More Manatee Mayhem - 2017 Edition - Closed (Page 86)

Originally posted by amd723

Just want to pass along a couple of very inspiring things I saw during my little sprint yesterday. 

There is a physically challenged racer (Hector) who is well known in the S. Florida tri community because of all the races he does.  He doesn't have arms. I believe he lost them in some horrific electricity incident. One arm has a little flesh passed the shoulder, the other has about 1/2 an upper arm.  He races all distance races and has raced at Kona.  He completes the swim on his back and has some special contraption on his bike to hold his arm in.

Yesterday he was helping out an even more physically challenged woman.  The woman is a spastic quadriplegic. They went off in their own race wave. The woman was in an inflatable boat -lots of flotation devices on her, because if the boat flipped there would be nothing she could do to stop herself from drowning. He had the tow rope around his upper body, lay on his back and breast stroke kicked the swim.  They had two safety swimmers along the boa to,  i assume, help both in the event of a flip and to help keep other swimmers from knocking into the boat.

It was amazing to see!  I'm not a fast swimmer by any definition, but still I am awed that their swim time was faster than mine!!  I did not see them on the bike as their wave was much earlier than mine, but I did pass them on the run.  They were almost at the halfway point.  She was in a special wheelchair and Hector was pushing it.  

The conditions on the day were not ideal - it had poured rain shortly before the race, then was sunny and very hot and humid with a pretty stiff wind. So, the bike had a headwind for more than half the course, making his job even harder.  Also, there were 2 pretty tight u-turns on the course that were all the more dangerous because of the wet road.  The run consisted of running on soft beach sand, breaking up asphalt and trail on a path that was so dense with foliage that no air moves, making it a very hot, humid run.  Yet, he kept going and going!

When you see something like this it is hard to tell yourself that you are working hard!  

I also saw another physically challenged athlete. This man had 1 leg. I first saw him on the bike -pedaling with just 1 leg!! How strong must he be. This course is not flat either with 2 Causeway crossings and 2 smaller bridge crossings.  I also saw him as he started the run. This time he did have a prosthetic. I can only imagine what it was like to run through the beach sand on it!!

2 amazing stories that inspire you and keep you from thinking you're all that!

Originally posted by amd723

Just want to pass along a couple of very inspiring things I saw during my little sprint yesterday. 

There is a physically challenged racer (Hector) who is well known in the S. Florida tri community because of all the races he does.  He doesn't have arms. I believe he lost them in some horrific electricity incident. One arm has a little flesh passed the shoulder, the other has about 1/2 an upper arm.  He races all distance races and has raced at Kona.  He completes the swim on his back and has some special contraption on his bike to hold his arm in.

Yesterday he was helping out an even more physically challenged woman.  The woman is a spastic quadriplegic. They went off in their own race wave. The woman was in an inflatable boat -lots of flotation devices on her, because if the boat flipped there would be nothing she could do to stop herself from drowning. He had the tow rope around his upper body, lay on his back and breast stroke kicked the swim.  They had two safety swimmers along the boa to,  i assume, help both in the event of a flip and to help keep other swimmers from knocking into the boat.

It was amazing to see!  I'm not a fast swimmer by any definition, but still I am awed that their swim time was faster than mine!!  I did not see them on the bike as their wave was much earlier than mine, but I did pass them on the run.  They were almost at the halfway point.  She was in a special wheelchair and Hector was pushing it.  

The conditions on the day were not ideal - it had poured rain shortly before the race, then was sunny and very hot and humid with a pretty stiff wind. So, the bike had a headwind for more than half the course, making his job even harder.  Also, there were 2 pretty tight u-turns on the course that were all the more dangerous because of the wet road.  The run consisted of running on soft beach sand, breaking up asphalt and trail on a path that was so dense with foliage that no air moves, making it a very hot, humid run.  Yet, he kept going and going!

When you see something like this it is hard to tell yourself that you are working hard!  

I also saw another physically challenged athlete. This man had 1 leg. I first saw him on the bike -pedaling with just 1 leg!! How strong must he be. This course is not flat either with 2 Causeway crossings and 2 smaller bridge crossings.  I also saw him as he started the run. This time he did have a prosthetic. I can only imagine what it was like to run through the beach sand on it!!

