The Locker Room

Mission: To conquer an Olympic distance triathlon before the end of the summer to raise money to end bullying in schools

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Swimming can be tough. It's like this intense consistent cardio workout with muscles you aren't really used to using. You have to be much more conscious of your breathing than with land exercises because, well, there's that face in the water aspect to it. I've been training in a pool at the university for the last week and a half. It's attached to a workout room, a training room, and a gymnasium and obviously the locker room that connects all pieces.

Being in the locker room was a bit of a surprise. I don't belong to a large gym and I rarely have an occasion to be undressing in a locker room. I hated the locker room when I was in high school. I was the shortest, skinniest, scrawniest kid in high school, physically immature when compared to the rest of the boys my age. I was very self conscious about my body. It was just one more thing that led to getting picked on. I hated the idea of having to take a shower with the other guys. And since I wasn't going to shower after class, that meant I couldn't get sweaty, which meant that I couldn't be as competitive in gym class as I knew that I could be. This just led to more abuse. It was a pretty viscious cycle.

I'm not that scrawny kid anymore. Far from it. I have taken steps to maintain a pretty decent looking body since then. And I haven't shied away from showing my body at the beach or in clubs. But it was interesting being back in this stereotypically straight locker room venue populated with weightlifting meat head straight guys. Immediately, I was taken back to those shy self-conscious high school days. And that surprised me.

I think there will always be a part of me that remains the shy bullied kid. I will always remember being the last kid picked for the team at recess. At 38 years old, despite being admired for so many things, I still carry the baggage of being put down by my peers. Sometimes I wear it as a badge, sometimes it can only be a scar.

And that's why I'm raising money for GLSEN. Kids should be able to deal with their own self consciousness about their bodies without having to deal with taunts from other kids. They should be able to proudly express their physicality even if they are physically behind. And you can help. Donating to my triathlon challenge by clicking the link below or in the side bar, you can be part of my team, and part of the team that stops bullying in schools.

Donate now.