Trick or treat

Happy Halloween. The ghoolish weekend was full of tricks & treats!

Friday agenda-knights of fright 5k

Trick! Due to inclement weather all day, I opted to cancel my trip after work to the Fl. west coast to due this one the next day.

Saturday agenda-Halloween 5k

Trick! Because of the 2 hour drive required to get there (N. Palm beach), I decided to mitigate my (financial) damages. Instead, I treated myself to rest (from racing) by training. I woke up late, so instead of a light long run, I decided to crosstrain with inline skates. I thought I'd have a peaceful workout but instead landed into 2 crowded, simultaneous events- an army training run & a kid's cross country meet; trick! In light of that, wet ground & the windy conditions, I added a run element, making it a brick workout. I had to weave in & out of foot & vehicle traffic during this workout. Remarkably, many of the young athletes & parents recognized me. I later hung out with camaraderie; treat! The biggest treat was meeting up with Nicole & her mom, plus a former co-worker & family. By the way, the trophies for the winners were big & nice!

Sunday agenda-spooktacular 5k

Treat! I actually entered this one after being forced to miss it for at least the last 2 years. Usually, the GFLRRC events receive mixed opinions due to their unique awards, sometimes causing the field to be less competitive. I'll be the first to tell you that this was not the case, at least in the master division. In order to capture this title, I had to beat Walthon, a top master runner, after he had a substantial lead for 2 miles. The trick is, how do I do that? Considering my performance last week, I had to pray I placed somewhere, even age group, because other rivals showed up. Due to the overcast conditions, the cooler weather assisted me in performing well. In the early stages of the race, I was about 15th position, but thanks to God, I was able to advance to 6th overall; treat! I had to earn the master title by overcoming a deficit of 2 or 3 slots in that division. When you check the results, you'll see that only seconds separated us, one guy I knew & the other I didn't. This was about a 3-4 star flash race. The award was decent but definitely holiday oriented. The treat for me was being just below the mid 18's.

Steps

Read on to decipher the title.

Saturday agenda #1-steps to independence 5k

The steps to independence 5k was timed by Accuchip. This race was in Broward county & began 7 am. Although the quantity (of participants) were low, the quality of those who competed made this a tough one. Even though I was in the top ten (7th) overall, I was fortunate to get 3rd master. That's means that at least 3 at or above my age were faster. Upon conclusion, I had about 5-10 minutes of recovery, then I had to pack up & go to next 5k. Fortunately, George picked up the medal for me.

Saturday agenda #2-1 step at a time 5k

I preregistered for this inaugural race in hopes of a better event. Since it started at 8:30, my crazy mind decided it was plausible to complete a double header. The runs weren't the challenge, but getting from one to another was. It was an overcast day & this event was in Palm beach county. Fortunately, I was smart enough to pre-register, thereby reducing loss of time. By the grace of God, I made it in time to begin. I failed to break 19 in both races; bummer. Since no master title was offered, I had to settle for top age group. I like the plaque that was awarded.

Sunday agenda-save the troops triathlon

This was known as the last sprint triathlon of the year. Title was adjusted out of respect to the troops, even allowing them to compete overseas & have that count here. Naturally, I dressed accordingly. The swimmer did as expected (top 3 women). Gene did wonderfully in lieu of Aaron & posted the fastest run time of all relays, 6th overall. They stepped up to the plate. Due to the wind, I was reduced by minutes to my normal riding time. Luckily, it met the average of the co-ed teams. We placed 3rd, behind two professional teams-#1 had the best swimmer (Ft Lauderdale Aquatics) & #2 had the fastest cyclist (Downtown bicycles, a sponsor). We were the first non pro team. This one had the best amenities ever for any event they hosted thusfar this year.

