Christmas in July

Well, since I'm running out of titles, this will due. The 25th is an unofficial, commercially created holiday & it follows this weekend. It seems appropiate because I feel like my team & I received the gift of exercise from God. Furthermore, our efforts were rewarded by being able to place. Thank you, Lord.

Saturday agenda-hot to trot 5k

This event was very special to me because:

1. My brother came with me & showed up for the first time to a 5k road race.
2. I brought my camcorder & he was willing to record.
3. Teammate JM (lead runner of relay team Du Tri Harder, the 2006 duathlon relay champion) surprised me by coming upon my advice, plus his father was with him. This was a wise decision because he won the race!
4. I was able to place 9th overall & earn the master's title despite the weather & the fact I was about 20th at start.

This was not the race to set records. To make the 5k, it required 3 loops. It was hot & humid plus the course was mostly narrow paths that were riddled with twists & turns. So much so, that I missed the final turn to the finish & lost to someone I know (CW), who was so desperate to stay in front of me (he was in the top 3 at start of race) that he started blocking in the last mile when he dropped back to my pace. When I checked the results, I discovered he was running bandit, indicating this was a pride issue to him (he's younger than me). For me, I was content to let to him play his game because I was out of top 3 contention & needed only to secure my own division. Sometimes, it's better to run smarter, not harder.

This one had the poorest post race ammenties. They had only bagels & coffee, none of which I like. Awards were less than stellar. Despite awarding to the top 3 overall, only the overall male (luckily, my teammate JM got this) & female received trophies. There was only top master (I thank god I got it) and first place in age group (this penalized 2 kid friends of mine, JT & SN) when normally it's 3. Also, no T-shirts but the CSPRR staff made up for this by giving me a club tank, which I used the next day to help promote them.

On the plus side, this race was inexpensive in comparsion to other races & had the quickest results posting I have ever seen. The awards ceremony went off so fast from the final finisher that I had no time to change to dry clothes, as I traditionally do. It is well run & I plan on doing the next one.

Sunday agenda-race 2 of Mack cycle triathlon trilogy

This event was also special because:

1. The swimmer (EW) was still on board with the team & placed 4th among the co-ed relays plus did better than last year.
2. This was my first time cycling in competition in Key Biscayne. I was able to help the team advance 1 position plus my time was better than that of the cyclist (RS) of last year.
3. JM (winner of hot to trot 5k) ran in my stead so that I could fill the void left when the biker quit. He improved on last year's run time that was set by yours truly & helped advance the team to its final position, despite having to start under a huge deficit.
4. We (Triple Teem) finished second, only to the store bought team. Runner's depot can afford to pay the best to compete. The owner (RG) was a pretty good swimmer plus she purchased the services of a great cyclist (I hammered hard & lost by only 2:20) & a champion kenyan runner to guarantee a victory because last year, Triple Teem beat them.
5. All the times of last year were beaten by our efforts of this year.

I was involved in relay action this race, our division- co-ed. Because the cyclist quit, I, as team captain, had to make adjustments. Luckily, I cross-train on the bike so I accepted that role on the team & recruited a better runner (JM, a proven success) to take my spot. Although disappointed we didn't win, I was pleased we placed & performed well under the circumstances. I was excited because the was my first time riding as part of team in Key Biscayne, home of the dread Rickenbacker causeway.

As team captain, sometimes tough decisions have to be made. Because we did not win, I was considering replacing the cyclist (myself) with someone who could ride about 4 minutes faster & sit out the final race of the trilogy in the best interest of the team. However, after speaking with JM & crunching the numbers, I realized that we still would have finished in the same position plus I would miss out on being a part of the winning team (we can still win the series). Therefore, the team will remain intact.

The event offered decent post race ammenties & posted results relatively quick. The awards ceremony started faster than expected, as well.

In conclusion, the swimmer EW happily accepted her gift. JM & I proudly accepted our presents and we all give thanks to our father up above. Merry Christmas (in July)!