2 amazing stories that inspire you and keep you from thinking you're all that!

Originally posted by amd723

Just want to pass along a couple of very inspiring things I saw during my little sprint yesterday. 

There is a physically challenged racer (Hector) who is well known in the S. Florida tri community because of all the races he does.  He doesn't have arms. I believe he lost them in some horrific electricity incident. One arm has a little flesh passed the shoulder, the other has about 1/2 an upper arm.  He races all distance races and has raced at Kona.  He completes the swim on his back and has some special contraption on his bike to hold his arm in.

Yesterday he was helping out an even more physically challenged woman.  The woman is a spastic quadriplegic. They went off in their own race wave. The woman was in an inflatable boat -lots of flotation devices on her, because if the boat flipped there would be nothing she could do to stop herself from drowning. He had the tow rope around his upper body, lay on his back and breast stroke kicked the swim.  They had two safety swimmers along the boa to,  i assume, help both in the event of a flip and to help keep other swimmers from knocking into the boat.

It was amazing to see!  I'm not a fast swimmer by any definition, but still I am awed that their swim time was faster than mine!!  I did not see them on the bike as their wave was much earlier than mine, but I did pass them on the run.  They were almost at the halfway point.  She was in a special wheelchair and Hector was pushing it.  

The conditions on the day were not ideal - it had poured rain shortly before the race, then was sunny and very hot and humid with a pretty stiff wind. So, the bike had a headwind for more than half the course, making his job even harder.  Also, there were 2 pretty tight u-turns on the course that were all the more dangerous because of the wet road.  The run consisted of running on soft beach sand, breaking up asphalt and trail on a path that was so dense with foliage that no air moves, making it a very hot, humid run.  Yet, he kept going and going!

When you see something like this it is hard to tell yourself that you are working hard!  

I also saw another physically challenged athlete. This man had 1 leg. I first saw him on the bike -pedaling with just 1 leg!! How strong must he be. This course is not flat either with 2 Causeway crossings and 2 smaller bridge crossings.  I also saw him as he started the run. This time he did have a prosthetic. I can only imagine what it was like to run through the beach sand on it!!

2 amazing stories that inspire you and keep you from thinking you're all that!

Originally posted by amd723

Just want to pass along a couple of very inspiring things I saw during my little sprint yesterday. 

There is a physically challenged racer (Hector) who is well known in the S. Florida tri community because of all the races he does.  He doesn't have arms. I believe he lost them in some horrific electricity incident. One arm has a little flesh passed the shoulder, the other has about 1/2 an upper arm.  He races all distance races and has raced at Kona.  He completes the swim on his back and has some special contraption on his bike to hold his arm in.

Yesterday he was helping out an even more physically challenged woman.  The woman is a spastic quadriplegic. They went off in their own race wave. The woman was in an inflatable boat -lots of flotation devices on her, because if the boat flipped there would be nothing she could do to stop herself from drowning. He had the tow rope around his upper body, lay on his back and breast stroke kicked the swim.  They had two safety swimmers along the boa to,  i assume, help both in the event of a flip and to help keep other swimmers from knocking into the boat.

It was amazing to see!  I'm not a fast swimmer by any definition, but still I am awed that their swim time was faster than mine!!  I did not see them on the bike as their wave was much earlier than mine, but I did pass them on the run.  They were almost at the halfway point.  She was in a special wheelchair and Hector was pushing it.  

The conditions on the day were not ideal - it had poured rain shortly before the race, then was sunny and very hot and humid with a pretty stiff wind. So, the bike had a headwind for more than half the course, making his job even harder.  Also, there were 2 pretty tight u-turns on the course that were all the more dangerous because of the wet road.  The run consisted of running on soft beach sand, breaking up asphalt and trail on a path that was so dense with foliage that no air moves, making it a very hot, humid run.  Yet, he kept going and going!

When you see something like this it is hard to tell yourself that you are working hard!  

