Report from Crystal River #1 Triathlon

Triathlon #3 in the books and I am happy to report that, even though I am still in the rear of my group, I am improving somewhat each race, and that was the ULTIMATE goal, even if the progress isn't has quickly as I would hope.

We arrived late on Friday night in the big city of Crystal River, Florida. Reminded me a lot of DeLand/DeLeon Springs area. Full of Mom and Pop establishments and good ol' boys driving trucks sporting Confederate flags, but still a nice, relaxing stay. Did not get to sleep till late, but for once didn't wake up at 1:00 AM with anxiety, so felt pretty rested in the morning. We drove out to the race site after we checked in but couldn't get a good sense of what it looked like. I did get to mentally make some landmark associations for the bike and run, which always helps me.

We woke up at 4:30 because we wanted to get there early since there was no pre-race packet pick up and we wanted to be sure to get decent parking. It went smoothly, and got our numbers quickly, got the bikes tagged, and entered transition to set up. It was open racks, so we got to choose. We grouped our stuff together which made it nicer than we usually have.

After setting up we walked down to the water to see what it was like. It was SO flat and warm it was almost unbelievable. Because of the spring the water was a mix of salt and fresh, so even if you got some in the mouth it was bearable. Made it a nice swim route, and for once I was calm entering the start.

SWIM
As usual I was in the second to last wave of six (3 minutes between each) but for the first time Jennifer and I were in the same wave (they put Athena and Clydesdales together). A nice change of pace entering with a teammate, even though I knew she would pass me eventually. Gun went off at 7:42 and started comfortable and slow. Got to the first buoy quicker than I expected and had to switch quickly as I kept swimming. Corrected myself and headed to the turn back buoy with the current. When I turned back to the beach I should have sited better because the current got me and took me North. I had to completely turn around to get back on course which cost me at least a minute, but all in all was my best swim so far. Does wonders for my psyche. :)  (9:08)


T1
Relatively quick for me, so I am getting better. Starting to learn a few tricks in getting in and out faster. Then  saw a fellow racer we know from the Oronman Store, Jon Leino, whose time was 37 seconds. Cripes. How THE HELL does he do that??? (5:31)


BIKE
A nice flat course, out and back. A few inclines but not too bad. Expected to do A LOT better than I did, but as it was did the same as last week. I caught myself zoning out on the return trip when we started seeing the runners. Got lost in looking at them and the scenery and dropped to 15 mph pace without realizing it. That won't happen on #2 in July, so learned my lesson. Also overloaded the gel carrier on bike and could get it opened. Another lesson learned. Drank well during the ride and paced for stretched at 18-20 mph, so it was better, even if it didn't show in the time. (59:48 / 15.2 mph pace)


T2
Uneventful. In and out fast. Could still be faster. Legs felt better than they have in the last two coming off bike, but still not fully there. (3:15)


RUN
Same issue as the last two. It takes me half the race to get my legs back, then I am fine, but by that time my pace and time is so far gone I can't make it up. I am entering the training phase with TNT for the Disney Half Marathon in October, so maybe the run's while get easier. I also need to do more running off the bike in training. I have a month to work on it before next race. Overall time was better, but it was 1/10th shorter course. (48:13 / 16:04 pace)


Total Time 2:05:55


As usual, here are some pictures to end it with:

Flat as Glass and Bath Water Warm. Just like I want it. :)

Jennifer and me after the race at Team Psych tent

With Team Psych founder Mark Davis

Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant. Love it. 

Love the marshes here

For once I look decent. No belly showing in this one like the one above thank God. 

When Does it End??

Allow me a moment to vent a little about some things that are going on in my life that have nothing to do with training and the races. As most of you know I have been out of work for awhile now (January 2011). I have had little to no luck with call backs or interviews, despite sending out a minimum of 15 resume's a day and being well qualified for those I have applied to. I continually get the "over qualified" answer, if I get any answer at all.

