Birthday blast

Meaning I had a blast leading up to & through the weekend. On Friday, the 13th, at work, my co-workers recognized my birthday & gave me a cake that said 'marathon man'. I then visited family & had to go quickly in order to train & prepare for the race weekend. Fortunately, it was not a day of bad luck.

Saturday agenda-tour of the Gables 5k

On this day, I officially advanced to sophomore in my age group because, as Luther Campbell said in one of his raunchy songs, "it's your (my) birthday". I was registered to run this event but changed to the walk division at last moment due to the following reasons: 1. did not feel up to par in regards to running, 2. wanted to conserve power/energy for next day's race, 3. felt I had the chance to out right win the event. This day felt like Friday the 13th. Why? 1. I would have placed 1st in my age group for the first time ever this millennium in this particular race, 2. My walk time was below par, similar to the fear I had regarding the run, 3. I got ripped off of the overall title by a jogger registered as a walker & had to settle for age group. Due to this unfortunate circumstance, I ended up with the same award I would have gotten by running- a gold medal;I consoled myself with that & promised not to switch on the upcoming race. I made the decision partly because no master title was offered.

Sunday agenda-FAU wellness triathlon

I kept wanted to do this but it seemed something always came up. I almost missed it again due to trouble finding a swimmer but someone stepped up. I knew her from volunteering with the GFLRRC organization & she gave me a time range regarding her ability. Like a blind date, you don't know what to expect so as a precaution, I had to get a great cyclist; Mike performed admirably. This day was overcast & quite windy plus the ocean was unforgiving. If you did not have experience, this would be a disaster. My decision to 'rest' the previous day was wise. Cici, the grandmaster swimmer, made the arrangements & did her best to fight the arduous conditions, so much so she was disoriented upon reaching transition. I admire her tenacity because, although was the last swimmer of the mixed teams to come in, she gave her all to the point she fell while trying to get to our cyclist. I am happy to report that she's ok. Mike really wanted to swim & bike but I promised her previously and she was instrumental in getting the team signed up;we paid her after the fact. Our team was behind about 5 minutes & Mike feared we would lose. I tried to console him with the facts of my previous experience with relays & assured him not to worry;the race isn't over until the final member crosses the finish line. He hammered those 10 miles, despite windy conditions and put the team in an usual spot- first! Now, it's my job to ensure we remain that way. Of course, I really don't know what our position is in the middle of the event, so I always assume the worst. I ran like the dickens as if were still behind. Even though I had to deal with a head wind nearly 2 miles plus rolling hills, I pushed hard & fast, accomplishing the rare feat of breaking 19 in a relay. When the dust cleared, our team won by about 6 minutes! Kudos to my teammates. Oh by the way, we discovered this was an all or nothing relay race;only overall in a category got awards. There were 15 total teams & we beat them all, including 2 confirmed all male teams; 5 were in our category. This was a flash event. Great amenities but short with energy/replenishment drinks.They had so much, they starting giving away boxes of stuff. Now, I don't have a shortage of sweets this week. The awards were disappointing (frame with a picture of swimmers from last year's event) & no finisher medals plus only overall for relays. Also, it took long to start the ceremony & no splits were posted on-site. We felt somewhat sorry for the guys behind us, who had the top swimmer in our category, 2nd of all relays. To their credit, splits were online the same day, a stark contrast from how they have handled some previous events.

Honorable mention

Nicky (future relay partner) won female overall at the tour.
Jonathan placed 2nd overall at the tour, but only overall was recognized.
Mike placed third at the tour & helped team win overall at FAU.
Louis N. completed the FAU tri.