I also saw another physically challenged athlete. This man had 1 leg. I first saw him on the bike -pedaling with just 1 leg!! How strong must he be. This course is not flat either with 2 Causeway crossings and 2 smaller bridge crossings.  I also saw him as he started the run. This time he did have a prosthetic. I can only imagine what it was like to run through the beach sand on it!!

2 amazing stories that inspire you and keep you from thinking you're all that!

Originally posted by amd723

Just want to pass along a couple of very inspiring things I saw during my little sprint yesterday. 

There is a physically challenged racer (Hector) who is well known in the S. Florida tri community because of all the races he does.  He doesn't have arms. I believe he lost them in some horrific electricity incident. One arm has a little flesh passed the shoulder, the other has about 1/2 an upper arm.  He races all distance races and has raced at Kona.  He completes the swim on his back and has some special contraption on his bike to hold his arm in.

Yesterday he was helping out an even more physically challenged woman.  The woman is a spastic quadriplegic. They went off in their own race wave. The woman was in an inflatable boat -lots of flotation devices on her, because if the boat flipped there would be nothing she could do to stop herself from drowning. He had the tow rope around his upper body, lay on his back and breast stroke kicked the swim.  They had two safety swimmers along the boa to,  i assume, help both in the event of a flip and to help keep other swimmers from knocking into the boat.

It was amazing to see!  I'm not a fast swimmer by any definition, but still I am awed that their swim time was faster than mine!!  I did not see them on the bike as their wave was much earlier than mine, but I did pass them on the run.  They were almost at the halfway point.  She was in a special wheelchair and Hector was pushing it.  

The conditions on the day were not ideal - it had poured rain shortly before the race, then was sunny and very hot and humid with a pretty stiff wind. So, the bike had a headwind for more than half the course, making his job even harder.  Also, there were 2 pretty tight u-turns on the course that were all the more dangerous because of the wet road.  The run consisted of running on soft beach sand, breaking up asphalt and trail on a path that was so dense with foliage that no air moves, making it a very hot, humid run.  Yet, he kept going and going!

When you see something like this it is hard to tell yourself that you are working hard!  

I also saw another physically challenged athlete. This man had 1 leg. I first saw him on the bike -pedaling with just 1 leg!! How strong must he be. This course is not flat either with 2 Causeway crossings and 2 smaller bridge crossings.  I also saw him as he started the run. This time he did have a prosthetic. I can only imagine what it was like to run through the beach sand on it!!

2 amazing stories that inspire you and keep you from thinking you're all that!

Originally posted by marysia83



This is such an amazing story! It makes you re-think your whole life....
Thanks so much for sharing!

Originally posted by marysia83 I hope everyone is doing well and that the weather is being supportive for all training and racing needs I have a question on the trail race and crazy inclines. There is a race in Devil's Lake, which is one of my favorite hiking spots. I have never done the real-deal trail race, and the biggest hills I've done are not even considered hills. Can you look at this map and tell me, from your experience and sanity, how challenging this seems like? Obviously, I am not thinking of racing, but rather experiencing it, so I will run slowly. The conservative part of me tells me to do 10k, just to see how it tastes like, but the romantic side is tempted for the half. The problem with half is that I only have two more long runs before the race, which seems fine for a regular race, but am not sure with such challenging one. I also train for a marathon training in Madison, WI, which has tons of ups and downs, and I thought this race would be a nice prep. The map and elevation for the half: http://dwddevilslake.com/images/Maps/2016Half.pdf

Originally posted by Blanda



Jayne, I'd love to be added to The Triathlon Collective on FB!

Originally posted by Blanda Got in the pool again yesterday, but ended up spending most of the time helping my friend with his swim. He's registered for a 70.3 in November. I've gotten quite a few friends into doing triathlons. Mostly aging soccer players like myself, haha! Doing a sprint this Sunday. I think I'll be fine during the swim and bike, but depending on how my soccer game Friday goes, the run may be slow going. God bless Rock Tape and Biofreeze. Is there anyway to wrap, or support a hamstring to keep it from getting worse? The issue is high up, like right where it connects to my backside. I've been resting up and haven't challenged it much. Soccer will be the big test to see if I've rested it enough, but I'd rather give it a fighting chance with support or something if I can. Hope you're all having a great week!

