Keep your eyes peeled on this page for race reports and pictures after each event!
Ironman Arizona
Sunday, April 13th
They say every race has its own story. Every event has it's own drama. That certainly held true in Tempe this year. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The Ironcrew left Seattle on Thursday, April 10th ready to take on the task at hand. The 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run on Sunday were beginning to loom large for everyone. As our plane descended into Phoenix we made our final approach over what was to be our swim course. It was exciting and certainly got us all talking as we looked down on the buoy markers.
After getting settled in our hotel; Shawn, Kim, Nancy and I with our assorted family and support crews made our way to the race venue to check-in and get the coveted wrist band applied. A lot of our surroundings looked quite familiar to Nancy and I, but as Ironman newbies Kim and Shawn were certainly taking it all in and trying to hold the butterflies at bay. Even though this was a maiden voyage to Ironman Arizona for everyone, the actual traveling circus that is NA Sports sets up the same props, inflatable, signage etc at every event.
Foster joined us later in the day on Thursday, NOW we felt complete and needed to re-do the pictures we did with the four of us earlier. The five of us standing under the Ironman arch was a great experience.
Now, into the murky brown water that they call Tempe Town Lake. This cold and murky brown body of water (not sure how they call it a lake) would be our home for 2.4 miles come Sunday. Time to get acclimated. Kim gets the bravery award for this initial swim. After overcoming the "am I REALLY doing this?" and realizing that the cannon shot is less than 48 hours away, she pushes through the tears and fears and gets it done. Great teamwork by all in sticking together and exemplifying the power of teammates. Our ride took us from the hotel into some pretty sketchy territory. When the pit bull started chasing us we decided it was best to turn around. The first inkling of just how HOT it was going to be came with our transition run after the bike. There didn't seem to be enough water or sunscreen on any of us. Hmmmmm, this doesn't bode well as the forecast calls for increasing temperatures from the high 80s we are currently seeing on Friday.
Friday night was our celebratory dinner with EVERYONE that was down in Arizona to cheer us on. Shawn's brothers were the only ones that weren't able to make the dinner, but the remaining 15 of us had a great time. Lot's of pasta and lot's of chatter (nervous chatter? Hmmmmmm)
Saturday morning's schedule was much like Fridays with a swim/bike/run on the docket. Nancy had to get her bike into tech support to tighten up her drailleur. Certainly nothing that anyone wants to deal with the day before Ironman. Oddly enough Nancy went through the exact same experience at IM Coeur D'Alene in 2005. If anyone can handle it, Nancy can. Swim, bike and run done, we head back to the hotel to fine tune our bikes and pack our T1 and T2 bags. We head back down to the venue around 2:00pm to rack our bikes and drop our transition bags. One final check that all is in order . . . we head back to the hotel and everyone goes their own separate way in search of a little solitude, peace and quiet and an early dinner. A few of us found the nearby Whole Foods and grabbed some goodies for dinner in our respective rooms. There were tons of IM athletes milling the aisles and looking as though they were searching for the one perfect food that would make their day tomorrow that much better.
Ahhhhh, the sound of your alarm at 4:00am Sunday after a not so great night of sleep! Now it's time to go through the motions, up, shower, try to knock the butterflies out of your stomach, get dressed, double check your special needs bags, add a warm layer to beat the morning chill and try desperately to get the breakfast down that you KNOW you need, you just have no appetite. Shawn's wife Becca graciously made the early trek to drop us off at the venue at 5:15am.
We all go to our respective bike racks and pump up our tires, add our fuel and hydration to our bikes and make sure that we can walk away from our bikes feeling confident that all is well. We then need to make a walk of about 500yds down the boardwalk to drop our special needs bags (we have access to these once on the bike and once on the run) that contain anything we might drop or need in an emergency during the day. If all goes well we can bike and run right past special needs! Off to body marking then to our rendezvous spot to find our friends and family for the big goodbye.
There is something very calming about a smile and hug from a loved one before an undertaking of this extent. We take a few final pictures and the five of head down to the water start line.
