Go Heat!

Unless you are oblivious to current events, we all know the Miami Heat are the 2006 NBA champions. Despite struggling against teams with better records, this team was just that- a team 15 strong! All had the desire & the fire to win. Although others may doubt you, you must exude with confidence in order to win. Just as they did that, so do I in individual competition & any team in which I associate.

This weekend was the start of two series races-the Dreyer park night 5k series & the Mack cycle triathlon trilogy. Both consist of 3 races with overall points determining the winner of the series. Although it is possible to win in the series without winning in the individual events (placing 4th), that most certainly would not be satisfying & reduces that chance of placing.

Saturday agenda-Dreyer park 5k series, 7 pm start

I spent more on gas than to register for the event just to be in the series & support my buddy, Dave Ragsdale, known for being in charge of the Florida Sports magazine. To honor the NBA champs, I dressed in Miami heat gear. It was hot & very humid but by the grace of god, I was able to perform well despite that. However, I missed winning the master's title by 5 seconds & I fell to 1st place in my age group. Although results were available in only 5 minutes from the overall finisher, the awards ceremony dragged on so long, I had to leave without my plaque so that I could attempt to get some rest for the next day. Besides that, this place is located deep in west palm beach & I live south of Kendall (deep south), well over an hour to nearly 2 hour drive.

Sunday agenda-Mack cycle triathlon trilogy series, 7:30 am start

Reminiscent of the Miami heat last year, one of my starters- the swimmer was down (sick) but I already made arrangements a week in advance with my savior from last time (i.u. from the last tri). When I got home around 11:15 pm & checked my messages, I found out that my other starter- the biker- got sick & would not be able to compete; he called around 9 pm when I was still at the long-winded award ceremony. I had scramble to change my gear & prepare to ride & run (double duty); so much for getting rest. Morning came, I met up with swimmer & asked if she'd run instead of me because she'd at least have about a half hour of rest then set up my bike when someone I know & competed against last year, showed up & volunteered to cycle. Since it's best to have 3 on the team, I agreed. As team captain, I have to make sure the team is prepared, so I had to inform the swimmer of the change & relieve her of the stress of having to do another event. Now with 3 fresh bodies, we were able to put together a winning effort. Although we actually placed 2nd by 23 seconds, much like the mavericks, that team was caught violating a USAT rule & was penalized. We made them pay like the Miami heat did to Dallas & overcame to take the title.

1 down, 2 to go for the series, both of them. Go Heat!

Road trip

Due to the accident caused by a taxi driver, I had to go out of town (Sarasota) in order the meet the minimum requirement to be in the ESM duathlon series. I dreaded the trip because I knew that I'd have to leave directly from work & would arrive there near midnight. Since it's not feasible to pay between $100 to $200 for less than 5 hours sleep, I had to rest uncomfortably in my little car; this also means I'd be less than 100 % for the event.

Luckily, the runs were no major problem, considering the circumstances. The challenge was overcoming equipment failure (bike gear slippage), particularly at the beginning of the ride, in addition to dealing with the wind & the fact that traffic was not stopped during the race. Fortunately, I was able to meet the challenge and place in my category despite losing 5 positions (overall) due to this.

I'd like to share this quote from Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), an American author & motivationalist, that I received at work : "people rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing".

Triple Header

This is the multi-sport athlete's dream come true. I was disappointed there were no events on Saturday but very happy with yesterday (Sunday).

Morning agenda-Multirace triathlon 7 am in north broward

This was race #3 of the S. FL triathlon series. Our starter for the swim (ew) has been under the weather for the past 2 weeks. After going through several people, a top-notch athlete (nu) stepped up with just a day's notice (I called fri nite). She normally runs & do duathlon & triathlons solo and wins either overall or in age group but agreed to be a part of a team for her first time to help out. Thanks to her, the team did not have to forfeit & also, placed, advancing further in the series. We won the co-ed relay division despite the rain & wind.

Afternoon agenda-NW track & field classic 10 am in north Miami

Not normally my forte but I entered nevertheless. I was disappointed with the organization & management because they were too quick to postpone events due to the weather & too slow to start back. My first event, the 3000 meter run, was scheduled to start at 11:30 but didn't go off until about 2 and a half hours later. Naturally, the field was smaller because not everybody could or would wait so long. In fact, I had to forfeit 2 (1500 meter & 400 meter runs) of the 4 events I registered for because of this. I could not made it to the next race had I not left at around 5 after the 800 meter run. One bright spot was that I improved on my 800 meter by nearly 15 seconds from last year.

Evening agenda-Twilight 5k 7 pm in south Miami

Considered the last real race of the 2005-06 running season, it was also my last racewalk of the season. This was one of my toughest. Until the last mile, it was a three way tie & battle among the men. The guy who won the race has won umpteen times in a row. The one I was after was a new comer who simply outwalked me but in the process brought me to a new personal best time. In this event, rain was not the factor but instead high humidity.

For all events, the post race refreshments were disappointing. The best of the worst was at the last event. The only event that had an official awards ceremony in which I obtained hardware ( I got something in each one) was the first. Keep up the training!