Co-ed tri

I've now completed my first triathlon with dudes. And I have to say, no disrespect to the dudes, but they were not as nice as the women have been. They liked to say things like, "Anyone's slowing me down, I'll just swim over them!" As if this were an Olympic qualifying event and not a very small town community race to benefit a freaking scouting troop. Like, a little sportsmanship would be nice. Only one dude passed me in the pool, so there.

I liked the swim best as usual. The biking was kind of a drudgery. I just think I really need a faster bike. My friend's husband said, "It's part bike, but it's part motor!" Meaning that I need to motor more. Which I'm sure I do. But you can only motor so mightily on a bike that weighs one thousand pounds when competing against bikes that I could hold over my head with my pinky finger. I'm just sayin'. I love my bike and I love what it's done for me this year in the grand scheme of things, but it's just so plodding. I really might invest in a faster one. I need to think about it. The run was fine. I was pooped and slow, but I never had to stop to walk, a first for me in a tri. We ate some jambalaya and hit the road pretty quickly as we were late for a pool party due to the race's late start in a fog delay. Fascinating, I know! Anyway.

Here's what the dudes did that the women never do -- hello, sweeping generalization that's totally true! (1) They failed to call out when passing on bikes on the left. Sorry, but it is just discourteous not to. (2) They wore really tight clothes that showed off all their business. I understand that women do not have the same business to show off but it was really quite overwhelming and distracting to be surrounded by all of those bulges. I'm sorry! I am sorry. But it's true. I think I'm just a better women-only racer. I love men and am not trying to rag on them, but there was such a different vibe on the entire course with the testosterone pulsating all over the place.

Anyway -- overall, it was a good time, and I was particularly delighted in the photo above to be approaching the finish line. The inevitable post-tri slump has set in this week, and other than a rousing night of singing along with my brothers in a martini bar, a fun backyard visit with my faux nieces and the pups, the rental of Adventureland, and a nice Italian lunch on a patio, this has not been the world's most wondrous week. But a holiday weekend looms ahead, and that is always a good thing.