This was in today's "Dear Abby" column in the paper:
DEAR ABBY: I am a 55-year-old female who competes in triathlons for fun, fitness and health. I consulted my doctor because I was having foot pain. When I told him I was a runner and was preparing for a marathon race, his response was, "At your age, you could hardly call it a race."
I was shocked. I repeated the insulting comment to my husband, who has never supported me in this nor attended my races. He replied, "Well, you don't actually consider yourself an athlete, do you?"
I am so offended that I want to dismiss both my doctor and my husband. I just finished a race with 5,000 women. Every one of them was fabulous and serious, no matter how old or what they looked like. It was the spirit of the sport that mattered. At what age does one stop being an athlete? -- OLDER ATHLETE, EUGENE, ORE.
This raised some interesting questions in my mind about support, encouragement, or the lack thereof. I don't want to discuss the "athlete-yes-or-no" question. Instead, I'd like to know how people out there deal with non-supportive spouses, friends, co-workers, doctors, etc.
My own experience includes being teased by my co-workers for "getting beat by a 70-year-old woman." (This was after a big meet where they viewed my results on the Internet.) This came from men who are at least 50 pounds overweight and can barely walk from their cars to their desks.
Parents
Former Member
My wife is great she encourages me to go to the pool and swim when I am off, which is not very often. My 19 year old college girl also thinks it is cool.
Katie thought it was so cool she invited the old guy to swim with her college swim club last year when we came to visit. It sure was fun watching those kids size me up and then smoking them. This is not a competive team thank goodness or I would have been cannon fodder.
After taking Katie to meets for years I got to take her to a masters meet last year so she could watch me. I thought it was very cool for Katie and my wife to be yelling for me and enjoying watching the old guy swim. After the meet Katie was very adamet that I get all of my ribbons because they all were best times for me( first masters meet). I had more fun than I should have watching Katie and my wife cheer. Coach Katie also handed out pointers on each of my strokes and how I could improvemy endurance.
As for people who make fun of me for swimming sounds to me like a personal problem........ So who cares. I will worry about them when they can beat me, there resting pulse, blood pressure, and cholesterol is less than mine,
Have a great day
Paul
My wife is great she encourages me to go to the pool and swim when I am off, which is not very often. My 19 year old college girl also thinks it is cool.
Katie thought it was so cool she invited the old guy to swim with her college swim club last year when we came to visit. It sure was fun watching those kids size me up and then smoking them. This is not a competive team thank goodness or I would have been cannon fodder.
After taking Katie to meets for years I got to take her to a masters meet last year so she could watch me. I thought it was very cool for Katie and my wife to be yelling for me and enjoying watching the old guy swim. After the meet Katie was very adamet that I get all of my ribbons because they all were best times for me( first masters meet). I had more fun than I should have watching Katie and my wife cheer. Coach Katie also handed out pointers on each of my strokes and how I could improvemy endurance.
As for people who make fun of me for swimming sounds to me like a personal problem........ So who cares. I will worry about them when they can beat me, there resting pulse, blood pressure, and cholesterol is less than mine,
Have a great day
Paul
