TRIATHLETES
Forget the spandex, Gore-Tex, and nylon mesh. For triathletes, the most important athletic supporter may be your spouse.
You'd think that spending 12 hours a week pounding the pavement, pushing pedals, and paddling about the pool would strain a marriage. But two-thirds of triathletes in a recent study claimed all that training had a positive impact on their relationship. And their partners agreed.
Does that mean couples in shaky marriages should don their play apparel and sweat their way to marital contentment? Not necessarily. It's true that happy twosomes work out ways to reduce the toll training takes on a relationship, either by exercising together or setting aside time as a couple. But the plethora of happily married triathletes may simply reflect survival of the fittest marriages, says North Carolina psychologist Charles H. Brown, Ph.D. Athletes whose marriage can't withstand the stress of training drop out. leaving behind those whose marriage is as strong as their quads.
