This week was crazy fun. Of course I over committed, and that ended up working out well (could have been a train wreck).
Thursday I had to run to Albuquerque to get the trophies, t-shirts and the fruit for the triathlon we were hosting at Sumner Lake State Park. I also attended the Superintendent's Association meeting in Albuquerque. It was a long day with a late return to Fort Sumner
The Rotary spaghetti dinner was on Friday night, and that went of without a hitch. We served about a hundred folks, and that will bring in some much needed money for our scholarship and other kid focused donation activities. I'd volunteered to do the shopping and the cooking as long as the other Rotarians showed up to serve and help clean up (they did). Friday afternoon Angie K. from www.Chasing3.com showed up and got everything together for packet pickup for the Billy the Kid Tombstone Triathlon. We had a few triathletes show up to get their packets and t-shirts, but most folks waited until Saturday morning. A surprising number of folks waited until Thursday and Friday to register for the race. I say surprising because I register just as soon as registration is open or as soon as I hear about a race and know I can go. I have my races color coded in my calendar. I put them in using pencil for the races I WANT to do and then put them in ink once I know that they are definite for "A" races, and then highlight them once I've been able to register and have a second color of highlighter I use for when I've made my hotel reservation. Yeah, just a little obsessive, but not so much that I need medication.
At 8 PM we headed home to meet Marcy, Grady and Jeffery Oxford from Las Cruces. They'd come in for the triathlon, and Mary Spence (wonderful daughter) was here for the weekend as well. Some time to visit and pump up air mattresses around the house, and then off to bed by 10 because we did have a RACE to do the next morning. I woke up about 2:30, and could not go back to sleep because I was so excited about the race. I kept thinking about the course, running it through in my mind, wondering if I could possibly finish the race in 2 hours. Since it was a super hilly bike course of 15 miles, moderately hilly 5K run, and 400 meter swim, that would be a challenge for me. Finally, I gave up and got up at 4:15 and made coffee (quietly so as not to disturb others) and got all my gear loaded and was out of the house by 5. I needed to be out at the lake early to help get things going. We had one box of t-shirts that Angie's husband Kevin was kind enough to bring out from Albuquerque for us since it was not ready for pick up on Thursday. Angie and her staff got everybody checked in and body marked and we were in the water and ready for our two wave start on time, or close to it. I had a momentary conversation with GeekGirl (that was nice) and then it was off in the swim.
I did the freestyle for a bit, and then needed to switch over to the backstroke because my goggles were filling with water. I didn't have time to fiddle, so I just did what I could and kept moving. Overall, the swim time was okay and I made it out of the water in a time that did not shame my. A little struggle running up the boat ramp and in to transition trying to get "unlatched" from my wetsuit, but transition went TONS faster than last week at Milkman. Oh, did I neglect to shout from the roof tops that I got some new bike shoes. Allow me to share the news: Specialized Ember Bike Shoes
I can't give them all the credit for the speedy transition, but they do get a lion's share. You may not be able to see the detail, but the little knob on the side allows you twist them tighter or just pop it to loosen and slip them off. Slick.
Off on the bike leg. I do like this bike course. It is 15 miles long, and it is hilly. I enjoy the screaming downhills, and the tough climbs up. All along I've just assumed the route was hard because I am not in such terrific shape. I guess I am wrong. People were coming back from the bike and then from the run and they were barfing. When I got back from the bike portion I heard Angie announcing on the PA that they had another person needing a puke bucket. It was not that warm, so it was just a challenging enough course that folks were being able to push themselves quite a bit. I must give Grace my wonderful bike (see the previous post) credit for the terrific bike leg of the race. I really had a great bike portion, of course my legs were toasted when the run time came around, and I posted absolutely the worst run time in the entire race.
