The Expert got his name for a reason. I love him. Dearly. But he is the biggest know-it-all in the world. So he has officially decided to join me in the triathlon journey. He’s on board. And seriously on board. Logging calories, stretching, planning workouts, getting the gear. And that cooperative/supportive spirit, most would say, is just plain awesome.
However.
I am dealing with a beast. Since joining me in my triathlon quest, the Expert is now THE EXPERT in the following:
calorie counting & dieting
injury prevention
sports medicine, in general
running shoes
swimming caps
cycling form
stretching
heart rate analysis
race day preparation
wetsuits
all the rules of USA Triathlon
Ironman
Hawaii (yes, the state)
triathlon in general
Maybe someday I can learn as much as the Expert can merely intuit and call into being in just one week!
For the record. The Expert has absolutly no triathlon or swim experience under his belt. He could be called a former cyclist, and definitely was a former weightlifter. And he has lost three pounds this week.
And also for the record, we were laying in bed last night, and he started yammering about how he thinks one should be allowed to “draft” in triathlon. I told him what a bloody know-it-all he is. And he started listing everything he knows – out loud. He was kidding, of course, as the list included things like neurosurgery and publishing. But then he suggested I should blog about all his triathlon expertise. So I better give the Expert credit also for this blog post, less I receive a lecture about telepathic copyright infringement.
The thing about the Expert though:
He believes in himself so much… to the point where everyone around him wants to stab him, poke his eyes out. AND, that’s exactly what makes me believe that what the Expert decides to do… will actually come into being. His know-it-all make me crazy. At the same time, that spirit of “I can and I will” is infectious…and I’m so glad we are doing this together.
I will never forget – long before the Expert and I started dating – we were on Team Savannah weightlifting team together. I was sixteen years old or so. He was nineteen, and a budding know-it-all. I was cutting weight for a competition, and he was in my face with all of his vast cutting weight knowledge. Telling me what I was doing wrong. Argumentative.
I thought to myself – I can’t stand this guy. Who does he think he is?
Three years later, I started dating him.
Three years after that, I married him.
Six years later, we welcomed our first child.
And now, three more years later, we have started our triathlon journey together.
And we are two seriously competitive people. While he’s the Expert, I’m the Lawyer. He may claim he knows it all – and I then set out to argue him wrong. We are quite the happy pair. Well, actually, we are.
So, my running anyway idea on Tuesday (despite my injury) was not a good idea. The hip returned to its evil state and I feel like I’ve lost a month of gain. However, after stationary cycling last night, it felt better. I know now that I have to stay off the run. Which will make me crazy while I watch the Expert run and run and run. Poo. But with all his knowledge, maybe he can rub his hands together and “Mr. Miyagi” me well.
Happy Thursday, everyone!