Cupid & Stupid

This title is derived from the ever popular cliche, "hindsight is 20/20". Stupid refers to a questionable decision after the fact and cupid indicates a wonderful occurrence.

Saturday agenda- publix family fitness weekend duathlon & triathlon

Ever since its inception in 2004, I have competed in the duathlon series & had no intention of stopping this year nor will I next year. To appease fellow athletes, I decided to form a team (Du Tri Harder) for the triathlon so that they may enjoy the benefits of the event & have a chance to become champions & walk away with hardware (awards). I say this because I have already committed to the south Florida triathlon series (sfts, which is still in progress) & the key Biscayne triology series (repeat champs) with team Triple Teem, featuring a teammate (EW) who has, thus far, lasted nearly 2 seasons with me. I have no plans on cutting or replacing (unless requested or by injury) a fellow teammate, especially within in season. A smart coach or team captain knows that you don't fix what aint broke (would be stupid);we have a good combination (cupid). Unfortunately, the swimmer (JG) of this team got injured so the cyclist (JJ) assumed two roles while I would run.

After completing the first run of the duathlon (5th overall) and the bike in decent time, I returned to transition with a big decision to make on the fly. In race #2, I waited for the cyclist (perhaps struggling that day) to come in. The swimmer, healthy at the time, commented that I could've done the whole duathlon & still make it back in time for the handoff. When I reviewed the results, she was right. So, I decided to continue & completed the du, placing second in my category. As I ran through the finish & attempted to enter the transition, I was delayed by dumbfounded race official, squandering valuable time. When I met up with the cyclist, I was met with hostility because this time, she performed exceedingly well by actually training intensely and was in transition for quite a while. She had pushed so hard, she fell off bike & injured herself & I could see that as I was trying to reach for the chip. However, the discouraging words (stupid) did not help for team morale & also squandered more valuable time (stupid) as she did not make chip available immediately. Now, I have to worry about all that happened & that further diminished by performance, which was up to that point, stellar. I finally completed the 5k for the team & after some time for both of us to recover, she later apologized for her actions & has been forgiven. My decision yesterday (stupid) was based on the past performances of the first two relays, in which she did not perform as expected & I lost time in my event. My dad said my choice really was not stupid since it was done based on past performance, a common technique utilized by coaches of major teams & until this event, has been effective but of course, there's that hindsight. What was disappointing for me is that it did not advance my position in the du & for the team, we could've been first (I admit she was right). What I failed to do was to take into account the external factors of the day- high wind & the fact that the run was totally in the sand (stupid). That, coupled with the race volunteer & the disparaging words made the second run unusually difficult. The end result, however, was as I expected. When I came into transition, I made an observation of how many teammates were waiting & calculated that we could place even if I continued (cupid); this came to pass as we placed 2nd in the co-ed division (cupid). The only real drawback (stupid)was relinquishing a slot and increasing the work load upon myself (I wound up doing a 10k equivalent final run). Fortunately, no team qualifies to take the series, the utimate goal! This race proved to many, including myself, that I am actually a human & capable of making mistakes. For this reason, I'll never cut a teammate for a mistake (a recommendation I have been given many times by many people) but rather consider that if it is habitual. I am wishing a speedy recovery to both teammates so that we may enjoy the fruits of victory in the championship coming up in two weeks.

Sunday agenda- shark shuffle 5k

Today was the only local race for runners only this weekend, therefore most people were fresh & ready to run. Mr. multsport athlete, however, was still a bit tight (for obvious reasons) and tired (quite a drive to get to race). Many saw this as an opportunity to knock me off my pedestal. There were nearly 300 in attendance & with my physical state, this was a fair assumption. When the buzzer when off, I was in thirty-ish position. Luckily, many started dropping like flies but to my dismay, I had 3 other master runners with me. Until mile 2, we were in a master pack, all vying for the elusive master title. Events of ayer began passing through my mind. I had to dig down deep & recall my resiliency. At this time, my mental state excelled & translated into my physical state. I was able to surpass my immediate threats by focusing on 2 athletes more than half my age. Finally, I made a sound decision (cupid)! That boosted the times of all involved as one of those kids came back to thank me for 'pulling' him in to his normal or possibly best time. We all placed in our respective divisions by breaking 19 minutes & beat out great master runners for the master title. Fortunately, they went three deep so a teammate of mine (DK of premier running) also captured a place in the master division. Since there were four us, obviously, one (different team) fell to age group but won that division. Many runners were as surprised as I that I could bounce back like that after yesterday. My surprise was moreso accomplishing my goals despite all odds rather than the fact that I was able to recover from a previous event. Remember, I am a multisport athlete!

All's well that ends well (cupid).

Family triathlon weekend

This weekend, multirace hosted 2 events at CB Smith park. Saturday was the reverse triathlon, actually designed for kids but also catered for novice adults. Sunday was the main event (sprint triathlon) & your performance determined your points in the series.

Saturday agenda: reverse tri

Why would someone like me, a top 10 percentile runner & decent average cyclist, be in an event for kids & novice adults? I answer that with a question, have you seen me swim? This was my rare opportunity to do an entire triathlon, granted another super sprint, all by myself; no teammates. Amazingly, a professional triathlete competed, and naturally, won this event, then caught up with his daughter & helped push her to a victory. Guess what? I was a distant second from him! Well, actually, I wasn't that far from him on the run. It was after that that the gap widened. By the time I headed toward the pool, he was heading for the finish line! Anyway, I managed to survive the 'swim' by a combination of a little swimming & a lot of wading through the water & finished first in my category, second overall.