Now for the good news. There was competition in my Master Athena category, and I still won first place. Yes, you are reading it here.... I was a podium finisher for the first time ever when there was actual competition. Wow that felt good. For those of you who don't know what a Master Athena is, and who have an imagination that is running amok, allow me to clarify. A Master is someone over 40 and an Athena is a woman who weighs over 150 pounds. I could opt to race in what is called "age groups" and then I would be racing regardless of weight and just against women in the my particular age group. For me this would be 50-54. I did that last year and noticed that if I'd raced as a Master Athena I might have earned enough points in the Southwest Challenge Series to have placed in the overall series. This year I decided I would do all of my races as a Master Athena to see if I could do just that. Not that I am competitive or anything.
Now for the other good news. We had a great turnout for the race, and people seemed to have such a good time that I think the race will really grow next year. One of our participants was a professional triathlete from Texas, and it was fun to have her come and participate in the race. She was FAST. The support from NM Sports Online with registration and Chasing3 for chip timing and race day organization was great. The New Mexico Parks and Recreation staff were incredible to work with, and the venue was excellent. We had awesome support from the community and the school, so it seemed like a good activity to support our student athletic program. As fund raisers go, it was a fun one that took lots of work for a few adults, but not that much for the kids.
Training-wise, racing three weeks in a row is proving a challenge. I've got the Chick-fil-a Triathlon in Amarillo on Saturday. Everything I've read says two easy days after a hard day, so I did a long, slow run to get the lactic acid out of my legs today and I will do an easy 13 mile bike ride in the morning. Tuesday is supposed to be a double day with a run in the AM and a swim in the PM, but I am not sure what to do as I finish out this third week. I can tell I've been demanding a lot of my body, but it has been so much fun to push and see the response be there. God has been so good.
Random things that were just so much fun I have to bullet them to share with you:
Patricia
Thursday I had to run to Albuquerque to get the trophies, t-shirts and the fruit for the triathlon we were hosting at Sumner Lake State Park. I also attended the Superintendent's Association meeting in Albuquerque. It was a long day with a late return to Fort Sumner
The Rotary spaghetti dinner was on Friday night, and that went of without a hitch. We served about a hundred folks, and that will bring in some much needed money for our scholarship and other kid focused donation activities. I'd volunteered to do the shopping and the cooking as long as the other Rotarians showed up to serve and help clean up (they did). Friday afternoon Angie K. from www.Chasing3.com showed up and got everything together for packet pickup for the Billy the Kid Tombstone Triathlon. We had a few triathletes show up to get their packets and t-shirts, but most folks waited until Saturday morning. A surprising number of folks waited until Thursday and Friday to register for the race. I say surprising because I register just as soon as registration is open or as soon as I hear about a race and know I can go. I have my races color coded in my calendar. I put them in using pencil for the races I WANT to do and then put them in ink once I know that they are definite for "A" races, and then highlight them once I've been able to register and have a second color of highlighter I use for when I've made my hotel reservation. Yeah, just a little obsessive, but not so much that I need medication.
At 8 PM we headed home to meet Marcy, Grady and Jeffery Oxford from Las Cruces. They'd come in for the triathlon, and Mary Spence (wonderful daughter) was here for the weekend as well. Some time to visit and pump up air mattresses around the house, and then off to bed by 10 because we did have a RACE to do the next morning. I woke up about 2:30, and could not go back to sleep because I was so excited about the race. I kept thinking about the course, running it through in my mind, wondering if I could possibly finish the race in 2 hours. Since it was a super hilly bike course of 15 miles, moderately hilly 5K run, and 400 meter swim, that would be a challenge for me. Finally, I gave up and got up at 4:15 and made coffee (quietly so as not to disturb others) and got all my gear loaded and was out of the house by 5. I needed to be out at the lake early to help get things going. We had one box of t-shirts that Angie's husband Kevin was kind enough to bring out from Albuquerque for us since it was not ready for pick up on Thursday. Angie and her staff got everybody checked in and body marked and we were in the water and ready for our two wave start on time, or close to it. I had a momentary conversation with GeekGirl (that was nice) and then it was off in the swim.