This afternoon I received two calls. The first one was so garbled all I could do was say "I'm sorry I can't understand what you are saying due to the connection. Please give me a call back." Of course .... no call back. The next I got from HSBC here in Brandon looking for a Business Analyst for a 5 month contract to work position. Right in my wheel house. I fit all of the requirements perfectly. Then he said "there is a background check required" but that's not a problem. I have no criminal history. Then he says "because it is a financial company there is a credit check". Uh Oh. "You cannot have over $10k in collection status. Will that be a problem?"

Uh...yeah. I've been out of work for 4 months. Of course it's a problem.

He is sending it through anyway because I fit so well, but now I am in a Catch-22. I am in financial trouble due to being out of work, but that is used against me also. Why would this all be happening to me when those that caused this situation for selfish reasons are not having any trouble at all? The light at the end of the tunnel is a huge locomotive and heading right at my head.

Now I get a call from Bank of America Fraud Services telling me that someone called DigitalID.co.uk has tried to charge $2400, then $275, then someone tried $5.95 at a Best Western on my credit card (the only one I still have active). Thank God that was over my limit ... and that BOA caught it.

I hope it ends quick and relatively painless, but the way this is going I'll end up a vegetable in a lower end nursing facility being taken care of by the nurses who did this to me in the first place.

Sorry for the rant ....

Neverisms: A Quotation Lover's Guide to Things You Should Never Do, Never Say, or Never Forget

Amazon.com: Neverisms: A Quotation Lover's Guide to Things You Should Never Do, Never Say, or Never Forget eBook: Mardy Grothe: Kindle Store

This is a GREAT book. Kindle edition is only $9.99. Highly recommend this!

ASICS GEL-Noosa Tri™ 6

ASICS America - Running - Men's Footwear - GEL-Noosa Tri™ 6

About time Asics came up with a Tri Shoe. They were the only shoe I found that had the stability I needed for shin issues, but they are heavy and kind of "clunky", but I love them. I guess Asics heard the grumbling. A design that is kind of cool, definitely stands out, made to be worn barefoot, a sock liner, mesh top. The price ($120) is less than my current wear. I may just have to get these.

Fundraising for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

I am raising funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a participant in their Team In Training program and I'm asking you to help by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. I will be training and running on the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon on October 1, 2011. Please use the link in this blog entry to donate online quickly and securely plus learn more about my progress.  You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.
 
http://pages.teamintraining.org/sun/diswine11/jharris0gs
 
Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Nearly 958,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers.  I am hoping that my participation in Team In Training will help bring them hope and support.
 
On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support.  I greatly appreciate your generosity.

Report from Madeira Beach Triathlon

We went up the day before to save some travel time Sunday morning, and to get packets early. It was a good move as we saw parking being a BIG issue, and because we were half a mile from the starting line we just walked up the morning of the race. We also got in a practice swim at 4 PM Saturday. Waves were rough and the current pushing you to shore were pretty strong, BUT the water was warm and getting my face in and doing 10-20 strong strokes seemed to work. Here is a video after the swim. I know it doesn't look too bad on the video, but it was worse in the water than it appears.

I woke up at 1 AM and couldn't get back to sleep so laid there until the alarms went off at 4. I did NOT want to get out of bed, but training partners made me get up, and I am glad they did. My gut was doing flip flops, nervous about the swim as usual, but I got up, threw on my Tri Suit, grabbed my transition back pack and bike, and headed toward the starting line.

We did not get timing chips the day before with the race packets, so had to fight through everyone to find the right one before getting marked. Not very smart on their part. Headed over to get marked (both arms, front of both thighs, and age on the calf with the Big C after it, which in Triathlon Speak means Fat Bastard), the set up bike and gear. Went over to check on Jennifer, and then to the beach to see the course and test the water.

