The important thing is that you stepped up to the line at all.
I had to hit the cold tub again just to cool off. Apparently, I'm still cooling...
Posted by Erin 12:09 PM
Have a nice evening...
And don't you worry, karma's a bitch. She'll get her due.
Congrats on showing restraint and for not choking her. :-)
She is not a TRUE Ironman...
You are...
way to keep your cool!
This will come back to bite her in the butt.
Mark my words...not that you will ever find out or care...
good for you for not taking her "bait"-
And YES your IM time is fantastic and something to be really proud of!