Independence day

Been so busy, but like a mailman, better late than never. This day was ever so popular for both athletes & non-athletes alike. The latter probably got up late, barbecued or went to a beach & then stayed up late to watch fireworks. The former includes yours truly. I got up early to exercise (compete in a race) and the day went by so fast, I had no time for BBQ & fireworks.

The athlete's day of freedom & fireworks meant being free to do an event, & performing well was tantamount to fireworks. Two friends of mine, C.C. & T.M., did America's largest 10k- Peachtree -in Georgia. Well, I couldn't afford to leave Florida & didn't want to disappoint my teammates, J.M. & J.J., of the co-ed duathlon relay team-Du Tri Harder. We competed in multirace's season finale of the duathlon series. It also was a USAT duathlon grand prix series race and qualifier (for individuals) for the short course duathlon world championship in Gyor, Hungary. It was multirace's largest attendance in history for their du series. J.M. started off the race & was the overall runner in the start run leg with a 5 minute flat pace. Our cyclist, J.J., began as overall cyclist but got passed by 1 person as she struggled to clip in on the bike. Remarkably, she lost only 1 slot & was still the first overall female. Upon return, she came in with the top two individual female competitors even though slipping to 20th position. Last but not least, I was my turn to anchor. With some encouragement from the lead runner, I managed a personal best pace of 5:32 and helped the team advance back to 11th overall position. The next nearest team was about 6 minutes in the hole, a virtually insurmountable deficit. We entered into the event as the leaders & our record performance kept that intact. I was pleased with the addition of J.M. to the team & hope to work with both teammates next year.

Honorable Mention

Actually, this independence day marked a one year anniversary since we (J.J., du team cyclist)met & she has made an impact on my life, as well versus the other teams. She is quite competitive & willing to participate in many events. I was able to spend time with the family of the cyclist & possibly encourage a younger generation to enter the realm of multi-sport; only time will tell.

Next weekend will mark a one year anniversary since I met Samantha Cooper, a professor, while doing an ancillary event (skating). While I was in the wings waiting for my team, she started her first ever duathlon. I was confident she could do it but she wasn't sure until she did; congrats to her for finishing what she started. Amazingly, she placed in that effort.

I am proud of all my friends for competing & completing, whether in individual competition, like Ms. Cooper, or team, as my buddies, J.M., fellow faster runner & J.J., cyclist & aspiring swimmer. Keep up the good work.