Update July 29
Well, as it turns out that guy way ahead was really in our race, so I came in third after all. Some confusion from the officials but third is not bad, I don't think.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Wow. That was one heckuva fun race.
July 28, 2007
So when we last left off in the triathlon life of Sir Charles, there was much gnashing of teeth from a craptacular meltdown in Hawaii. There was something of a "why bother" tone to that report. I must admit that I thought of finding a new thing to train for such as, I don't know, crossword puzzle tournaments or something. Reconnecting with great people in New York this past week helped inspire me to keep giving it my best. Today I present to you the report of the best race of Sir Charles's life. There are no pictures. You might not want to wade through the prose. If not, I heard that youtube has some excellent dog trick videos.
The Concreteman tri here in our fair city is one of the most durable triathlons in the world. This year was the 24th running. New this year was the short course. My entry into that race was calculated to let the fast guys do the traditional in hopes of a high overall finish for me in the short. Maybe not the most manly strategy, but I offer you zero apologies.
In the water at the start of my wave is a great guy who is a former collegiate swimmer and good friend, Arch. So much for first out of the water. Hopefully I could make up some time on the transitions or something. The start occurs and Arch and I take off leading the field. It isn't long before he is out of sight, but much to my surprise no one else passes and I am second out of the water. Thank you Doug Stern, wherever you are for my swim result. Wow.
The transition is smooth as silk and off I go on the Official New and Awesome Carbon Bike of Sir Charles. Bike is my worst leg, but much to my surprise no one passes me. 12.5 miles in 37 minutes around a very tough course. Not bad. Still no sign of Arch. I know that we are near the top, but it's a little confusing with the waves and the long course race going on. There appears to be someone way ahead of us maybe from another wave, but he is so far ahead, that seems implausible. I had a glimpse of Arch running as I pulled into bike racking, and estimate that I am 2 minutes down. With only a 2 mile run coming up, it seems unlikely that I could catch him, but I'm thinking third isn't bad at all. At the run turnaround I am able to calculate a deficit of 1:30, too much to make up in a mile on a good athlete. Still, it was worth a try and as I crossed the line, the run split was 15 minutes more or less. Not stellar, but good. Arch and I congratulate each other. As it turns out he finished 1 minute ahead of me, so I never would have caught him. But third place overall is what was posted in the preliminary for me, which puts me on cloud nine. Wow.
Better news awaits at the award ceremony, where we find out that the #1 preliminary was a timing error, and Arch won the race with yours truly second! I get the first Masters prize since Arch got first overall, and win a pair of awesome running shoes.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO.
Official Progeny are notified by telephone and seem very proud of the Official Ancestor. This makes Sir Charles smile widely.
Life is beautiful sometimes.
July 28, 2007
So when we last left off in the triathlon life of Sir Charles, there was much gnashing of teeth from a craptacular meltdown in Hawaii. There was something of a "why bother" tone to that report. I must admit that I thought of finding a new thing to train for such as, I don't know, crossword puzzle tournaments or something. Reconnecting with great people in New York this past week helped inspire me to keep giving it my best. Today I present to you the report of the best race of Sir Charles's life. There are no pictures. You might not want to wade through the prose. If not, I heard that youtube has some excellent dog trick videos.
The Concreteman tri here in our fair city is one of the most durable triathlons in the world. This year was the 24th running. New this year was the short course. My entry into that race was calculated to let the fast guys do the traditional in hopes of a high overall finish for me in the short. Maybe not the most manly strategy, but I offer you zero apologies.
In the water at the start of my wave is a great guy who is a former collegiate swimmer and good friend, Arch. So much for first out of the water. Hopefully I could make up some time on the transitions or something. The start occurs and Arch and I take off leading the field. It isn't long before he is out of sight, but much to my surprise no one else passes and I am second out of the water. Thank you Doug Stern, wherever you are for my swim result. Wow.
The transition is smooth as silk and off I go on the Official New and Awesome Carbon Bike of Sir Charles. Bike is my worst leg, but much to my surprise no one passes me. 12.5 miles in 37 minutes around a very tough course. Not bad. Still no sign of Arch. I know that we are near the top, but it's a little confusing with the waves and the long course race going on. There appears to be someone way ahead of us maybe from another wave, but he is so far ahead, that seems implausible. I had a glimpse of Arch running as I pulled into bike racking, and estimate that I am 2 minutes down. With only a 2 mile run coming up, it seems unlikely that I could catch him, but I'm thinking third isn't bad at all. At the run turnaround I am able to calculate a deficit of 1:30, too much to make up in a mile on a good athlete. Still, it was worth a try and as I crossed the line, the run split was 15 minutes more or less. Not stellar, but good. Arch and I congratulate each other. As it turns out he finished 1 minute ahead of me, so I never would have caught him. But third place overall is what was posted in the preliminary for me, which puts me on cloud nine. Wow.
Better news awaits at the award ceremony, where we find out that the #1 preliminary was a timing error, and Arch won the race with yours truly second! I get the first Masters prize since Arch got first overall, and win a pair of awesome running shoes.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO.
Official Progeny are notified by telephone and seem very proud of the Official Ancestor. This makes Sir Charles smile widely.
Life is beautiful sometimes.
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