In truth, I’m a little nervous.
Is it because this is a new race? A new course? No. Not really.
Is it because it might rain tomorrow during the triathlon? No. Not really
Is it because my friend said she could do the swimming portion in seven minutes? No. Not really. That was more of a holy-crap moment.
Is it because I thought the race was next week and I had another seven days to train? Well … yeah … a little but that’s not the real reason.
Image via Durtbagz.com
It’s my shirt.
My shirt.
Every athlete is a little quirky, a little superstitious. Before every competition, race, or game, they have their routine. They have their order. They have their groove. Baseball players may swing the bat and tap their cleats twice. Basketball players may bounce the ball three times and then spin it before shooting a free-throw. Football players may butt helmets and hit each others shoulder pads. Runners and swimmers may shake off their legs and do a couple of squats before taking the starting blocks.
Every athlete has their routine, their quirks. Mine … broken. This makes me nervous. It’s not like I was going for first place, but I’d like to not suck and this shirt … this shirt mattered. My “pre-warm-up” ritual … not the same. Doesn’t feel right. Literally.
It’s my shirt. It’s not a special triathlon shirt. It’s not a hundred-dollar Nike running shirt. It’s a black v-neck Addidas breathable fabric shirt. It’s been washed over and over and over again. It’s the shirt with no chaffing. It’s worn out in just the right places and it moves with me as I run.
Through 100-degree heat or fat drops of rain beating down on me, the shirt did well. It did well on a track. It did well on a bicycle. It did well in chlorinated water. It was an all-around bad-ass shirt — a can’t lose me shirt. So you could see why I’d be a little nervous. I don’t want to do two wardrobe changes as I transition sports.
Those of you saying why not just get another shirt?
Dude. Have you every played a sport?
This is the shirt.
I tried to find something else, something similar to it, but I had no luck. The fabric was too clingy. The sleeves were too short. The material was not soft enough. The shirt didn’t feel right. It just didn’t. So I might just have to take multiple shirts in order to feel comfortable in every leg of the race. It’s probably all in my mind. But athletes are crazy and neurotic beings — well at least this Guat. And sports … dude it’s all about the mind.
When routine is broken, my comfort and confidence levels go down a notch. But I’m hoping these wardrobe changes will help even that out and set my mind at ease.
I’ll pack some chocolate just in case.
The Wish Factor 
I’ve played sports, a lot. For me it was my first baseman’s mitt. After I grew older and got into a company softball league, I bought a new one… I ’twas going to be the new mitt. I broke it in for weeks before our first game… During that game I missed a grounder and an easy throw to get a runner out… That was the mitt. It just so happened that it was the mitt for baseball, not softball. So I got an oversized outfielder’s mitt and used that, never to miss a ball again.
There is no piece of equipment that can mystically make me play better – only worse, if it’s the wrong piece of equipment. You will find another shirt, and then you will find it is you who rocks, not your choice of shirt, and you. Will. Be. Free.
Oh!!!! The mitt. Tragic miss. Yeah a mitt would definitely do it in baseball. Although one of my favorite movies is The Natural with Robert Redford and for him it was the bat, but he still knocked it out of the park when he used the “new” one courtesy of the bat boy.
I loved that movie – one of the best baseball movies ever.
You, plus the chocolate will be the greatest. Good luck, TG. 😉
Thanks! The chocolate was good.
I love it, except sorry about the shirt. I don’t have any piece of clothing or equipment (just yet that is) but I definitely already have the quirks in routine and can’t imagine not going through them…
Oh…yeah my routine wasn’t broken, but that shirt was definitely missed during the transition period. 🙂
Good luck! I’m rootin for ya!!
Thanks, for the support! It was good 🙂