7 Reasons triathletes are a nightmare during the holidays

We really don’t mean to be such a problem during the holiday season. We’re just, well, let’s go with “enthusiastic” rather than “addicted” to swim, bike and run training. So, we know that we’re likely to drive our family and friends crazy over the next 10 days. Here are a few of the things you can expect we’ll do … sorry in advance.

We’re insanely competitive

As you can see from the photo above, we’ll be determined to be at the front of any activity – whether it’s a walk through the park, a pick up hockey game or the always fun game of seeing who can go back for the most food.

We are likely roll in with a bike and trainer

You might as well make room now if there’s a triathlete coming your way over the break, especially if we’re going to be there for more than a few days. Losing that much biking time seems unfathomable, so we might even ship a few presents or substitute a gift card to ensure there’s enough room in the car to fit all the gear. The good news is trainers are a lot quieter these days, so hopefully we won’t wake everyone up even earlier on Christmas morning.

We can’t sit still

Yes, we know we’re supposed to revel in this opportunity to sit and catch up with all of you. It’s just that, well, we’re not very good at that sitting thing. Or resting. Or relaxing.

We won’t stop moaning about losing fitness

Yes, we know that we’re not going to lose all our fitness in just a few days. OK, we should know, but we refuse to believe that. We’re certain that we’re going to get back after the holiday and be incapable of keeping up with the rest of the group.

We will insist on recapping their Ironman race … in detail … to everyone

“Have I not spoken with you since I finished Ironman (insert latest full-distance race)? Oh my goodness, you wouldn’t believe how (insert well/ bad/ epic) it was. So, as I was setting up my bike in transition, I noticed …”

We’re going to be the first ones out for the count

Since we abstained from alcohol for most of the year, and typically there’s not a lot to us, we’re never particularly good at holding our alcohol. Don’t worry, though – traditionally the only things you have to worry about as we get a little tipsy is that we’ll tell you even more about our best workouts of the year … and we’ll fall asleep.

Once we’re back home, we’ll disappear for hours as we try to catch up

Not sure if this is going to drive you nuts, or make you extremely happy! Once the holiday is over, you can expect that for the first week or two we’ll train up a storm, trying to regain that fitness that we’re sure we lost.