IM Arizona utilizes a deep water start which means each and every of the 2200 athletes need to make their way across a timing mat to activate their chip, then jump off a dock into the water, then swim upstream approximately 400 yds to the imaginary start line. This process takes quite sometime and they begin barking on the loud speaker around 6:30am for all athletes to get in the water. Thankfully we all did our research and decided that we would stay much warmer if we didn't have to tread water for 20 minutes. I think, with the exception of Foster who got in early to make his way to front of the start with the other big boy swimmers, we were only treading water for one or two minutes before it was time to go.
If you have never witnessed the mass start of 2200 swimmers, I'm told it is truly something to behold. Someday I will be on the sidelines and can't wait to witness firsthand the roar of the swimmers as they make their way on their Ironman journey.
Once you hear the cannon shot at 7:00am, it is almost a relief. All of the prep work is over, all of the worry about packing, training, eating, sleeping is over. Now it is simply time to go. Our bodies are trained and ready, we are trying with all our might to get our minds headed in the right direction.
The "story" that I referred to earlier turned out to be the 35 mph winds on the bike and the 97 degree heat for the run. I must say that I couldn't be prouder of my crew. No one quit, no one gave up. Having EVERYONE in the Club Emerald Ironcrew finish the 2008 Ironman Arizona, which when all was done and said had the third highest DNF rate of any Ironman ever contested, speaks volumes for the strength and tenacity of Foster, Kim, Nancy and Shawn.
I won't go into the actual race day hour by hour, but suffice it to say that everyone saw their highest highs and potentially their lowest lows somewhere between 7:00am and 10:00pm that day. The punishing winds on the bike made the 112 miles feel more like 150 to most, then we had the pleasure of getting off the bike and braving the 97 degree heat for the marathon. Nancy had the day of days seemingly oblivious to the elements. She stayed tough and strong and crossed that finish line with a PR by over 45 minutes. Shawn, Foster and Kim . . . all hearing Mike Reilly declare, "you ARE an Ironman" for that precious first time managed their days, used everything they were taught and made me prouder than a mother hen. Congrats to my 2008 Ironcrew, the journey was one that I will never forget.
Thank you once again to all of our family, friends, teammates, training buddies and general cheerleaders in life that supported us through another Ironman. Enjoy the pictures!
Five Mile Lake Triathlon
Saturday, June 14th
I'll sum it up in one word . . . COLD!! Hats off to the 16 Club Emerald Triathlon Team members that took the chilly dip, braved the cold bike ride and finished our "practice" event with great success.
We had three true "newbies" complete their very first triathlon Saturday. Dave, Meg and Casey each made it look like they have been doing this for years. Thank you to all of our veteran teammates that took charge and helped our newbies get set up and ready to roll. Mala, another newbie took part in two of the three disciplines by entering as a relay with Andrea. Great job girls. Next time Mala we will put it all together!
Our swim was roughly 400 yards in Five Mile Lake in Federal Way. This is a relatively small event which allowed for only 4 waves of approx 50 individuals each. I do have a bone to pick with all race directors though . . . why the heck do they always make the old ladies (sorry girls!) go last?! I'm here to tell you that there were quite a few 40 and over girls beating the 20 and 30 something boys. Hanging around on that rocky shore for 15 minutes was certainly not my idea of fun! Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.
After getting out of the water we got to run up a slightly rocky trail and into transition. It was a little tough getting the wetsuit off and the bike gear on with frozen hands and feet. Suffice it to say I don't think any world transition speed records were broken that morning. I did hear hear Karen cursing herself on the bike rack next to mine as she was struggling to get her long sleeved shirt on over her wet skin. All I heard was "WILKE!", it did make me chuckle as I was having the EXACT same struggle at the same time.
So off on the bikes. The 12 mile bike course was done in two loops of approx 6 miles each. The cold morning air was biting right through my long sleeved shirt and I never warmed up the entire ride. This was the first time I had ever heard a race director declare before the start that the roads would be patroled by explorer scouts, but that we MAY have to stop at a light or sign if the cars didn't. Wow, as Rick witnessed a women in front of him t-bone a car that made a right turn into a group of riders, it became clear that the race director wasn't kidding.
