What I have in common with Jessica Simpson

What do I, Sarah Groff, have in common with Jessica Simpson, the blond bombshell singer? Am I dating a NFL player? Nope. Have I recently made a switch from pop to country? No again. Dubious talent? Possible, but I hope not. I certainly don't have the same, ahem, physical attributes as the star. What we do have in common, however, is that we both have found ourselves judged by strangers for our size. While I am lucky that I haven't been publicly scrutinized by tabloids (no paparazzi shots in Triathlete Magazine, as far as I'm aware), I have received quite a bit of unsolicited feedback. Over the past six months, I have twice been mistaken as a bobsledder (lovely girls, but have about 30 lbs more muscle than me), compared to a linebacker, told that I have a high BMI for a triathlete by a total stranger over dinner (visual calipers?) and given the backhanded compliment that, despite how much bigger I look than my competitors, I am actually kind of thin in person. Luckily, I have a good head on my shoulders and haven't let these comments negatively affect me. That being said, I fully acknowledge that it is high time for this "linebacker" to get a bit scrawnier.

Before I delve any further into this topic, I would like to say that I am of a very normal, healthy weight for an athlete and am actually pretty lean. My "problem" lies in the fact, however, that ITU racing is not conducted by weight class. If it were, I'd clean up! I frequently toe the line with girls 20+ pounds lighter than I am. While this might be an advantage in some situations (ie super cold, rainy World Championships in Vancouver last year), it probably is far more of a performance inhibitor. At the high end of the sport, women tend to be on the cusp of their power to weight ratio. If they were to lose additional weight, their swim and bike performance would greatly diminish and the likelihood of injury increases. I haven't ever reached a weight, however, where we were concerned that my strength and power might be diminished. Only by toeing this line, however, will I get a true sense of my potential as a runner.

While I am acutely aware of the fact that I need to trim quite a bit of muscle off my frame, I struggle with the actual process. I tend to eat healthfully, but include some tasty treats because, quite frankly, I love food. This strategy has been effective for weight maintenance, but I finally realize that I will have to sacrifice in order to drop weight. While I have made sacrifices in other areas of my life, I recognize that I am loathe to shift to a weight-loss diet, fearing that I'll be hungry and cranky for the rest of my career. I realize that this is an extreme view of the process, but I struggle with the sentiments all the same.

For some reason, professional athletes tend to veer away from talking about issues such as these. Some athletes are lucky enough to not battle with their size (obviously they don't eat like Groffs), but I'm sure that others do. By writing about the need to lose weight in such a public format, I recognize that I am potentially opening myself up to further scrutiny. Luckily, I am okay with that. Perhaps by being open about the process, however, I will hold myself more accountable to my goal. While Jessica Simpson has the luxury of "embracing her new figure", I recognize that I will struggle to reach a new figure, but that the result could help push my career to the next level. If not, I may be pushing for weight classes in the pro ranks :-)