This blog was ported over from bellrunning.blogspot.com:
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).
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).