In my opinion, this is the most unsafe way to run a race. You either have to have the intersections staffed by police that stop ALL cars until it is safe, or I guess you would have to have the riders ride as we do when we train and stop and all lights and signs. I have personally never seen the latter ever done in a race for obvious reasons. Soapbox number two, I will be sending an email to the race director.
So off of the bikes everyone embarks on the 3.1 mile run. I have to say, it was pretty tough to tie the shoe laces (hello! Yanks laces don't need to be tied. I admit that both Nancy and I forgot about those) with frozen fingers. Anything that required any manual dexterity was a little tough at this point. Despite the cold fingers and frozen feet, everyone looked awesome on the run! I saw smiles, legs churning and lots of nice bright red Club Emerald jerseys. It's a funny feeling to try to run when your feet feel like blocks of ice.
The finish line is always a fun place. As each and every Club Emerald Triathlon Team member crossed the line, they were greated with cheers and hugs. Congratulations to Anja, Nancy, Karen, Meg, Des, Beth, Suzi, Andrea, Mala, Casey, Pat, Dave, Bill, Rick and Richard! A little icing on the cake of an already great day, we came home with 2 age group winners, 2 age group 2nd places and an age group 3rd place. Nice take home bonus!!!
Ironman Coeur D'Alene
Sunday, June 22nd
And then there are the blessed days when it all comes together at the right time.
This was what you might call a "last minute" event for me as I didn't pull the trigger to grab my entry until three weeks prior to race day. Amy Myers mentioned to me before I left for CDA that she was glad I was "following my heart", I didn't really clue in until days later that that really was what I was doing. Something inside was eating me up telling me that for whatever reason I needed to take on IMCDA this year. I was asked many times leading up to my departure for Idaho "why" I was doing this, just 10 weeks following IM Arizona. I never really did have a good answer, I just knew that I had to do it.
I still don't know if I can really answer "why?", I just know that I am damn glad I did!
It was VERY different being there all by myself. It was peaceful, calming, centering, yet also lonely. Those of you that know me well know that I am not what you would call a loner. I like to surround myself with friends and family most of the time. And yet, I was oddly very calm. I laid out all of my race gear on the second bed, unpacked, stocked the refrigerator and felt right at home. I went to the "mandatory" race meeting Friday night (first time in four years) and quickly remembered why I don't go to those. All they do is stir up your nerves and give you all of the information that you already knew. I was looking for information on the swim. There was buzz about it possibly being shortened due to the cold water in Lake Coeur D'Alene. Thankfully they decided to keep the swim the full 2.4 miles. That is what I came for. Thanks to my "buns" (long story) Karen, Andrea, Kim, Beth and Suzi I was well prepared for the swim. We had braved the waters of Lake Washington many times in the preceding two weeks. It was going to be fine.
4:00am alarm clock Sunday morning . . . time for a hot shower, a small cup of coffee and last minute check of my special needs bags and morning gear. This was the first time that Mimi had not accompanied us to IM, it was odd not having to tip toe around the room in the dark. Still feeling eerily calm.
5:45am at body marking, this is the first time Brad actually went to the start with me. Previously he had always met me there after getting Mimi up and ready. It was nice having him around. It had POURED down rain Saturday night so I went to dry off my bike and make sure everything in my transition bags was still dry. Everything A-OK. After a quick top off of my tires we walked to the end of the boardwalk to drop off my special needs bags, we watched the pros start at 6:25 then after a quick kiss and hug for good luck I wandered down to the beach. Still calm, what the heck!?
I toyed around a little with where I wanted to start the swim. I have tried inside next to the buoy line about mid-way back, I have tried all the way to the widest point fairly near to the front and I have tried the back of the pack in the middle of the start line. There HAD to be somewhere else, somewhere that might afford me a little more open water. I think I found it! Still fairly wide, but there was about 25 yards between my right shoulder and the far edge of the start. I was not in the very front row, but one row back with my feet in the water. It worked. Although it wasn't my fastest swim on this course, it was the fastest since they changed from letting us run the length of the beach before re-entering for lap #2. They now have us get out after lap #1, come across a timing mat, take a sharp left turn and re-enter the water with a few feet of where you came out. The crux of it is that you now have to swim when you used to run, obviously slower. The cold water really didn't affect me until around the 1 hour mark. After rounding the final turn buoy on the second lap I was cold. The sky was dark and ominous, there was wind chop on the seemingly black lake and my left arm wasn't wanting to cooperate anymore. I think it wanted to be in a hot tub. Out of the water in 1:23, I'm happy with that and so looking forward to the bike.
