Multisport payoff

Remember the circumstances last time? Well, my actions paid off!

Friday agenda-Publix 5k

I listed this FYI. ESM actually held a 5k on Friday nite but I got off work at the same time it started, so therefore I forewent that event. The best I would have gotten would be an age group medal. The worst would be premature injury or fatigue from running in the sand. Granted, I normally would to prepare for the next day & hoped for this last year, remember that I'm still nursing that plantar thing.

Saturday agenda-Publix Powerade duathlon

It rained over night making for wet ground & for deadly heat & humidity. I went head to head against Caroline in the du & beside Jenny C in the tri, both have served on a relay in the past. The latter, was scheduled to do such the next day. ESM held the triathlon, the only event they host that they actually care about, in addition to the du, kid's du & an open water mile swim. My beef with ESM is that they make it obvious that the du is like a 2nd class citizen, failing to announce even the overall winner, much less all the other saps who paid to participate. Anyway, after the 1st run, I managed to be in 5th place. I got passed on the bike by many on the way up & caught 2 on the way back. On the last run, I got past all but the top 4. In the final mile, I managed to get by this one youngster who had my number in the 1st 2 stages, to capture 3rd overall, top elite. I consider this one like the last of the playoffs & now prepare to head for the super bowl (championship race) on top. I am in good standing, such that I don't even have to win the battle (individual race) to win the war (series). However, my great performance came with a price. I was suffering from heat exhaustion & basically struggled with fatigue & headache for the rest of the day. This was a 4 star event, losing a star for not providing the veggie & regular burgers of the past.

Sunday agenda-Multirace triathlon

Multirace hosted the novice reverse tri yesterday, & although I love it, I forewent that event for obvious reasons. Today, GFLRRC hosted the fall fling 5k, but unfortunately, for the 2nd year in a row, I had to miss that to honor my commitment to the team & the tri series. Most were afraid of my doing the du yesterday, thinking it would affect my performance. They were right but in the wrong way. For most, an event the day prior has an adverse effect. For me, the 'tune-up' is required for optimal performance the next day. I was able to enlist the best female swimmer I've ever had on any relay team (Jenny C.) , plus an Olympian (K.C.) who posted the fastest bike time at trilogy #1. They both performed as expected, putting the pressure on me to represent, despite my injury. I woke up with pain in both feet, uh oh! I had no plans on quitting because ya'll know I do try harder! I just feared letting down the team. Fortunately, God came through & I was able to post the fastest run time of the day (by seconds)! The team's combined time was the fastest overall, setting a new personal best in regards to relay action. The closest was 4th, but do to a penalty, we got bumped to 10th (du in Feb). With the top 10 female swim time, the top cycle time & run time, nobody could match up, an unusual but great feeling. No stars amenities, having only the bare necessities: drink & a food. Accelerade & water were the liquids. Bagels for food. We were lucky to get T-shirts, as no goody bags were available. Du tri harder is in a good position in this series. One more race is required to qualify. Weather was better today, but it still got hot & humid. The 3.3 mile course was cut in half, forcing me to run faster in order to represent.

Honorable mention

* Noticeably missing, good friend Mike Nunez, recovering from a set back. Look for his come back!
* Although he didn't compete, Louis showed up as an unofficial photographer & basically picked the right time to chronicle the team of Du Tri Harder. Kudos.
* George McCuen placed 1st at both du events .
* I would've placed high at the fall fling 5k under the over-the-hill category despite the competition.