2008

Happy new year! Yes, I did do a 'final' skate of the year, using most of Niketown's path. I met up with the 'old' or original Nike friends, old because the friends are infrequent to the 'club'. Earl & Barbie came from their 'new' home in Ohio;they have a valid excuse. The others don't. From there, I closed out the year (2007) with the new Nike friends. The party was hosted by elite friend Mike. He had 80 percent of all the tables, a live performer & some of the local legends-Boris, Manny, Edmundo-among others. I met much of his family, as well.

Now, what you've been waiting for-the top 3 Eastwood awards. Well, anyway, based on a certain movie.

Top 3 good, bad, ugly individual moments:

The good

1. I completed the ABC(2) self imposed challenge.
2. I won two series, summer 5k series (3 oa) & publix du elite champ.
3. I qualified for New York marathon at Naples half with PR(broke 1:30).
The bad

1. Got caught in rain for 2 marathons, Miami & A1A.
2. I did not place for the 2nd time at the Marti Gras 5k.
3. I lost my only chance to win a 5k & a 10k due to lactic acid leg lockup (2 oa).

The ugly

1. Caught hypothermia when after 2 hours, the freezing rain poured.
2. I was forced to forfeit entry (1st non-injury forfeiture in my history) in the rock 'n roll marathon due to AA snafu.
3. I sustained an injury (calf) upon a turn around in a 5k; had to compete next day.

Top 3 good, bad, & ugly team moments:

The good

1. Du Tri Harder wins the S. Fl triathlon & duathlon series, plus the Key biscayne trilogy series.
2. Third time was a charm for St. Anthony's & escape to Miami triathlons.
3. 2 all or nothing team victories-FAU tri & marathon of Palm beaches.

The bad

1. I missed team action at Miami man for the 1st time since its inception.
2. ace swimmer Stef moved out of Florida (good for her, but not for team) due to job advancement.
3. despite an all star cast, the makeshift 4x100 relay team I was involved with at bikila track meet did not win.

The ugly

1. original St. Anthony team disbanded when cyclist quit because her handpicked swimmer 'wimped out', leaving me stranded.
2. first tri of series, swimmer arrived late due to accident on highway, forcing cyclist to swim 'just in case'. Both swam well, but team failed to get top slot; we did place.
3. calamity at escape to Miami- team penalized to due cyclist's argument with ref, plus I suffered from apparent heat exhaustion.