Bla Bla Bla

Sometimes, if you listen very close,
you can hear someone else talking.

James Kelly


How many times have you been out for a great day of training with a group of fellow athletes and ended up hitting the local pub? Maybe the conversation turns to training schedules. Someone has found a new coach, maybe someone has a nutritional idea.

So who's the guy, and I know there is one in every group, who, after a couple of beers, turns into the world's greatest all-seeing, all-knowing, done everything athlete? Maybe not even after a couple of beers, maybe they just start right in with a neverending litany of how many races they have done. How many times they have bonked. How many times no matter what you say, they say better?

It's like they've been sitting on the edge of their saddle all day waiting so the sound of passing cars won't interrupt the brilliance of their natter. How many times have you just given up trying to get a word in edgewise because as soon as you open you mouth, buddy's been there, done that? And how many times have you headed to the can and just kept on going out the side door?
Then the next day when the guys ask you where you got off to, you tell them your head was ringing so loudly from buddy's tirade that you didn't know you had left until you woke up the next day and there was silence.

And last but not least, who is that person, who because they have some degree in some related field, figures they can sit there and adamantly drive nutritional and training theoreries down your throat for an hour even though they have never even done a triathlon and don't have the foggiest idea what it takes to finish an Ironman let alone get to the start line?

I admit sometimes there is a good story or two to be told, and God knows that after a couple of Pil*, I myself have prattled on about something I may have thought was extremely interesting.
But if you have more than a weekends worth of tall tales that you are just itching to tell someone, anyone about, for God's sake man, write a book and leave the rest of us to our wings and beer.

*Pilsner beer. An excellent, rough and tumble Canadian brew.