Du tri hard

1st was the du, then was the hard, followed by a tri. Doesn't make sense until you read on.

Saturday morning agenda-Publix series

ESM offers both a triathlon (feature event) and a duathlon; naturally, I chose the latter. Today would be the season opener for both George & I. We come in as defending champions in our respective categories. I started off a bit tired & slightly rusty due to the back injury but did train throughout to maintain some level of fitness. My first run was great, as I was 2nd overall. I did the best I could on the bike but dropped two positions. I hung on in the final run without further loss to win in my category. Although Linda forewent the event, her services as a volunteer were greatly appreciated by all.

Saturday evening agenda-5k

Dubbed the Dreher park dash, it was the only 5k I could find for this weekend, so I anticipated high participation & was not disappointed regarding that. However, due to lightning, the race was first delayed then cancelled (postponed to a later, unspecified date); hard for us avid runners! Although this happened, I agree with that decision because it is still to be held but on another date and for the safety of all participants, not to mention avoid possible legal ramifications.

Sunday agenda-trilogy

This is race #2 of the series. Like ESM, it held both a triathlon (part of the trilogy series) and a duathlon (not). I chose the former as a relay team & my job was on the bike. The team-Du tri harder-return as defending champions. The name is based on my work ethic. I had to secure another runner because last year's selection was not available to compete. Due to construction on the bridge (not the Rick) leading to Crandon, the course was altered. Jenny performed as expected, coming out as the fastest female swimmer (only a male could beat her & that was by mere seconds). The runner struggled with the MIT run course, which is much like narrow cross country paths with rolling hills and failed to break 21; remarkably, that was the 3rd fastest time of 16 co-ed teams. The biggest shocker was with me, especially since the course was different & I had never raced through Virginia key. For the first time I can remember, I had the fastest bike split of all teams and built up enough of a cushion to absorb the dismal run. This is proof positive that all team mates must work hard for the ultimate goal of the victory. Although pleased, I consider ourselves luck to have dodged a bullet considering the runner up team lost due to poor transitioning. Last year, I lost 2nd master because of that at Riviera beach. In any case, we now lead in the series & must maintain this to win.

Du (on Sat) Tri (on Sun) Hard (to take) (missed 5k), got it?

Honorable mention

* Linda completes yet another triathlon, all by herself
* Linda reaches 15 races, perhaps surpassing any previous year already
* George wins his category at both events