2009.04.18

Today, we competed in the Miami University Triathlon in Oxford, Ohio. The event included a 400-meter swim, 21k bike, and 5k run. We had a good time.

One of the race directors recognized Mini-Omega over the PA system. He spent a moment talking about Mini-Omega being the youngest participant and congratulating him. I think this is probably the 5th or 6th time that Mo has been on center stage in front of a couple of hundred people. It doesnŐt even faze him. He stood at the edge of the pool and waved. I am so very proud of him. The downside to his personal drive isÉ after the race he was very disappointed. He did not meet his goals. He did not do as well as he wanted.

We are still waiting for race results to be posted. But, I am okay with the way I swam the 400 meters. I think I finished the swim in 11 or 12 minutes. The bike portion was rough. Mo has a new bike and struggled with several different issues. His shoelace got caught in the chain and wound tight so he could not pedal. He could not switch gears going up one of the hills and had to walk his bike up the hill. It was not fun.

I felt really good on the run. I felt like I maintained a good pace. The fastest I have ever run a 5k was 28:46. I felt much better running today than I did that day. Hopefully, my time will reflect as much.

Now the really cool partÉ I have been working out in the mornings the past several years with a friend. We will call him Clancy. Clancy is a big guy. He (much like me) is not an endurance athlete. When I decided to attempt a triathlon, I began pushing Clancy to do it with me. He did.

Today, Clancy, who has competed in probably two or three 5ks in his life, completed the triathlon. He did it all and he did it with a smile on his face. He plans to complete the Coffman YMCA Triathlon in a few weeks as well. I am so excited to see the way he is attacking this enormous mental and physical challenge.