Spring Festival Triathlon: Part 1 of 2

*Manly crew

In my life I have learned a few very important things. My mother and father taught me that when you find a good friend you hang on to him or her. It’s unfortunate today that so many kids lack role models and good parents to teach them those lessons. I will never fail to appreciate the friends and family I have, who for some reason think I’m a pretty cool guy. :)

*Brown, Ayla, Brodacious, and Taylor

I am still spinning from this weekend. There were so many special moments and accomplishments that when faced with writing this post I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. My mastery of words will be far stretched to do justice to the weekend of adventures and special memories I shared with my friends. So many times people forget that we only live once and fail to make the most of the time and talents we have. Our group made the most of what we had this weekend, I am thankful to have shared the time with each and every one of them.

The Big bash started when Kevin and Anne arrived. I am always so happy when they stay with me. It was great that Anne could make the trip. She is a wonderful lady who made the weekend very enjoyable. Her cheers, pictures, and dinner preparations among other things were highlights to the weekend. She even got up at 4:45am for the triathlon without a fuss. What a great lady!

*Grill master!

Speaking of dinner, I owe my friend, Will, a big thank you for the BBQ he gave to me as a gift. That was a very generous gift. Kevin took the honors of being grill master for the weekend by grilling us up some delicious chicken on Saturday night, and some great steaks on Sunday night. Having a steak dinner, Anne’s baked sweet potato fries, and NASCAR in HD is a perfect night in my opinion. Thank you to Will, the grill is great.

*Steak and salad

We spent most of Saturday and Sunday enjoying the weather, eating delicious food, stretching, going to the park, watching a movie, and catching up on our sleep down in my basement. Yes, the sectional is pretty sweet. Once Anne and Kevin each had a blanket made by my mom, they were out like a light…ZZzzzz.

*Out cold

Kevin and I did our pre race ride on Sunday to work out the kinks in the bikes, prepared our bags, and hit the hay in anticipation of an early rise. I am so happy that Kevin and Anne could make a weekend of the trip and stay with me. Thank you.

*I wonder why canibals don't eat clowns.  It's because they taste funny

Once at the race we had a good crew to celebrate the day with. The extended group included my friends Brown, Taylor, Ayla, Kevin, Anne, Jonmark, Leanne, Rory, Deanna, and about 20 other tri friends. It is rare to have so many friends sharing the same adventure; it made for a special day.

*Super swimmer, Casey

*Beat up the beat Brown

All the racers in the entourage did great. Kevin is coming off and injury and was able to compete without any problems. When he was fixing his “ouchie” he worked on his swim. We swam together last week and his hard work showed. He had a great swim getting down to a new PR in the swim. Brown had a good race that was derailed by a flat tire, bummer. A $5,000 dollar bike isn’t worth much when the tire is flat. :) I think he still had fun despite the flat.

Taylor had a great showing in the race; she was fast enough to win her age division. The run bully, Jonmark, also had a great day doing what he does best, making people suffer on the run. He is a cool guy. A big thank you to his wife, Leanne, for her cheers and pictures. Leanne, like Anne, was much appreciated.

*Ayla and Brodacious

Last but certainly not least was Ayla. I have gotten to know her pretty well the past year; she is the lifeguard at the pool so she watches me swim up and down the lane for hours. In between sets I will make conversation, quiz her with ridiculous “what if” scenarios, jokes, or generally just keep her on her toes with randomness. Sometimes when I backstroke under the lifeguard chair I will try and make faces at her or shout lines from movies. She makes my time at the pool very enjoyable. She always puts the backstroke flags up for me and takes my music requests. She’s just a nice person.

One day she asked me about doing triathlons. She said she wanted to do one and decided on this tri as her first. I wrote her a key workout plan for the month leading up to the race. She did all the workouts I put on list and had a great race. I told her if she completes these workouts leading up to the race she would be ready. The workouts I wrote were more challenging than the race distances. She did them all.

She had a great swim, bike, and run earning her a medal in her age division. She worked hard to accomplish her goal and did so with flying colors. I feel very lucky to have her trust and confidence to help her prepare for such a huge goal. I am thankful to have been part of her first tri adventure, meet her entourage, and share in the special moments of her day. Way to go, girl!