That Guy.
Editorial by Tom Demerly.
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That Guy. You know him. He can also be That Girl, and
often is.
It is that guy (or girl)
who you see at every race. He's at every one. Everywhere
in the country.
He is always more tan than
you are. He is usually a good bit thinner too. His calves
have those mysterious vertical striations that define
each individual muscle; as if to say, "I have spent
hours training each individual muscle in each calf-
each individual muscle fiber in fact."
He/she has triathlon clothing that is super cool that
you've never seen before. You have no idea where it
came from. If you were to ask him- if you mustered up
the courage to approach him- you would get some vague
answer like, "Ahh, well, I know Dave McGillicutty
at Sweetass Trisports and he got these samples, prototypes
really, that he….. blah, blah, blah…."
And you just wanted to know where you could buy a pair
of those cool trishorts he has. Maybe they would make
your ass look like Michalangelo chiseled it too. Prolly
not though.
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So this guy (or girl): His bike is clean. It is
also weird. It has parts you think you may have seen in a magazine
and, is that what carbon fiber looks like? Half the stuff he
has, no, all of it, is stuff you've either only seen in magazines
or never even heard of.
He's wearing sunglasses. But he didn't buy them.
They just kind of "got there". He drives a special
car just for doing what he's doing now: Getting ready for a
ride, a run, a swim workout or the triathlon you're at now.
He has stickers all over it.
You know when he talks about "Hawaii"
he isn't talking about the state as a vacation destination,
but rather, an event that you've only seen on TV. He is either
talking about getting into it, having already gotten in, or
why his last race there wasn't as good as it should have been.
It had something to do with some chemical in his body you've
never heard of. "Too much polychondrotineospandoplasm in
my maldochondriacts during the last ten miles of the run. I
should have know better." Yeah, an obvious mistake for
someone like that guy (girl). Another thing that guy knows that
you don't. Polywhat in his maldowho?
So you get to the race and there is that guy.
Setting up all his stuff in the transition area like he's done
probably a thousand times before, or so it seems.
And that guy is the reason why so many people
are afraid to give this sport (and many others) a try. Because
you know you are not That Guy (or girl) and they will look at
you and think "Oh, another novice athlete…."
And maybe you are embarrassed by that. I know I have been.
That guy is experienced, dedicated, accomplished,
fit, knowledgeable, well versed and respected in the sport.
You are a beginner. So you are at the bottom of the food chain
here. You may be the big woman or man at work and at home. But
here you feel like the first day of kindergarten and you don't
even know where the bathroom is but you have to go. It's been
a long time since you felt like that.
And you'll feel embarrassed in front of that guy.
Consider this though: You are that guy. You are
that girl. Don't understand? Let me explain.
On the hypothetical morning we're describing you
got up early, loaded up whatever bike you have (the old mountain
bike you've had since you were 16, that old ten speed from college,
whatever), put the gear you scrapped together in your car and
went to the race. You stood there in your sweats and registered,
set up your transition area as best you could.
Welcome to the show my friend. You are walking
the walk.
You made that monumental leap off the couch and
into the realm of That Guy. And now you, to millions and millions
and millions of people- you are That Guy.
The next time you go to work when the conversation
comes up about what you did Sunday morning you will say, "Oh,
ahh, well I did this little triathlon, my first one, I'm not
really any good, I was nearly last…."
But to the people at work, and your family, and
your friends, and everyone else not there on Sunday morning
(and some that were…) you are That Guy. The guy who does
those endurance races. Who works out all the time (even if you
don't). Who eats right (even though you don't).
Pretty soon it will get around work, what you
did Sunday morning, and someone will ask you, "Hey, ahh,
have you ever done that one in Hawaii?"
And then you answer, "Oh, Hawaii, no, I'm
not that good. I've never done Hawaii…" And to you
now it is just "Hawaii". You are That Guy. To someone
out there you are That Guy.
Everyone has That Guy. He's better, faster, smarter,
luckier. The interesting thing about That Guy is, to someone-
you are that guy. No matter who you are, there will be That
Guy. Don't let him bother you. Do what you do. Remember, to
someone, you are that guy.
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