I did the freestyle for a bit, and then needed to switch over to the backstroke because my goggles were filling with water. I didn't have time to fiddle, so I just did what I could and kept moving. Overall, the swim time was okay and I made it out of the water in a time that did not shame my. A little struggle running up the boat ramp and in to transition trying to get "unlatched" from my wetsuit, but transition went TONS faster than last week at Milkman. Oh, did I neglect to shout from the roof tops that I got some new bike shoes. Allow me to share the news: Specialized Ember Bike Shoes
Off on the bike leg. I do like this bike course. It is 15 miles long, and it is hilly. I enjoy the screaming downhills, and the tough climbs up. All along I've just assumed the route was hard because I am not in such terrific shape. I guess I am wrong. People were coming back from the bike and then from the run and they were barfing. When I got back from the bike portion I heard Angie announcing on the PA that they had another person needing a puke bucket. It was not that warm, so it was just a challenging enough course that folks were being able to push themselves quite a bit. I must give Grace my wonderful bike (see the previous post) credit for the terrific bike leg of the race. I really had a great bike portion, of course my legs were toasted when the run time came around, and I posted absolutely the worst run time in the entire race.
Now for the good news. There was competition in my Master Athena category, and I still won first place. Yes, you are reading it here.... I was a podium finisher for the first time ever when there was actual competition. Wow that felt good. For those of you who don't know what a Master Athena is, and who have an imagination that is running amok, allow me to clarify. A Master is someone over 40 and an Athena is a woman who weighs over 150 pounds. I could opt to race in what is called "age groups" and then I would be racing regardless of weight and just against women in the my particular age group. For me this would be 50-54. I did that last year and noticed that if I'd raced as a Master Athena I might have earned enough points in the Southwest Challenge Series to have placed in the overall series. This year I decided I would do all of my races as a Master Athena to see if I could do just that. Not that I am competitive or anything.
Now for the other good news. We had a great turnout for the race, and people seemed to have such a good time that I think the race will really grow next year. One of our participants was a professional triathlete from Texas, and it was fun to have her come and participate in the race. She was FAST. The support from NM Sports Online with registration and Chasing3 for chip timing and race day organization was great. The New Mexico Parks and Recreation staff were incredible to work with, and the venue was excellent. We had awesome support from the community and the school, so it seemed like a good activity to support our student athletic program. As fund raisers go, it was a fun one that took lots of work for a few adults, but not that much for the kids.
Training-wise, racing three weeks in a row is proving a challenge. I've got the Chick-fil-a Triathlon in Amarillo on Saturday. Everything I've read says two easy days after a hard day, so I did a long, slow run to get the lactic acid out of my legs today and I will do an easy 13 mile bike ride in the morning. Tuesday is supposed to be a double day with a run in the AM and a swim in the PM, but I am not sure what to do as I finish out this third week. I can tell I've been demanding a lot of my body, but it has been so much fun to push and see the response be there. God has been so good.
Random things that were just so much fun I have to bullet them to share with you:
- Riding my bike down hills at 36 MPH is an ear splitting grin type of high that just can't be beat
- Seeing Laura Lewis running on the side of the road while I whiz by on my bike with a bottle of HoneyMilk (the best protein drink ever) shouting, "I've got your HoneyMilk" made me laugh out loud on the bike for at least half a mile and I am still laughing out loud while I type it on my computer.
- Having competition, and getting a first place medal. I know why people like winning even though I tell people all the time that trying hard and doing your best is enough. A medal is more.
- Not losing money on the triathlon.
- Meeting people who have become my "e-friends" and seeing that they are even nicer in person and being glad that electronic forums exist so that I can get to know people in multiple ways. I really like the world in which I live.
- That my daughter and husband are willing to spend this much of a weekend doing what makes me happy and genuinely enjoy it even though it does not bring them any particular pleasure to do those things.
- That while it may not be smart to do everything at one time, sometimes you can get away with it if you have enough support and loving kindness, and this week, I did get enough of those things so I didn't have to drop any of the things that needed to be done.
Patricia
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