So after our group swim we were free to do whatever we wanted until dinner. I spent that time making posters for everyones doors and soaking up some rays. At this point I had about 4 different burn lines from Boston and the walk the previous day. I was getting some pretty interesting looks from passerby!
I am totally not artistic at all but I made signs for everyone in Chicago and I think they appreciated it so I figured I would do it again this year. Amie and I signed them all and before the pasta party we put them up on everyones doors. We made a "special" sign for Coach K with a drawing of him in a speedo with clearly labeled six pack. Hopefully he liked it!
At the TNT Pasta parties you are welcomed by all the coaches, mentors, and staff cheering wildly for you as you walk in to dinner. So I got to partake in the cheering this time around. It was pretty fun watching everyone come in. There were so many participants this year that they had to have two pasta parties.
After the pasta party I went and chilled with Coach K and some of the other coaches from Washington D.C. I sure am not good at making new friends. I think I managed to piss off most of them there.
Apparently a lot of serious triathletes and even marathoners are not appreciative of Team in Training. They call us the "Purple Menace" (EUGS take note I think they are on to something with this name!) Because we apparently are not good for the sports.
From a triathletes view I guess they don't want anyone new coming into their sport and are irritated if there are newcomers in a race that may get in their way or slow them down two seconds if they have to pass them. And I guess a lot of marathoners are peeved because TNT was a major contributor to the idea of walking a marathon.
IMHO I think that is all CRAP!!! Anything that gets people off the couch and onto a race course is good by me. I know personally I never would have gotten the nerve to do my first triathlon if Team in Training hadn't sent me a flyer and offered coaching etc. Plus what kind of egotistical jerk doesn't want to introduce more people to their sport? Personally I think they are just mad because a lot of us "Purple Menacers" are kicking their butts!
Anyways so some of these coaches were siding with that opinion and I told them I thought that was crap. So they didn't like that.
Also I noticed the head DC coach dipping! And I asked him why he was doing it. He got very defensive. I still think it is awfully ironic though. He is an Ironman Triathlete and he coaches for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And he is partaking in a habit that is almost guaranteed to cause cancer. But that is just me.
Anyways I need to learn to turn my filter on around new people (this is definitely made more difficult by alcohol consumption). Had they known me they probably wouldn't have been so offended by me. Oh well!
More on race day soon!!!
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