The first thing we noticed was that the buoys were not far out. Outstanding. The water was also warm, probably about 81, another plus, and was FLAT FLAT FLAT. I started thinking, Hell, I can do this! And it got better when I saw that the buoy was at a place that you could get your feet down with two strokes toward the shore. Not that I was going to do that, but that does wonders for the mental aspect for me.

The swim was fast and I improved my last time by 12:10, so I was very happy. Got into a rhythm of 20 strong strokes, then alligatoring to site, then 20 strokes .... was making a good 100 meters for each "sprint". I actually was passing people in my group, which was a first for me. Can still do better, but felt very good with the results this time, and it showed I can get my face in and power through the swim. Should help for later races. (22:03 / 12:10 improvement)

T1 was MUCH improved, mostly due to not having to deal with wetsuit. Had one issue with putting jersey on over tri suit but ditched it. Probably could save another minute there. Legs felt good when I got on bike. (6:32 / 8:00 improvement)

The bike leg hits you with a bridge right away, but because it was at the start of the leg it wasn't too bad, until I realized I had to go over the thing near the end, but I would deal with that later. A lot of climbing during the course pushed my time down, but easily made up on the down slopes. I was pulling 14 going up but was getting to 22 going down (actually hit 28 at the end and freaked me out! LOL). Drank enough during it so learned my lesson from last time. The bridge at the end burned my thighs out, which I felt immediately when I dismounted  Still improved overall pace by 1.3 mph from last race. (59:04 / Pace improved from 13.9 to 15.2)

T2 was smooth, but it should be because you're only grabbing shoes and hat and race belt. The one issue I had was that someone put their bike on the rake over my area and there was no room for my bike, so I REMOVED his. An official was right there and his comment to me was "I would have done the same thing" so a mild irritant. It was a nice Cannondale Tri Bike, so he obviously felt because he was faster he had "dibs". He thought wrong. (4:46)

The run .... sucked. My legs were gone and didn't recover until halfway point. I walked most of the first 1.5 miles, then when we turned and went to the beach for return half I started running at normal pace. Overall still improved my pace from last one, which is scary, but need to work on that bike to run transition. I must be doing something wrong. Also had water sloshing in my belly which is not a great feeling, so I must have drank too fast. Jennifer ran back the last 1/2 mile and finished with me, which was GREAT. Running on the beach is not the best for pace, but I went near the water so the sand was packed and it went OK. (50:27 / Improved pace by 1:11)

Overall time was 2:22:50. Placed 655 out of 709 males, but still last in my Clydesdale Group. Still much room for improvement but it is heading in the right direction. LOVED the venue and it will be on my list next year. To end, here are a few pictures:

After the practice swim Saturday

The hotel where we stayed the night before. Right on the water. Nice.

Saturday's View

Saturday's Sunset

Starbuck's Bitties

I never go into Starbucks with the intent of listening to other conversations. My routine has become ordering an iced coffee (I don't even have to order anymore because they know me when I walk in. How sad is THAT??) but the tables are so close it is hard not to hear others, especially when they talk so loud as if they WANT you to hear them.

I am sitting there the other day minding my own business doing the NY Times crossword (finished in 15 minutes thank you very much) when three women walked in and were working on their Girl Scout Troop finances (of course this reminds me of one of the nurses who helped get me fired, but that's another story). One of them had a friend who's son had applied for a job at this Bux but didn't get it, so she was stating, loudly, how she would "rather drink out of a puddle than buy coffee here" and that "it's all I can do to even sit in this place" all after referring to the staff behind the counter as a "DB" (I assume this means "dirtbag" but I could be wrong"). Then she started regaling everyone on her recent trip to Paris with her husband (who she made sure to mention was a Green Beret at least ten times).

On a side note, why do women refer to their husbands to their friends as "my husband"? Doesn't he have a name? If they are friends don't they know his name and that he's her husband. It's like he's their property. But I digress ....

