Women and triathlon
Nancy sent me a link to this article on women and triathlon in Israel. It was a very interesting read, but I don't really identify with the women quoted in the article. I had actually planned to go to the women and triathlon meeting that the article talks about, but I couldn't find anyone willing to make the drive with me, so I stayed home. I wonder if all of the women there felt the same way as those quoted in the article.
Personally, though I enjoy training with my women friends, I often prefer training with the men or in a mixed group. Yes, the men are faster and I sometimes feel pressure to keep up with them, but I also feel an incredible sense of achievement when I finish one of these harder workouts, something that rarely happens when I train with the women. The article talks about women "feeling like a burden" and lagging behind during bike rides. Though I have finished a few rides way behind everyone else, there are at least a couple of guys on the team who are slower than I am (I guess they weren't there those days that I got home last!) and none of them has every expressed discomfort with being "slow" or said that he "felt like a burden", so why should I? I can't speak of all men, but the guys on my team are incredibly encouraging and helpful and I enjoy training and competing with them. In fact, I think that in some ways, I enjoy it more than I would enjoy training with a group of good women triathletes, as I would always view the women as competition, whereas the men are just teammates. In a race, it never bothers me to be passed by a man, but I hate being passed by women.
There was one thing mentioned in the article that I do agree with. Susie Dvoskin stated that "Realizing one's own potential in a triathlon gives one a great sense of power and self-esteem that later pervades other areas of one's life." This is very true for me. Since I started triathlon training, I have completed three triathlons (a super sprint, a triple super sprint and a sprint), two duathlons (sprints), two 10ks and a 3k. In the last six months, I've stood on the podium to receive an award five times. I actually have a trophy shelf in my house! And I used to get out of breath walking up the hill to collect my mail. Every time I look up at that trophy shelf, I know that I can do absolutely anything that I want to do and I feel good about myself. However, I don't think the way I feel about myself has anything to do with the people who are training or competing around me. Maybe after having actually competed in the Women's Triathlon, I'll feel differently (I haven't decided yet if I'll be competing this year).
One more thing bothered me in this article. Alona Friedman claims that she "hates sports" and that she would "prefer a world where 1,000 calories could be burned in an hour of television viewing or lying on the couch." And Tali Laor says that she does not consider herself to be an athlete. The underlying implication in both statements seems to be that it's not "ladylike" to do sports or be athletic. Alona, why on earth do you spend so many hours doing something you hate?! If your main goal is to burn calories, then go for a 45 minute walk every day. It's a whole lot easier than training for a triathlon! And Tali, you can call yourself (or not call yourself) whatever you want, but anyone who has completed 12 triathlons in an athlete. I might not be a particularly talented athlete, but every time I put on my running shoes when it's pouring outside or get in the pool when just the thought of taking off my winter coat makes me shiver or get up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday so that I can get in a long ride on my bike, I know that I am an athlete. Yes, I have muscles and I sweat (rather than perspire) and I have conversations with people when I smell bad (they usually smell pretty bad, too) and none of this embarrasses me. I am 100% woman and I like sports and I'm an athlete -- I don't see any contradiction here and I refuse to make believe I don't enjoy what I'm doing or deprive myself of a title that I deserve in order to sound more "feminine". I support the Women's Triathlon as a way of getting more women interested and involved in the sport, but I don't view it as a replacement for mixed competitions and I can't imagine preferring it over any other race.
So yes, "Go girl!" Get out there, enjoy what you're doing and do the best you can regardless of who is swimming/cycling/running next to you. Enjoy the company of both men and women, enjoy the feel of the water, the breeze in your face, the adrenaline rush. Love the sport, love what the sport does for you and love and be proud of the person you have become because of the sport.
Personally, though I enjoy training with my women friends, I often prefer training with the men or in a mixed group. Yes, the men are faster and I sometimes feel pressure to keep up with them, but I also feel an incredible sense of achievement when I finish one of these harder workouts, something that rarely happens when I train with the women. The article talks about women "feeling like a burden" and lagging behind during bike rides. Though I have finished a few rides way behind everyone else, there are at least a couple of guys on the team who are slower than I am (I guess they weren't there those days that I got home last!) and none of them has every expressed discomfort with being "slow" or said that he "felt like a burden", so why should I? I can't speak of all men, but the guys on my team are incredibly encouraging and helpful and I enjoy training and competing with them. In fact, I think that in some ways, I enjoy it more than I would enjoy training with a group of good women triathletes, as I would always view the women as competition, whereas the men are just teammates. In a race, it never bothers me to be passed by a man, but I hate being passed by women.
There was one thing mentioned in the article that I do agree with. Susie Dvoskin stated that "Realizing one's own potential in a triathlon gives one a great sense of power and self-esteem that later pervades other areas of one's life." This is very true for me. Since I started triathlon training, I have completed three triathlons (a super sprint, a triple super sprint and a sprint), two duathlons (sprints), two 10ks and a 3k. In the last six months, I've stood on the podium to receive an award five times. I actually have a trophy shelf in my house! And I used to get out of breath walking up the hill to collect my mail. Every time I look up at that trophy shelf, I know that I can do absolutely anything that I want to do and I feel good about myself. However, I don't think the way I feel about myself has anything to do with the people who are training or competing around me. Maybe after having actually competed in the Women's Triathlon, I'll feel differently (I haven't decided yet if I'll be competing this year).
One more thing bothered me in this article. Alona Friedman claims that she "hates sports" and that she would "prefer a world where 1,000 calories could be burned in an hour of television viewing or lying on the couch." And Tali Laor says that she does not consider herself to be an athlete. The underlying implication in both statements seems to be that it's not "ladylike" to do sports or be athletic. Alona, why on earth do you spend so many hours doing something you hate?! If your main goal is to burn calories, then go for a 45 minute walk every day. It's a whole lot easier than training for a triathlon! And Tali, you can call yourself (or not call yourself) whatever you want, but anyone who has completed 12 triathlons in an athlete. I might not be a particularly talented athlete, but every time I put on my running shoes when it's pouring outside or get in the pool when just the thought of taking off my winter coat makes me shiver or get up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday so that I can get in a long ride on my bike, I know that I am an athlete. Yes, I have muscles and I sweat (rather than perspire) and I have conversations with people when I smell bad (they usually smell pretty bad, too) and none of this embarrasses me. I am 100% woman and I like sports and I'm an athlete -- I don't see any contradiction here and I refuse to make believe I don't enjoy what I'm doing or deprive myself of a title that I deserve in order to sound more "feminine". I support the Women's Triathlon as a way of getting more women interested and involved in the sport, but I don't view it as a replacement for mixed competitions and I can't imagine preferring it over any other race.
So yes, "Go girl!" Get out there, enjoy what you're doing and do the best you can regardless of who is swimming/cycling/running next to you. Enjoy the company of both men and women, enjoy the feel of the water, the breeze in your face, the adrenaline rush. Love the sport, love what the sport does for you and love and be proud of the person you have become because of the sport.
posted by bari | 23:42
1 Comments:
Very well-said, Bari! Thanks for your insights on this! I'm afraid it's very difficult for me to relate to some of the things these women express, I was very interested in your take on it.
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