I was prepared for a lengthy T1 due to having to warm up from the cold swim, but thankfully it wasn't any longer than in previous years. I did dunk my feet into the hot tub for about 3 seconds, that was GRAND! I chose to skip the sunscreen as it was still cold and cloudy. Probably not my best move, but not too detrimental. Still calm and having FUN I jumped on "Apple" my trusty steed and made my way. This is absolutely the most beautiful bike course, at times I just wanted to stop and pitch a tent and take in the splendor of Hayden Lake. It is truly breathtaking. There was one sentence from Friday night's meeting that rang true in my ears the entire ride. "DON'T OVER BIKE!" I kept that in my mind, I was able to stay seated through the entire 112 miles. Not once did I HAVE to stand up and crank on the pedals. Thankfully we train on a lot of hills around here, it is unavoidable. There was no shortage of people putting every once of body weight into their pedals and even two walking their bikes up the steepest hill on the second lap. This was the first IM where I enjoyed every second on the bike and where I was able to negative split (second half faster than the first) the bike. All new territory for me and I was loving it. I was shocked to see I was under the 8 hour mark from the start of the race upon reaching the dismount line. Also new for me. Wow . . . I guess I am having a good day.
After being so used to the "wheels" falling off somewhere on the second half of the bike or somewhere on the run, I was not even thinking about a finish time yet. Just run . . . then I turned around my "don't over bike" mantra and it became "don't over run". After exiting T2 the first thing I heard and saw was Richard from my Tri Team with a big sign that said "Go Ginny" and he and his family were cheering loudly for me. How fun and completely unexpected. They were there to support their son Jesse who rocked it and is headed to Kona in October. Congratulations Jesse and thanks for the shout outs on the run! Again new territory, I made it to the first turn around at the 8 mile mark without so much as one step of walking. Still calm, thinking . . .huh, this is weird. Brad was busy collecting my bike and transition bags and getting them back to the hotel so I didn't see him much on lap number one. Did I mention that he is the world's best sherpa? Still running as I headed back into town the first time. NOW the brain is starting to think . . .hmmmm, maybe the 13:30 that I was secretly hoping for was doable. I think I can do 12 minute miles and still make that. I always love the second loop as I start talking to myself in my head, "last time I go by that tree . . . last time I go up that hill" It can be quite liberating! Now Brad is all over the place. He continues to pop up every mile or two, I can't seem to shake him. I am trying to focus and keep my stomach happy so I'm not really looking around. It was fun for Brad to finally get out on part of the course and see what really happens during an Ironman, not just the start, transition and finish.
I reach the final turn around at mile 21, 5 miles to go and now I realize that Holy #*&/@?, I might get in under 13 hours. 12 minute miles will get me there. The legs are starting to talk back and my stomach really isn't too happy. I have long ago tossed my fuel belt as it was bugging me. I am at the mercy of what they offer at the aid stations and whatever pills I have left in my pocket. "Don't over run, shuffle, you can afford to walk a little (I did!)", The self talk is getting louder, there is Brad again lurking around a tree. With 2 miles to go I am at the 12:30 minute mark on the race clock and realize that I AM going to make in under 13:00 barring any large catastrophe. I find myself in a pack of 4 guys and we are all now alternating one minute run, one minute jog. Upon making the final left turn to run down Sherman Avenue (the best finishing chute ever!) I start to lose it. The tears are coming as I realize that I am going to break 13 hours. Where the heck this came from I don't think I will ever know. What I do know is that yes, you do need to listen to your heart, never say never and be very, very thankful for friends and family that believe in you.