Originally posted by amd723

please be very careful about a hamstring injury at the connection point! I had the same thing and continued to run. Turns out I injured the tendon and not the muscle. Gave myself a lovely case of hamstring tendonopathy. Was on lock down for months and am still dealing with issues.  It is a very hard injury to heal. Google high hamstring tendonopathy.  I hope it isn't the tendon!!

Originally posted by johnthecat There's a FB group? How can I get added? Oh and Proof of Life post. It's been a while. I started back up with a few easy swims over the last couple of weeks and I did my first 1 mile run yesterday. I'm definitely not back to normal yet. Still dealing with the dry heaving on occasion and nausea. Dizziness, muscle weakness and pain has improved. Ongoing IV treatment every 3 weeks for the next 6 months. Will keep taking it easy for now, not sure I'll be able to do a Tri this year, maybe really late in the season. Markus

Originally posted by Blanda Got in the pool again yesterday, but ended up spending most of the time helping my friend with his swim. He's registered for a 70.3 in November. I've gotten quite a few friends into doing triathlons. Mostly aging soccer players like myself, haha! Doing a sprint this Sunday. I think I'll be fine during the swim and bike, but depending on how my soccer game Friday goes, the run may be slow going. God bless Rock Tape and Biofreeze. Is there anyway to wrap, or support a hamstring to keep it from getting worse? The issue is high up, like right where it connects to my backside. I've been resting up and haven't challenged it much. Soccer will be the big test to see if I've rested it enough, but I'd rather give it a fighting chance with support or something if I can. Hope you're all having a great week!

Originally posted by Blanda Thank you so much for getting me hooked up on FB and Strava! It's pushing me to think more about future races. I've been kinda meh about racing after not being able to race at Subic Bay 70.3. Ann Marie, thank you for sharing that inspiring story! Makes me feel guilty about not signing up and racing everything I can! I have zero reasons for not being able to at least do all the local races. You know what, I'm doing the sprint tri I said I didn't feel like doing this weekend. Thank you for the push! Let's go swimming!

Originally posted by ceilidh

Way to be inspired! Kick butt in this weeks race !

Originally posted by johnthecat There's a FB group? How can I get added? Oh and Proof of Life post. It's been a while. I started back up with a few easy swims over the last couple of weeks and I did my first 1 mile run yesterday. I'm definitely not back to normal yet. Still dealing with the dry heaving on occasion and nausea. Dizziness, muscle weakness and pain has improved. Ongoing IV treatment every 3 weeks for the next 6 months. Will keep taking it easy for now, not sure I'll be able to do a Tri this year, maybe really late in the season. Markus

Originally posted by amd723

please be very careful about a hamstring injury at the connection point! I had the same thing and continued to run. Turns out I injured the tendon and not the muscle. Gave myself a lovely case of hamstring tendonopathy. Was on lock down for months and am still dealing with issues.  It is a very hard injury to heal. Google high hamstring tendonopathy.  I hope it isn't the tendon!!

Originally posted by melbo55

Echoing Ann-Marie and Ben: PLEASE be careful with your hamstring. As Ann-Marie said it is really tough to heal them especially high up where you are having issues. I injured mine 3 or 4 years ago and it hasn't been quite the same since.  It took a few months of PT and strengthening to get it just not to hurt and it apparently is susceptible to re-injury; I was pulling very hard on some weedy shrubs over a month ago and re-aggravated it (not to the same extent but it sure isn't happy).

Be careful with it, I'd hate to see you sidelined.

Originally posted by jmkizer

This could result in Having to Swim More!!!

Originally posted by Blanda Thank you so much for all the words of caution! I'm definitely way more concerned now. I'm going to ask that I not be used to much tonight, if at all. I just feel obligated to play after my sponsor paid for my season. Ugh. I'm sure he'll understand, but the guilt is strong. It's the long sprinting that's killing it. Maybe I'll play goalkeeper, haha! I'd have to know how to catch, though. TGIF for meeeeee! Hope everyone on the mend is another week closer to getting back to some swimming, biking and/or running!