She mentioned having a disagreement in a store and she stated that "I'm a Special Forces Wife. I speak my mind!". What the Hell does THAT mean. How does being the spouse of a hero make you one yourself? He went through hell in his training, spends too much time (IMHO) having people shooting at him, and she is a bad ass because he is?? Give me a break. That would be like your couch potato husband claiming he's an athlete because his wife runs triathlon's.

Then again ... maybe I am just grumpy? LOL

Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon

I am starting my fundraising for the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon. Any amount helps, so please give what you can for this great cause. If you have anyone who is suffering from LLS, please let me know so I can add them to the list of those I am running for. I am raising funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a participant in their Team In Training program and I'm asking you to help by making a donation to my fundraising campaign.

Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly and securely plus learn more about my progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sun/diswine11/jharris0gs

Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Nearly 958,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers. I am hoping that my participation in Team In Training will help bring them hope and support.

On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

Thank you,

John

P.S. I would appreciate it if you would forward this to as many people as you can to encourage them to donate as well. Thanks again.

Clydesdale????

This has been festering in me since I signed up for my first triathlon and had to choose a category to race in. Faced with this monumental decision that would follow me for the rest of my life, I poured over the available selections. Pro? Definitely not. Elite Amateur? Not even sure what that is and how one would qualify for that (though I am almost 90% sure I am not one). Novice/First Timer? Potentially a fit, but I have SOME skills and didn't want to get stuck in the last wave every time, because, you know, novices are dangerous to the safety and well being of the Pro's and Elite's. Age Grouper? Probably a fit, though most of these are seasoned competitors, even at my age group (44-49 is actually the largest groups at most races). So that leaves "Clydesdale".

What the hell is a Clydesdale?

According to USAT, a Clydesdale is a male (sometimes split into 44 and under/45 and older sub groups) that weigh 200 pounds or more.

The female equivalent of this group is called "Athena", those over 150 pounds.

This leaves a lot of room though. You can have my type, 5'10/240, or you can have a bodybuilder type 6'4/210. Doesn't seem very fair to group us together.

Plus, the most bothersome thing is the NAME!

To me a Clydesdale is this:

A big, fat, horse with hairy feet. Nice.

In contrast, an Athena is this:

A warrior woman, strong, and tall, able to beat the crap out of anyone that stands in their way.

I have no problem with the Athena name. My best friends are Athena's, both in spirit and in heart, so it fits, but even though I am still overweight, and slightly "cloppish" .... I DO NOT have hairy feet (see previous post on "Shaving").

I want a new name .... 

I want to be THOR .... 

Or CONAN

I'm writing the USAT. Who's with me????

Shaving Parts Blindly

I did something today that I said I would never do when I started this training. I shaved my legs. During the last bike ride I had enough of the tri-shorts pulling the hair on my legs. This has been happening the entire time, but it was getting a bit annoying and I had enough, so broke out the electric hair cutter, trimmed it all down, then got in the shower and shaved it all off.

Much like after witnessing the birth of my two son's, I walked away from this experience with renewed respect for women. How...the HELL...do you do this all the time?? How do you see behind you in order to get the parts (I am being politically correct here) that you cannot see?? I must have worked on this for an hour, and STILL feel where I missed parts.

The good part is I am silky smooth. :)

So now in addition to my arms being tanned and chest white as snow, legs being tanned from mid thigh to ankles making my ghost white feet glow in the dark, I sport smooth legs which hopefully will no longer pull while biking and running.

Maybe it will add speed to my swim????? :)

Falling In Love

I got into this training regimen because I woke up one day and was tired of being tired. That is the bottom line. I dished out money to a doctor that was not in my network, and it proved to be the right decision. He found issues with my health and the way my body worked (or didn't work in this case) that no one else had mentioned or even looked at. So, along with the help of friends that were on the same path I was, I started biking last September. That led to a humbling experience in the Cure on Wheels where I only went 15 of the 25 miles before my bike failed, and then my body failed me. I was struggling to maintain 12 mph. Now 16 mph is my slow pace. It's an improvement, with still much room for more.