12:54:40 A PR by almost one hour. I had two big goals going into this race. #1 was to enjoy the entire day, smile and not let my head get in the way. #2 was to finish while the sun was still up and before they started turning the lights on the run course! MISSIONS ACCOMPLISHED!
Lake Stevens 70.3 Half-Ironman Triathlon
Sunday, July 6th
WHAT A DAY!
Anja, Bill, Karen, Kim and Shawn were up before the crack of dawn to tackle this Half Ironman event. Well, almost everyone was up on time . . . Kim awoke to the "tap, tap, tap" of Bill knocking on her front door to pick her up. I think anyone and everyone that has ever had to wake up early for an important event has had the nightmare of WHAT IF they sleep through their alarms. As Kim can now attest it's not the ideal way to start the day . . . but she was prepared and packed and ready to roll.
We all met up in the transition area around 6:00am and headed off toward the swim start to get timing chips. I have to say that everyone was calm and collected. Wearing our nice warm Tri Team hoodys to ward off the morning chill, we laughed, went over some last minute reminders about pacing and fueling and the group was ready to go. The last order of business was to "TAT UP!" with M Dot tattoos. Since the M Dot is the official logo of Ironman, we cut the logo in half to represent the Half Ironman. Pretty inventive and everyone looked darn tough to boot!!
Shawn was the first to enter the water, followed by Anja, then Bill, with Karen and Kim a few waves back. I like the Lake Stevens venue as a spectator in that is it fairly easy to move around and I knew that I was going to be able to see everyone into and out of the water. Everyone was strong and on target coming out of the water. The run up and through transition is relatively long and I was so proud to see all five of our teammates swim fully in, put their goggles up on their heads, start stripping their wetsuits and run to the bikes. Not a break in stride anywhere!
With everyone out on the bike and not to be seen again for 3+ hours I figured it was a good time to go back to car, drop some stuff, grab a coffee, answer a few phone calls from family members of our racers then settle back in to keep an eye out for the pros that would be returning soon.
I was looking for Tim, Kim's husband whom I had seen across the swim exit. I couldn't find him but I did see Shawn's wife Becca and their two kids. The first thing Becca said was "did you see Kim?" "Well yes," I answer . . . "she is out on her bike, I saw her leave." Becca then tells me that Kim crashed out and she is back in transition. My heart sinks as I head to the transition area to hopefully find Kim. I see Tim with Kim's bike and gear and Kim walking alongside with a bloody knee. Always one to find the bright side and keep smiling Kim says that it just wasn't her day but she is okay. Her race number that was attached to her bike frame was interfering with her front wheel and making a noise. When trying to investigate what was making the noise Kim ultimately took her eyes off the road for a split second too long and went down. Tim took home Kim's gear and she rallied up to stay with me for the remainder of the day and cheer on her teammates. THAT is amazing gumption that deserves a big cheer!
We watched and tracked the remaining teammates as they came in on the bike looking strong, steady and very ready for the run. From the reports I got after the race everyone stuck to their fueling and hydration plans on the bike and it paid off in spades.
With everyone out on the run we moved to the "hot corner" where we would have the opportunity to see every racer four times as they made their way through the figure 8 run course two times. It was here that Kim and I had the pleasure of seeing just how many friends and families had made their way up to Lake Stevens to cheer on our racers. As I mentioned above, Shawn's wife Becca and their two kids were there, Bill's wife Kathy and their four children were all out on the run course cheering on dad, Karen's husband Bob was on the hot corner with us rooting on Miss Speedy and Anja's Dad, Mom, Sister and a gaggle of friends had stuck it out through the day to cheer her across the finish line of her first Half Ironman.
I had set goals for our racers . . .some of which I shared, some of which I kept to myself. I could not have been prouder to see everyone remain strong throughout the run, finish strong and support the other Club Emerald Teammates along the way. Karen, Bill and Anja all completed their first Half-Ironman amongst the cheers of family and friends. Shawn sped his way to his third Half-Ironman finish and managed to take 30 minutes off his time from last year. GREAT JOB!!!
It was nice to hang out on the grass after everyone was across the line, watch the award ceremony and cheer on Karen as she accepted her 2nd place age group award. CONGRATULATIONS! We did some group massage and stretching, worked out kinks as best we could, rehydrated, downed some electrolytes and got everyone ready to head home.
