How a triathlete differs from a list writer

1. The Triathlete thinks that a good thing to do with a long Bank Holiday weekend is a sprint distance race,starting at 6am. The List Writer thinks that sitting in a gourmet pub in Oxford with her parents and her children would be more civilised.

2. The Triathlete always pines after a new bike. The List Writer dreams of new fabric or yarn.

3. When The Triathlete crashes off his bike in the middle of his race, he turns down offers of assistance from the St John's ambulance and yelps about how much damage this has done to his race time, before hopping back onto the bike and speeding off. The List Writer always rides her bike sedately and would never crash. And if she did, she would gladly accept a sweet cup of tea from the St Johns ambulance chaps and take things easy for a while.

4. The Triathlete finds the smell of chlorine and wetsuit rubber really quite acceptable. When The List Writer smells chlorine it makes her want to get out the washing powder and her handcream.

5. The Triathlete loves eating oats for breakfast. The List Writer eats oats for breakfast only because they are good for her; a croissant would always be preferable.

6. The Triathlete can swim 1,500m, then bike 40km, and finally run 10km. And will be going even further in September. Yikes. The List Writer can't...

...and she is very proud of her triathlete for being able to do so.