So True

Tri Like a Girl!

I'll spare you the training update because there's not a lot to update and hey, let's tell jokes instead!

I looked up funny triathlete jokes of the You Know You're A Triathlete When variety to share. Some did not apply, for example, YKYAT when cars follow you too closely and you accuse them of drafting. I know what drafting is but have yet to learn to do it (I'm kind of irrationally worried that the other person and I will both fall off our bikes the first time I try it) and I don't have a car... Others did, however, like YKYAT when you hoard safety pins (yes! I mean, you have to because they don't always come in the race packets!), when you don't know which race t-shirt to wear to training, when you come to work with goggle marks around your eyes, etc.

But I discovered something surprising about my new leisure time activity of 2013. Can you spot the problem in these examples of tri humor? For example: YKYAT When you have more running shirts than your wife has clothes or YKYAT when your legs are smoother than your girlfriend's. Yes, a lot of these little tri jokes assumed the triathlete in question was a man! In all fairness, many were also non-gender specific but absolutely NONE of them assumed the triathlete was a woman.

Interpid researcher and procrastinator (I have this work project I'm avoiding...) that I am, I looked up some figures and according to USA Triathlon, national governing body for Amerian triathlons, 38% of tri participants were women in 2011, up from 27% in 2000. USA Triathlon credits the creation of women-only triathlons for some of the increase in female participation over the past decade. I wasn't brave enough to look up the figures in France because I assume they're way worse. Since I know more about running in La France, I can tell you that pretty much only men run here, I'm always struck by how few women seem to participate in races, and I'm sure it's similar for triathlons. Of the regulars on my own team in France, we run to higher male participation (and to be honest, this was part of why I joined!) but have a good number of women, too, especially in this year's group and we have a record number of new members right now.

So good news, things are improving, but I must add that I recently learned the term 'to get chicked'-- when a guy is passed by a women, he is said to 'get chicked.' While I find this tri slang word pretty eye roll-inducing, I also think ladies of the tri world should be on a mission to chick as many tri dudes as possible, especially the ones who seem like they would actually use this expression.

So all the single (or non-single) ladies, seriously, check out your local tri team for 2013 and make that lady percentage grow by another 10% or more in 10 years! Even if you don't get anyone's phone number, you WILL get an endorphin rush, you'll end up looking super hot and you'll be outnumbered by super fit men with lots of endurance, speed and strength who may or may not care about 'getting chicked...' And when you start training, take back the triathlon humor! Think of your own YKYAT When gender stereotypes but in reverse! Like, YKYAT when you have more running shorts than your boyfriend has useless iPhone apps, ha!

The 4th Sport: Blogging...

New year, new goals and a new blog!





I started off 2013 today with a 5K race called a "Resolution Run" in Baltimore. It was my first new year's day race and despite the cold and the hills (honestly, all hilly races should come with a warning!), it was a great way to kick off the new year. My sister-in-law and I also hit PBs for the distance (mine was mainly just because while I'm not a particularly accomplished runner, I tend to focus mainly on longer distances and rarely do 5Ks, but a PB is a PB!) Feeling good about setting new a personal record only a few hours into the new year! Pretty efficient, eh? I might add that the run started in the early afternoon and not the morning, so had time to recover from 1980s high school reunion-themed murder mystery new year's eve party the night before!

Running in the cold on new year's day may strike some as a little extreme, right? (And believe me, I'm pretty casual compared to most of my tri team friends). To back up a little, before last summer, triathlons didn't even figure on my radar and as an on-again, off-again runner, I hadn't done a race in ages.

Running was on again as of June of last year and I joined a running group of fun and supportive ladies intended for on again, off again-ers like me. Through them, I started running with my local triathlon team. I finally ended up foresaking the casual ladies' group for the hardcore superhuman tri boys. I blame this rash decision on my fondness for tri team tempo runs, unhealthy dependence on Meet Up (where we plan all our runs/races/events) and a few too many pints at team night at the pub one autumn night when they were recruiting new members...

I should also point out that I am a total beginner swimmer and cyclist.

Since it's that time of year-- that day, really-- my goals for 2013 are to run the Paris Marathon and do the Paris Triathlon-- I'm a first timer in both events.

I feel a bit like a spy from the normal world infiltrating the world of triathletes!

As my marathon and triathlon choices might suggest, I live in Paris, France. The tri team and I train on the Champs de Mars and a nearby track and we still get excited about seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night during our track intervals. We're mainly ex-pats of all nationalities.

With the support of the team, I feel like I'll be able to go the distance in 3 sports, and it should be quite a ride (bad cycling pun intended!) As a newcomer to the world of multi-sport competition, this blog is intended not to be a public training log but a way to be accountable for my personal goals and of course, to provide a fun and accessible glimpse into the world of triathlons for friends, family, or the tri-curious from the perspective of a newbie trying to make sense of the strange world of wetsuits, drafting and V02 max.

Enjoy!