I added to that running and swimming, with the goal of triathlons. I now have one under my belt, although I struggled, especially with the swim. The Open Water still kicks my ass for some reason, totally a mind thing, and hopefully I will get over it soon and be able to perform better. But as usual as one problem is taken care of others cropped up.

I have the heart to do this. I WANT to do this. I like the lifestyle. I like the people I have met for the most part. They are some of the most supportive people I have ever been around. The problem is not my mind or spirit, it is my 47 year old body. I have a great run (for me) but pay for it with a swollen right knee and hip. It's the ultimate catch-22.

"Doctor why does my knee hurt?"


"Because running is BAD for you"


"But I have to run or I gain weight!"


"Then your knees will hurt. especially YOUR knees because even though you have lost weight you are still a fat bastard!"

So on I run .... hobbling when I have to .... but still pushing forward .... hating it while I do it .... but LOVING it after I am done, because I am still filled with the hope that one day I will go out and instead of focusing on my form every step, or counting the time until I can stop, I will focus instead on the enjoyment of the run and fall in love with it like I see so many other people have done. The image of Wellington pushing through a Kona Ironman with a hige smile on her face gives me hope that this will happen one day. My body will continue to age, as body's do, but maybe some of this pounding is making time reverse, even by just a few years. And maybe at some point certain family members will see that this endeavor was actually a good thing and not "a waste of time", but I really don't care. I have lived without their full support for most of my life. I don't really need it now.

Here We Go Again

Once more, I hit an all time low in weight, and as soon as I do the scale starts going back up. Here are the last two weeks:

I hit 243.2 on 5/6 and since then have gained back to 248. The Weight Gods do not want me under 240 it seems.

Keeping Focus

For those new readers, and for those that have been reading but somehow missed it, I have been out of work since January. While this has allowed me a lot of freedom to train, it has done a lot of damage mentally and psychologically, and my stress, especially at night when the brain starts thinking, is through the roof to the point where my sleep suffers. I worry about bills, and how to keep paying them (and, in fact, if I even should). I worry about my house and will I end up losing it unless something comes up soon. It makes you re-think the logic of obtaining the education I have, since it seems to work more against me than for me at the moment (if I hear the term "over qualified" one more time I may go postal. I question the loyalty of those I worked for, with, and managed, especially those that know the story at Moffitt and how I was targeted and removed by some very questionable sources. Not ONE of the staff I had under me there have emailed or texted or called to see how I was doing. In contrast I have several emails and calls from staff I had at Healthy Start, where I have not worked for almost four years now, asking me how I was and if they could help. It's a stark contrast, and speaks volumes about the character of the people at both organizations.

Anyway, at times it is hard to maintain focus when the stress and self doubt creep in. That's when having support at home and from friends comes most handy. I don't have much of the former, but my training partners and team mates keep me on track, make me work out when all I want to do is eat. I forced myself last night to go swim when I did not feel like it at all, and it was a good decision since I ended up having a great workout, and felt 100% better afterwards. It's the best thing I have found through the triathlon experience; everyone has been supportive. Even people I have never met but follow this blog are supportive. The people at The Ironman Store with their advice offered willingly (even when they saw us training in the pool at LA Fitness). When I was embarrassed about falling ill before St. Anthony's not one person looked down at me. As Hunter from Ironman said "Hell, John, even Wellington had to drop from Kona because she got sick".

So, the sad, down face is changed to a happy smiling one, most of the time. My nights are still hard, I still don't sleep, and I have to be pushed to run, bike, or swim at times, but I know that if I go I will feel better afterwards. The picture below shows that feeling. It's me crossing the finish line at Fort DeSoto. I was the LAST finisher, number 949 of 1106. The swim panicked me, the bike was hard, and the run was killing me .... but I finished, and the smile shows how it felt.

