Ellensburg Triathlon: Part 1 of 2

I struggle with the fact that my dream was right there, 15.7 seconds separated me and the achievement of a three year goal.  I question myself whether I should have pushed harder to find those seconds. Did I have more to give? 

*I don't think I could have gone much harder than this.

I was on the other side of the 15.7 seconds, the dream continues. I am actually quite thankful I have that goal there, still motivating, still humbling, and still begging me to do the things that other people don't want to do.

This race means a lot to me, going into this race I had unfinished business.  If you need a refresher, I was having a fantastic race, but had a bike crash.  You can read about last year if you'd like (click here to read 2011 race report.) Or I can save you the time and sum it up with one pic.

*That sucks

I am happy to report that 2012 was much different, I went much faster, left with all the skin on my body, and shared the race with great people.  I must first say thank you to some special people.

*Leanne, Amanda, and Jodi

Thank you to Jodi, and her friend, Amanda, for getting up at 5am to come to the race, it was great to have them there.  I was lucky enough to convince Jodi to be my arm charm. She was great, it was fun to share the race and have her cheers. :)

*See, arm charm :)

Thank you to Leanne and Jonmark for a fantastic dinner double date, the amazing pictures (Leanne took nearly 200), the cheers, and their motivations to find my run-machine.  Their guidance over the past two months has helped me find my inner run strength.  I was the one who put in the hard work, but they both helped me develop the key workouts.  It was great to spend time with both of them.

A big thank you to Kevin and Anne for sharing in the adventures, it was great to spend more special moments with Kevin and Anne.

*Kevin contemplating something.

*Mr. and Mrs.

It was nice that my friends, Taylor and Ayla, could attend another race with me.  They are fun to race with.  They both cleaned up with awards by the way.

Rob and Trina, like always, treated me like the 3rd child and took care of me with lodging, food, and generosity.  

*It's about time I post a pic of Trina and Rob, this is from the wedding rehearsal.

*Trina made her special pasta salad, delicious!

 Rob gave me a ride in his 2013 Ford Mustang.  The car is amazing.  Until last Saturday I never understood American muscle cars and why people like them.  After a ride in the Mustang and feeling the power, the stiffness of the chassis, and the acceleration, I get it.  It's American Muscle, it's awesome.  

A really cool side note, the car's color is "Grabber Blue." As I understand, this is the same color of car that Rob had when he first started dating Trina.

*This is what I look like next to the car

*This is what I look like in the car

*This is what I look like with the wind in my hair

*Rob use to drive race cars, I can see that.

It was these people, and many more, who made the trip so fantastic.  I wouldn't trade my time with any of them.

*Podium Pals

As much as we tried to drill each other into the ground, it was nice to compete with Drew, Brian, and the rest of the competitors.