Thursday agenda-Waterford 5k

After all the running, I decided to racewalk since, like a 10k, there are only a handful that give out awards. I literally had to get to stepping. I was tempted to switch to the run by partner Mike, but I stuck to my original plans. When the dust cleared, I was third overall behind two well established racewalkers, Tim Nichols, winner & also superb runner/triathlete, and local favorite Juan Yanes. Praise the Lord, I was able to get by a jogger to earn my title. The 'crystal' award was nice but I got ripped off of a gift bag/certificate;who ever heard of only the top 2? This would qualify as a flash race with all those giveaways.

Honorable mention

* Good ol' buddy Mike got his PR & placed in the top 5!
* Teammate Gene, also got a PR & placed in the top 10!
* Teammate Caroline, also got a PR & placed in the top 5 women!
* George won his category in all aforementioned 5k's, except #2 because he wasn't there. He made an appearance at the tri & we cooled down on the new course.

Here & there

To quote the USPS, "better late than never". I've been so busy that I haven't been able to compose the blog till now. This one addresses this past weekend (13 & 14). Gotta get it off my chest before I begin this weekend. The title refers to proximity. Dade county is here & Palm Beach is a there.

Saturday agenda-AVDA 5k

This race was for a good cause; I think it stands for Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence. This event represents THERE because it was in Delray. I just missed the top 3 slots by seconds but fortified the master division. This was a great flash race, 5 star with the pancakes.

Sunday agenda-race for the kids 5k

This race also supported a cause-fundacion manos del sur to help hispanic kids. This event represents HERE because it was in Key Biscayne. This run drew more than double the previous day, plus a faster field. Despite running much faster, I missed the master title by about the same margin I beat my own time from the day prior. Imagine, I was 12th overall with a much better time.

Both races featured high winds & cooler than usual temperature due to the clouds; Saturday, however, was more humid.

Honorable mention

* Michael Nunez, elite triathlete, set his personal best with better than a mid 18
* Gene, a relay partner ran well but didn't place due to the quantity of quality runners in his age group (Jon W displaced from overall).

Columbus weekend

Well, like Christopher Columbus, I made some discoveries by accident.

Saturday agenda-Publix duathlon

This was the final race of the series, both triathlon & duathlon. The championship race was held at Cypress gardens in Winter Haven, Fl. The day prior, I discovered that we (George & I) were heading into a severe thunderstorm, where many bolts struck to close we jumped out of instinctive fear. The light was so bright that for 1-2 seconds, I literally could not see. Fortunately, God was my co-pilot & we arrived safely. Due to conditions, the race director decided that anyone less than 20 years old would not be allowed to swim (forced to be duathletes). Therefore, instead of being 3rd overall, I had to settle for 5th. The 1st run was cut short, the opposite of the Ft. Lauderdale, the bike was competitive enough (rolling hills) but add the wind factor to it & then the closeout (5k run)! After finishing, I discovered that George did not get an award for this race (battle) because he was penalized for cutting the course due to poor signage. In fact, 10 others were DQ'd under the same pretense. However, we both did well & won in our respective divisions, in regards to the series (war). 4 star flash race (1 star removed due to lack of hot food this year).

Sunday agenda-Dunns run 5k

I discovered that after a long drive & sleeping at a friend's house (big help), I was not race ready to do this one. If that friend hadn't helped, I would have been much worse because after dropping off George late, I'd have to drive back home, then back up north in just a few hours. Plus, she surprised me with a nice meal. Part of the fatigue was having to go against high crosswinds, near category 1 force & over a bridge & a hill in the last mile versus the wind! I, unfortunately, logged in a similar bad time as last week, but much like last week, I discovered that I could still win despite that. Lucky for me,most of the heavy weights did the 5 miler, increasing my odds. I was able to win the master title thanks to Luiz Souza, a master so fast he won the race. Jon got 2nd overall but no such title was awarded. By the grace of God, the guy who beat me by 3 seconds was a submaster, allowing me to finish in 4th, despite all odds.

So, Chris discovered America & I discovered a lot about the mystery of racing!