Mad Manatees 2015.3 CLOSED (or Poptarts? Pet pics?) (Page 89)

Yes, Janyne, I am so sorry too.  We all love our fur family and it is so hard when we lose one.

I don't think any details were posted, just that they were concerned about a possible neuro issue.  

I'm so sorry for those that have lost pets, their furry paw-prints get permanently etched in our hearts which makes it so hard to say goodbye.  

Darren is through 40km.  Go Darren Go!

He finished!! 16:11:46 is the official finishing time on the athlete tracker.  

Way to go IRONMAN!

Congratulations Darren!!!

Congratulations Ironman Darren!  Awesome!

Congratulations Darren!

Good job Darren!

Having a guy like Jesse Thomas there really helps to show how tough that course is. He's the only one to break 9 hrs this year, and only by a few minutes. There area  lot of courses I would expect him to ride near 4:20 or so on and today was like 5:03! Keep in mind that he tends to do well with lots of hills too.

Today was my last triathlon of the year. I did the Olympic distance at Portage Lakes State Park near Akron, OH. It was kind of sad to wrap up my triathlon racing for the year, but there will be other adventures.

There was almost a misadventure the night before the race as I had booked my hotel for the wrong weekend, but found a good spot right around the corner. The weather the morning of the race was almost its own misadventure. The temp when we left the car was 50*, and only ended up getting to 60*. I knew the lake water would retain its warmth, but the question was whether the bike ride would be cold or not.

The swim started right about 8:00 AM. I like to go off in the first wave or two of the time trial start, so that I don't have to swim over the top of anyone. The water was pretty warm, and wasn't a problem at all. There was a section of the swim where there were a lot of underwater plants reaching up and interfering with my stroke. If there's one thing that freaks my out it's underwater plants. The second time through that section I had gotten to the mindset of "I don't care, I just want to get through this." There was also a long section where the rising sun made sighting near impossible. I just had to head for that end of the lake and hope things worked out. Overall I had a good swim and did 27:25 for the 1500m.

I had a quick transition, and the question was: how could would the bike be. Ultimately it wasn't a factor. The first loop on the bike wasn't that cold. The second definitely felt cool, but didn't impact my performance. The course had a lot of hills. My Garmin says I did 2,008 feet of climbing. I felt I had a good ride and paced myself well. There were a lot of hills where everyone dropped to their lowest gear and simply grinded up the hills. I only averaged 17.7 mph, but on a flat course, when examining finishing data from other races, I would have gone about 12 min faster. Of course, I did have my chain pop off, which cost me a minute. Que sera, sera. The hills primarily accounted for my slower overall finishing time. 33/113 OA on the bike.

The run was the biggest question. In my last Olympic I hit the wall about the hardest I've ever done. I isolated the cause to be not taking on enough sugar and electrolytes on the bike, which I remedied on this ride. I also knew that a cooler day would enable me to run faster, not to mention that I've been able to get past my plantar fasciitis road block and get some longer runs in.

The first 5k of the run I ran conservatively at about an 8:30 pace. I didn't want to go out to fast, and if I ultimately didn't have the speed, I wanted to be able to at least maintain it longer. The course was a double out and back. One guy started out fast and left me, but I reeled him in at the start of the second 5k. He was cramping and stopping to walk occasionally. I caught him, and we basically ran the last 2k together. At that point it was a slight downgrade, and I was pushing for speed. My last mile was my fastest, for sure. I was able to rev the engine high for the final straight and bring it home strong. A good last run for my season, and my second fastest 10k of the year. 51:49.

I felt a lot better after this race. I wasn't completely wasted like last time. I still slept a couple hours on the drive home, and today was totally committed to recovery.

I'm looking forward to some fall 5Ks, and prepping for a half marathon in Phoenix with my brother in February. Thanks for reading, and remember, there was a time when I couldn't do this. You'll be surprised what you can do when you try. Live long, be active, and rest in the Lord.

Peace.

BIG congrats to Judi, Tom, Steve and Darren for having some great races!  How did the rest of the racing manatees fare?

Yes, you are a raceaholic

Great job out there!

Good job Darren!

I had a pretty nice race.  Placed 3d in my AG.  This race is part of a racing series where at the end of the series they award money for the top OA finishers and top AG finishers, eg, the first place AGer in each AG.  After 2 races I'm in 3d place -i finished 3d last race too.  The second place woman and I finish within seconds of each other, so I do have a chance to move up.  However, the 1st place woman has beaten me by about 50 seconds each race, so I either need to find some miracle speed or I need to spike her water  

Thanks to all of your for thinking of me and holding us in your thoughts. I appreciate your understanding.  Emma was with us for 13 years and was very much a part of our family.  I am very sad and empty feeling -- a whole in me that I cannot fill.

Oh Emma!  I love you so much! I miss you so much!

Nicely done!  We have some speedy Manatees!

I'm glad that everything worked out and that you had a nice race to finish out your tri season!

Way to go Judi!  What is it with Richmond races and "every surface known to mankind?"