Centre Of Attention
Having come to triathlon later in life Emma had progressed quickly and this was to be the culmination of all her hard work and progress, her ultimate challenge of the half Ironman.
Having brought two children up and dedicating all her time to the family, triathlon was finally something for her. Her time to be her, clear her mind and challenge and achieve something just for her.
Upon first starting it was a struggle and after those first few runs, bikes and swims she could never have imagined that she would progress to be on the cusp of competing in a half Ironman.
She researched half Ironman races and settled on one in Italy, taking the plunge and booking it. So many other things to plan and organize, where to stay, how to transport her bike. To take the stress out of it all she booked a package deal where all this was taken care of. A hotel near the start with a pool, close to the start and possibly full of other athletes to talk to get some tips.
She arrived at the hotel the day before the race and was surprised by how nice it was. The hotel was only two stories high and the rooms were wrapped around the pool which had sun loungers all around. This looked perfect to relax around after the race.
Latter that day, early evening she went down to the hotel restaurant which was busy and had the air of excited nervousness amongst its dinners. There was a buffet style, self service dinner with many people deliberating on the best foods to eat to prepare them for the race the next day.
Seating appeared to be ad hoc at sort of big communal tables, and she joined the queue for the food counter with the intention of finding somewhere to sit after. While waiting she noticed two guys in front of her who seemed to be together, they looked like triathletes. During a gap in their conversation, she asked if they where her for the Ironman and they confirmed they were.
All three then variously made conversation, discussing races they have done and how they were feeling about tomorrow. She found out they were called Mark and Dave, both 29 years old, and they invited her to sit with them at their table.
They seemed nice, easy to talk to and really helpful. She found out they had both done this race before so quizzed them about all aspects of the race, picking up many useful tips.
After the meal not many people seemed to be heading to the bar, with most heading to their rooms to nervously check and lay out all their kit ready for the race before getting an early night.
Emma woke early, full of nervous excitement and went down for breakfast. She didn't see Mark or Dave but wasn't surprised as they had said they were in a later start wave and sat with another female athlete.
Suddenly she found herself on the start line, how the hell had she got her, nervous with those mischievous voices of doubt in her head, "Can you really do this", "this is a long way". Trying to silence them she reminded herself of all the training she had done, she can and will do it. Then her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the stater horn.
The race, after a nervous start in the swim, went better then she could imagine, crossing the finish line in a time she could never of dreamed of.
After soaking up the post-race atmosphere in the finishers race village she made the short journey back to the hotel for a much-needed shower.
Once showered and feeling much better she put on her new bikini planning on heading to the pool to relax on a lounger, read a book and have a gin and tonic. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and thought not bad for a 45-year-old. One of the things she had come to like about triathlon was how it had changed her body. She could see muscles appear on her body and she liked how they made her look, the look of strength and power.
Emma found a free lounger, ordered a gin and tonic and lay down to read her book, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin, penetrating heat into her achy muscles.
She variously read and dozed off now and then due to the exertions of the race. As she woke from one of these brief dozes, she saw Mark and Dave in the pool. She hadn't really noticed their bodies before but now with them just wearing tight swim shorts she ran her eyes over the top of their bodies noticing how athletic they looked. They were both nicely tanned and their bodies looked hard, taught and she suddenly, unexpectedly found herself wondering how it would feel to run her hands across their tight muscley bodies. This thought took her by surprise, and she wondered where it had come from. Maybe it was the exhilaration of having completed the race, the sun and the effects of the gin.
She quickly regained her thoughts and started to try concentrating on reading her book, thinking they look good but there is no way they would be interested in her.
However, she often found herself glancing over at them, enjoying the sight of the beads of water running down their bodies. She tried to concentrate on her book but noted that she was a little turned on by them.
The boys must of noticed her looking over and they now seemed to be chatting to each other while looking at her. She wasn't sure if she was imaging it, letting her imagination get away from her but it felt like she could feel their eyes staring at her and it felt good. It felt good that these two good looking men might be looking at her, enjoying her body maybe desiring her.
She still wasn't sure if she was just imagining this but the longer this went on it really felt they were looking at her and she suddenly felt powerful, the object of not just one but two fit looking mens desire and she enjoyed being the center of attention.
Eventually the men got out of the pool and started to walk her way. She subconsciously started running her eyes down their bodies as they walked towards her and found her eyes lingering a bit longer on the bulges in their shorts. Fuck what was happening to her, where were all these thoughts coming from. She then enjoyed seeing their muscley legs which had been hidden in the pool.
They came and sat next to her and started asking how the race went.
As they were talking, she was convinced she could see them variously look her body up and down.