So THANK YOU to everyone who has been there for me during the last year.

Transformation Year 1

It has been one year this month since I look at myself in the mirror and saw a 300 pound 46 year old man with aching joints and who got winded by walking around the mall. I thought it was a good time to see the picture from that month and compare it to one taken today:

May 2011 at Fort DeSoto

May 6, 2011

A little bit tighter and 55 pounds lighter (and is that actual definition in the midsection I see????)... I think I am on the right track. One 5k under the belt, one sprint triathlon completed, a 5 mile run this Saturday, another sprint the weekend after that, three more triathlons through September, and a half marathon on October 1. Hopefully the swimming will get easier.

We went to Madeira Beach to check out the water for the next sprint and it was COLD. Of course I get in an immediately can't breath normal, so flipped onto back and back stroked and side stroked for awhile. With about half way to go I found I could get my face in the water and go pretty fast. Since I use a snorkel I was counting strokes of twenty and then looking up to sight. Still found myself being pushed seaward, so may have to switch to a ten stroke sighting technique, but may be easier with buoys to look for. I can't figure out my reaction to open water. It's perplexing and irritating. Did the first .77 miles in 14:27, then the next .20 miles in 7:28. The race is half a mile, so that should tell you how much off course I still get pushed. Still, the time is not bad. If I can kick this mental block I have and stay straight my times should be very good. A BIG "if" though.

Naysayers

I am finding that the more I get into training, and the more I enjoy it, if nothing more than the fact it gets me away from worrying about family, about employment (unemployment in my case), money, etc. the more it seems that some people are bound and determined to find fault in this endeavor. It starts with the little jabs (as a friend of a family member stated to me, "John and his new hobby", or another worrying about how I was "wasting my time") and goes to out and out hostility (my training partner's co-worker belittling her completing of St. Anthony's Triathlon as "slow"). It's amazing how others find fault when you try to better yourself. If it wasn't for this outlet, and being introduced to it, I think I would be going crazy right now .... sitting in from of my laptop 8 hours a day, going over and over job sites I have visited 10 times already .... reapplying for position I have already sent in resume's for just in case they didn't see the first one. Training is keeping me sane. Another blogger on here, KC (Found HERE) explains it really well in recent post. If makes me feel OFF when I can't get out. Maybe I am changing, but despite what some may think, I feel I am changing for the better. The ones that feel differently can go to Hell.

Back on the Horse

Even though the result of the St. Anthony's race was not my fault, I couldn't help but feel both embarassed and disappointed that I could not race after all that preparation. To the point that, because I was on a taper week before the race, and then didn't end up racing, I had not worked out in over a week. I was already feeling lethargic and complacent. The same bad, nasty habits that have plagued me for the last 10 years or so creeping back in and settling down so easily, like a long lost family member come home to stay.

Last night I FORCED myself out of the house for a run ... I even made the effort to go to the park so I would not be tempted to quit early running around neighborhood. I felt ok getting out of the car, set my GPS watch, waited far too long for the satellites to acquire, then headed out on my 1x1 splits routine figuring I could get in a couple of miles.

After one mile I felt really good. My pace was actually under 12:00 (very good for me since my average at this point is usually between 15 and 16 minutes. No aching shins. A slight back soreness but not to the point that I had to stop, so I thought I'd try to get in a 5k distance and see how I did. I was still walking parts, more like a 2x1 split, but both my running and walking portions were at paces much better than normal.

I ended up doing in in 44:37 and an average pace of 14:07. Now, I know that is slow in comparison to some of you reading this, but recall that 6 weeks ago my average pace was in the 17-18 minute range, and when I started in January it was in the 20:00 range. It's a marked improvement.

Probably due to the layoff to some extent, but I was feeling very good about the progress last night, and actually elevated my mood a bit. Dropped almost 2 pounds this morning also, which is great for one day. Now if I could only get ONE call back so I can find a job I would be great.

