Where's my cape?

I am not unique in my secret identity issues in relation to work and triathlon, nor the first or last to comment on it. In my line of work where physical achievement is common conversation, hell its the business, I find myself speaking little if anything about my ironman pursuits unlike when I was doing body building shows or strength competitions where I discussed the intricacys ad nausem.

I think part of my dual identity is that there is no cognitive revelance between being a gym rat and a triathlete, eventually you are assimulated into one culture or the other. In my business, life and fitness are qualified by highest weight lifted, number of sets and reps and minutes on cardio. In my tri life its quanified by yards stroked, miles ridden and kilometers ran. There is no translation.

I was recently asked by a peer what I did for training over the weekend, I replied my key workout was a 80 mile bike and 3 mile run. His remark was, "Yeah, I rode my mountain bike along the canal for an hour, " as if there was equalness to our workouts. Its no use explaining the difference, to him I rode a bike, he rode a bike. Same thing.

The closer I get to Ironman the more I have become open to conversation about it. Its hard to hide some of the tell tale signs such as a portion of my tri-shorts showing underneath my golf shorts; going for a two hour run at lunch and having salt stains all over my running shorts, bringing my bike into the office for a noon ride.

Oh that was a good one. I thought I could sneak out the back door for a ride and while I was heading out the door in tri uniform with my bike, a meeting broke and I had to scoot past fifty employee in the hallway as they exited the room. Talk about cover being blown.

In all, my partners and key executives understand the distance of Ironman and applaud my conditioning. They still think I am nuts and perhaps deep down and unvoiced they don't think I can do it. It doesn't matter.

I am not asking for their permission to finish Ironman. Only for their help walking the week after.