To sum it up, it was a very challenging, very motivating and very rewarding day for all. For me one of the most heartfelt moments was watching Bill's children all run up toward the final turn with him, so proud of their father that had worked so hard to get across that line. Bill maintains a relentless travel schedule for work and still manages to juggle his family and training when he is in town. Commendable!!
The most motivating moment was to hang with Kim throughout the day and see her forget about her trauma and get completely wrapped up in how well the rest of the Team was doing.
The funniest moment for me was when Karen crossed the finish line, Kim and I went around to give her big hugs . . . the first words out of her mouth (once she caught her breath) were "did I beat 6:30?" (she did by FAR beat 6:30) I adore the fact that Karen truly does not know how talented she really is. I find it refreshing. Her pure joy at finding out that she placed 2nd in her age group was great. She passed up on a spot at the World Championships for this year, maybe a target for next year?
The most gratifying moment was tracking Shawn throughout the day and realizing that he was NAILING his goals that we had set. Almost down to the minute. A race of this distance contains so many areas where plans and goals can get completely derailed. Shawn has learned how to pace, fuel, hydrate and finish strong. Hard work, practice and dedication paid off in a big way for Shawn on this day!
Watching Anja pick her way seamlessly through this day was such an unexpected treat. She was initially going to travel to an out of town event for her first Half Ironman. I am so pleased that she choose to stay here and join the rest of our racers at Lake Stevens. Anja possesses a drive and innate curiosity for triathlon and self improvement that makes her a joy to coach. I will never forget a one on one swim lesson we had in April where we were working on getting her to link together 2 laps of the pool. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!
Great job Team, you have once again inspired me, inspired others and I hope inspired yourself to continue to reach, challenge and celebrate yourselves!!
Seafair Triathlon
Sunday, July 20th
SPLENDID SEAFAIR!!!
This "mother of all local sprint races" had it a little bit of everything for us this year. We had first finish lines crossed, PRs set once again, fun fantastic mornings on the race course, age group winners and sadly one painful injury to my wingman Nancy.
I will address that first. With Seafair being such a large event, the "mature" of us in crowd were in such late starting waves that we had the pleasure of watching the young-uns start AND finish their swims. We cheered Nancy as she began her swim and swiftly exited the water near the front of her age group. After taking just a few steps out of the lake and toward her bike, Nancy started hopping on one foot (very agile!) and then dropped like a rock. It was clear she was in pain. An employee from Virginia Mason Sports Medicine came and tried to help her stretch out what we thought was a cramped up calf muscle. Long story short, Nancy tore her calf muscle and is now the proud owner of a pair of crutches and a very painful leg. Being the trooper that she is, she found a piece of curb at the beginning of the run to sit on and stoically cheered on the entire team as we headed out of T2. Donald provided a piggy back ride to the finish line where she continued to cheer and support every single teammate across the line. Thank you for being such an amazingly strong girl and supportive teammate Nancy! You know we'll return the favor when we can.
This was Chris's very first triathlon, and last before he moves to California next week. We didn't get to witness Chris cross the finish line as he is such a YOUNGSTER that he was done while most of us were still in the water! Word has it that he had quite the contingent cheering him on and they even got the finish line announcer to make a special shout out as he finished. Congrats Chris!! Keep up the momentum in San Franscisco, it was a pleasure and joy to work with you this year. Although this wasn't Meg's FIRST triathlon (that was about 6 weeks ago!), it was her first full distance sprint event and she held strong and confident throughout the day. Making it look like she has been doing this for years, Meg had a steady swim, a strong bike and an even run to cross that line with pride and keep smiling all morning!.
For returning Team veterans Des, Amy, Rick and Suzi this was the culmination of their season. Now don't go thinking that just because you've done this before, it is easy. Just the contrary . . . knowing what it takes to have a good day during any triathlon puts a little more pressure on those returning for a second or third time. Our veterans looking to put the icing on the cake had a GREAT day, put all of their training to good use. Check out the picture of Suzi coming to the finish, THAT is a happy girl!