Sunday agenda- sprint triathlon

I am still affected by the actions of the former cyclist. Teammates I had used before had other plans, so in order not to forfeit, I was stuck with the indubitable task of double duty. Yall know I am aquatically challenged so, therefore you are aware I am a land lover. A team of two was beaten by a team of three, 2 of which were men. Their swimmer was faster the our female swimmer. Their male cyclist concentrated on just that & got me by about 2 minutes, while I also had to contend with the run. My run time was faster than their fresh runner but wasn't enough to eliminate the deficit I faced. Nevertheless, we still found a way to place & added to our enormous lead in the series. Even though the series may be in the bag, my competitive nature does not permit me to be content with an average or worse performance; I will always try to win & hope my teammates feel the same way. I managed to do well on the bike but the fatigue factor decreased my ability to run. Fortunately, it was still the best of all the co-ed relays & I'll have to take satisfaction in that.

Honorable mention

Jonathan Mederos, teammate of duathlon relay champions, Du Tri Harder and replacement runner of defending co-ed relay champions, Triple Teem, won the race (the fall fling 5k) I was forced to miss due to this commitment. He also set his personal best of 16:44. I consider myself blessed to have him run on any team I am associated with. Congratulations!

F.Y.I

Fans of this site, you are on notice. Beginning next month, detailed info will be on beta site, multisportathlete.blogspot.com. For this month, blogs are placed here & then ported over there.

Those who do relay teams & care about splits, forget about sommersports. They have the worst timing I have ever experienced in my entire athletic career (over 15 years). I thought 1 week (last year, trilogy, butter.com) was bad until I did the Huntington tri. To this day, there are still no splits for ANY sprint relay team & they have done a few events since then (nearly 2 month ago).

Look before you leap. Some events have unusual (-ly bad) age group categories or are just fun runs. I got burned a few times this way. Example: In 2003, valentines at track offered normal age groups & I placed 1st age. Last year, I was unable to get race applications, not realizing the reason was conceal the fact they changed the categories & I went from 1st to worst (4th, which is out of contention). I was wise & avoided that event this year; others were too, as I noticed attendance dropped. Another was the boca half. The race application stated age groups & a relay category and indicated 3 deep in all divisions. Once race was over, race director was unhappy with number of entrants & arbitrarily decided to give only to overall, which happened to be members of his racing team, because my partner & I came in second, perhaps by default (seems only that team & us bothered to enter). That's not our fault and I have won in that manner many times in previous races. You don't get many, but nevertheless, they got paid by us for us to participate &, apparently, if more showed up, it would have been awarded.

When I first started running, I barely mentioned the name of the race. Now, I keep records, such as time, place, event, race numbers and sometimes even race applications of events of interest. Example: I have the original ap for the boca race in question & the one for this year, which now clarifies there is only overall. Also, the valentine at track, with normal age groups versus what's online. I tend to plan what I do & where I go, based on certain criterium. The first thing I check for is race conflict. This year I missed my favorite fall fling 5k because of a previous commitment to a series race (always takes precedence). Then, the other factors come to play. If an event is bad enough, I will forego a race for training, a rare occurrence.

See you at the races!

2006-2007 running season starts off with a bang!

2006-2007 running season starts off with a bang! However, not with a gun as usual. I was caught off guard with an unconventional verbal command. The title refers to the end result of today's race.

Speaking of bangs, everyone needs pay homage to the victims of the terrorist attacks of a half decade ago & honor the troops who have served & are still serving to protect our freedom. I was able to run today because I was not at one of the death sites & because the armed forces are out there fighting for us Americans, heck, the world. Tomorrow is the 5 year anniversary of 9/11/01. We will not forget & may not forgive.

Yesterday was training day. I ran with the swimmer (EW) of the 2 time co-ed relay trilogy champions, Triple Teem. We did 6 miles. I followed that by skating 2 1/2 miles to peacock park for a fund raising event for stroke & heart disease called the heart walk. It was a non competitive 5k event. After I completed that, I skated back to where I parked my car. A cummulative of 14 miles of workout!

Sunday agenda-Haulover 5k

This event was hosted by PR racing, popular for attempts to revitalize running in Miami again & timed by multirace. I am fond of both organizations, so this was a good combo to start off the season. This was the first race I've done held at Haulover in this millenium. I remember doing a 5k there in nineteen ninty something. The most memorable was the day after my first overall victory! Today, only 2 people ultimately beat me out of 24o finishers. Although my time was not anything to write home about, placing in the top 3 was satisfying. I set out originally to take the master's title but anytime I can do better, I will. The weather seemed cooler than the norm at start but the humidity was sweltering. As the race progressed, both were equally hot.

Vacation time is over, get out there & run! See you at the races.

Happy labor day!

This was the multisport athlete's worse nightmare- no races in the tri-county area! I, instead was forced to train in less than stellar weather conditions.

The following training schedule was successfully executed:

Saturday agenda- long run

I did the 'tour de 'hood' unknown distance long run. Apty named since the start & finish was my home. I added to my normal 15k route & estimate I did about 12 miles, judging by time/pace. It was cloudy, making for a cooler run but was still quite humid.

Sunday agenda- long ride

No one I contacted was willing to meet for the ride so therefore why waste gas? Similiar to above, I departed from & arrived to homebase. I have 2 bike courses from homebase- North (14 miles & most common) or South (16 miles). For the first time ever, I combined the two!

Today- long roll

Although I did not extend the distance, I was challenged nonetheless. I began under cloudy, dry, & virtually no wind conditions. During the exercise, the weather deteriorated. In mid-roll, it was much more than just cloudy. The rain started pouring, traffic in the park picked up as everyone seemed to leave & it became very windy. I was determined to go the course &, although the time was below my usual average (for obvious reasons), I finished my planned distance nevertheless.

Training is required if I can't race. Unless there is lightning, it will be field (outdoor) training. As consolation, I'll use stationary devices in lieu of nothing. Have fun 1st!