Ten & tradition!

Ten! On a scale from 1-10, I am often rated as such but this time I'll give it to the weekend. In fact, today is all that-10/10-10! However, the weekend began yesterday & for some (not me), includes tomorrow (Columbus day); happy Columbus day. Traditionally, George & I go together to compete in the publix du championship; this was kept intact (tradition).

Saturday morning agenda-adva 5k

Before any main event, I need a tune up race; this was it. I haven't done this race in a few years due to its proximity (Delray). I remember that the post race was quite good but the awards were not (medals). In fact, I remember not getting one on the same day due to some snafu & waited weeks to get it in the mail. The weather was nice for the start but the temperature was rising quickly as the race progressed. I was barely in the top ten at the start but gradually, as people fell off, I advanced until ultimately I was third. My time could have been better, but without being pushed, I felt no need to 'kill' myself when I knew I had a championship on the line the next day. After George & I got our awards & bit of rest, off we went to Tradition.

Saturday agenda continues

Once we arrived, we picked up our packets, secured lodging then off to Cici's for carbo loading. I was aware of an evening 5k but made no plans for it. It is difficult for me to turn down a race so....

Saturday evening agenda-publix 5k

George was saying that he was gonna pass on this race. I was thinking, 'yeah, right'. Guess who was correct? I told him my plan was to run this easy, especially since the quality & quantity is typically low and the fact that the real race would be the next day. I stuck to this plan until the last half mile, where some youngster forced to me to move faster in order to defend my position. I was the 3rd overall runner but the results will show 4th by including a hand cycle athlete. George was 16th overall with his age group win. Unlike me, he ran the best he could. I usually avoid these 5ks due to the cost & the award (generic medal) but got caught up in the moment.

Sunday morning agenda-race!

I passed on the following events to conclude the publix duathlon series:

a. down2earth trail run (5k/10k/half)
b. the bare dare 5k (land o lakes, Fl)
c. girls wanna run 5k (women only)

As previously mentioned, traditionally, George & I go together to compete in the publix du championship; this was kept intact (tradition). This year, the race was held in-tradition! It's a town in port saint Lucie. Once again, the weather was cool but even better the wind subsided. This allowed for the debut of my disc wheel. This turned out to be an amazing event for me. The first mile was long, so my time appeared pathetic. My overall position barely made the top 25. The bike, however, was the best ever, almost clocking a 23 average. Despite that, it ranked 17, allowing me to advance a bit. During the latter stages, Lisa (the overall female) & I traded places but she edged me out with an aggressive move in the dismount area. With that & my poor transitioning, she was a country mile in front but still visible. Fortunately, by the grace of God, I felt strong & was steadily closing in on her. It took 2 1/2 miles to catch her, then I took over. Praise the Lord, I made the dirty dozen & beat all women in the process. Post race refreshments were superb but with no hot meal, 4 stars. We got a medal for the race but series winners also got a curved glass plaque. With elite missing, I won my age group for the series.