The Report from St. Anthony's

I am at a bit of a loss on now to describe this experience, since it was one that started off well, had a bad middle, but I ended up learning a few things for the future. So I am just going o write what happened, and hopefully it doesn't come out as embarrassing as it feels when I talk about it out loud. So here we go ....

THE DAY BEFORE

It started off early as we had to be there by 7:45 for a mandatory team meeting and practice swim. We got there about 6:50 AM and walked out to the beach and we greeted by this:

Turns out the majority of it was the surface waves and the current wasn't too bad. So we loaded up and got into the hotel early (kudo's to the Vinoy for letting everyone check in early ... great hotel, great rooms, great service). 

Panoramic view from room balcony

St. Pete Skyline

We rested awhile then grabbed the bikes and headed over to packet pickup and bike setup around 1:00. VERY crowded, but got through with minimal stress and got bikes through and set up easily. Headed over to the Expo and was outstanding. Found some great deals, great samples. 

So, hot the Inspiration dinner fro Team in Training and it was great. Was named the groups "Most Determined" which was a nice surprise. Headed back to room about 8:00. Went through gear again, packed transition bags, then hit the rack.

About 2:00 AM I woke up and was sweating like a dog in heat and head was pounding. Got up to splash some water on my face and started vomiting. Tried to lay back down but ended up getting back to the bathroom three times. Never did get back to sleep. Got up for good at 4:30, grabbed my bags and headed down to meet with team. Told coach what was going on. He told me there was no shame in backing out if I was sick, but I thought if I went ahead and went out to the site, I might start feeling better. So headed out with the team, got body marked, set up my transition, puked again .... then teammates stepped in and told me to not try it. They were right. I was already dehydrated from vomiting (and other things) so I dropped out of race, went back to room and got sick some more, then slept an hour, and headed back to race site to play cheer leaded for the rest of the day.

So, after 5 months of training, I ended up not being able to compete, which sucked, but I did the training, I raised the money for a very worthy cause (and that is the most important thing). I discovered I really liked the cheerleading and coaching aspect of the gig (being a participant I was able to be INSIDE the transition area and helped a few teammates on their set up). So I'm not looking at this as a failure. Things like this happen (Wellington herself had to drop from Kona due to illness) and after the race I heard there were a few of us that dropped due to illness, so may have been something we all ate.

The swim ended up being moved south due to the conditions, and shortened to 1,000 meters. Then you had to run in barefeet half a mile to transition due to exit point being moved. Not very cool. Loads of mishaps on the bike route because they didn't close it to traffic. One pro rider hit by a car, and another ride hit a speed bump that threw her head first into the curb. Very nasty and very bloody.

So what's next next you may ask:

• Miles for Moffitt 5 mile run on May 14th
• Mad Beach Tri on May 22
• Top Gun on July 28th (I think)
• Also looking at the Crystal River series in June, July and September
• Siesta Key in October

I am looking at this plan from this point on:

• Focus on Sprint Distances until I get VERY comfortable in the swim and transitions
• Try some Duathlon's to work on running
• Try to find a 50-mile ride or Century ride this season to get a few under my belt

I am also looking at finding a coach for running, swimming. If anyone knows of someone that is good and can deal with the health issues I have, and my teammates have, please let me know. The idea of a Master's Swim Class is a bit daunting, so would prefer a one-on-one experience (actually one on three to four).

Here are some more pictures to close it out:

At the beach location the day before the race ... if only I knew what was ahead of me that night .... 

Mario tagged and ready to go .... He was very upset the next day

Isn't that your pager buzzing Dr. Cultrera????

St. Pete Skyline at night

Jennifer at dismount zone ... still look ok at this point :)

Jennifer crossing the finish line (final time was 4:02:54). A great job .... she has come SO far and I am very proud of her.