Beth and Dave O were using Seafair as a prep day for their Olympic event coming up on July 26th. A great day of practice it was as they both glided through their day and are now ready to kick some booty in Federal Way. Oh, and did I mention that this was Dave's first FULL sprint and that Beth placed second in her age group as a nice little take home souvenir!
Karen and Kim were coming off two different days at Lake Stevens (see above) but both were ready to get back in the saddle and see if they still had "go fast" legs in them. They did, they rocked, they made it look easy, 'nuff said. Oh, except that Karen did come home with a nice little souvenir too . . . 1st place in her age group! Congratulations.
Rounding out our day at Seafair was our relay team of Andrea (swim/run) and Mala (bike/run). Yes, they both ran, why not?? Getting Mala ready for her first full triathlon in Federal Way, this was another big step in a big arena. Andrea has been a phenomenally positive source of inspiration to so many this year, refusing to give up when outdoor biking just isn't an option. She swims, she runs, she spins inside and continues to be an ever present source of support for the team!
In summary, another great year at Seafair. Thank you to all of our athletes that continue to stay positive, give it their all and keep inspiring others!!
Federal Escape Triathlon
Saturday, July 26th
ANOTHER STELLAR DAY!
Just when you think we would be winding down, letting the months and months of training begin to tire us, and only six short days after the Seafair Triathlon; we marched into the Federal Escape events with 10 energetic athletes ready to tackle whatever the day was going to throw at us.
Anja came to Federal Way to do her second Olympic distance triathlon of the season. Having honed her skills and increased her fitness level leaps and bounds since March, she moved easily through the day and looked like a seasoned veteran. Great job!
Dave O and Casey both went into this day with slight trepidation as this was their initial foray into Olympic distance events. As much as Nancy and I knew that they were ready to handle the distance; as it usually does, it took both of them crossing the finish line for them to KNOW that they could do it. Both Casey and Dave were most concerned with the one mile swim portion of the event. I'm sure there was a huge sigh of relief breathed by both as they exited the water and ran up to T1. Casey did take a fair amount of water into his ear which once he got out on the bike created nausea and did cause him to share his breakfast with a few other cyclists out on the course, yikes! The rest of the morning was uneventful compared to that as both of our newbie Olympic racers cruised through the run and were able to celebrate a successful finish!
Bill decided relatively last minute (Friday night!) to sign up for the Olympic distance event and took in all in stride Saturday morning staying calm, cool and collected throughout. In reviewing our pictures from the morning almost every picture of Bill includes a wave, point or thumbs up . . . great attitude! Bill has had an amazing season so far completing one sprint, one Olympic and one half-ironman triathlon so far. He as almost hit for the cycle!!
Beth went into this, her "A" event for the season strong and ready to rock. Uber fast on the bike I know that Beth was anxious to get through the swim and get into her comfort zone on two wheels. A steady day throughout landed Beth 2nd in her age group, CONGRATULATIONS!
Mala was making her Triathlon debut in Federal Way attempting all three disciplines for the first time in the Sprint distance event after completing a couple of relay events earlier in the year. But I'm getting ahead of myself. When we started our season this March and had our first group swim workout at the Country Club, Mala told Nancy and I that she wasn't comfortable in deep water. Okay we thought, but surely she would be fine in a nice warm indoor pool with us on the deck for support. We quickly learned that Mala indeed was NOT comfortable in the deep water as she began flailing and desperately reaching for the wall once she was out past the 5 foot mark in depth. Safely onto the wall and ready to regroup, we proceeded to keep Mala in shallow water only for about the next 2 months. She DILIGENTLY practiced, worked on her drills and spent countless hours in the pool. By early June Mala was swimming laps and beginning to string together yardage looking much more comfortable in the pool. Open water next!!! The first few forays in the lake were kept in the shallow water just getting used to the difference between pool and lake swimming. Once again Mala diligently practiced within the confines of lifeguarded swim beaches and stayed with the ropes practicing her swimming. The final steps of this process unfolded over the last 5 weeks as we gently got Mala out into the deep water of the lake, she learned the beauty of back floating and treading water and increased her comfort level considerably. Fast forward to Saturday's event and Mala breezed through the swim, even passing a few of the boys that had started in the heat 5 minutes ahead of her! I'm sure T1 was a very welcome sight to Mala knowing that she had indeed conquered the swim and was on the way to her bike. Meeting Mala's husband and darling little girls after the race and seeing how proud they were of "mommy" was heart warming. Mala, thank you for trusting us, for your amazing dedication to conquering your challenges and for never saying never. You are a huge inspiration to many!
