"If you have to ask you just won't understand"

This past year watching the Ironman Kona coverage on TV I was taken aback by something one of the athletes said when they were interviewed. They said people always ask why do you do that? And his response was "If you have to ask you just won't understand." I thought that was the perfect way to say to someone I enjoy this, it just makes sense to me, and since you ask you don't understand.

I was introducing myself at a work meeting a few months ago and I said my fun fact was I had finished 3 Half Ironmans and would be doing 2 more this season. The meeting lead responded with "You need a life." My response "This is my life." I think there is something about training and doing the racing, whether you are a runner or an Ironman competitor that other people just don't understand.

I am lucky enough to have a group of friends and a partner, D, that do understand, since they do it themselves. Then there is another group, those people in your life can try to understand. The people that still have a little bit in their head that say "I think you are nuts." Don't get me wrong a lot of my friends that don't do triathlon but run think I am nuts. I think some people think I am just addicted to it, which I think there is a little of that, a positive addiction. But it doesn't keep me from doing other things. I think setting goals and training to reach them is a great skill to have in life.

This weekend I was at a run/brunch with the Luna ladies and other runners in the Boston area. As we all sat and stuffed our faces after running 5 or so miles. I realized how nice it is to be in a room of people who understand. It is always nice to have groups that understand because let's face it in a country filled with an obesity problem and supersized menus we are the minority!