Kim Also jumping into the Sprint event, just six days after the Seafair Triathlon was simply there for some fun and to support her teammates. She accomplished her goals by getting there early with me to get the Olympic distance racers ready and off on their event, then helping and supporting Mala as we awaited the beginning of the Sprint distance event. After learning what it feels like to REALLY lose your breath during the swim and feeling the tingling sensation in your legs that occurs when you go hypoxic, Kim ended up experiencing something new to her. She dealt with the strange new feeling, kept swimming and after a little encouragement from Nancy, Donald and Andrea decided that yes she would continue even though she was fairly unnerved by not being able to feel or control her legs for a time during the swim. In classic Kimmie fashion, she ran up to the finish line, chatting it up with another racer both with big smiles on their faces. Thank you for sticking with it and not giving up Kim, that is the BEST lesson you could ever teach others.
Rounding out our day in Federal Way was an Olympic distance relay from Andrea, Dave R, and Shawn. Andrea had the EXTRA fun of getting to swim with the Olympic distance mens heat as all of the relay swimmers started with the men. Great job at hanging with the boys Andrea! Dave R rode swiftly and strongly through the 25 mile course before handing the timing chip to Shawn. In usual Shawn form, he tore it up on the 10K run capping off our relay effort. Our relay team was smiling and having fun all day . . . the icing on the cake came with the results as they finished 3rd out of all of the teams. Congratulations team!
Escape From the Rock Triathlon
Sunday, September 7th
A GREAT WRAP UP TO A GREAT SEASON!
Time to hang up the cleats and goggles for the season, but not before we have some fun at Luther Burbank Park right here in our own backyard.
We had been looking forward to FINALLY having an event in the sunshine and warmth that summer is supposed to bring, but as luck would have it after three straight weeks of stellar weather, we awoke to gray skies and choppy water. At least we've grown accustomed to shivering a little this season!
Rick, Richard, Dallas, Amy, Bill (with son Will!), Desiree (with husband Derrick!), Suzi and Meg lined up on the shores of Lake Washington with 700 other willing participants to see what they could do. Even with most team members taking the month of August to taper off on the training and reconnect with their families and friends, everyone showed up ready to go, gave it their all and I think surprised themselves with how great they did!
For me personally the highlight of the day was seeing Bill with his son Will on the bike course heading out to Seattle. Big smiles by both Medlock boys proved that this truly is a sport for all ages. Also great to see that day was Desiree and Derrick. Derrick decided to give this one a try and tackle his first triathlon to what the heck his wife has been so busy doing for the past four or so years. The best comment from Derrick after the race was something to the effect of, "That was hard, I'm glad I did it, but I don't ever need to do it again!". I'm pretty sure he has a new found respect for what Des works so hard for every season.
Of course our only married couple on the Team proper, Suzi and Rick had ANOTHER strong showing and proved once again that being in your 60s is certainly not a reason to spend the day on the couch. Suzi even brought home the big Totem Pole with a first place age group placing!
Dallas came out for the last race of our season and did so in true Dallas style. Fast and furious! It was great to be out there again with Dallas watching him fly by the pack on the run course.
Meg, Amy, and Richard all chose to close out their already successful seasons with one more event and even more smiles! It is always nice to say "this one is just for fun" and see the race day jitters slide away and witness people remember how fun our sport truly is!
Thank you so much to everyone on the 2008 Club Emerald Triathlon Team for entrusting Nancy and I with your hearts, your sweat, your fears, your hopes and your goals. We are looking forward to the 2009 season with new challenges, new teammates, new finish lines and of course . . . a ton of fun!
